Question:
Has anyone had experience with losing your desire to cook?

My fiance and I love to cook really creative gourmet food. One of my fears is that I will lose interest in an activity that we love so much. It's not so much about the eating of the food, I know I won't have ability/desire to eat much, at least at first, and I can be creative with types of food. I am more worried about the process. Anyone else deal with this issue? I am pre-op DS. Thanks,    — Vanessa C. (posted on July 6, 2001)

July 6, 2001
Vanessa, I don't think that I cooked anything at all for about 3 months following my surgery, other than heating soup or microwaving frozen dinners. I had absolutely no hunger and many kitchen smells made me really queasy. Once I passed that initial post-op phase however, I found that I enjoyed cooking more than ever! I have a collection of cookbooks and recipes that would make a branch library envious, and have always read these the way others read novels. Needless to say, that obsession with good food and the art of cooking, contributed heavily over the years to the development of my obesity. Now, I entertain more often; do a great deal of cooking for church functions and holidays; and can devote time to truly interesting and demanding gourmet cooking without having to give a thought to gaining weight as a "side-effect". I don't taste and snack my way through the food prep process the way I used to; I am thrilled to watch others enjoy the meals I prepare; I still have no sense of hunger even 15 months post-op RNY (I'm not sure whether you'll find that true with DS surgery); and the left-overs never tempt me....in fact, a fair amount of food goes down the disposal at our house now, something that NEVER happened in the past:-) Of course, the bottom line (for me) to pulling this off without sabotaging the surgery, is maintaining the lifelong committment to 3 meals/day, small portions, no snacking, maintaining protein intake and limiting fats/sugars. If you love to cook, I hope that you will be able to experience the same joy and excitement in re-discovering the world of gourmet cooking that I have and still maintain the wonderful results of your surgery. Good luck!
   — Diana T.

July 6, 2001
I'm 21 months post-op from DS, have lost all my weight and just about all my desire to cook too. Just last weekend I gave all my cookbooks, except "The Joy" to my daughter, together with most of my cookware to my daughter. Granted, we may be at different stages of life -- I've already done 20 years of raising a family and entertaining, and the drudgery of keeping food on the table is definitely out of my system. For me, a lot of my cooking was also related to my obsession with food, and that, thank god, is now gone. As a DS I can eat anything that I want, but only a normal portion size (I've just hit the phase where my stomach has stretched enough so that I can occasionally finish an entree, but most of the last year I've been more than satisfied with an appetizer) so cooking, as I did in the past, so that I could have unlimited portion size and leftovers no longer appeals to me. I used to not take advantage of some of the excellent frozen meals (Stouffer, etc.) because a "portion" wouldn't satisfy me. Now I am thrilled to be totally full with a frozen meal and can often eat a restaurant meal more than once at home. I truly enjoy the fact that I'm not always thinking about food (one of the reasons I chose DS was not to have to continue with the dieting mentality and good food/bad food values) and don't have the continued "planning" -- whether dieting or binging -- about what my new meal is going to be. I'm just a "normal person" at last, who get's hungry about 3 times a day and responds to that signal by going through McDonalds for a Bacon Egg and Cheese McMuffin in the am, going out to lunch with the girls for lunch, and getting Chinese takeout, having a frozen entree, or going out to dinner. In a pinch I'll make a grilled cheese sandwich, tuna or eggs, but this Cinderella has definitely retired the frying pan! Please note, however, that I consciously, and subconsciously now, always lead with protein. When my diet conscious friends are picking at salads, I'm chowing down on mozarella sticks, fried shrimp or the burger or enchillada. I don't waste my limited stomach space on carbs -- they are the accessory now. If your gourmet cooking is purely a hobby you enjoy, I guess you'll continue to enjoy it -- or can become a caterer. If it's an outlet for food obscession, as it was for me, you'll be developing new hobbies -- like shopping for the new wardrobe you'll be needing!
   — Jill L.

July 6, 2001
I've lost my interest in cooking because it's just me and my two daughters - and you know how kids are. The 4 main food groups to them are Taco Bell, McDonald's, pizza and cereal. Since I rarely eat fast food now, and the kids really don't eat much (we eat about the same amount of food), cooking is almost a waste of time. My 'gourmet' meals consist of throwing a piece of meat on the grill and steaming some veggies. I suppose if I were cooking for a man, I'd be more creative, but (hehehe), I really don't miss it all.
   — Allie B.

July 7, 2001
I enjoy cooking much more now, probably because I only think about what would taste really good, as opposed to how much does it make! I still love everything about food, although I do admit it's frustrating at times to not be able to eat as much of the great stuff as my brain wants to eat! Like the other responses, I tend to share a lot of my cooking with neighbors, and more than I would like goes in the trash. With my husband just having had WLS, and the kids gone for the summer, I am really loving cooking simple meals of seasoned fish and meat and fresh summer veggies.
   — kateseidel

July 7, 2001
I love to cook and was very concerned pre op that after surgery I would lose my desire to cook and it would take away who I am. I love reading cooking magazines and watching the Food Channel... we always have friends over for dinner and drinks and barbeques... I am always planning great parties. I am famous for my cooking and our friends consider an invitation to our home better than going out to dinner. Now... I am post op but only 25 days... what I found out by researching what other 'Wolfgang Puck' wannabe's had to say post op was that if people were gourmet cooks before they remain gourmet cooks after. When you read about people making instant mashed potatoes or buying beans at Taco Bell for post op puree ... it is because these folks wouldnt have the slighest idea how to make a homemade low fat cream of potato soup with lite cheddar and scallions. Nothing against you fast food and instant and frozen dinner people... really. I just made Chicken Cacciatore for my dinner tonight... lots of mushrooms, bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic and onions... and chicken pieces falling off the bone. All very flavorful but very soft as I am still healing. I can still cook but now I only eat a little bit. We had our first company over for the 4th of July and I made a great barbeque that integrated foods I can eat into a menu that my guests enjoyed. Not a problem! susan post op 25 days 31 pounds gone forever (so far)
   — SusanMaria

July 26, 2002
What a great question! Since having my surgery all of a sudden I want to cook! I want to cook for everybody else and see pleasure in their faces. Weird huh? I have already baked brownies for my neighbors, didn't even sample them. I'd probably totally dump, ICKY. Took a refried bean, sour cream,topped with cheese and served w/ tortilla chips to my work today to thank everyone for the flowers sent to me. Enjoy watching the Food Channel and looking at magazines for food ideas! Went to Starbucks yesterday w/ a friend but couldn't drink anything. The pastery display was great, but didn't interest me at all. Yippy! I am 15days post-op, minus 25lbs!
   — Tania S.

July 27, 2002
I am like many others, I'm cooking like a crazy woman! I can't get enough of the food channel and I am enjoying other people enjoying my food. I haven't tasted anything I shouldn't (had a piece of carrot when making some pasta salad) ... and its a great creative outlet for me. I did NOT, however, enjyo spending any time in the kitchen in the very beginning. I always liked to cook however, but it was such a chore for me in the past to stand in the kitchen for hours. Now I can do it, still with a little back pain but not what it was like.
   — Lisa C.