Dieting all over again???

In the getting to know you posts, Ginger raised a really important issue for me. I can't stop wondering how much the surgery will help change my behavior when I have failed on all other diets. I have been able to reduce the constant food ob"sessions and amount/frequency of binges, even drop or lose interest in some binge foods thanks to some meds I got put on. But I know I can not ", whidiet", or I will obsess like crazy. I do respond to not feeling good, that is being stuffed, getting the runs, falling asleep from too many carbs, which are deterents to eating the wrong things, or too much of them.....most of the time. Yet I have not lost weight. So can you all share with me how eating after surgery was like, or not like being on "a diet" again, and how this time you were able to stay on it, or if just the physical change in response to fullness was enough to keep you on track.

I THINK THAT IS A GREAT POINT.. I PERSONALLY CANT SPEAK FOR ANYONE ELSE BUT I WILL ALWAYS HAVE TO BE ON MY P'S AND Q'S WHEN IT COMES TO PUTTING ANYTHING IN MY MOUTH. I WAS RAISED IN A HOUSE WHERE WE CELEBRATED EVERYTHING AROUND FOOD.... NO MATTER WHAT IT WAS.... AND I WAS RAISED TO EAT ALL YOUR FOOD ON YOUR PLATE.. SO LATER ON IN LIFE VERY EARLY IT WAS A CONSTANT PROBLEM.. I AM ADDICTED TO FOOD AND THAT IS WHERE I LANDED AT WHEN I HAD SURGERY. I WAS 400LBS AND VERY MISSERABLE. I TO THIS DAY THINK ABOUT FOOD ALOT AND HOW MUCH I CAN EAT AND WHAT I CAN EAT AND IF THIS IS OK TO EAT. I LOVE FOOD BUT IT HAS ALSO TAKEN A BACK BURNER SORTA SPEAK IN ALOT OF WAYS. I NEVER THOUGHT I COULD STICK TO ANYTHING IN GENERAL WHEN IT CAME TO FOOD. I HAVE FAILED SO SO SO MANY TIMES WHEN IT CAME TO DIETS. I HAD MORE STARTING MONDAYS<< THAN MONDAYS IN A CALENDAR YEAR LOL.. I HAD ANY EXCUSE TO MESS UP AND NOT STICK WITH ANYTHING. I GUESS WHAT IM SAYING IS FOR ME I HAVE CHANGED IN SO MANY WAYS. WE ALL ARE HUMAN AND CANT LIE, STILL IS A STRUGGLE EVERYDAY. BUT NOT TO THE POINT IT USED TO BE. IF YOU WOULD HAVE TOLD ME A YEAR AGO THAT I COULD GO THIS LONG WITH NO SUGAR OR FRYED FOODS I WOULD HAVE SAID YOU WERE CRAZY BUT....... IT IS A GIVEN NOW. I PERSONALLY LOOK AT SUGAR AND FRYED ANYTHING AND HIGH FAT CONTENT TYPE OF FOOD AS A NONO... DONT KNOW WHY IT STICKS WITH ME EXCEPT FROM ALL THE YEARS OF DIETING WAS JUST TIRED OF BEING TIRED.... AND DIDNT WANT TO GO DOWN THE PATH OF MY PARENTS WHO WERE BOTH DECEASED BY THE AGES OF 42 AND 57 FROM HEART ATTACKS. SO I CAN SAY WLS IS AMAZING IN ITSELF TO GIVE  PEOPLE A SECOND CHANCE OF LIFE BUT ALSO HAVE TO MAKE THAT DETERMINATION ALSO TO JUST DO THE BEST YOU CAN AND LIVE IT DAY BY DAY. I WILL ALWAYS HAVE TO WATCH WHAT I EAT... THAT WAS A GIVEN EVEN BEFORE I HAD SURGERY. ITS JUST A PUSH TO GET HEALTHIER. YOU HAVE TO SHOVE THE REST OF THE WAY........ NOTHING GLAMOROUS ABOUT THE WLS... HUGS MARGE

