First post-op restaurant experience.

I had lunch with Floyd Curvin (Cagledude) and his wife, Brenda today. If it hadn't been for the chance to meet a buddy from this board I probably wouldn't have gone. Glad I did. Floyd, and Mrs. Cagledude are good people. Both are about 1 year post-op and surgery definitely worked for them. We had a great conversation, and I'm glad I went. That being said, walking into that steakhouse, I felt like a recovering alcoholic walking into a tavern. I definitely still have my appetite. If it had been physically possible, I would have tore-up a Porterhouse- just like the old days. As it was, I ordered a cup of soup, and didn't eat any of it. (too spicy). My question is this. Do we really ever lose our appetites? Or, do we just learn to manage them? I'd be curious to hear from some of you old- timers on this. DD

DD, Hope you don't mind a reply from a middling-timer. First, congrats on not eating something you didn't like (too spicy soup). There was a time when I would go ahead and finish eating just about anything--whether I liked or much and no matter how much my stomach protested. So I consider not finishing a good thing post WLS. a FART in fact! As far as losing our appetites, I'm not sure. I think I still have mine. I say "think" because our WLS nurse has been trying to teach us to distinguish between "head hunger" and "real hunger." I grasp the concept BUT still feel hungry when I "shouldn't." I also have trouble distinguishing between "real" pain and "imaginary" pain. Ouch is ouch, methinks. And yet, I do notice that I do not (cannot) eat nearly as much food as before WLS nor do I crave "bad" food or huge quantities. So, to answer like a politician, I say "Absolutely! Some of us do sort of lose our appetites more or less. It seems to me." The good news is--no joking--it is easier to be satisfied with healthier food for multiple reasons: altered bodies; the growing sense of well-being that follows regular, steady, significant weight loss; changes in our psyches as we progress; social rewards as we feel more a part of and less apart from. As the guys ahead of us keep saying, it gets better and better even though some us never banish all of our old demons.

You're much to generous on your FART qualifications. If anything, it was a popcorn fluffer- not a fart. Thanks just the same.

There's still a lot, mentally, that I need to wade through. I'll keep you posted.

DD

 

D², I’m coming up on year 4. “Head hunger” stopped being an issue around 9 months to year 1. By then- HABIT was in control of most all of my eating choices. What I do find now is that I’m just a picky (or pickier) eater. Prior to WLS, there was pleasure associated with the “Full Feeling.” I could start eating something that wasn’t particularly “Good” But the act of wallowing and getting to that “Full Feeling” (actually stuffed) Was pleasurable and so I’d keep eating even mediocre food. Now?  Somehow knowing that I only get “So Much” before it gets painful rather than pleasurable, if I have a bite of something that doesn’t rate a 9 or better on a ten scale, then I stop eating it and try something better. It has become second nature to think- “Why waste my eating on something that’s not A-Number One?” Why I used to go to those “Schee-Schee” Restaurants, I would think- “This is ‘Food of the gods!’  But the portions are just big enough to **** me off!” Now?  Those High-End restaurants are perfect! I’m Full, on fresh-ingredient preparations that would have just been a start before.  I also have lost the “Clean the Plate” instinct.  Better to waste the food (no matter how good or expensive) than have that bad feeling of being “over-full.” All of this babble to say- The filet mignon is just that- the best/nicest cut. Quality kicks Quantity’s Azz!!! Get over the thought of “Life without Steaks.” The future holds Steaks, just not the “Volume! Volume! Volume!” versions. As with everything- Your Mileage May Vary, (but not by much.) Glad to hear you got to meet up with Floyd.  Keep Building HABITS.  They will serve you long after the surgery has become a fuzzier memory. Best Wishes- Dx

 

Old timer here. Well, 10 months out so not so old. I'm just now getting my appetite back. It comes and goes. I've been working hard on distinguishing between head hunger and real physical hunger. The more I can stay in my eating routine the better as far as that goes. Less likely to graze. As always, your mileage will vary.

Well Dan, I can't distinguish between "head" hunger, and "physical". Either way, I wanna eat... BIG. I do agree, I do much better when I stay with a routine also. Thanks for chipping in. DD

Hey DD... Um...been there, done that - the steakhouse part I mean. I still go to our local fine dining establishment, and now instead of the 8 pieces of garlic bread, 2 dill pickles, 5 or 6 oz of feta cheese -- I have a small piece of gb and eat usually only the crusty part (as it's so easier on my pouch). Instead of the 16 oz strip - I have the 4 oz filet and take half of that home. I skip the baked potato and have like 2 green beans instead of the 15 asparagus stalks with hollandaise. I never eat dessert as I dont have a sweet tooth. My food consumption is WAY WAY DOWN - but that's not the part that I still love about that place! It's that I still go, and enjoy! I talk and chat and love the tuxedo'd service. I chat with the owner (we go back like 35 years) and I praise his son who makes the caesar at the table for my wife. In other words while my insides are different - my outsides still love being there. Oh, and my appetite? It's gone! I seemed to have gotten rid of that "head hunger" trap about a month ago or so and I love that I know I order what I need....and want...and it's now so very very small! Woohoo......whatta ride! Jim 

We've definitely got the same tastebuds!  The thought of life without steaks is too damn depressing. I quess I could learn to like filet mignon.  Thanks for talking me down. DD

About nineteen months out...and from my opinion...we don't lose our appetite...we simply do learn to manage it.  I think no matter we...we stay obsessed with food.  We think about it all the time...we ponder what our next meal is going to be...we wonder how the food on somebody else's plate tastes...  HOWEVER...  we become more then just food.   After surgery, we realize that we don't need to live to eat...we need to eat to live.  Food is something that we need...somethig that we can control...verses it controlling us.  I dont think we lose our appetites...I simply think we learn to manage it.  There are times when I feel I could eats...pounds and pounds of food...and other times when I feel I can barely eat an ounce or two...  All in all, I think we simply learn to control ourselves and manage our eating...

DD, I'm only 3.5 months out, but I feel kind of normal. I eat smaller quantities than I used to, and I get full much quicker.  I don't feel that I am missing out on things.   To put it simply, I eat what a healthy trim person would eat at a meal and not what a 375 lbs. person would eat. The thing that made the transition easier for me is that I travel a lot and I'm forced to eat in restaurants frequently.  It was sink or swim when I went to Asia at only 7 weeks out.  But I gained a lot of confidence by seeking out the healthy foods and avoiding the bad ones.  It was a *****allenging in the beginning but it has become routine now. My tastes may have changed a bit.  I don't seem to crave the foods that I used to want.  I do still get hungry, but I am able to satisfy myself with smaller portions. I do miss having a glass of wine now and then.  I haven't had a drink since Christmas.  My surgery was on Jan. 8 and I am waiting 6 months because that is what my doctor recommended. Good luck.