Question:
Why do we taste things differently??
Hello..my name is Lisa and I am almost 10 months post-op and I have a question about "taste".. Why do I now NOT like some of the foods that I did before surgery? It's like my surgeon put a micro-chip in my brain saying.. YOU DON'T LIKE THIS ANYMORE"!! lol Things that I used to love now taste very different. My surgeon re-routed my intestins and gave me a new pouch, but he did nothing to my taste buds...so what gives??? lol. Anyone have a clue? I've never gotten anything stuck, never gotten sick, I simply don't care for some of my favorites anymore... someone please tell me why! (big grin) Thanks for your help! Love and light, Lisa.. RNY (286/199) — medium (posted on September 8, 2003)
September 7, 2003
I know what you're saying...isn't it wonderful?!? I am no longer rulled by
french fries, bread and chocolate, but instead find myself craving salads
(still with lots of dressing, but I won't quibble.) Here's the wacky part
to me though...stuff I didn't like pre-op, like hot dogs, have now become
semi-favorites. Oh well, why ask why? Just enjoy! Huggs....
— rebeccamayhew
September 7, 2003
I think it's just a process of the major changes we made. When I lost a
lot of weight before I was grossed out by the taste of a donut after 9
months. I tasted nothing but the grease. Unfortauntely I eventually got
past that and got hooked on donuts again but it was very noticeable how my
tastes changed. It's like a lot of things the longer you do not have it
the more you do not want it and it no longer appeals to you. You will find
lots of new things you like now, just be creative! Enjoy your new healthy
life!
— zoedogcbr
September 7, 2003
Hi Lisa: Congrats on your great weight loss. I can't answer you question,
because I have no clue why tastes change post op. I can just jump on the
band wagon and say me too. Although I just noticed after 2 years of not
really caring much for one of my favorite pre op food, potatoes, that
they're starting to taste good again. :-( Unfortunately I never thought
chocolate every tasted bad after surgery. And I never developed a taste
for fruits and vegetables pre or post op. That's why it's so nice that WLS
focus' so much on protein. I'd love to hear the answer to your question if
someone really does know it.
— sherry hedgecock
September 8, 2003
From what my surgeon told me, the change in our tastebuds is attributable
to a few things. First, as we go into ketosis, the ketones are resident in
our saliva (which is found in our mouths); the chemical properties of the
ketones actually alter our tastebuds (kind of like if you walked around
with toothpaste in your mouth all day). Secondly, there is supposedly some
hormonal change that occurs when the remainder stomach is sealed off-- it
has something to do with the level of fullness that we feel; as our brain
senses less hunger, it stimulates our desires for different foods. Lastly,
I think a lot of it has to do with the basic psychology of our procedures;
we know that there is an emphasis on protein and that we don't need all
those old carbs, so our brain signals fewer cravings for sweets and carbs
and more for protein. A famous pediatrician (it was T. Berry Brazelton)
once said that children tend to crave the foods that their bodies need-- I
can't help but think that we have those same neurotransmitters which can be
listened to once we stop having that horrific hunger that marked many of
our pre-operative lives. In any event, it's a great change.
— SteveColarossi
September 8, 2003
At my support group meeting this past weekend, someone asked the surgeon
that very question. He said no one knew, that there had not been any
studies done on WLS patients to figure out why and that it may be because
of our bypassed parts. I think there are alot of assumptions/theories but
no definitive scientific answer..just another area of WLS yet to be
studied, and there are lots of them.
— Cindy R.
September 8, 2003
Hi Lisa- I am still pre-op but have my own theory anyways....Last year, I
was doing very well on the Atkins program, at least by my standards, LOL.
I would follow the diet faithfully but one meal on the weekends would be
whatever I wanted. I noticed during this time, as my health began to
improve and I was feeling better, food began to taste different to me.
Things that I thought tasted "good" were REALLY GOOD and bad food
tasted REALLY BAD. My tastebuds became super heightened, it seemed. My
theory is that with my carb addiction, which I'm trying to control but not
doing very well, I have low-grade yeast thruout my body, including on my
tongue. I have signs of this elsewhere on my body which I'm sure you'd
rather not hear about, LOL. These yeast symptoms cleared up during the
time on Atkins, and my tongue even looked "pinker" instead of
"whiter". I feel that the yeast or whatever it is, coats our
tongue and interferes with our taste pre-op. Congrats on your surgery :o)
Mea
— Mea A.
September 8, 2003
Thank you all so very much for your answers...they have helped to see
things with a different perspective... and whatever the
"scientific" reasoning behind the "taste bud" sogga
might be....GBS is an amazing Behavoir Modification program and I, for one,
am very happy I chose to have this done! Good luck and love and light to
you all! Lisa
— medium
September 8, 2003
You know I dont have the answer to that question but a slight observation.
Before surgery I had gotten diary out of my life totally and had begun soy
products only. It was hard but after a while my taste for any diary was
gone completely. After surgery my doctor has me on diary once again. I
decided just to do the soy versions of milk , yogurt and cheese since I use
those before surgery anyway. Well the soy products right after surgery made
me gag and I could only take diary. Weird I thought , but I had also lost
my desire for lots of stuff I use to love. Now at 7 wks out soy is not so
bad anymore , still have no taste buds,lol. But I am going to enjoy not
having them until they return and I have to fight those demons again.
Congrats you are doing so well!
— neneburge
September 9, 2003
I don't beleive I have had this problem. I know there are foods that I once
did not like. I love now. Maybe when we went into this knowing that our
life would change. So We made our taste buds change too. LOL! Good luck!
— spring A.
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