Question:
How will I handle not being able to binge?
I am really worried about the emotional effects of my NOT being able to binge after my surgery. I know that my body will not allow me to binge but what will that do to my mind? How will I handle this? I am an emotional eater and when I'm in certain moods, I crave very specific things...not junk but real restaurant foods. And it's not ever the food itself because I know that I will eventually be able to eat most things again (except sugary stuff) in moderation...but there's just something about eating 'the whole thing' that I am addicted to. I'm going to my psych evaluation on 6/5 and I'm afraid to discuss this since my surgeon's office told me that there have been instances of surgeries being cancelled due to poor evaluations. I know I want to do this but this is a real concern for me. Any ideas or guidance? — kahlualoverinva (posted on June 1, 2001)
June 1, 2001
Oh honey , only you know what really goes on inside your head , and what
you can handle and what you can't. I will tell you this , I reciently
attended a support meeting that had to deal with binge eating. I would be
really honest with my doctor, because you need to rehabilitate this
destructive behavior. This surgery will restrict you to a large degree but
if you are bent on binging you will figure out how to do it even to a
lesser degree. I have read many postings here where the poster thought this
surgery would cure everything , only to find out it does not fix what is in
your head. And I believe those people have a very hard time adjusting to
post op life. You can change the size and shape of your stomach with a
surgical knife but what is in your head needs a different kind of
"surgery" , seek out that help. I'll pray for you to get the kind
of life you want.And I pray you know what that is.
— Rose A.
June 1, 2001
Shannon!!!!
Do NOT tell your surgeon or the shrink at the hospital about this bingeing
thing. It will be POINTLESS, because: 1) you might very well be denied, and
not get help from them anyway; 2)you will therefore STAY overwieght and
bingeing instead of THIN and THINKING about bingeing. I implore you to get
help from another source, such as a therapist who specializes in food
issues, or even Overeaters Anonymous, which is great. There is EVERY
possibility that after surgery your bingeing thing will level out...
because many of us are craving the sensation of extreme fullness, and that
is what you will have after surgery!! REMEMBER, once you tell the doctor
about this concern, you can't EVER untell him. DO NOT risk your future on
the gamble that he can help you with emotional problems!!! He's a highly
skilled technician, not a counselor!!! And he holds all the power. Get
private therapy and never tell the hospital about the therapist, either! Of
course this is just my opinion, but hon, soooo many people like you have
BLOWN IT by being honest at the wrong time.
— Veronica D.
June 1, 2001
I SO know what you are feeling and I could not agree with Veronica more.
I'm sure some people will get upset that we are suggesting you withold
information from your doctor or psych eval. But lives are at stake
here...our lives. I am also a binger and spent a lot of years purging. I
chose not to mention this to the therapist doing the psych evaluation. I
do not want to risk not getting the surgery. Hon, we all binge eat...that
is why we are like this. Yes, we have a disease...and let's face it...that
disease causes us to not feel satisfied with a "normal" amount of
food. Like you, I am an emotional eater, and it is the one thing I am
terrified of after the surgery. But look at all the people who have been
able to change their eating habits. It can't be impossible. I think as a
binge eater, I am so used to failing, that sometimes I don't even think
this surgery will help. And I may be right. But I know I have a much
higher chance if I do have the surgery. So please, consider all of this
before you tell the doctor or therapist about your binging issue. Seek
private help. That is what I plan on doing. Also, I know that if I don't
plan activities and things to do, I will sit on the couch and eat all day
and night. That is why I am actively seeking things to occupy my time
after the surgery. I plan on taking some community classes, voice lessons,
guitar lessons, etc. Good luck!
— Krystal G.
June 1, 2001
BZZZ~! (The buzzer of NO PASS!) I respectfully disagree with my esteemed
colleagues on whether to tell the shrink about your binge eating. Put it
into context...do you crave certain things around your period? Tell them
you will want some support on understanding and learning new ways of
dealing with "stress eating". Being logical and realistic about
your eating may save your life. If you truly have uncontrollable binge
eating and are having a RNY with the possibility of staple disruption due
to a psychological inability to stop when you feel full, your doctor needs
to know this. But with what you are describing, it sounds manageable and
letting them know that you know you may need some assistance inspires a lot
more confidence in your ability to handle the surgery than being sneaky and
withholding information. Most shrinks can spot that stuff a mile a way,
and if most know that if fat people told the truth, we ALL have overeaten.
What they want to know is how well we can be responsible for seeking
assistance in battling the problem. Good Luck to you...
— merri B.
June 1, 2001
If you have the surgery you will have to keep telling yourself.. "If I
binge I could rip out my staples! Do
I want to hurt my health and go through another surgery?"
I sure don't! Keeps me on the straight and narrow. wink.
— Danmark
June 1, 2001
When I hear the word binge, I'm assuming that you eat like I did, two
plates plus dessert...an hour later a snack...an hour later a snack...an
hour later a snack. If so, I think this pattern follows a lot of folk's
experience, and I'm not so sure that this is what the shrink is worried
about. This behavior is easily remedied by the surgery.
<p>
There are those bingers, however, that can consume 10,000 calories in a
meal...those are the ones that are going to have a difficult time
convincing the shrink they are a good WLS candidate.
<p>
Again, assuming your binging is like mine, how will you handle this
post-op? Well, lots of ways. First, your new tummy just simply will not
allow you take in the food. You will try, but you will waste your money at
the restaurant...on the other hand, you can get a doggy bag and eat a
couple more meals from it. The first time you eat too much, you will
promise God you'll never do it again, please make it stop!(at least that's
what I hear). You'll find better food choices to binge on. About three
months post-op, I was binging on plates of pickles, hot peppers and olives.
This looked huge to me, but in reality (1/2 a kosher dill, 3 sweet pickle
slices, 3 hot pepper slices, 3 olives), given a cucumber is like 90% water,
I wasn't taken in as much as I thought. But visually and mentally, I was
eating a whole plate of pickles and boy, did it keep me sane for a while.
Other times, you will put too much on your plate and boom, the appetite
just shuts off. Even 10 months out, I have measured 1/3 cup. of cottage
cheese and not finished it...just didn't want it, so I stopped. I wasn't
full by any means...I just didn't want anymore. Hmm, isn't this how skinny
people eat?
<p>
When people start noticing your weight loss and you drop of size or two,
you will really get motivated - gee, this really does work! Believe me,
you'll get by more than a few cravings on just that alone. You'll learn to
be active, and will probably even forget to eat at times, believe it or
not. Your tastes will change, your cravings will change. Last month, I
was dying for a Big Mac, so I shared one with my daughter; this month just
the thought of hamburger makes me queasy.
<p>
There's a lot of ways to quench the binging. You'll do fine - so many of
us before you have. Good luck to you!
— Allie B.
Click Here to Return