Question:
I now (pre-op) eat past the point of comfort - is that going to change post-op?
I'm trying to be honest at the risk of being jumped on. My problem is despite that fact that I *always* feel full and bloated now (I'm still pre-op), I still eat past the point of comfort. I'm worried this won't change after the surgery. I know it's up to me to make sure I eat properly, and i'm REALLY hoping i'm one of the post-ops who says they "forget to eat," or have to "force themselves to eat," but i just get worried. Plus, I don't know if my stomach has a problem with emptying, but today I don't think I've eaten that much and i still feel like i just had Thanksgiving Dinner: for breakfast, a bagel with butter and a glass of milk; for lunch/dinner, maybe 9 or 10 loaded nacho chips and two chicken tacos, with maybe 1/4 cup of rice; I also had a small dessert (a cookie bar). That's IT for food today. Granted, I know this is A LOT more than what post-ops eat, but as a pre-op, I don't think it's that much food. The chicken taco meal was at 2:30pm. It's 12am and i STILL feel uncomfortably bloated!!!!! And to be honest, I felt full after the nacho chip appetizer and didn't stop eating (however, I did leave one chicken taco, 3/4 c. of rice and all of the beans on the plate). MY (long-winded) POINT IS, if i can NOW eat past the point of comfort, will i keep doing this after surgery? — sweetmana (posted on June 9, 2003)
June 8, 2003
Sweet One,
As a pre-op I too would on occasion eat past the point of comfort. My
nutritionist told me before the surgery that food would just become less
important in my life than it was pre-op. I thought that she was out of her
mind. I'm now 11 weeks post-op, down 48 pounds, and much to my surprise
she was absolutely right! I no longer have the smae interest in food that
I had pre-op. I am one of the people that often forgets or I have to force
myself to eat. I have once or twice since the surgery had one bite too
much because something tastes good. Like Pavlov's dogs we learn from our
experience. The feeling you get from overeating as a post is very
different from what you feel as a pre-op. Now if I overeat, it is
extremely painful. I get incredibly nauseated and eventually end up in the
bathroom gagging. I don't throw up so I just get uncomfortable and gag
until it passes. Do this once or twice and you learn that it isn't worth
it to have that extra bite or two. Good Luck on your upcoming surgery.
— StephN1966
June 8, 2003
Ok here's the truth. I'm 2 years post op. I'm down 170 pounds and at
goal. If you're eating like that now, and don't take advantage of the
opportunity to change your eating habits, then yes you will continue to eat
past the point of discomfort once you have your surgery. At first, you
won't be able to due to the newness of things...but as you get further out,
you certainly will. The reason you probably eat little and feal full as a
pre-op probably has to do with a slow metabolism (the rate at which your
body burns the food you take in). To test this theory, just do 30 minutes
of cardiovascular exercise in the morning. Eat what you normally do and
you'll see that you get hungrier quicker. Anyway...the key to not eating
past the point of comfort is understanding why you do it now. This isn't
brain surgery and I tell people all the time that if you're going to have
this surgery, you better darn well understand what it is that got you obese
in the first place because life will be hell when you can't use food to
handle whatever it is that you're using it for. Do you have to find out
your problem and be totally "cured" before you have the surgery?
No way! But you should have a grasp on why you overeat so that when the
"eat more" demons present themselves, you'll be able to recognize
it for what it is and act in a more positive way. I am a big advocate for
finding a good counselor to help you through those times. Even at goal, I
still see someone once or twice a month to discuss my "issues".
I am not perfect, I still have an eating disorder. But I care enough about
me to actively seek the help I need to cope with it, stay healthy, and make
this surgery work for me. Good luck and God Bless!
— Kimberly L.
June 8, 2003
You know what's really weird...(I'm still pre-op)...And I ALWAYS and I mean
ALWAYS used to stuff myself until I literally couldn't move. Partly
because by the time I actually felt full, I had already eaten to much and
partly because if there's food to be eaten sitting in front of me, it will
get eaten. As I started my journey I started to try to re-teach my brain
about "good" food and eating habits. I started to follow some
parts of the diet, like the taking small bites and chewing them until your
mouth hurts. (LOL) and basically slowing down my eating. I used to eat
everything in under 10 minutes, hardly chewing! This may not work for
you...as I don't know the reasons why you eat as much as you do. But the
surgery will prevent this from happening for a LITTLE while...then
eventually you will be able to overeat, which as you know is not good. So
you need to try and get control of this now. I know I still eat a lot as
my stomach is quite large...but I do it slower and make better food
choices. Not so much a diet as just a preperation for life after surgery.
If this doesn't work, try drinking a ton of water, before, during and after
meals right now to help curb the discomfort of eating to much. And try to
figure out why you don't stop when you feel full. There is a reason.
Maybe you don't know what full feels like therefore you eat until you feel
discomfort. Maybe you're scared to leave food uneaten...maybe you eat to
fast and with it a ton of air that fills up space where food should be
causing you to continue eating. Try to get a grip on this now to help
ensure good WL later. GOOD LUCK & GOD BLESS
— Renee B.