Julie, I'm only six months out, so I'm not sure I can soothe your fears, but for me, just the physical changes in response to fullness is a strong motivator!  I'm not one of the "lucky" ones who can hork up the offending food, so if I eat too fast or eat too much, the food lodges in my aorta and makes me quite miserable until it decides to move along.  It's a good reminder for me to eat slowly and chew thoroughly (old habits die hard). I wouldn't classify myself as a binge eater, I just never learned to recognize when I was full and should quit eating.  My parents were also devout members of the "Clean Your Plate" club, I think it was because my dad went hungry as a child.   Sweets and bread are my trigger foods, so I have resolved to not introduce them back into my menu (I don't want to "try" eating sweets or bread and find out I can tolerate them.  Why even go there?)   It takes diligence to stay the course, but for me, WLS has been an excellent tool thus far.  I am luckier than most in that I was on Optifast for six months prior to surgery, so I didn't go straight from "all you can eat" to an ounce of food per meal.  Having said that, there are times that I still mourn over not being able to eat certain things (it usually hits me when I'm heading to my downtown HMO clinic and we drive by Lamar's, a shop that sells outstandingly delicious donuts). Being aware of your triggers is half the battle, you know.  The WLS will help you with the other half of the battle. Kix

Hi there,

I gotta tell ya, even though I took all the required classes that my surgeon's program had me take, I really thought in the back of my head that anything I eat afterwards won't really matter cause it's gotta be better than what I was doing before.  It's hard to recognize that "full feeling" right at first.  I find that if I am standing in the kitchen to "graze" verses sitting down at the table to eat....I get that full feeling right away and I know then to stop before I get that totally full feeling.  This to me is kinda like a non-diet- diet and I find myself totally in search of proteins and water in my daily life.  Sometimes I do really good...somedays...not so much.  But I am still trying and I'm not giving-up!  I feel so much better about myself.  Sometimes I tell myself that if I never lose one more pound, I would still be satisfied.  I haven't made it to onederland yet..but I'm soooo close.  Good luck on this journey they call wls.  It really is a journey! Hugs and Smiles, Ginger

Good for you for asking the tough questions before surgery! You will be so much more prepared when you do have it. I have a bit of an obsessive personality and every diet I have been on I started gung ho and stayed with it for at least 6 months. But it never lasted and I would go back to the bad habits. I have to admit, my biggest worry was I would do the same with the surgery - do really well at first but just give up. So, I have been working hard at NOT being obsessive. How I do that is by not being super strict when it comes to food. I allow myself treats every now and then, but only those within the confines of the dietary restrictions. And I have become a cooking nut, I try all types of recipes so i won't get bored. I'm trying to catch my obsessions now so they don't creep up on my later on. So far, it's working. I'm hoping that by developing these skills I am changing my past behaviors. I have a great support system (such as this great board!) that I turn to when it gets hard. I have to admit this week I gave in to emotional eating for the first time - I've been pms'ing big time and all I wanted was something to take the edge off (old habits die hard!) So, I had some peanut butter and crackers. Not a horrible choice, but I still felt bad that I had given in to my cravings. But, I remember how I use to down an entire container of ice cream before, so I feel pretty good when i look at it that way. And I got back on track the next day, no problem. I hope this helps - I think each person is different in the way they have to deal with the surgery, I've just been trying to do what works best for me. I hope you can do the same!

I'm now 7 months out and I can tell you my life has totally changed. I thought I'd be able to eat most anything except sweets after surgery too, but let me tell you my little pouch tells me differently!   I still have no appetite, never get hungry, and cannot tolerate starches in any form. I was a total sweet addict before, my life revolved around what sweet thing I was going to eat next. Now, I've done a 180, I no longer eat or crave sweets, in fact I have a bowl of chocolates on my desk at work and they don't bother me in the least. I know that if I eat one I'll get sick. I've dumped once on a bite of sausage and it was such a terrible feeling that I don't ever want it to happen again! I decided the day I was approved that I was going to do everything the right way, follow my DR instructions, and make the most of my new tool. It's funny I was talking to my brother and told him we were going to Seattle next month, the first thing out of his mouth was "you've go to go to this restaurant they have the best clam chowder in the whole world" I laughed and said that was the old me, the new me doesn't eat that.  Before I would have checked out a restaurant guide while planning a trip, now I don't really care. They may have operated on my stomach, but my brain sure has changed too, so much more for the better!  I don't live to eat anymore, I eat to live.

