Question:
my drs. are concerned that my binge eating will continue after surgery. what can i do

i am a binge eater,who is in therapy and a day program for eating disorders.i know in my heart that after i have this surgery that i will do exactly what drs tell me to do.however my pcp is concerned i will continue to binge eat after.her concern has caused me to worry if i will or not.i feel i have reached an emotional limit and am truly worried i do not have the time she thinks i have. i am also a diabetic from the obesity. isn't this the reason we have the surgery? please people i need someone's support or guidence, someone who has BEEN THERE. thank you so very much.    — Ruby (lily) H. (posted on November 15, 2000)

November 15, 2000
One of the hardest post-op concepts to get across to those who are pre-op is that food just doesn't matter as much as it once did -- it's simply not a priority. I don't know why that is, but this also applies to all those nice people in white coats who profess to want to "help" the obese by giving them 600-calorie-a-day diets, prescriptions for Xenical, and vicious obesophobia masquerading as "concern for your health, dear". You'd think they'd know better. However, that's something for a perfect world. I, too, was an Olympic-class binge eater. Happy? Have a bag of cookies. Sad/depressed/hurt/angry? Empty the fridge in five minutes or less. I'm now almost seven months post-op, down 110 pounds, and food just isn't an issue any more. I can go for HOURS and not think about it, where pre-op I was obsessed with the stuff night and day. In addition to food not being a priority, post-op you simply don't have the capacity you once did for it. I can't IMAGINE trying to eat as I once did now. One or two extra bites these days and I'm hugging the porcelain telephone. Not only do I NOT want to binge eat anymore, I CAN'T. Kinda takes all the fun out of it. It sounds like your PCP thinks WLS is like going on a diet. It's not -- because, for the vast majority of us, WLS WORKS. Diets DON'T, which is why we have to keep going on them, and why we binge eat. I'd tell your doctor about this site and have him/her look around a bit. A better education than med school! Good luck, hon!
   — Cheryl Denomy

November 15, 2000
I have always been an emotional eater. I managed to stop my binge eating several years ago, but I would still use food to comfort myself, eat my anger, reward myself, celebrate, love myself, ease my loneliness. Basically, I used food to quiet and soften my emotions. After surgery I discovered that I simply am not physically able to do that. I can't eat many of the same things I used to. Others simply don't taste as satisfying. And if I eat too much or the wrong thing I get sick as a dog.....talk about robbing yourself of pleasure. I am lucky because I inteelectually knew this was coming and I have had a lot of help in the past dealing with these issues emotionally. If you have the surgery, DON'T end your treatment. You will need it as you learn to work with your remodelled insides. But your doctor should understand that this could be a very good tool as you move forward.
   — Nanette T.

November 15, 2000
Ruby, I have suffered from bulimia for many years before having my surgery, and *nothing* I tried "cured" me of it -- and I desperately wanted to stop. It was also something I kept intensely private about myself, as I was ashamed and terrified that anyone would find out about my incredible weakness. Now I can tell everyone, this surgery, for me, cured my bulimia. I don't binge eat and I don't purge anymore. I feel disgusting and ill as a dog if I try to stuff myself like I used to. I feel like I have been set free from a prison, not just the physical part where I was trapped in my big body, but my mental state too ... I am free, simply. I hope this helps you.
   — Beth B.

April 13, 2002
I doubt that insurance companies will approve the surgery if you are in treatment for an eating disorder. Part of the psychiatric evaulation required before the surgeury is ruling out eating disorders.
   — Melody S.