Question:
Is anyone mourning food.......?
I am 4 weeks post op and feel sad I can't eat or drink the way i used to. For some reason I thought this surgery would reid me off all my food cravings....Thats not the case. Every day is such a struggle. I feel sad I can no longer endulge in a tall 16 ounce glass of water with my meal. Its so hard changing my habbits...How do you deal with it...? — christina L. (posted on June 4, 2003)
June 4, 2003
I don't know but I am having a hard time as well. Mostly with water. I
used to love to gulp down ice water and now I can't. It is very
frustrating. I am only two weeks out so I am hoping that this will change
at least a little bit. The cravings are killing me as well!
— Tami H.
June 4, 2003
I'm 6 months post, and I can say it does it easier. I cried at Taco Bell
commercials when I was a new post-op (it was weird, I know). It was VERY
hard. But as you can add foods to your diet, you'll get more variety, and
feel more satisfied. Pretty soon, you'll be able to take a few bites of
whatever you want. It takes a lot of experimenting to see what you can
tolerate. Just take it slow. Enjoy the RAPID weight loss the few couple of
months! It slows down all too soon.
— Diana L.
June 4, 2003
I find it very frustrating to drink water, I cannot wait until I can gulp
a glass of Ice cold water down....This seems to be the most difficult for
me, I hear it will change. FYI post-op 2 weeks.
— Kriola
June 4, 2003
I can relate to how you feel. I am 8 weeks out from my surgery and I can
say that it is getting better. I used to eat as part of entertainment.
Now I eat because it is on my "to do" list. Eating is not going
to be as much fun as it used to be but I am finding other ways to have fun
like scrapbooking and shopping (which I used to hate). When I eat with
friends or on date night with my husband I try to focus on the people I am
with and not the food. It is a hard adjustment to make. I find that the
more fun I have doing other things the less I miss my old food habits. The
sadness that comes from not being able to do what used to be so easy (eat a
favorite meal, drink a Dr.Pepper,...) pales in comparison to the joy of
being able to do the things you used to not be able to do (like my son's
arms wrap completely around me with room to spare, I fit into regular size
clothes, I fit into my husband's shirts,...). Soon you will begin to see
the benefits of this surgery and your joy will come from that. It gets
better daily. God bless! Kristen
— Kristen M.
June 4, 2003
4 weeks post op was one of the toughest times for me. I started seeing a
therapist in a post op group at that point and it helped a lot. I felt like
I had made the biggest mistake and was intensly frustrated by not being
able to eat and felt that it would always be that way. Food Network was
from the devil and I could not stop watching it! I am now almost 5 months
post op and I think that anyone looking in from the outside would never
know that I had surgery. I am just a VERY reasonable eater. I am very happy
now and although I am still 42 pounds away from goal I am, for the first
time in years, starting to feel a little satisfied!!! Shocking for sure! In
another month or so you will find that you can drink like almost a normal
person again. I was very frustrated by that one too! You have JUST made a
HUGE change in your life and need to baby yourself until you feel better. I
think a lot of us spent so long not taking care of ourselves that this is
completely unchartered territory. I felt like a big selfish baby in the
beginning but that was exactly how I needed to be to get over the loss of
my best, least argumentative, always there for me friend! FOOD! I can
honestly say that I feel so much better now and that this was the best
thing I have ever done for myself and as it turns out everyone else around
me. Good Luck! Lap RNY 1/15/03 277/266 (day of surgery)/189/147
— Carol S.
June 4, 2003
i know exactly what you mean. i knew i would have 'head hunger' after wls
but i did not expect it to hurt so much, the longing for it. for me it was
the KFC honey barbeque boneless wings. i wanted them so bad i even dreamed
about eating them. now i am 2 months out i find myself longing for other
things as well, like someone to love me and this new glitch is a hard one
to overcome. guess i can handle the food cravings some what, or come up
with something comperable to satisfy, ( like a cracker with some tomato
sauce and cheese on it for pizza cravings) but i'm afraid there is no
subsititue for the other longings (and i do not mean sex!) guess depression
is just getting the better of me, raging hormones and so forth. hang in
there i hear it gets better in time, just havihng a hard time waiting for
that time myself!!! arugghhh!!