I used to be able to diet for up to six months before I went crazy and gained it all back.  I am now 16 months out and am still losing.  If by diet you mean a period of deprevation, eating "rabbit food," or whatever version you like, thisis in fact very different.  But if you mean a way of eating in which you pay attention to healthy choices and serving sizes, post wls is very much like a diet.  (Think South Beach--heavy on protein, then good carbs.) How it has been different for me: Overeating doesn't lead to guilt and remorse but actual PAIN and need to throw up. My nose starts to run when I'm full I'm not hungry and feeling deprived I can eat foods that are poor choices, but in a significantly reduced amount.  The "binges" are short lived--see the PAIN issue I am satisfied (there is a hormone that increases post wls that promotes a feeling of fullness) My body is working with me instead of against me The results are so dramatic, it is easy to stay motivated I have more awareness of what my body is really telling me it wants or needs I am in control  I am one of those who harp on the fact that wls is not an "easy way" diet but a medical treatment.  The RNY I had physically changes your body and digestive system.  Even the hormones involved change.  Yes I will always need to pay attention to my food choices, but who doesn't?  I was a from dinner to bedtime eater.  Binging as well as emotional eating.  I started knitting to keep my hands and head busy since I couldn't turn to food anymore.  And I go to my support group regularly.   It is something you can do, so good luck, Sally

The reason (or at least one of 10 reasons)  I had the duodenal switch is for the reason you mention.  I didn't want to diet for the rest of my life, and if I couldn't make a diet work before surgery....i didn't think I could make it work after surgery.  Thats why I had a malabsorbtive surgery with a little bit of restriction.  It helps limit the amount of food you can eat ...and then stops you from absorbing much of the food you do eat.  At a year out and onward...people start to be able to eat more and more food...even with the RNY.   After surgery, you will have more control over what you eat.  With the RNY...some people (about 50 percent) get dumping and sometimes throw up.  WIth the DS, they remove the part of your stomach that produces Ghrelin....(the hunger hormone).....and you just don't get hungry as much.  Either way ...it will be up to you long term to make WLS work for you.....and work with the tool you choose.   Scott

Hi there =) I totally understand your fears about staying on the "diet" after the surgery.  My reason for sticking to the diet probably isn't the most conventional but it is what has made me stick to it.  It was out of fear.  I was afraid that if I ate to much or something I was not supposed to that it would do damage to my pouch or that I would make myself sick.  I hate throwing up and did anything I could to avoid it.  I am now 9 months post op and only 4 lbs away from my goal weight.  Actually I hit my goal weight last month but my dr. said I was doing so well that I could actually go down another 10 lbs.  So now I am 4 lbs away from my new goal.   As someone else had said, their bigest downfall is sweets and starches.  Those are also mine.  But my eating habbits have completely changed and they are like second nature to me now that I don't even crave those things anymore.  When I grocery shop I always make sure that what I get is high in protien and low in fat and sugar.   I just stick as closely as I can to the 60/60 rule, which is 60 grams of protien and 60 oz of water every day.  It really does become easier every day and then you just get to a point that it is just habbit and you just do it without thinking about it. Good luck on your journey and as I said before, if you have any questions feel free to ask. Bobbi

I am 6 months out. I started getting hunger about 2 weeks out...my stomache growles and everything. I cannot eat as much as I did, so I feel satisfied long before I would have before. I still have benges....I ate a whole bag of sf chocolate just two days ago (both me and my daughter had been in the hospital so I had been under a huge amount of stress) ... but it is not like when I would eat a 6 pack of chocolate bars.  I have thrown up a few times (only if I overeat protein), but have not dumped.  I cannot eat alot of protein with out feeling miserable.  I am constantly battling constipation.  It is a diet...and when people ask me what I am doing to loose weight I tell them the diet I am following. No Sugar, no white breads, no white potato, rice,  corn, etc.  And usually their face goes from hopeful to dissapointed...no I have not found the magic weight loss  miracle... and yes it is work... and yes I feel deprived at times (valentines day where at my work they had a dinner with NOTHING I could eat) ... I do think it is worth it...and I would do it again. I do not think the Duadinal swich is healthy enough to make my life longer , which was my goal with surgery.   I do not think I made a mistake with the RNY. It allows me to have more control.  Shellie