Question:
I'm a pre-op carb addict - how do you deal with carbs post-op?

My biggest weaknesses are fast foods & carbs; such as, chips, pasta, breads, etc... How do you deal with the cravings for these things post-op?    — Trina V. (posted on January 6, 2002)

January 6, 2002
Post-op be prepared for a whole new ballgame. #1, you won't want those things anymore. And if and when you do, it will be in such small amounts, it won't matter. Go for it. You won't regret it. Carbs will no longer own your sould. Instead, you'll be into good health, especially when you see the pounds rolling off your bod. And it's not like you'll never get to eat that stuff anymore. It just won't taste as good, and you will be travelled on past that stage.
   — Annie H.

January 6, 2002
You sound like I used to!! I was a carb-o-holic! Pasta, breads, cereals; anything with carbs. I had it for just about every meal and I loved every bite. I also was not a big fan of meats. I wasn't a vegetarian--I would have meat once in a while. BUT, since surgery I've found that I don't CRAVE carbs. I CRAVE proteins, like eggs, meat, poultry--I even eat more seafood! Sure, I've had some dishes with a little noodles, but I just don't want the pasta or the rice or the bread as much anymore. I wonder if this is common--because it's a blessing for me!
   — Kristin R.

January 6, 2002
I was a Carb addict and surgery hasn't changed that one bit. They operated on my stomach, not my brain. The way I deal with it is to have carbs last in a meal. Protein is always first then veggies then I will have a bite or two of a carb. I have heard people say that you won't want them or you won't crave them after surgery but this isn't so for me. I still love all the foods that I loved pre surgery, sweets and carbs included but I find I can deal with them better. Good luck!!!
   — Elizabeth C.

January 6, 2002
Once a carb addict, always a carb addict I'm afraid. I still crave them. And I havent' lost hardly any weight in two months. If I quit eating carbs and only protein I lose. Once I eat carbs I can't lose. And I am NOT overeating carbs or anything else. Carbs just keep me from losing and I'm wondering at this point if the bypass will work for me. I can't continue constantly going without carbs just to lose. I keep hearing people say, "I'm doing this so I never have to diet again". Well I have to diet! If I eat ANY carbs now, I CAN NOT LOSE WEIGHT. I'm afraid the bypass was for nothing.... :(
   — Danmark

January 6, 2002
Trina,I to am a carbaholic big time!!But since the surgery I AM trying not to get back to eating them much.Since my surgery 2mo ago I REALLY HAVEN'T WANTED TO EAT THEM. I CRAVE SWEETS MORE THAN CARBS.Its all in your head, you have to train your brain that you no longer want to eat like that cause you don't want that weight back on.I've lost 55 pounds so far sure don't want to gain it back.That would kill me.GOOD LUCK AND HANG IN THERE [email protected] NANCY M.
   — NANCY M.

January 6, 2002
Trina, for some reason I do not crave them like I did before surgery. I set my mind pre-op that I wasn't going to be able to have them anymore or as much, and have stuck to it. I get too full on what I HAVE to eat to even think about breads!! Now, I do put a cracker in my soup and let it get all soft and mushy and eat it with my soup on occasion. That seems to satisfy my carb craving if I get one. I tell myself that it is all I am going to have and let it go at that. It is not easy, but it is worth it! Hugs!!
   — Sharon H.

January 6, 2002
Carbs and sweets were my drug of choice before surgery. Now I eat no sweets and very little carbs. Carbs make you crave food or more food. Anyway, by the time I eat the protein I need I have very little room for anything else. Food is just not the same now. I eat to live not live to eat. The cravings get easier if you don't give in or eat in moderation---and I feel so much better.
   — Pam K.

January 6, 2002
i was a breadaholic, big time. ANY bread especially if it was still warm from the oven. 2 nites ago i just HAD to have a piece of bread. the craving was so bad i could literally taste it. so i toasted a piece of rye bread to as close to burnt as u can get without burning it. 2 bites & boy did i dump! now, maybe this happened because i am a new post op so i will try again but, not for a very long time. i consider myself very lucky...i am a dumper. thinking about a food that makes me dump immediately turns the craving off cause of how awful i feel when i dump. good luck!
   — sheryl titone