Should I have food funerals

I had a full week of food funerals before starting my liquid pre op diet. I threw caution to the wind and ate like I was a skinny person with a high metabolism without a care in the world..lol. It was very liberating on the one hand and on the other I also felt terrible!! Which I think was a good thing..as I was ready and relieved when the day came to start the liquid diet. I needed to detox. Gave me the motivation to stick to my 3 shakes a day with allowances for broth and steamed veggies. I did not cheat or have food funerals during this time as other people may have. I took the pre op diet also as an opportunity to reframe my thinking and prepare for new eating lifestyle after surgery.

Good luck whatever you decide to do :-)

I decided to not do the food funerals. I told myself, I'm moving past that phase in my life where I felt like I "needed" certain foods which are not a necessity to maintain my life. Moving forward, I'm making a commitment to enjoy new hobbies and activities instead of just hunched over a table or slouched on the couch, shoveling some kind of non-nutritive garbage into my face. I'm 42 years old and I had a good time with the burgers and the curry and the whatnot, but that time is over now and it's time to be an adult about that whole food thing.

I'm quite proud of that. Ok, I had a moment on Friday after a too-long fast, but even then, I ate something mostly nutritious. So for me, not doing food funerals was the right option.

One lady in my support group DID do the food funeral thing - she did it to the point of gaining 20lb. in a month. They still did her surgery, and she still lost her weight! She just had to deal with the food issue AFTER surgery, rather than starting to get a handle on it beforehand. I'm glad it worked for her, but I thought it would be easier on me personally if I started changing my habits and getting the family on board pre-op rather than post-op.

I found that my food funerals made it EXTREMELY difficult to get back on track. I was scheduled for surgery in Feb 2013, when I surprisingly found myself to be pregnant.  It was a wonderful gift, and I'm one of those really lucky ones to not gain weight during pregnancy. So, even though I had to postpone the VSG, I was able to go back to my surgeon a couple weeks after I have birth in August and was even less than my last visit, thinking I could get the surgery done ASAP, and continue the losing. I maintained until the beginning of Dec waiting to get a date, only to be told that my Endocrinologist wouldn't approve it until 6 months after giving birth. So, I went on a month-long food funeral, to the tune of 2 Christmas baking exchanges and copious amount of Holiday indulgences...... and gaining 30lbs! Then, even though I had planned to straighten out after New Years, it took the call on Jan 6th with my VSG date of Feb 5th, to finally get my butt in gear. It was HELL the first several days to detox from all the carb/sugar living I'd been doing, and has been a HUGE stress for me that I now have to get back to that weight before next Wed, since my surgeon is like the soup Nazi from Seinfeld, "gain 1 lb and NO SURGERY FOR YOU".  I'm 3 lbs away and should just BARELY make it, but had it EVER been stressful. I'm not exactly sure why I did this to myself, but this past 4 weeks had sure prepared me for the lifestyle change from now on. 

So, to answer your question. DON'T DO FOOD FUNERALS. 

I didn't have "food funerals",but I did eat some of my favorite things as regular sized meals here and there in the weeks leading up to the start of my pre-op liquid diet.  For example, I knew I wouldn't be able to eat at my favorite Indian restaurant for a long time, so we went out to eat there, or I made burgers with cream cheese & green olive sauce served on toasted onion buns one night for dinner.

I've read stories about people who will go out to buffets and eat themselves sick or do that at home with an array of food. This, I did not do.

I did have some food before my surgery but I did it in moderation. After surgery I thought about the flavors that I enjoy and realized that I would be able to recreate some of those flavors and still following my eating plan. Lasagna can be made without noodles, etc. I am working dishes in that have the same flavors that satify me and that meet my eating plan. Just takes some thought and is so worth it. I feel like I have accomplished a positive thing when I create a nice meal filled with wonderful flavors and is healthy. It is all possible. I am 8 weeks out and have lost 32lbs since surgery. (Total 46). I feel great! I am getting my sassy back! 

I had a Mexican food funeral last night with 15 of my friends!  We had a party for my "last meal" since nachos are just not going to be something I'll be able to either eat again for at least for a VERY long time.  :-)  I do plan on having a few snacks tomorrow as I start my 2 week pre-op diet Tuesday after I see the surgeon (Feb. 19th is my surgery date).  I think it sometimes helps to say goodbye to a favorite food.