What I miss

What do you miss after your surgery?  I miss food.  I miss enjoying food. I miss eating a meal and feeling satisfied. I miss the social aspect of a good meal. I miss feeling normal after I eat. I always seem to be too full, not full enough, shakes are too sweet, sick or nauseous. I miss flying under the radar when I eat. Now if I'm with someone they're curious about everything I eat, or don't eat. I miss an occasional dessert, pasta and Coke. Even lemonade. I'm tired of all of the armchair quarterbacks in my life. I'm tired of all the unsolicited advice. I miss getting up for work and getting ready without jumping on the scale first thing and then fretting over the number. I really thought it would be easier than it is and the weight doesn't seem to fall off me like others rave about. 

Now what I don't miss is my size 22 clothes. I don't miss taking diabetes medication with my meals. I don't miss that hunger pain. And I surely don't miss the 35 pounds I've lost. 

Amen!

I miss being able to eat a delicious piece of dessert and not feeling like i'm going to puke or throw up all night. I miss not counting carbs. I miss gummy candy. I miss sugar. I miss pasta. I miss bread. 

I don't miss feeling like the fattest person in the room. I don't miss the feeling of eating way to much. I don't miss the sick feeling I got after eating a huge meal. I don't miss plus size clothes. I don't miss not fitting into airplane seats or other seats. I don't miss tasteless food. I don't miss fast food. I don't miss eating food that I didn't enjoy - just to eat. 

I still feel guilty for eating "bad" food - although the definition of bad has changed. I still feel fat even though i'm only technically overweight now. 

Congrats on making it to the 100's!  I feel like I've been stuck for a few weeks in the 210's. Ugh!

Glad to know I'm not the only one missing some stuff...and not others!  

Frankly...at this early point ( 8 months out), 125 lbs down...includes 30 lbs pre surgery.....I too am a slow looser (only 5 lbs this month...driving me crazy)

I don't miss anything..... We eat out allot, we socialise allot, we travel allot......I find it scary, but I don't miss carbs( I think I am too terrified of them), I occasionally eat desserts with fake stuff ( sugar free jello pudding, Dairy Queen fudgicles, sugar free hot chocolate made with skim milk...very rich and foamy .....so I don't miss desserts.....

And I feel so great physically and emotionally that I am really flying.......I try to stay really busy so I don't dwell on food, I  try to stay out of the kitchen if I am not cooking......I race through the supermarket and hold my breath through the bakery sections( like the old supermarket grabs!)....

I am lucky my kids are grown and I don't need to keep good (or rather bad) stuff in the house and I won't bake.  I think smells trigger cravings for me but I still ( and I really hope this doesn't change) am able to slam the door when the cravings start creeping around the door.....

i know everyone is different but I think missing things and starting to feel deprived is scarier than slamming the door on cravings and staying away from yummy smells of things I won't eat.....maybe you might join a support group or speak to a counsellor because I think this is a lifelong journey and I know I wouldn't want to spend it feeling deprived or missing important elements of my life.

joan

I read through your post and it really got me thinking.  I can't say that I "miss" much at all really.  I maybe miss bread occasionally, but not really.  I would have thought I'd miss soda, but no, I don't. 

I ate out lunch with a friend yesterday and I had chicken and tofu with veggies in a spicy peanut sauce - and it was delicious!  I took all of the leftovers to my mom and she was super excited.  This morning my family got together for breakfast and had a bacon and egg ta****orn tortilla).  Now these were examples of two splurges, but I worked them into my day and I'm ok with them.  

I cook most of my food at home and from scratch and I follow simple rules: put protein first, dont drink when I eat or after, limit my eating to meals or snacks, make sure I get my steps in and exercise regularly, and keep up with my vitamins and water.  It sounds like a lot, but it doesn't feel like a lot, and it certainly doesn't feel like I've given up much.

What I don't miss is worrying about not fitting places, like chairs with arms (ugh, the worst!).  I don't miss being relegated to two stores to find clothes (with what felt like less than fashionable options).  I don't miss looking for special shoes for my chubby feet.  I don't miss my tummy literally touching the steering wheel while I'm driving.  I don't miss walking into a women's restroom and wondering if I'm going to fit in the stall (bc the space was too tight to close the door or my thighs too close to the tp dispenser).  I don't miss the pain in my knees or ankles when I got up from the couch bc my body was carrying nearly 400 pounds.  I don't miss having to wear a mask to sleep that made sure I was breathing properly.  I don't miss having to pay more for things (like a scale) to accommodate my weight or size.  

 

 

I can not think of anything that l truly miss.  This life is too full in other,  more important ways. 

This isn't a constant thing, but sometimes I miss that warm, full, contented feeling I got from a big meal. Or when something tastes good and has a satisfying feeling in my mouth, and I'd like to keep eating, but I have met my limit. It's all good, though. The benefits far outweigh anything I miss.

Thank you for this post. These are the things that I worry about and I am afraid I will fail. I know I will miss things, and I fear I won't be able to be disciplined enough to succeed. I have horrible gerd and bile gastritis, so that is the reason I am doing this. But, I am overweight and the weight loss will be so much better for me. It is good to see that it might be normal to miss things, but also a blessing to get my health back.

It has only been six weeks since my surgery. I miss drinking a glass of water or tea without it coming back up again. I am not missing food but I do miss going out with friends to dine. Even if I eat a tiny bit, I end up in the bathroom. It has been slow losing weight. I am so tired all the time. I hope it gets better.

 

 

CW,  you are still recovering from major surgery.  Follow your dr's plan and yoyr energy level will bounce back. 

I still enjoy going out with friends for a meal,  but mine can last me two or three meals.  :)  i understand how you are feeling,  but l don't feel that l lost or gave up anything.  The rewards are too great!