Question:
Anyone panic about the amount of food for post-op?
Help! I'm 7 weeks from surgery & starting to panic about eating hardly any food post-op! I'm eating faster, and more, afraid of whats' to come after surgery. How Do I deal with this?? I don't want to blow my losing weight right now just to get the surgery!! (Have to lose 20 lbs.) — Grace loves cats (posted on October 14, 2003)
October 14, 2003
Grace, I'm about to pass on some very valuable information that was passed
to me as a pre-op: PUT THAT FOOD DOWN! Sweetie, you will eventually be
able to eat most of the same foods you do now, and what's wonderful about
it, is that when you take a bite of something that you've been craving, or
that you really adore, just a few bites will make you savor it more and it
will taste that much better. Please trust me here...I'm going through just
that. You will be able to eat most of those foods again.....Please make
this your new mantra! It's so funny. I'll start having a craving, for
watermelon or something, and I'll have a couple litte pieces, and poof* the
cravings gone and I'm COMPLETELY SATISFIED! I did the same exact thing
you're doing now, and once my friend told me to stop that behaviour and
helped me realize what I was doing, I was able to stop and lose the extra
weight I'd put on. Right now, just try to make yourself as healthy as
possible before surgery so that you'll make a complete, speedy recovery.
Remember, we don't have to do soft foods forever! Good luck, and God
Bless! Proximal lap rny, 08/19/03, -38 lbs.
— Moysa B.
October 14, 2003
Hi Grace: I'm not going to fool you. For me, eating 2 or 3 bites meal
after meal post op was hard mentally. Physicially not at all because you
don't want to eat for a while. But if you enjoy food it is hard to not be
able to eat. It really does go away. Partly because you start feeling
better thinner, and partly because you get more used to eating less. You
can, over time, eat a bit more, and there probably is some emotional factor
with all that estrogen being dumped into the blood stream that makes it
harder for woman. My only suggestion is eat at least one last pasta meal.
I was so focused on eating protein to help build my body up for surgery
that I spent most of my farewell meals on meats followed by favorite
desserts. I did love pasta and couldn't eat it at all for a while post op.
Now I don't eat it because I'm dieting again, but I could add a small
amount after a while post op. There really probably won't be any food that
you can't eventually add, so there is no need to feel like you're bidding a
final farewell. If you have the requirement of losing weight or no
surgery, then you have to be really careful. Don't let the panic cause you
to miss the opportunity of having surgery. Just have your favorites, but
if they're the things that cause you to gain weight, don't eat too much of
it. Increase your exercise, if you can, to make up for any additional
calories you felt you wanted that day. You can do what needs to be done.
Other than that, I have no other advice. Good luck. S
— sherry hedgecock
October 14, 2003
As a pre-op you just cannot imagine how this will work. As a post-op you
will know, so don't sweat it. You will get a full signal at the right time
for maybe the first time in your life, when post-op. Early out all anyone
did was ask my mom, isn't she hungry. The answer was NO. I sometimes had
a hard time getting in what I was supposed to. Like the others said you
are likely not giving up anything that is really enjoyable to you for the
rest of your life. Yes you are for a while so as to make maximum progress
in the first 6 months, as that's sort of the no brainer months. You'll
lose no matter if you screw up badly. Take that important time to learn
new habits. You will find things that you could die for before surgery may
not even appeal to you after surgery. I'm close to 8-1/2 months PO and I
am fine with greatly reduced quantities of carbs. I've managed to break
the hold carbs used to have on me. I'm fine with a cheeseburger with no
bun because I've chosen to have a few onion rings with it. I could eat
some bun too but I don't really miss it and then I can control the carbs
better. Everyone is different but you will do great. You will learn to
read labels and find all kinds of new treasures. I've always like BBQ'd
things. My plan says no BBQ sauce. Well I found The Turkey Store Shredded
BBQ Turkey which is awesome protein and very low carbs and fat, so I've
been eating it since about 3 weeks PO. I could have just believed my
binder that all BBQ is bad but because I chose to read labels I found one
of the items that got me through those first months wonderfully. I got a
little burned out on it so only have it occassionally now but do have
occassionally.
