Question:
A butter obsession/craving

I look forward to any opportunity to put "real butter" on anything I eat...Help...I was the same way before my RNY 8 months ago.Any insight in how to get over this or sugestions would be much appreciated!    — levans (posted on October 23, 2003)


October 23, 2003
I don't crave real butter but I do eat margarine anytime I want it. Having said that, I don't eat bread very often so unless I have a baked potato, I really don't use it often.
   — Patty_Butler

October 23, 2003
Lori, I am unable to eat mayo and hate mustard and most any other condiments so I have been putting butter on my sandwiches for ages. I just recently had RNY and have tried butter on a few things with no ill effects, even though it may not be the best choice. I think the key is moderation, moderation, moderation. You could try butter flavored sprays on your veggies, they arent half bad an maybe add some shredded cheeses for flavor if you want to eliminate all together. If not, indulge yourself on occassion. We all deserve it now and then.
   — Michelle B.

October 23, 2003
OK, I can see you running from the carbs you want to put the butter ONTO. That makes sense to me. But why would you be fearing the butter itself? How much butter are we talking? A pound a day? A cube a day? Or a pat of butter with each of 3-4 meals?
   — vitalady

October 23, 2003
Anything in moderation is (usually) ok! I use real butter all the time. I'm not eating that much food at a sitting, so if I choose to flavor it with real butter.. it really can't be that much. If you find yourself overdoing it, alternate with spread to cut back a little. Enjoy your butter! Open RNY 3/20/03 255/174/145
   — teresa M.

October 23, 2003
Lori...so you're craving butter?. I have found many flavorful substitutes for the real thing. Have you tried the Parkay 0 Calorie Butter Spray?. To me..tastes like the real thing. I have tried it on popcorn, corn on the cob and toast. Oops...dropped my fork..butter fingers...LOL.. Best of Luck
   — Hippynurse

October 23, 2003
I never can understand why anyone fears "fat" in foods after an RNY. I had assumed we "crap it out". I know for about a year after RNY I had greasy yellow stools. I guess when you are farther out perhaps this is'nt so. I enjoy putting "Move Over Butter" on my bread or veggies. I put as much as I want on, but I don't go overboard. I'm about 2.5 years out and never could get to goal, however I HAVE maintained my weight loss. Plus, FINALLY I started to lose a few more pounds again. YES! :) So my indulgiging on butter has'nt hurt me. If I crave something, I eat it GUILT FREE. For some reason if I don't come flying down on myself with guilt it allows me to enjoy something and then let it be. Personally unless something really goes wrong with my WLS I'm not going to deny myself ANY food. This is not a licence to over indulge, just the freedom to taste and enjoy foods "within reason". About the only foods I have to go easy on is ones with maynase in them. Enjoy your butter to enhance flavor. Just don't consume it constantly. :)
   — Danmark

October 23, 2003
I'm 8-1/2 months PO and have eaten butter since about 5 months. I enjoy it when I have it and I have plenty of it, but it is rare and only when I got out to eat. If there is a good bread that I decide to have a slice of then it's butter all the way for me. I ate some small hard breadsticks the other night while waiting for my omelet to arrive at the table. I ate them with plenty of butter. However, this happens maybe 2-3 times a month, so it's not going to sabotage or even affect my weight loss. Your body does needs fats and while butter is higher fat it is not a bad fat used occassionally. Since I do not have bread at home and I'm not a big one for buttered veggies, I do not have any at home. I use Pam to cook. <p>In my opinion no food is off limits for life. Just that many should not appear on the table more than once or twice a year and other no more than a few times a month. If this is to work long term you cannot live on a perpetual diet and deprive yourself of something you really crave. I chose not to have many things as they are not good choices but if I was craving it I would have some and then try to put that craving to bed for at least a while. Yes you do need to use your brain and have the final say in how much and how often you eat something, but don't live your life wishing you could have X.
   — zoedogcbr

October 23, 2003
I use real butter and found that eating it helps keep me regular too. Besides my skin which was too dry improved too. RNYs malabsorb fat so why worry about it? Now dont go eating a stick a day but anything in moderation is ok
   — bob-haller

