Question:
Does anyone eat in the middle of the night?

Any post-ops out there who were middle of the night 'Grazers', pre-op? # nights out of the week, I find myself in the kitchen in the middle of the night, searching for something sweet. I'm NOT sleep walking, I definately 'choose' to be loking for food. I'm worried about my post-op nights, and if I'll be 'on the prowl' and making myself sick with poor choices! HELP!    — Laurie L. (posted on March 23, 2001)

March 22, 2001
are you having a nutritious snack about 10pm, before going to bed at 11 or so? That will help regulate your blood sugar and reduce the craving to eat from too high an insulin level. I will occasionally wake up hungry about 2:30 am and am a chronic insomniac. I usually will have a small piece of meat or other protein and a big glass of water. That seems to work for me.
   — merri B.

March 22, 2001
Pre-op I did this also ... I would estimate 2-3 nights per week. I was a horrible, horrible sugar junkie, and I would eat anything that was sweet - - cereal, pop tarts, ice cream, baked goods, candy ... whatever I could grab. Barb is right in that surgery doesn't change our brains, but I have been fortunate in the fact that I had some severe dumping and nausea incidents early post-op. They were extremely unpleasant! I won't say I am cured, but the sugar/chocolate cravings are just not there anymore. It is a rather extreme form of behavior modification ... but is so far working well for me. My apetite has increased since the early days post-op, but eat MUCH less than I did pre-op and I still don't have those horrible sugar cravings (Praise God for that!). I don't know what surgery you are considering, but I personally chose RNY because I was such a sugar craver - I wanted the extra control of nausea and dumping if I ate sugar. My surgeon advised that with VBG (who tolerate sugar - no dumping) a person can still consume 4,000 calories a day from going on an M&M binge. Since M&Ms are the official snack food at my workplace - I knew VBG would not be a good choice for me. I also agree that counseling could be beneficial if you are open to it. I am 4 months post op myself and am considering counseling to get past some food issues that I have recently been dealing with. I never realized pre-op how much I ate for entertainment and/or out of boredom and also for comfort. I am having some difficulty in dealing with this. Good luck in taming those sugar demons!
   — Lynn T.

March 23, 2001
You haven't had your surgery yet right? Let me tell you I know where you're coming from. I can honestly say that post-surgery, your desire to snack will drop drastically! Yea! For the first few months, you'll have to force yourself to eat. Really. There will be times when the thought of food will make you nauseaus. Also, I found that about 4-6 weeks post-op that I was sleeping through the night, not waking up at ALL, which was different from before, when I would wake up 4-6 times a night (and why not go to the 'fridge, right?). Now I sleep 8 hours straigh, and have no hunger pains at night. Good luck!
   — Kristy J.

March 23, 2001
Are you have RNY surgery or the Fobi? If so, you should be ok. These should make you sick if you eat sweets, at least initially. I too used to do what you do in the middle of the night. After surgery, I did have to get up sometimes and eat something, just because I would get shaky feeling for going too long between meals during the rapid weight loss phase. However, what I was craving was protein, NEVER the sugared stuff. I think you'll be ok. (Admitting we have a problem is the first step to recovery, right? This surgery is a great tool to change our bad habits.) Best wishes.
   — Cindy H.

March 23, 2001
Pre-Op: I am night eater/snacker!! I just open the fridge, even when I am not hungery. I feel I am just bored. I think I am an emotional eater. When I am tired, bored, happy, or mad. I am hoping that I can get this surgery to sort of help me stop this. I feel that I am following in my mother's footsteps, as she always did this too. Food is that "filling" to our emotions. I totally understand you 100%.
   — Jennifer C.