I'm really struggling!!
I think during the pre op phase, we go through the gamut of emotions and one is, can I really do this if I've failed at everything else I've tried. The answer is: YES! YOU CAN DO IT.
I was an emotional eater also. Thing is, this is a tool and after about 4 months, it's going to be up to you but in that 4 months, you'll learn a lot about yourself and your habits. It gives you enough time to break those bad habits and figure out a different plan for high stress moments. I am a transportation supervisor for our local school. I work 12 or more hours a day and I can't imagine a more stressful job. Everyone has stress and probably MOST of us have eaten for emotional reasons.
Go back to why you began this whole thing and ask yourself, was it because you were at the end of your rope and nothing else had worked? Was it because your blood pressure and cholesterol are high and you have sleep apnea and your kids NEED you to be healthy? All the above for me; my health and my kids and grandkids.
My pre op diet was a bit different. It consisted of, 1 sugar free Carnation instant breakfast drink for breakfast, 1 Smart Ones or Lean Cuisine for lunch, another Smart Ones or Lean Cuisine for dinner and another sugar free Carnation instant breakfast drink for a snack. I was at the store buying it all, thinking to myself, I can't do this, it hasn't worked before, I'll be hungry. I started it 20 days before my surgery and lo and behold, I lost 11 pounds. The main thing that kept me going was I knew FOR SURE, I wasn't backing out on myself this time. I knew FOR SURE, I had to shrink my liver to give my surgeon the best possible chance of success so I would have NO complications.
I had my surgery on December 18th. The surgery went great and frankly it has changed my life. It has changed my thinking about food. I have learned I am a sugar addict and if I eat sugar, I feel hungry. I'll be 5 months out on Friday and I'm down from 244.4 to 178.6. I bought my first pair of size 12 shorts yesterday, in I don't know how many years. If I can do this; YOU CAN DO THIS. Do not psych yourself out. It is SO worth it. You are going to have doubts. I did. I even postponed it for 2 months to give myself more time during the Christmas holidays to heal. I didn't need it though. You'll do great. Do this for yourself. You're worth it. Good luck!
FIVE optifast shakes? a day? that's a lot. Mine was 4 and i found that hard to find time for. i was also allowed low carb vegetables (broccoli was a life saver), SF jello. ask your team about that.
how many days into the pre-op have you completed? the first 3-5 are really tough with the carb detox and jsut getting used to the shakes taste. after that it's clear sailing. I had some pretty severe and constant headaches in those first few days, that might be why your kids seem out of control.
Omgosh this sounds like me! I cudnt makeit thru preop without a nibble. It was extremely hard for me I aint gonna lie. I finally had surgery on May 8th and im down 7lbs. but my daughter in law made some brownies and i didnt have enough willpower to not sneak a bite even though i no im not supposed to..Gat yourself some help because i found even with just getting sleeved that i didnt even get sick with the half brownie i ate. I am so angry with myself. My journy has just begun and im already sabbatoshing it, I pray it all goes well with you. I am seeing my counselor and dietician right away. Emotional eaters are the hardest to get through this.Remember this is only a tool to help you, its surely not a qiuck fix. I no its going to be a long and hard journey for me. I just gotta remember why i need this so bad. good luck dear.
Does a hammer install a door? You need to think about this surgery as a tool, not as the solution. Just as a carpenter has to learn the techniques to install a door and the proper use of a hammer, you too must learn how to use your tool properly. This surgery will do nothing for your emotional eating other than make you completely miserable from the moment you have it until 2 years from now when you are posting here asking how to lose weight since you have gained a bunch back.
My point in saying this is not to be discouraging or mean, but to paint a picture of how things will be if you don't educate yourself on what this surgery really is. You need to learn to eat right, you will need to learn a fair amount about nutrition and where to get the nutrients you need at certain times and how to handle life. I would HIGHLY recommend that before you get this surgery that you have your emotional eating in check, otherwise you WILL be miserable.
I would also like to make an observation that you have a number of excuses at the ready to blame everyone else for your emotional eating. You eat because your special needs children are out of control? You have a short fuse, you are a maniac, etc. etc. etc. The way you need to view this is that you eat not because of your children, husband, dog, sister, brother, whatever, they don't make you eat. You eat because before now that was the easiest way to comfort you in times of distress or in dealing with a stressful situation. Its that simple, they don't make you eat, you make you eat. This is not hard because of your children, that is LIFE, this is hard because you don't have all the tools you need. You will need to find another outlet for dealing with LIFE. Walking, running, jogging, kickboxing, kicking the dog, whatever else works, just not food.
I know this was a bit harsh, but this is all up to you.
This is a blog post I wrote a while back that seems to have helped a few put it into perspective. Hopefully it will help you too:
