eating is such a chore!!

I never thought I would be saying those words when I was pre-op, but lately, I have literally ZERO interest in eating!! It is such a chore and I get virtually no enjoyment out of it at all.

Part of it is because I am always so concentrated on chewing. It takes forever to eat and by the time I get halfway through anything, its cold. You can only reheat things so many times before they are completely ruined.

Part of it is that I am not hungry. Ever. Food is literally the LAST thing on my mind. At first I thought maybe it was just because of everything going on in my life, but now I think I just have no hunger because of the surgery itself. My tummy sure likes to make noises and pretend like its hungry though!! I have had people in cash register lineups turn round and look at me when my tummy starts talking!!

Part of it is also that I am still trying to figure out what I can and cant eat I guess. I have tried a few things that have been less than stellar, but nothing that has really made me very ill, so that's good I guess. Spaghetti sauce gave me some sever pain so I am holding off on trying that again.....and I tried a tortilla last night which did NOT sit well at all. For a brief second I had a vision of spewing but luckily, I have pretty good control over that and totally refused to allow myself to do it. But on the other side of that, nothing has really given me the, "Oh I could eat this everyday!" feeling either. Stuff doesn't really taste good, has weird textures or just takes so friggin long to eat!!

I have been checking out Eggface's website and trying some of her recipes, which have all been fine so far but I am getting pretty tired of eggs! ;)

I am sorry for this rant....just a little discouraged.

PS-don't get me wrong, I *AM* eating....are you kidding me?? My Honey makes DARN sure I do if I forget.....but it just seems like another thing I *have* to do, rather than something I *want* to do...like I really need to add more stuff to my plate (pardon the pun)
 
Does that make sense?

Yes it does make sence.  Trial and error learning is always hard.  I find dense food (like chicken breasts, chops, steak etc) hard to eat, and any kind of bread is hard too.  I have many days where nothing looks good to eat.  Take a look at the thread "What are you eating today", you may get some ideas there for things to try.  I also find that timing is now a bigger issue than pre-surgury, not just the food/water timing, but when I eat things.  Such as for me, I can't eat yogurt for breakfast, but I can eat it in the afternoon.

It does get tiring, I agree, but you will get used to this and have more selection.  I promise.

Try not to be discouraged by these feelings.  I know it can be frustrating to eat at the beginning, but it will get much better over time.  At this point, try to look at it this way:  this phase that you are going through is really effective at helping you mentally detach from food for a while.  I found that when I went through this exact same thing, that this was when I was really able to recognize physical hunger from emotional eating.   Think of this as a learning period.  Isn't kind of a great thing to be able to say that you are nourishing your body simply because you are taking care of yourself and know what you need to be healthy, so you are doing it?  The alternative is that old feeling that food is an obsession and that you can't get away from it- punishing your body everyday with unhealthy things because you have an addiction and you can't get away from it. 

Thanks Marny.
I became very aware of the difference between emotional hunger and physical hunger the first week out, when all I wanted to do was eat.....but luckily couldnt. I am glad I went though it so intensely my first week out when I actually could not physcially eat at all rather than now when I could possibly try something I shouldnt. 
 
I like your comment about punishing your body with unhealthy options. I guess not being able to eat raw veggies and salads and things yet has got me feeling a bit like I am maybe still not eating "normally" either, but I suppose this will improve with time.

Thanks for taking the time to reply! I appreciate advcie from the "vets" :)

I hear you! Wndy's Chilli has been good for me but does get boring. Shrimps are good. I didn't do well on wraps but did manage 1/2 piece toast. Havent been able to touch cottage cheese for a week. Think 3 weeks of it was enough for now.

Try some of the pre cooked chick strips (non breaded) they are very tender and easy to chew.
I too could go all day without eating.
Not hungry at all. Ironic that preop we ate all the time and now after WLS we still need to think about food.

Just curious as to what pre cooked chicken strips you are referring to?  Thanks

I've seen them at walmart, Brenda, they're just seasoned strips of cooked chicken, no breading. Sometimes they're on for $5, or something like that. "Normal" people would buy them to put on salads or something like that. They're quick and easy. When i've bought them in the past, i weigh a couple of ounces of them, put them in ziploc baggies and freeze them, so i can just grab a pre measured bag of them to put in my lunch, or grab for a snack or something.

duh, yeah I forgot about those. lol

I love those chicken strips! They are tasty and great for a quick grab food item. And yep, I put them in my salads sometimes.

I have also got them at no frills. hmmmm! I may have to go get some now... mmmmmmmm chicken!

I hear you about eating becoming a chore. All I can say is stick with the program; I promise it does get easier.  I find that they way I cook really helps as well; moister meats are more easily chewed.

Take care and good luck.