<p>My surgeon puts us on protien and veggies only for the two weeks
before surgery to shrink our livers. For me I lost 21 lbs so think about
trying that. Gaining lots of weight before surgery is just going to make
it that much more difficult to move after surgery. Look at it that your
new life has already arrived and you need to do what you can to help be the
healthiest you can be for surgery. Personally I found the protien and
veggies filled me up and I wasn't snacking etc. like I typically would
have. I ate as much quality protein as I needed to fill me up. I did not
limit it to X amount. It worked for me and maybe can for you.
— zoedogcbr
October 14, 2003
I was in sheer panic over the "what will I eat, can I do it, maybe I
dont want to do it". The weeks leading up to surgery were terrible
for me, so much self doubt. I ate everything I could my hands on and had
many last suppers, all my favorites!
I felt so guilty and out of control. Remember life is not over actually its
just beginning for you and you will eat again maybe not tons and tons of
food, but several of the same things you eat now except for the sweets. No
you wont sit down for a huge dinner, but you eat what you want and save the
rest for later. You give yourself special treats here and there but the
obession goes away! I was never sick --you may be. Things get better and
better with time and you will finally be in control. Everything will be
okay even though you cant imagine it right now. Good luck to you!
— debmi
October 14, 2003
I think everyone experiences the "last supper" syndrome. I truly
regret having eaten as much as I did the few months before surgery - not
only did I gain weight, but I can now eat the exact same things. I was so
convinced that I would never be able to eat pizza or whatever, so I ate a
ton of it. Well, guess what? I can still eat pizza. I just eat 2 slices
instead of the whole thing. What's funny is that I really had a difficult
time the first 5 months or so after surgery, too - trying to prove to
myself that I could still eat (please see a therapist or counselor post-op
- the emotional effects of surgery are so much harder to deal with than the
physical ones...). I find now, 7 months out, I'm finally in a place that
food just doesn't have a hold on me. I wish I would have used my time more
wisely, relearning to eat, instead of trying to prove that I could eat the
same...Good luck! Open RNY 03/20/03 326-231-146
— vittycat
October 15, 2003
This is SO totally normal! LOL!!! Be easy with yourself, dear, you're
human. I was one of the lightweights for this surgery and so I did not
have to lose weight pre-op for any reason. I have always prided myself on
eating very healthy food so you would have laughed your head off to see
this girl "saying goodby" to some of the most awful foods on the
planet. I think ate three McDonalds Big Macs in the month before surgery
where before I don't think I had eaten even one in the past two years. I
also "said goodby" to Kung Pao Chicken, Fettucine Alfredo,
Chocolate Silk Pie, and real Scottish shortbread. Well could I BE more
happy with all that fat and sugar? LOL!!! Those days are now over, and
something in my soul got satisifed, sorta like a six-year-old. Now I'm
happy if I can keep down chicken broth! Take good care of yourself
emotionally pre-op, its so important. Do what works. - Deborah Open RNY
10-25-03
— Deborah M.
October 15, 2003
My comment is sort of a combo of the ones below. I gained 20 lbs before
surgery and really beat myself up over it. I'd not dieted in 6 yrs (end of
diets meant end of gaining weight) BUT THEN, I chose to eat worse than
"not watching what I eat" and so I gained. I'm down 50 now
post-op but I'd be 20 lbs lighter than I am if I hadn't done that. I have
no emotional cares that I eat less now - I don't care about food like
before. At 11 weeks, I'm started to add foods - I could eat whatever I
want really now but I don't want anything. Food=fuel now and I don't care
so much if it is yummy. Oddly, things I LOVED before sound just disgusting
to me (such as fried chicken, cheeseburger & fries, etc). I was never
a sweet eater but a carb junkie. I'd put away large quantities of
everything. Now, a teeny bite satisfies a craving and I'm not cheating. A
bite or 4 of a nice cheese is not bad for me - I keep my fats and carbs
under the requirement without even depriving myself. It is so nice now. I
have zero hunger anymore and there are those who say it will come back
(some say it not so nicely) but the thing is...For me, I've already learned
a new way to eat with choices. My ONE REGRET on this whole thing is not
what i didn't eat pre-op but it's that I intended to practice chewing and
did not. After the liquid phase, when I had to eat pureed food (or chew to
a mush consistency), I had trouble and was a little afraid to eat after I
had an "incident" with a tiny tiny piece of chicken. I've got
the chewing down now but wish I'd done it before. Good luck to you!
— Donya P.
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