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I like food still, though not the same things. My sense of smell and taste changed a lot with my surgery, so whenever my SO has fries, I want to gag whereas before, I'd eat an entire large no problem, but I crave vegetables and fruits and proteins now. I spend a lot of time surfing the web looking for recipes I can try out and I have found so many bariatric foods that are good comparisons to things I had before, but WAAAAY healthier. I eat four times a day and have 70-100 protein a day, and it's all fairly tasty food. At the beginning, I didn't want to eat, nor did any food really taste good, but after about three months, I finally started liking food again. I don't crave like I used to, I haven't binged in 6 months (OMG!!!!!), and honestly... it's not satisfying to eat anymore, it's just something I have to do, so I try to make sure it's healthy and tasty so it's not so boring. It's worth it, though. Food doesn't control me like it used to. It's nice having a choice now.

@Lilly66 I must agree that WALKING, as much as you can and as soon as you can aids recovery! Within a couple hours of waking up in my room I was doing laps around the bariatric center. (In my pre-op room I greeted my surgeon then awoke in my room post-op. In between remains a blank.) When seated I "wrote" the alphabet with my feet every half hour as instructed. Then I walked some more. Twice I hit the narcotics button in fear of pain that never came. I had showered and dressed on my own when the surgeon came to see me. State law made me wait five hours to be released the day after my RNY (vs 3-5 nights expected). I walked every hour until I was released. Walking not only gets that gas moving. It prevents blood clots in ways medications can't match. This is true for almost any surgical procedure.

I still enjoy/love food, but in a different way now, I guess. While before, EATIING it would give me a thrill, now, I honestly enjoy watching OTHERS eat it, cooking it, looking at pictures of it, even just smelling it, LOL. Not sure if this is a good or bad thing, it just IS. This surgery taught me a long time ago that I had to be selective in what I put in my mouth (given the limited real estate I have now, and the dumping, and of course the weight loss/maintenance results). I still love going to out to restaurants/bars/parties/get-togethers (well, at least pre-pandamic i did...) but I don't feel the need to eat everything anymore. I often find myself asking "Is it worth it"? More often than not, it isn't. Of course, yours (and others) milage may vary, but I figure it's a lifestyle change. One can't expect lasting change by doing the same things as before. It can be tough at first, but If you can stay the course, hopefully you will find a happier, healthier you. P.S. I am over 1.5 years out now, and no longer trying to lose weight, so I have a different vantage point. I don't really consider myself a vet yet, but I'm not a newbie either. So I fully recognize that it looks different from where you are standing. Take pics of yourself now, write down your measurements, and maybe months/weeks from now you will be all "yay, me" instead of "boo me". P.P.S On a less popular note, if the inevitable ability to indulge is more important to you than the weight loss (and for some, it is), then that is really your choice to make. I can only say from my own personal experience that I will take looking and feeling awesome over a 12-course tasting menu any day. (Not to say I wouldn't go to one, lol) Good Luck!

Just a thought that came to my mind during a bike ride today (yes, straight and empty bike lanes can be that boring): I think I really only started to enjoy food when I reached a weight I was ok with. Before that there was good tasting food of course but there was always the smack of bad conscience involved.

Congratulations.. I hope that I will get the chance to give birth after I've had surgery and lost weight. You have a beautiful bump, by the way! ♥

No wonder why my Girlfriend could not find any Pregnancy tests! Congratulations and enjoy it!

We can relate, many of us worried about loose skin after surgery. Age and how long you have been obese can be factors. There is no way to predict what skin situation you have until you get to goal. No harm in trying it out. Are you pre op or post op?

This is a picture taken about a month before my surgery

I was very much a sweets lover and chips and pasta and bread and alllllll the things you can't eat for at least six months after your surgery lol. I actually stopped eating all that stuff months before I even had my surgery so despite the fact I'm only four months post op, it's been close to a year since I've had most of that stuff. Do I miss it? Kinda. But honestly, your taste buds do change and you'll find enjoyment in foods you perhaps didn't appreciate as much or even like before! I loooove my yogurt in the morning. And sometimes at night lol. I find that's actually the thing I crave the most and I kinda get my sweet fix from it. Also, sugar free pudding gets me my chocolate fix when the store is out of my chocolate protein drinks lol

I'm on a super restrictive milk diet so yeah... feel you. No food, no jello, no posicles, no protein nuthings... grrrr! Milk/soy/Fairlife substitute, broth, and flavored water. Yum! I drink 120 ounces of water day, with propel drops in for some for electrolytes. I think that has saved me since I am still cooking for the family and working out. If it wasn't for the pounds coming off.... *crazy face* So much of this is mental over physical, because it is very physically hard but it is also possible if we can dig in and remember our reasons. I also preloaded this whole 2 weeks "meals" into MyFitnessPal and if I don't break my diet I have set myself a reward of 3 new Audible codes for day of surgery. Day 11 is done, 2 more to go, 1 of clear fluids only and I WIN! (Have I mentioned I am also highly competitive and have made this a me vs the milk diet for strongest will?) "I'm gonna win, it's gonna lose" also plays in my head a lot when the going gets tough.