— janetc00
June 4, 2003
I didn't really mourn food, but I sure wanted it. especially during the 6
week full-liquid phase. I'm not the queen of self-control, but what worked
for me was to just tell myself "it's not forever, it's not forever,
it's not forever..." over and over whenever I confronted something I
wanted but couldn't have at my stage of the doctor's plan. It became my
mantra, and it really worked for me... It went pretty slow, it wasn't easy
AT ALL, but I stuck to it, I've lost one pound more than I weigh now (127#
down), and I didn't lose my mind in the process, so I recommend you give it
a try. The early compliant days, and fighting thru and conquering the urge
to give in at the beginning makes all the difference in the long-run. At
least it did for me. Showed me I had the grit to see it thru, which I
certainly wasn't sure about going in. I think if I hadn't hung tough
early, and proven to myself that I was stronger than the food/cravings, it
would have been a much different story. And the "mantra" was a
big part of what helped me succeed. Hang in there. If I could do this,
anyone can! :-)
— L M
June 4, 2003
I was pretty sucked up my first few weeks as a new post op. It will pass
though as you are able to expand your diet. It is just a huge life
changing event when you have WLS. No matter how much you read you just
cant prepare yourself for what it will feel like when it happens. I am
happy to say that those mourning feelings passed for me and I have been
fine ever since. I feel even stronger now when I can walk away from all
the things I used to love without givng it a second thought!!! Good luck
to you. Wendi Open RNY 9/19/02 down 130lbs
— lovemonterey
June 4, 2003
I remember feeling that way very early on mostly during that healing stage.
Then I started to lose the weight and realized that for me NOTHING TASTED
AS GOOD AS GETTING THIN FELT! Its all a part of the journey and usually
passes when your brain gets used to the amounts you eat and you realize you
really CAN be satisfied with these small amounts. Hang in there!
— Denise W.
June 4, 2003
Yes, it was hard for me in the beginning, but it gets better, and
eventually you'll wish you could go back to the days when you couldn't eat.
When I was an early post-op, I use to torture myself and watch the food
channel all the time LOL. My dh use to yell at me to turn it off! I never
watched the food channel pre-op :)
— mom2jtx3
June 4, 2003
I am 3mos post op 49lbs down and I can take two nice drinks of
water...which feels great compared to sipping before. I don't have mourning
like it sounds from reading these posts. It would be nice to be able to eat
more...but, I don't have a SAD feeling because I gave all those feelings up
when I made the decision to have the surgery. I do eat nibbles of stuff I
CAN'T have anymore like cheese cake. A bite does not hurt and then I move
on. I do not do this often!! I am really feeling great. I have a hard time
finding a variety of things I like anymore that are good for me. I don't
like salads much because I can't stand the dressings. etc
— liz A.
June 4, 2003
Christina, most of us went thru the same thing during the first month, when
your diet is so limited, yet the head hunger is raging. For me, less than
2 weeks after surgery, I was recooping at a relatives house who has a 7
year old daughter who was a distributor for girl scout cookies! Try having
case after case of those staring at you knowing that you can't even have
one bite as you are still on liquids!! The water issue will resolve, as
time goes by you will be able to drink normally again, and learning not to
drink with meals will become 2nd nature to you after a while. Remember how
we had to get used to using seat belts in our cars and now it is something
we don't even think about, just do? Your also going thru a little
depression which is a hormonal thing-our hormones fluctuate wildly as we
lose weight rapidly. Hang in there, it does get better, and you will feel
so much better in a few months when you start eating more, drinking
normally, and seeing all that weight fly off!
— Cindy R.
