Question:
This Sunday I will be two month post-op Lap RNY
I have a few issues. #1 -- I am going thru a real depression and I don't know why, except that I hate the Christmas season anyway and I think that coupled with this surgery, it's really hit me. I have never thought of Christmas in the perspective of those who HAVE, I think of those who HAVE NOT and go thru a real sad mood every single Christmas. All I want to do when I get home from work is go to bed and wait for it all to go away, which it finally has, thank goodness. #2 -- I'm keeping myself more or less on a soft-food diet because I still can't tolerate things like tuna, chicken, turkey, any kinds of meats. So I am depending on protein shakes, chili, soft foods, etc. and I KNOW I'm not getting in all my protein -- altho I AM taking my multi-vitamin and calcium citrate daily. Plus 99% of the time I'm drinking all my water...have to force it down tho cause I never was a water drinker. I'm really trying, folks. I've read here on this site that if you have to choose between water and food, choose the water, which is what I'm doing. #3 -- I'm having two cravings. I want pizza. The only reason I haven't tried it, is because I live by myself and won't order a whole pizza, just for probably 1/2 slice or less. AND I'm craving sugar, something sweet. I'm really trying to be compliant here. At two months, am I doing okay? Is the eating gonna get better? Will I EVENTUALLY be able to eat real food? I live in a small town and do not attend any support groups. I depend on this site for all my questions, knowledge, etc. Thanks everyone. — blank first name B. (posted on December 28, 2001)
December 27, 2001
Hi - sorry you're having a bad time right now, but speaking as someone
almost 5mos. post op, it does get better.
I have not had pizza yet, although I must admit I saw a Pizza Hut
advertisement which made me think about it! Don't think I will indulge yet,
however.
As far as something sweet, what about SF pudding? you can make it w/skim
milk and add some protein there.
At this point, I pretty much eat most things - just stay away from anything
w/more than 12gms of sugar. I went to 5 Holiday parties so far and did
fine. It sounds like you are doing great! The Holidays are almost over -
Take Care,
Jean
— Jean K.
December 27, 2001
Hi.. On the sweet thing.. I really enjoy the Nestle Suger free Hot Cocoa..
I add some half and half and its so creamy and chocolaty.. Real yummy! I
have also heard but have not tryed.. from a person in my support group..
She gets Racotta cheese.. I think.. and plane cocoa and mixes in splenda or
sweet-n-low to make a soft protine chocolate canoli cream without the
shell. She swears by it.
Both the cocoa and cheese have protine in them.
Ok .. here go's I have tried pizza! My son is home from the Army for the
hoilday.. He ordered a small ham and pineapple on a thin crust pizza. I
only had a bite or two and chewed .. and chewed.. and chewed.. I understand
about living alone and not waned to throw all the extra away.. could you
freeze the leftovers? I my self have not tryed chili yet.. Does that go
down well? Oh ya.. you can use splenda just like suger.. and its great..
you just have to use it in moteration. I hope that now that the holidays
are over you will be feeling better.. Maybe a walk outdoors in the fresh
air? Good luck and if you need to chat I'm here.
Smiles.. Kathy
— Kathryn C.
December 27, 2001
I can't tell you when / if it'll end, I'll tell you that you're not alone!
I'm 3 weeks post op and having the blues, with eatting and with the
emotional roller coaster. With the sweet thing, there are plenty of sugar
free popcicles (even fudge ones), jello, pudding, hot cocoa, and flavored
decaffinated teas that you can put splenda in.. (I've found Splenda to be a
lot better than S&L and Equal) .. Good Luck, I'm told this will end,
but hanging in there is the hard part ..
— Elizabeth D.
December 27, 2001
Hi!! I understand the cravings, etc. In the 14 months since my surgery
I've learned some really effective ways to "cheat". Please don't
flame me for saying this - I want to be normal, I don't want to be on a
diet forever. As far as pizza goes - I eat it occasionally. Here's the
easy way for a single person to do it....go to any local buffet and share
your joy with the manager or person in charge. Tell them that you just
want to treat yourself occasionally since you're a weight loss surgery
patient and ask what they'd charge you for 1 slice of pizza. The folks in
our support group do this and I've never heard of anyone being turned down
and most people are so intrigued by it that they end up giving you a single
piece. As far as sweets...I had someone tell me to buy a pack of orange
tic tacs immediately after surgery. Each tic tac has only 1 calorie and
not enough sugar to even notice. When that "sugar craving" hits
you pop a tic tac in your mouth. Another good way to have some sweets
without blowing it is to eat atomic fireballs or jawbreakers. They last a
long time and have only 20 calories for the little ones and 40 for the big
ones. Want something crunchy? Try cheerios. Buy the little individual
size boxes or divide a big box into individual servings in zip lock bags as
soon as you buy it. Eat the cheerios one or two at a time until you've
eaten the whole serving or individual size box. It's only about 60
calories and is a GREAT source of iron. If you ever have one of those MEGA
sugar attacks you can usually buy a single hershey's kiss or reese's cup or
something similar at a gas station or convenience store. (I wish I had the
discipline to keep a bag of candy in the house and allow myself a piece
every few days but I can't. Candy still owns me even after 14 months). I
can eat just one hershey's kiss and I'm satisfied for days because it's
just so, so sweet. Also, the other poster is correct, there is a wealth of
sugar free goodies available!! Don't deny yourself - we had this surgery
to be normal. We've been badly unbalanced in regards to food for a long
time and we don't want to be unbalanced any more - even if it's in a good
way - we just want to be normal. I'm down 110 pounds and have gone from a
size 26 to a size 8. It's a miracle!! Good Luck to you!!
