Food: Friend or Foe

Below is re-post of my response to a previous post.  I just wanted to open it up for more input. I am moving towards a sleeve revision from lap band and would like to know how the sleeve has changed your relationship with food?  Has it? Are you struggling to eat within the guidelines? Has the sleeve helped you create a healthier relationship with food?

"Changing the way we think about food and the relationship we have with it...". This the hardest part for me.

I know that the surgery is not on our brains (would be kinda nice, though), but I'm wondering if the mind catches up with the sleeve at some time. Does it? I hope so. That is, does the food restriction and subsequent weight loss help increase movement AND decrease emotional hunger? Do we finally say one day, "If I can't use food (restriction), then I'll stop using food (change my relationship with food)?!? Is that how the relationship changes? I don't know. This is the hard part.

Still fighting....

I am in denial that I have a relationship with food. I don't see the connection, however the scale sure sees it.

Scales are too honest. 

Learning to use food for nourishment MORE THAN pleasure instead of the reverse will help me immensely. Easier said than done.  Accepting that my food habits need a major overhaul in addition to the surgery will be key to my success the second time around.  I'm starting to understand what "it's a tool" means....and it only took me 5 years.

I believe this surgery makes it possible to eat healthier and get healthier.  I doesn't do it all.  You have to really want the change and keep working towards it no matter how many times you fall back into addictive behaviors with food.

Some people lose their appetite, but even that is no guarantee that one will not seek out comfort and pleasure from food.  I ate the worst stuff when I didn't have an appetite.

I really think of the whole ball of wax as a life long, ever evolving quest.  The surgery is a major step in the right direction.  Weight loss is a big motivator for feeling better and wanting to experience more of life than just eating. 

I don't know if the mind catches up, or if by conscious effort you bring it along.  It may always lag behind.  The important thing is to move in the right direction and not give up.

Best of luck to you.  It is a good thing that you are aware of some of the pitfalls.  This is a good thing because the more you know about yourself the better you will be able to succeed.

I got a lot from your response.  Thanks.

This is a difficult question to address, as each individual has their co-dependents, right? I don’t think about it as much as I did the first 3 months but one day a week I pre-plan all my eating for the week, including pre-measuring meals and snacks. My head often misses food, but I try to either make a healthy replacement in either taste or texture, if I can determine what I’m really missing. I use to cook a lot and have started again in the last month, however I’ve made adjustments in how I think of cooking and what is considered good tasting but healthy (like I can eat it). If my head is just fixated on a certain food then rather than possibly screw up the whole week I’ll get a couple bites of what I need. Such as I was craving chocolate cake, well I was at a party with cake and instead of being fixated I got a 3 bit slice and ate it. I was then done, comforted and I moved on. Those fixations don’t happen every day but when they do I just need to get past it. This is my way of dealing with the issue. I hope someday I don’t have to work so hard to remain dedicated, but I also know it will be this way for a very long time. I hope this helps and again this is how I look at food.

Thanks. I'm looking forward to being mentally and physically satisfied with just a taste of this or that.  Looking forward to freedom. 

Sounds like you've got a good system going.

That is, does the food restriction and subsequent weight loss help increase movement AND decrease emotional hunger?

My answer to your question stated above is, unfortunately, no.  The surgery will not help you increase movement, nor will it decrease any emotional hunger.  YOU will still have to do that for yourself.  The surgery is a great tool that not only provides great restriction if you eat the right things, it also provides you with a six-to-twelve month break from your normal hunger hormones (like ghrelin).  Your job would be to take advantage of those first six to twelve months and really change your relationship with food.  You can do this on your own, but a lot of people are greatly benefited by talking to a therapist or psychologist who can help them understand why they make their current food choices and how they can find better alternatives.  Because your body isn't producing much of the hunger hormone, it's easier to make the right choices in that first year.  After the first year, those hormones do come back so by then, hopefully, you'll have changed your eating habits and be fully in control of what you put in your mouth.  Ultimately, all the decisions are all still up to you.

So, no matter how you look at it, you will still be in charge and responsible for your own behavior around food and exercise, but you'll have some powerful help, especially at the beginning of your journey, to get you on your way. 

Hope this helps!

Fiona

It does help, Fiona. Thank you.