Question:
Post Op, Limited Restriction, No Dumping, No Returning= SCARED

I am soooooooooooo scared..I like some here, have been able to eat EVERYTHING since my surgery.I do not throw up and have had only a few dumping episodes. I know my weight loss could have been more if I had not eaten sweets..I am happy but scared because I KNOW that I am eating more than I should. Some days, more than others. I just had to put this on here..as I have no one around me that understands my fears.    — Jeanne C. (posted on April 27, 2003)

April 27, 2003
Hon, I understand your fears completely. I dump on sugar and am so thankful that I do. But I have my fears too - I crave salty things and sometimes get out of control with crackers (Cheese Nips, Cheez-it or Ghardettos snack mix). The only way I can control it is to not have them around. At first I could just eat 3 or 4 and was fine but now if I'm not careful, I'll eat a whole box in a day. I can't tell you the number of times I've picked up a box of them in the store and then gone back and put them on the shelf. I am 17 months post-op, at my surgeons, goal, almost 3 months post-op from my tummy tuck and I have no intention of gaining any of this weight back. If it means I can never have another cheese cracker in my life, it's worth it. My advice to you is to try to distance yourself from the foods that you tend to over-indulge in. And, remember, as trite as this might sound, the surgery is not a cure, it's only a tool - and our ultimate success depends on how well we utilize the tool. Good luck to you.
   — Patty_Butler

April 27, 2003
I think the further out we get, the more elasticity our stomach retains (did that make sense??) so the more we can eat without the feeling full. I can eat sweets too, in limited amounts. The only way I can NOT eat them is to NOT buy them. I haven't bought white sugar since I had surgery, and honestly, NO ONE in my family needs that crap anyway! I do buy some things, but my downfall is cereal. So... now I buy kinds that are healthy, and ones that I don't like. Otherwise, I'd eat them. I'm addicted to sugar, I admit it. I'm like a junky that will sell grandma down the river for one more fix. There are times when I'll do just about anything for a taste of sugar. You just have to retrain your thought process. You don't NEED sugar. You don't NEED sugar. You don't NEEEEEEDDDD SUGAR! I have to repeat that about 100 times, and then force myself to eat something with protein in it. Surgery wasn't an easy way to go, for ANY of us. Some people lose all their weight without much of a struggle. Other people (myself included) battle the food demons on a daily basis, even though we KNOW what we need to do for ourselves. You aren't alone in this. Just repeat after me... YOU DON'T NEED SUGAR, DAMMIT! And then turn around and walk straight over to the garbage and throw out whatever is calling your name. You CAN do this.
   — Diana L.

April 27, 2003
One of the best quotes I've heard related to your issue is - just because we *CAN* eat something, it doesn't mean we *SHOULD* eat it. I am like you, I haven't had trouble eating anything so far, anything. I am going to have to make good choices or I will lose slower than I already am. Good luck to you!
   — Sandy T.