Am I ever going to get pass the food addiction?

I'm up here in Statesville at my youngest sons house and I've had a good week expect for getting sick today and yeah the same old story with the vomiting and pain and I know I must have over ate but it doesn't seem like it to me with a bite here and there and then again maybe it was something I've ate. Had a little piece of ham, 2 bites of an egg (which I had earlier this week and done good with) and a bite of gravy and biscuit that my son made this morning and was fine but then about 2 hours later had another bite of ham and that was it and then I've been sick the rest of the day and haven't gotten any protein drinks in or my pills. But I thought I was pass not wanting to eat the bad stuff but guess not and I haven't even been hungry but because it's here I want to eat it and I've been out to eat a couple times this week, so I feel like a failure this week and hope I haven't gained any weight back.
Hope everyone else has had a great Christmas.

Two things come to mind: 1)What works one day might not necessarily work the next. For me there has been a whole lot of trial and error because of this. and 2) There's just something about not being home and in your own environment. I've been at my Mom's a lot the past few days and for example whe made those little sausage and cheese balls (I've never liked the dang things) but I would walk by the bowl that was sitting on the counter and grab one. I finally put them in the fridge and it's true - OUT OF SIGHT   OUT OF MIND.

I'm sorry that you're still having to deal with the pain and vomitting. Thank goodness the holiday eating is behind us for this year. Make the most of your visit with your son.

- Iris

Thanks Iris your right since I'm not in my own environment I don't feel like I have as much control and if I was at home I wouldn't have any of the food I've been eating the last few days even with me only having a bite or two and I've even tasted a cookie or two and thinking okay am I one of those people who don't dump? But I know not to eat to many sweets because I've not dumped and don't want too.
I've been doing better on being sick and the last time before today was about 3 weeks ago so it is getting better and I'm almost 3 months out.

Hi,

I check this board periodically because I want to come back to NC.  I saw your post and wanted to comment if that's ok.  You had surgery in September.  Your new pouch is still in recovery mode.  Eating too heavy, too rich, too fatty, too sweet is something you should avoid until your body is ready.  Listen to what your body is telling you. Before surgery, this concept was almost impossible.  Now that you are forced to make choices, start paying attention to what your body wants.  It does work.

Another thing is the mental part of your journey.  WLS does not cure addictions or disorders.  This is something that needs to be dealt with using tools created to overcome these addictions and disorders.  You may want to seek some counceling.

I hoe this helps.

Thanks for the advice and yeah I know that the surgery doesn't cure the addictions and I do talk with somebody on a regular bases for it. This is the first time I've been away from home since surgery and I guess it's harder to deal with than I thought it would be with all the different foods around. I'm ready to go back home.

There is a great tool that is found to be very affective in treating addictions and disorders.  It's called,  mindful eating.  Here is a good website to read about it and other wonderful resources. 

http://www.emindful.com/NewsLetters/eMindfulFall2008.htm

There are foods that you may not be aware of that are risk foods.  Foods that trigger negative emotions and/or thoughts.  Scary foods that have some emotional fear or trauma attached to them. 

Ummmm, it's sort of like peeling an onion.  All the layers have to be confronted and dealt with.  This is something that is just now coming to the surface as to why some folks do poorly after wls.  It's nothing to be guilty or ashamed of.  To acknowledge it, is good.  Now it can be dealt with and success is on the way!

Thanks Paula for the link and I'll check it out.

Hi Cindy 

I'm sorry to hear that you got sick.  It doesn't really sound like you did it by over eating to me though.  Maybe just the pouchie didn't like something you put in it?  Who knows???  I think that's why this is such a hard journey.  What works one day may not work the next.  It can be so frustrating.

As far as feeling like a failure, please don't beat yourself up.  I make not so smart choices a lot and I often feel like a failure too.  But we are human and today is a new day.  So pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start over again.  YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!  And let me just say that even at 17 months out, I still crave the sweets and chips and things as much as I did before surgery.  I do indulge in those things sometimes but if I go overboard with them, I do pay the price!!  If you do ever dump, you will understand what I am saying.  It is not a pleasant thing at all and you will quickly learn what your limits are on those foods.  That being said, even that yucky feeling doesn't always stop me from over indulging sometimes.  Does that make me a failure?  Maybe to some people it does, but I think it just makes me human.  So I try not to beat myself up. 

Enjoy your time visiting with your son and just do the best you are able to do with your eating.  Just remember that no one is perfect all the time!!  Hope you are feeling better today!

Love ya,
Donna :)

Hey Donna,

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and Santa was good to you. Did you have snow?
Thanks for the understanding on what I'm dealing with and today is a new day and I'm back to getting my protein shakes in and staying away from all the tempting cheeses and ham because they also have made me retain fluid. I'm meeting up with a friend here today and looking forward to seeing her and hanging out.

Sorry for your trouble but things will level out. For me even 1 year out....Ham, steak and chocken are a little tricky. I eat them fine as long as I eat slow and chew it to death. My husband will tell me when we sit down to  eat.. "Rember to eat slow" I have a tedency to gulp and forget I do it. So my sugestion chew... chew... chew and set you fork down to think about it. And NO .......I think we will always be food-a-holics. Hopefully we will learn how to deal with it.  Good luck .....you will figure it all out, on what works best for you.
Myrtis