October 23, 2003
Okay...I'm about to say something that is going to make some people mad but I have to say it anyway. One pet-peeve of mine is when people refer to food as a 'reward' or 'indulgence'. Who knows if I'll ever make it to goal but along this journey I am trying to make the right choices for me and my lifestyle. Having surgery has allowed me to eat food I enjoy in MODERATION. Do I eat cake? I had about a tablespoon of something in the summer. It was nothing like I remembered sugar to be. Food still smells very good to me but perhaps I'm 'different' in that it doesn't appeal to me to put certain things in my mouth. Unlike pre-surgery when a chocolate cake would last 2 days at the most, now it is completely different. I notice as I get further out that I am able to eat more at one time (depending what it is), more often and more variety. I do not deprive myself anything, but I listen to myself before I start shoveling something in. I'm down 90 lbs in just over 6 months. Did I do everything right? Not by anyone else's standards, but for me it must be working. Overall, I think we as post-ops need to keep a close eye on how we think of food. If things that are 'forbidden' are a reward that may be something that needs addressing. I deserve a reward every day...for the person I am. I just don't want it to be food. Best wishes!
   — Diane S.

October 23, 2003
I eat anything I want in moderation. I eat pizza and YES the dreaded Krispy Creme. BUT I do not eat rice, white bread, pasta or refined sugars. They do not like me. I cannot even eat a whole piece of a large pizza but I can eat a whole slice of some smalls. I eat quality not quanity anymore. I eat proteins first and try to whatch my calories to a point. I am trying to learn to eat things in moderation rather that obsessively. I am 21 months out and past goa. I have lost about 175 olbs. I have bad days and good days. I eat butter too. It is is so nice to taste things now instead of gulping down everything. I have no idea why we do the thiings to ourselves that we do but here is your chance to enjoy food the way it was meant to be used and enjoyed.
   — Oldsoul

October 24, 2003
Ha! Bob Haller~ you reminded me of what my surgeon told me in my initial consult. I asked if he's ever had anyone who failed at this surgery. He said some things about the aerage % of wwt loss and # of his patients experiencing, blah blah then added that he'd ever only seen one person actually FAIL this surgery due to thier own fault. The person was EATING STICKS OF BUTTER! He also mentioned tht this was very early on in his studying and that's when they determined tht psych evals were going to be mandatory! Anyway- I digress. This story has no point. However, I agree with the majority, eat the butter if it makes you happy, just do it in moderation. If you know can't do it in moderation, then keep away from it.
   — LMCLILLY

October 24, 2003
I do eat real butter but have found Butter Buds to be a decent substitute on hot moist foods like steamed vegies. It's made from butter solids so has real butter taste.
   — Chris T.

October 24, 2003
I eat butter...in fact since surgery I avoid margarine and enjoy the real thing - in moderation like everyone else has said. If you deny yourself eating something you REALLY want, all you do is elevate that foods importance - at least that's what it does for me. If I want a chip, I have one, guilt-free. I just don't eat a bag of them anymore. If I want butter on my veggie, I sure as heck put a bit on and enjoy the taste. I do believe that ALL things are ok in moderation, but if you find you have a severe problem limiting yourself then best to find a good alternative - have you tried the butter sprays? They're good!
   — [Deactivated Member]

October 24, 2003
I have always had butter. Pre or post op. It tastes better and whether you believe it or not is better for you than marjorine (or however you spell that lol). If you really are afraid of the fat in it, the ONLY substitute that I have tasted that even comes close is made by brummel and brown and its made from yogurt, not oil and chemicals.
   — RebeccaP

October 24, 2003
Why not have butter? Not every day but every once in a while. Not a lot, 1 pat once a week. It's my average. Why risk the cholesterol of all those butter substitutes? Now if butter triggers you to overeat then yeah, I'd stay away from it. But the longer you make butter a "bad" food the longer you will crave it. Like me and pizza. :)
   — mrsmyranow

October 24, 2003
have you tried the "I can't believe its not butter spray?" I use it on everything, and I think it tastes great, and it is super low calorie, and fat free! indulge! hehe
   — Katrina K.




Click Here to Return
×