Question:
i need some support. eight days post op. having mental cravings.
Ok, so, i finally had the surgery. I am feeling really well at eight days post op. My problem is this. I knew that I was an emotional eater. I was aware before surgery that this may be an issue for me. For the first five to six days I was fine having broth, jello, those liquid things (I am on a full liquid diet for three weeks). I have been having the worst cravings for regular food the last two days.I have been drinking my water and walking. Last night I had something that was soooo good that would probably be considered soft diet food. I had lost 21 pounds up until yesterday! After eating the soft food yesterday I gained 5 pounds in one day. Is that possible? I need some support from fellow post ops. — twenc (posted on June 14, 2000)
June 14, 2000
Hi Toni! Try and not obsess about the 5 lb gain (easier said than done...
I know!) but it is probably just water weight. At about three weeks I had
my first menstrual cycle after surgery and was SO bloated. I am one of
those people who wants to weigh every day... but I am trying to train
myself to only do it once a week. I am also an emotional eater,
unfortuantely, it has also been hard for me to learn other things to do
instead of eating when I need support. You are not alone... :) Kim
— kimberly1224
June 14, 2000
Hi Toni,
First of all stay off the scale. I too was an emotional eater until after
the surgery.I usually eat when I wasn't hungry. Your weight is going to go
up and down. All I can tell you is to find something else to do with your
time. Like read a book or drink water when you feel the urge to eat. That
seem to help me. Hope this help!!
— Sharon T.
June 14, 2000
How much water have you been drinking? I, too, gained 5# during my first
week. Over night, actually. Didn't drink water for a day. Smart, huh?
When did you start protein supplement? Making it with water? It will help
with the cravings tremendously, but milk may trigger more cravigs due to
the high sugar content. Your cravings may NOT be mental. After all, you
really are not getting enough nutrition! Try a good protein supplement,
30g of protein at one serving, twice a day, made with water. And bring up
your water consumption to Way More Than You Want and you should get your
loss moving and feel better again.
— vitalady
June 14, 2000
How much water have you been drinking? I, too, gained 5# during my first
week. Over night, actually. Didn't drink water for a day. Smart, huh?
When did you start protein supplement? Making it with water? It will help
with the cravings tremendously, but milk may trigger more cravigs due to
the high sugar content. Your cravings may NOT be mental. After all, you
really are not getting enough nutrition! Try a good protein supplement,
30g of protein at one serving, twice a day, made with water. And bring up
your water consumption to Way More Than You Want and you should get your
loss moving and feel better again.
— vitalady
June 14, 2000
Toni,
Hi! I too had the RNY 8 days ago and am definitely feeling your pain. For
me the worst time is when I go to the store or to the mall and everything
smells and looks wonderful. The first few days were easy because NOTHING
smelled good to me. Michelle is right though about the water and the
protein. I'm drinking 64+ oz of water a day and two protein drinks which
total 46 grams of protein. It's helping but I definitely can relate to the
head hunger! Hang in there and email me if you'd like.
— Candace S.
June 14, 2000
Hi Toni,
I, too, have had "mental cravings." Fortunately, when I gave in
to them, never in a big way, I got "dumping syndrome." The good
thing about that is that you lose your desire to have that particular
craving. I had my RNY 1/10/00, and I have had dumping maybe 6-8 times (not
sure about that number), and some of them were really bad episodes. Being
5 mos. out, the cravings have subsided immensely. You really do have to
let this wonderful tool of the surgery work for you. It's really the only
thing that will save you from disaster. Hang in there-things will get
better.
— Louise H.
June 14, 2000
Hi there. I'm nearly 3 mos post op and definitely remember those nights.
I won't tell you about the food fantasies I had, suffice it to say that my
mouth watered and it was sheer determination and willpower that kept me in
bed at night...*that* and the fact that I was scared to eat anything not
approved by my dr.
Have faith. It does go away. Eating isn't quite the *chore* that I make
it out to be...but it's not nearly the source of enjoyment that it once
was. I eat to survive and stay healthy. When I eat the wrong things, it
hurts and I feel terrible. Trust in the surgery, drink your water, consume
your protein...and life will improve 110%.
Good luck
— Lucky B.
June 14, 2000
Hi Toni,
Like so many of us, I was an emotional eater too. If I was happy...I'd
celebrate by going to dinner. If I was angry or depressed, the chocolate
would booste the seratonin, etc. In Feb. I had an open VBG done and I know
that I really need to deal with the emotional aspects and find another way
to do it to make this surgery sucessful. I really need to force these
changes so I don't end up going back to my old habits and gaining the
weight back in a few years. Now I have set meal times...and a set amount
of food I can eat. When I get the "head hungers"...I know that I
am not truly hungry so I am exploring what is going on...and find another
way to deal with it such as journaling, or pampering myself. When I get
angry...I go work out...if I am feeling down or blue...instead of
chocolate...I journal...or do my nails...or take a nice long bubble bath
and listen to music. It's all about learning to replace bad habits and
behaviors with good ones. It's a lot of work...and at times it's very
hard. But it is working for me because I am not getting cravings much any
more...and the head hungers have subsided over time.
Rose aka LilCricket
Open VBG 2/7/00
-63 lbs
Dr. Miles Weaver
Pittsburgh
— Roseann Y.
June 14, 2000
I think we all have cravings like this at first. I remember how hard it
was for me to watch TV the first couple weeks because of the food
commercials. At first, I craved sweets really bad, but after two or three
weeks on liquids, I would have given anything to bite into a crunchy apple!
I know this phase is miserable in many ways, but just keep reminding
yourself, this is only temporary. Eventually, you will be able to eat a
wide variety of normal foods, and these cravings will not dominate your
life anymore. As for the five pounds, I doubt if they will stay long.
There's no way it could be "fat" gain. Just keep drinking your
water, and don't weigh every day.
— Lynn K.
June 14, 2000
Toni, I feel for you! I am 7 weeks out and was losing great the first two
weeks and then hit a plateau that lasted a week. I was so upset, thinking
that this was it! All that for 27 pounds! One day I woke up and weighed
myself and had lost 9 pounds overnight! I was thrilled! Finally! I
checked it three more times just to kind of mentally celebrate and on the
third time, guess what? My weight jumped back up to the plateau weight!
And stayed there for another three days or so! Then it started coming off
again, but I agree that you shouldn't weigh yourself daily, even though
this is new and exciting and you can't wait to see the proof of your
efforts. As for the cravings ... ah, they do get better, but I know how
hard they are! I was losing my mind ... I could almost taste that pizza
... so then I DID taste it and vomited for almost two and a half hours
afterwards. Not a good idea, but guess what? I have no interest in pizza
anymore! I've found that giving in and taking a bite of what I am longing
for has almost 100 percent of the time been a big disappointment. My
tastes have changed and it never tastes as good as I want it to. So the
urges are subsiding ... hopefully if you stick it out and hang in there,
yours will too. Good luck!
— Beth B.
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