Question:
Post Ops, Does the desire for the TASTE of food go away after surgery?

Did any of you as pre-ops find that you ate for the taste of food alone? I don't always eat because I'm hungry, but because what I'm eating taste good. I try to stop when i've had enough, but that can be difficult sometimes. no will power, I guess. My question for those of you who are post-op. Does this incontrollable urge go away after surgery? I sure hope so. please tell me I'm not the only one that has this problem. Thanks.    — Richanda M. (posted on March 20, 2003)


March 20, 2003
Taste and volume are two different things (I was surprised to discover this, after my WLS!). I savor things much more now as a post-op, so I will get a lot more enjoyment out of a bite or two (or three) of something tasty than I ever did when I'd mow through the whole "family reunion economy size" bag of [insert "name of favorite junk food" here]. Many folks find that their post-op tastes change -- mine didn't much -- but for those things I do like, I've sure learned how to savor them a lot more, and to be satisfied by the taste rather than by the volume.
   — Suzy C.

March 20, 2003
Honestly...NO it doesn't go away. BUT the first time you eat tooo much and you throw up or dump you certainly won't want to do it again. I was like you pre-op but now I really don't have to fight it as much, but sometimes things still taste toooo good and I take that one more bite and reality sets in and I stop before it's too late.
   — Deanna_K

March 20, 2003
My taste for certain types of food certainly did change. Let me tell you that I am still struggling with being a compulsive eater and have trouble staying away from sweets. I am 13 months post op and this has been a big disappointment. I am trying to deal with it on a daily basis. But I use to love certain foods, like sunny side up eggs and now I cant stand the site of them. I now constantly crave things I never even thought twice to eat before like nuts and orange juice (very high in sugar so I dilute it quite a bit in order to satisfy my cravings). I think at about 4 months I started really enjoying eating and tasting again because I had learned what foods work best for me by then. Even if your taste bud fancies return rest assured that at least you will not be able to eat as much of your favorites as you did before.
   — SARose61

March 20, 2003
Sounds a bit like me. I used to LOVE food...steak, ribs, chicked, greasy hamburgers, french fries, anything from Taco Bell, salads, any and all pasta (yum), mexican, bagles with lots of cream cheese, seafood, doughnuts, cheese & crackers, and of course - pop, chocolate and ice cream (with the ice cream almost being an addiction!). Since my surgery I have found that nothing (so far) tastes quite the same. For the first 3-4 weeks everything seemed to have a funny sweet taste to it and even now at seven weeks I tend to go more for things that are salty or really spicy. My biggest problem right now though is finding ANYTHING that even sounds remotly good enough to eat...and then actually enjoying it enough to want to finish eating it. Sometimes I can hardly beleive it. I know it may not be the same for everyone or last forever, but it sure has been a good way to start because at this point I can honestly say that I no longer love food and food is no longer my friend. Good luck!
   — eaamc

March 20, 2003
I have to say that I love food just as much as ever (except for that initial ketosis period where everything tasted YUCK). I just came back from a mini vacation w/ lots of fine dining and loads of food. It was one of the very few times I wished I could of eaten more. I filled up WAY too fast and couldn't try even half of what was on the table. Oh well... still worth it!!
   — mom2jtx3

March 20, 2003
The "head hunger" does not go away unfortunately. Let's face it, that is largely why we are overweight in the first place! Good luck. RNY 1/7/03
   — sherry H.

March 20, 2003
I definitely crave foods...even when I'm not hungry. But the things that I crave are so different now. Before surgery, I craved chocolate, fried things, chips, cake...all the usual suspects. None of these things taste even remotely as good now. And I've never dumped on any of them, so that's not why. I have no idea why my tastes have changed...it certainly has NOTHING to do with willpower or anything else that I've never had any luck with. These days I also crave salty and spicey. Dill pickles and a spoonful of refried beans with many spoonfuls of salsa on top are my two current favorites. And even when I'm enjoying the taste so much that I'm tempted to keep on spooning it in...I can't. Because when my pouch is full it starts to hurt...which is the only step before I throw up. That knowlege will make you put your spoon down immediately, without any more cravings!
   — Amy W.

March 20, 2003
Mine did'nt go away although it is much more controlable.
   — Danmark

March 20, 2003
Well my taste sure have changed. I dont crave food very often at all. When I do it is like the previous posters, salty and spicy. I have to force myself to eat. When I do get hungry for food I have found that salads are what I go to most often. I was never a big salad eater before this surgery. It's weird...7 months po down 90lbs
   — patti R.

March 20, 2003
For me - not at all. And I can still eat huge amounts of everything, so it's a constant struggle.
   — jen41766

March 20, 2003
Nope, but your desire to do 'good' definately increases over time. I got so far as the drive-thru line at McDonald's today...but at the last minute, I turned away and came home. Now I am off to make my veggie burger on reduced carb bread with lots 'o cheese for protein. I'm happy I made the right choice. --Jen
   — Mrs. Rich




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