June 8, 2003
Hi Sweetone. I too had the same problem pre op. for example my husband
and I would go out for prime rib, my order would be a 16, oz Prime rib,
salad, baked potatoe loaded, and a diet drink, with refills and of course
onion rings. Well now Im post op and we recently went out for the same
meal, and I ate the olive off my salad, (dressing on the side) asked for
the baked potatoe plain, and I ate 1 single onion ring. I savored each and
every bite, as I chewed very slowly and I only ate about 2 oz of my 16 oz
prime rib. I was so comforable not full but I laughed and said not long
ago I could have eaten everysingle bite and probably still had had room for
more. It felt so good to take the salad, the potatoe, onion rings, and my
prime rib home. I ate about 1 more oz later that evening and When our
daughter got home she had a my prime rib meal, and the dog got the scraps.
So in answer to your question personaly I get full and I dont miss all the
food, I guess your could say I have broken my affair with food and I dont
dwell on the fact I cant eat near the amout I did pre op. :0)
— wizz46
June 9, 2003
Like you, I was one of those people who loved food so much that I would eat
some things (pizza, pasta, and bread) until I was literally in pain.
However, post-op you will eat beyond your comfort zone once or maybe twice,
if you're a brave sort of soul, and that will be it because the experience
that comes from overeating post-op is so unpleasant that it's not something
that you will likely be eager to relive. I will add, however, that one of
the strangest things to get used to is the new portions that I consume.
I'll get my serving of food and look at it and think, 'there is no way this
is going to be enough food' and then I'll eat maybe half of that portion
and feel so full that I can't eat anymore. It's a good feeling, but a
strange one.
— Amanda S.
June 9, 2003
You will learn really quick after surgery that overeating is NOT, and I
mean NOT, a pleasant thing. I overate chicken once, and was in such severe
pain for 3 hours until I finally vomited, and then was pooped out for the
rest of the night. I ate rice once, and about 15 minutes after eating it
swelled, my husband thought he was going to have to take me to the
emergency room I was in that much pain. So, things are very different after
surgery. You will find out.
— Tracey N.
June 9, 2003
I shoveled food preop. I didn't even THINK about what I was eating or how
much or how fast. When you do it postop, you pay for it (food comes back
up). After a while you start to figure out that one more bite will cause
you to run to the bathroom to expel your meal and you stop doing it. For
me it was a learning experience and I had to get sick OFTEN before I
learned to stop doing it. The key for me is to NOT get hungry (I eat 5-6
small meals a day) so I don't wolf my food. I didn't even remember that
bloated feeling until reading your post. I'm very grateful I no longer
experience that. I LOVE it when my husband is moaning "I ate too
much!!!" and I'm feeling just fine. It's a good feeling. Thanks for
the reminder.
— susanje
June 9, 2003
I liked Kimberly's answer the best. As someone 2 years out, I think her
advice was great about trying to figure out why you overeat past the point
of comfort now. I am 16 months post-op and I can tell you that if you
don't get a grip on your problem now, you will at some point in your
post-op journey have it bite you in the butt. As an early post-op,
overeating will cause excruciating pain or vomiting as the others have
said, but further out, there is less and less of that, and it is very easy
to wait 10 minutes, then eat again, wait 15 more minutes, eat again, and
consistent stuffing can stretch the pouch. Small amounts of high calorie
foods can be taken in and if the pattern continues, regain will occur. I
read your profile and can sympathize with getting sick of the last supper
syndrome and actually welcoming the restrictions that come with being a new
post-op. You sound like I did. I would advise you though since you have a
month left until surgery to try to watch what you eat and lose some weight
before surgery. The reason why is because I, too, started with a fairly
low BMI-43, and I must have gained at least 10+ pounds in the month leading
up to surgery as I endulged in the last supper syndrome, convinced that I
would never be able to eat these old favs again. Well, its the same 10
pounds that are hanging in there now, refusing to get off and keeping me
from goal. If I had only eaten sensibly and perhaps dropped instead of
gained a few pounds, I'd be a whole size less today....
— Cindy R.
June 9, 2003
I am nearly 12 weeks out, down 61 pounds, and ashamed. I studied this
surgery for 2 years before taking the plunge and vowed to use this as a
tool and be the picture perfect patient. Instead, I find myself pushing
the limits of the surgery and angry a great deal of the time. I
compusively overeat - foods that aren't that great either, mind you - to
the point that I feel sick. Now that I realize I can eat most foods
without dire consequences, I wonder why I feel compelled to eat so much.
Why can't I just eat a bite of something and feel satisfied? I can
physically feel a bite or two of something is enough, but something compels
me to quickly shove everything in. I recommend getting help before the
surgery to find out what is driving you. If I could afford it, I would
have therapy. I've stayed away from this site for fear that I would be
chastised for my behavior. I feel like I am a failure! And I get so angry
about not eating carbs - talk about issues...! Anyway, just my two
cents...
— vittycat
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