Question:
Has anyone else experienced a fear of eating post-op?

I am 8 weeks post-op and my surgeon and everyone has been telling me I am doing fantastic. I am down 48 pounds but just do not see it. I know I am taking an hour to eat my half cup, yet I am finding myself drinking my fluids, taking my vitamins, but scared to death to actually eat. My biggest fear is now is actually eating. I just spent several hours crying in my husband's arm as I am afraid to "stretch" the pouch or something worse if I make a mistake and I will fail. Is it normal to be this concerned? Can someone just tell me if this has happened to them?    — Dawn K. (posted on February 27, 2002)

February 26, 2002
Yes, at first I had those same fears. But in time around the 3rd month post op. I tried a little bit of different things, and slowly realized...hey, this is going to be o.k. I am not going to fail by eating...if anything...you will fail by NOT eating. Your body needs the nutrition, but I do know it's hard, that fear can take over. Good luck, it will get better.
   — [Anonymous]

February 27, 2002
Hi Dawn. I'm almost 9 weeks post-op now and have been having a similar problem. I don't know that it's fear of eating actually.....I think we've all been through the diet mill enough times -- lose 50 pounds, gain 75.......that we're afraid the surgery may fail us too. Does that make sense? My surgeon jokingly tells me that weight loss surgery is a "sure thing" but we all know it's not. It's a wonderful tool that requires proper care to keep working for us. We're all so used to NOT eating that the idea that we CAN eat AND lose weight is almost like a foreign language to us! I struggle with this on a daily basis. But I know my body needs the nutrition so I eat. I eat no more than I'm supposed to and I stick to the foods the doctor has authorized. I have great faith in my surgeon and an even greater faith in God that I wouldn't have been put through this surgery to fail. Hang in there Dawn. It gets a little easier every day for me and I'm sure it will for you too. Take care.
   — Pam S.

February 27, 2002
Do you know how big your pouch was to start? If it was one oz, why not try eating a 1-2 oz meal every 2 hours, taking about 15 min to eat it. You'll get the same amount of food as before, but will not be slowly stretching your pouch to do it. I also approached food with musch trepidation. Food was NOT my friend and I wasn't really interested in hanging out with it again after my clear liquid period.
   — vitalady

February 27, 2002
Do you know how big your pouch was to start? If it was one oz, why not try eating a 1-2 oz meal every 2 hours, taking about 15 min to eat it. You'll get the same amount of food as before, but will not be slowly stretching your pouch to do it. I also approached food with musch trepidation. Food was NOT my friend and I wasn't really interested in hanging out with it again after my clear liquid period.
   — vitalady

February 27, 2002
Do you know how big your pouch was to start? If it was one oz, why not try eating a 1-2 oz meal every 2 hours, taking about 15 min to eat it. You'll get the same amount of food as before, but will not be slowly stretching your pouch to do it. I also approached food with musch trepidation. Food was NOT my friend and I wasn't really interested in hanging out with it again after my clear liquid period.
   — vitalady

February 27, 2002
Hi Dawn, I too, now at 7 months post op get fears that I will stretch my pouch, but trust me, if you do not eat, you wil not lose. Your body will hold on to every ounce of fat for dear life, thinking you are starving it. I wasn't hungry at all for a few weeks, didn't eat that much, and didn't lose one pound in almost a month. I started eating 6 mini meals of protein and I have dropped 15 lbs in less then 3 weeks. Your body has to have some type of fuel to keep running. If you eat small 1 to 2 ounce meals, you are not going to stretch your pouch out. My doctor, who has been performing this type of surgery for some time, says that the stretching of the pouch is so over rated anyway. He said you would really have to overeat for weeks and weeks on end to make a slight dent.
   — Carey N.

February 27, 2002
Scared to death sums it up... !!! When I had surgery I CRIED every time I got sick after eatting, and now I'm getting used to it.. and I stopped eatting scared of getting sick, now I don't eat as much, scared of stretching the pouch and it's wreaking havoc on my weight loss... (I'm not losing as much as they thought "normal" for my size) This not eatting has caused me to stop losing weight a couple times... I've gone back to doing soups and stuff, and working my way back to the harder foods.. watching what I'm eatting again... and it's been easier this time my stomach is handeling some things better... I just keep reminding myself though, my stomach and body for that matter has been through a lot, and never again will it be what it was before surgery.. and that's a good thought.. You're not alone!
   — Elizabeth D.

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