Do you miss it?

My doctor recommended WLS 2 yrs ago but the dumb HMO said I had to lose 10% of my body weight (on my own) and keep it off for 6 months before they would approve me. If I could do that I wouldnt need WLS would I? Anyway, we have now moved to MI and I am thinking about it again. My story is this. I used to be thin. Really thin. But that was almost 20 yrs ago. I still look in the mirror and see that skinny person and in some ways think I am still in denial that I am not just fat but obese. I did optifast 15 yrs ago when I was 50 lbs lighter than I am right now! I have done Jenny Craig, Atkins, WW, Nutrisystem. They all work for awhile. The problem is me. I love food. I am not a huge overeater but what I eat is complete junk. Not candy and potato chips but burgers and mashed potatoes. My question is, do you miss it? How do you get over it? Do you have to hit rock bottom first and what was it? I have 2 1/2 yr old twins and I want to be able to be around long enough to see them grow up and not be out of breath when playing with them but it still doesnt seem to be enough for me to stop eating.

Weight loss surgery isn't going to take away your cravings. You will still have the same thoughts and motivations to eat as you always did. Weight loss surgery makes it physically impossible for you to over eat. You and only you can get over all the other stuff that goes along with eating junk. I am 6 years post-op today and I still like food. I still like doughnuts, candy, french fries, etc..., but I know that if I eat those foods I will be sick. Since I don't like that feeling, I don't eat those foods. That doesn't mean that I don't crave them. PS Insurance companies suck with that attitude. Yeah go on a diet and lose weight, um okay, totally defeats the purpose of your initial request for a gastric bypass. What idiots.

I***** I started my research on gastric bypass. Much has changed since then, and it wasn't until 2005 (some 11 years later) that I was truly fortunate to have a 2nd chance at life, and have open RNY. Do I miss anything? Sure. I miss going to all you can eat buffets and eat 5-7 plates of food and still want more. I miss going to the freezer section of the grocery store, buying not 1, or 2 but 3-5 pepperidge farm cakes and eating half of one each night before bed. I miss the boxes of HO-HO's and Donuts on my kitchen counter......................................... NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I went from 310 lbs to a slim 142 lbs in less 18 months, and have only 1 regret: WHY DIDN'T I DO THIS SOONER? That is because the time just wasn't right, or the insurance didn't approve it, or some other brick wall came up. I too struggled with food problems, cravings come and go. If I crave something I wonder what my body really is telling me. My WLS surgeon said once that when we lack protein, our bodies tell us in some way. We just have to re-learn how to listen. When we go through WLS, we also have a different taste for foods. I cannot eat cakes and donuts and pies and cookies (though I have tried) and I do get sick. Highly sick. I find that it is a "never ending learning process" and you re train your brain to think what that little pouch really wants. You get over some things, after surgery, I hated anything chocolate. I hated sweets. I hated food. There are days now that I don't want food at all. And days I don't eat. But I drink gallons of water, high protein drinks, and keep the vitamins going in. Everyone is different, and what you need to realiize is WHo are you doing this for first and foremost? And then start doing research for pre op life, surgery and what type you want to have (there are so many now) and post op life, food and eating habits. How you choose your surgeon and WLS type, will alter your post op life forever. Good Luck! Stacey W

Laura, I do miss having food to comfort me and take away stress. No, of course I don't miss being obese and having tons of looming health problems.....that would be silly. I had to see a therapist that specialized in food addiction, which is what I have. Yep, I said have, not HAD. It's not impossible for me to overeat. I have to make choices every day. I can have sweets and other things that are not good for me. You might be the same way after surgery. It's important to realize that surgery might give you a great start at being healthy, but it's not guaranteed to be an easy ride for the rest of your life. You have to change what you do, how you think, and how you deal with life without food there to mask your problems. My "rock bottom" moment was 2 summers ago and I went through the drive through ice cream place, then was making a left hand turn out of the drive and into the turn lane to go to Taco Bell to get the rest of my meal. The car full of teenagers behind me screamed out "Fat Ass!" and stopped to laugh at me. That wasn't the worst part. I had heard comments before. The worst part was I continued to Taco Bell and ate tons of food plus my ice cream and didn't even feel bad about it. I woke up the next morning and realized that not only was I fat and unhealthy, I was becoming used to it, and it didn't seem to bother me any more. I knew then that I was in trouble. Do your research on the surgery. Prepare yourself. Find out why you abuse food and what you're going to do after surgery to make yourself feel good like the junk food does now. If you go into this with the right attitude, it will change your life like you could never imagine!

First i'll say that yes i do miss some things, BUT i eat well, very well. What i do eat is GOOD. i go out to eat all the time and my fiance and i are total foodies. but we eat small. It doesn't seem it sometimes as we feel like we ate a ton but we always have huge amounts of left overs and we have both been successful in our weight loss adventures. secondly what i'll say you probably don't want to hear.... 10% is not a lot and if 10% means you don't need WLS then you probably DON'T need wls. My insurance didn't require a 10% loss but my surgeon did. For many reasons such as lowering my risks in surgery and also to prove that i could follow a program and had the determination to be compliant after surgery. Regardless of what you've heard you CAN overeat after surgery. Not at first but once you're a year out you most certainly can. So it's important for patients to demonstrate that they can follow a program and can be compliant. We do need to watch what we eat and to demonstrate a new attitude towards food. Otherwise we fail. Most WLS failures are not due to surgeon's mistakes but due to bad habits and practices on the part of the patient. A small weight loss also dramatically lowers the risks of surgery and while it may be tough it's worth it to try to do it. Tell yourself it's for a short period of time and you can do it. It's KEEPING it off that was the problem for most of us. Most of us could lost 10% of our weight standing on our heads in a donut shop. But keeping it off. . . not possible. We usually gain it back and more. But this time you won't because after the 10% you'll have your surgery and gain a tool that will always help you keep the weight off... if you're determined, compliant and look for the needed support. Good luck.

Laura, You probably don't want to hear this, but, yes, I do miss the food. I miss the comfort that food could bring during times of stress or fatigue. I miss alot of things about food. You must really search your heart and ask yourself if you are addicted to foods, and can you live without the "complete junk" as you call it yourself. The surgery may or may not take those urges away from you. I spend most of my time on the WLS grads board, where there are posts each and every day from someone struggling to maintain their weight loss, or are regaining, or never reached their goal. Food is an extremely powerful force in our lives. I miss the foods, but I did hit rock bottom when I injured my knees and lost my mobility. At 49 years old, I didn't want to be in a wheelchair or using a walker for the rest of my life. The fear of regaining my weight keeps me exercising. The fear of once again being obese keeps me away from the junk food. But, speaking only for me, it is a hard choice every day. This is a question only you can answer. Jay made some very valid points about losing that 10% your previous dumb HMO required. From my 21 month post-op perspective, requiring a 10% loss is not a ridiculous requirement. It shows committment to this process. How well can you follow a food plan? How badly do you want this surgery. My surgeon required a 20 pound loss before he would even schedule the surgery. I was extremely indignant at the time, and used the same reasoning that you did. If I could lose weight, why would I need surgery? However, it did make it easier for him to do the surgery, shrinking my liver. It showed me I did have the resolve to carry this through. Again, it wasn't easy. But there is nothing easy about this surgery. If you want easy, just keep doing what you are doing. If you want a healthier life, and the stamina to play with your kids and be there for them, then you are going to have to work for it. Unlike you, I had never been thin, so I didn't know what this would be like. I like it. So much so that even though I miss the junk food, I leave it alone. Yeah, I wi**** were easy. Debra M. formerly super morbidly obese woman now, normal BMI exercise queen 351/141