— ronascott
December 27, 2001
I am 18 days postop from an Open RNY. To help me with between meal
cravings, I went to Sam's and bought a big box (60 individual servings) of
Swiss Miss Sugar Free Hot Cocoa. It is made with Splenda. The directions
call for it to be made with water. I know I'm not getting many calories or
as much protein in as I should, so I make it with 1% milk. This makes it
really creamy. And since I'm always cold now, the warmth feels great on
these frigid December days. I fantasize about 'real' food too. I'm still on
pureed at this point. But I fill up so quickly on the stuff that I do eat
that the cravings go away.
— Donna L.
December 28, 2001
I wonder if you are having a bout of Seasonal Affective Disorder (a
depression that cycles with the seasons). This is a real disorder and can
be helped with medication. The pizza: I would suggest you have some. I do
not restrict myself. That's how I got where I was in the first place. I
restricted too much and rebounded. If I want pizza, I have it: one slice
toppings plus a couple of bites of crust. If you want pizza (and have a
Pizza Hut) you could order a personal pan pizza with thin crust. They are
enough for two meals and pizza is not a bad food choice eaten
occassionally. The weight watchers frozen french bread pizzas are pretty
tasty, too, but the bread is a bit chewy for 2 months post op. You could
take off the toppings, I guess. For the sweets cravings, I like the hot
chocolate idea. I do that a lot myself. I also take Viactiv caramels in
addition to the calcium citrate pills. They taste SOOO good and don't make
me dump. It is like eating candy and has a lot of calcium. As far as eating
normally, you are still healing inside. I guess when I got to about month 5
I was on a more normal diet and didn't have to worry so much about WHAT I
ate and WHEN I ate it. I feel now like I can go anywhere and find something
to eat without calling undue attention to myself or makiing myself sick.
— ctyst
December 28, 2001
If I didn't know that I didn't write this letter I would swear that I wrote
it. All of the things that you are going through....ditto for me. I mean
everything you mentioned. I too wonder if i will ever be able to eat real
food. The past two weeks, everything has bothered me except Wendy's chili
and my protein drinks. I too, had a craving for pizza and I bit the bullet
and tried it. No way did it stay down, even after two bites. I am hoping
this gets better because at two months post op I am feeling like I am doing
something wrong. Let's hang in there and hope that things get better.
Peace!
— Anna G.
December 28, 2001
There's nothing wrong with depending on your protein drinks for protein.
That saves your pouch and then you know you are getting the protein stated
on the label, allowing for just a little malabsorption. I'm not much of a
water person since surgery myself, so I know what an uphill effort it is.
I have "rules". I drink 2 small glasses while I'm getting ready
in the morning. It only took a few days and now I CRAVE those 2 little
glasses (about 6 oz each) while I do hair, face, make beds, etc. And so on,
through the day, little "landmarks" that I meet to get the water
in and feel like I'm forcing it. But I drink 4-6 protein shakes/day, so
some water slides in THAT way, too. I'm not worried about you not getting
enough calories as long as you get enough NUTRITION. If you run short in
protein, you'll run into trouble, but empty calories don't help at all.
That said, why not buy a slice of pizza. Most places offer just a slice or
do you have Sbarro at your local mall? You said small town, but how far
from civilization? Pizza was a BIG shock for me. They conspired together
& changed every pizza sauce in town 10/5/94 and YUUUUUCK! Ptui, was
that stuff every nasty for maybe 5 years! So, you might be cured in one
bite! As far as something sweet, how are you making your protein drinks
now? If with milk, that might be firing your sugar cravings early. If with
water, maybe add a few berries or banana slices. There are ways to work
around your desires without sabotaging your program. Sounds to me as if you
are working hard to do the least harmful things to work with yourself. Many
have thrown in the towel by now, eating/grazing, doing silly stuff to end
their frustration (but it only increases it), whereas you are doing things
that will give you no regrets! I think you're doing marvelously!
— vitalady
December 28, 2001
Go to the mall and get your slice of pizza, you probably won't be able to
eat it all, get it out of your system, I ate 2 mini Reeses pb cups at
Christmas, better than the whole bag!! any way peanut butter is protien.
LOL! Just odn't make it a habit!
— Cindee A.
December 28, 2001
You sound like I was a couple of months ago. I was very depressed after
surgery and was having so much trouble with tolerating food it added to my
depression. So first know that you are not alone. Also know that it does
get better. Slowly but I am four months postop and the last time I had
trouble with tolerating a food was a couple of weeks ago. So it seems much
better now.
I know it is boring to eat the same food all the time but if chili is all
you can tolerate just keep eating it. Just make sure to get your protein
drinks in also. As far as the pizza - the suggestion to go to a buffet was
a good one. You may not be able to tolerate the pizza but you could try a
bite. At least it would solve the craving. Or how about a frozen pizza?
Good luck.
— Elizabeth A.
December 28, 2001
I am also two months post op and share your problem of not being able to
get much down. I just wanted to suggest that you take that first slice of
pizza HOME to eat. I had my first dumping episode on pizza. I ate two bite,
got ill, got the shakes and then proceeded to vomit for the next hour. You
would not want to be in a mall in a situation like this!!
— Julie S.
December 29, 2001
We go to the Pizza Hut buffet on Sunday after church regularly. I eat a
small amount of salad and the topping from a slice of pizza. I'm 3 months
post-op and still cannot tolerate the crust. <P> I still like ff/sf
pudding for my sweet cravings. Since it's made with milk, it helps with
the protien intake also.
— [Anonymous]
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