June 4, 2003
uuuuuhhhhh food..... I'm 6 weeks out, and still misrable. When we watch tv
and food commercials come on, it makes me want to cry!! :) They say it gets
easier, and it is starting to for me. I still have to fight head hunger,
and my compulsion to overeat is still there. My stomach is full, but my
hand is still trained to keep shoveling the food in. I've overeaten once. I
threw up 5x. By the fifth, it felt like I was loosing my toenails (I know I
won't do THAT again), and my hand still wants to bring the water glass to
my mouth when I eat. When we go out, I will get the lemon slice out of my
cup, and when the urge to drink hits, I suck on the lemon. When I'm at home
or work, I remvoe all temptations to drink by placing it way out of my
reach. I also chew sf mint gum when I'm done eating to get rid of the taste
of food. My doc said it was ok as long as I'm VERY careful not to swallow
it, as it can cause blockage. It's hard, but worth it. in 6 weeks, I've
lost 34 lbs (slowly but sureley) :) It does get easier.
— mellyhudel
June 4, 2003
I am 3 1/2 months out, and when I stop to look at where I am, I am truly
amazed. I have been lucky in that I have had fairly minimal difficulty
eating and tolerating foods. I have, early on, brought back up several
foods that I had trouble with such as dry meat, fish or chicken. I have
found that texture more than anything else was the problem. I did, in the
beginning miss gulping water and drinking soda. I see now, that soda hurts
and just no longer want it, and I can take several gulps of water and wait
several minutes then a few more. I don't dump, and can at least taste
almost any food or sweet. Be patient, experiment slowly, and before you
know it you will be able to eat more things than you realize. Best of
luck!!
— Fixnmyself
June 4, 2003
Hi to all of you!! I saw this post and knew I had to respond!!! I am 31/2
months post-op and I am down 52 lbs (amazing to me!!) The water thing...
omg killed me!! I would pray to God to some how be able to gulp down a
gallon of ice cold water every 5 minutes and I didn't think even that would
be enough! that was weeks 1-5, now I can take several good drinks of water
and it makes me so happy, I hope all of the posts ease your mind and help
you to know that it will be okay in a couple of weeks!! By the way I still
watch the food network (food porn, lol) but now I get wonderful ideas for
things to cook instead of being sad and resentful for the things I could
not have... we are all here for you hang on, the better times are so
close!!!
— Jana Krvavac
June 4, 2003
I had to think really hard on this one. I am pretty sure that I did mourn
food in the beginning but it's been so very long (10 months lol) that I
don't remember it well. So in the long-term scheme of things, I'd say it
passes and seems way less important with time. I DO miss the ease of
comfort foods when I'm tired though.
— [Deactivated Member]
June 4, 2003
Guess what? You are not alone. My first few weeks were spent missing my
dear old friend (food) that had moved away. Fortunately, I also spent a
lot of time during those early weeks bemoaning why I had gotten into such a
bad state that I needed to have weight loss surgery. What has helped has
been participating in our local support group, seeing a counselor (just a
couple of times of month, but it helps to talk about the potential traps
that may await me) and composing a webpage (it helps to come to terms with
the cravings~ http://steverevere.tripod.com). Lastly, if you find that the
feelings for food are truly overwhelming, you may be food obsessed and
might want to consider (with your surgeon and mental health professional)
taking any number of different meds that help people with these types of
compulsions and obsessions.
— SteveColarossi
June 5, 2003
Nope, you're not alone. And yes, you're normal for the way you feel. I do
miss my comfort foods (all the stuff we should be avoiding and I won't
bother listing it here)and pre-op I needed A LOT of comfort but now, at 4
months out, it's not an actual craving. Yes, it would be great to sink into
an ice cream sundae with lots of whipped cream. However, I know I will pay
dearly for that indulgence. The not drinking while eating was a challenge
in the beginning but it does get easier, especially now that I can get in a
few gulps. Since you are just 4 weeks post, you won't be able to
"water-load" (see the Pouch Rules for Dummies for what
water-loading is)but I found that drinking as much as I could before a meal
or snack helped me with the habit of not drinking while eating. Also, when
you eat, try not to watch TV or read or do anything except concentrate on
your meal. I make it a rule to eat my meals at my dining room table on a
pretty plate and use a cloth napkin-- sounds silly but it makes the meal an
occasion. Since you are a newer post-op, you also don't have to wait as
long to drink before and after you eat. Did your surgeon or nutritionist
give you guidelines about this?
— lizinPA
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