Spatters3

Please, consider your question carefully. I know the addiction is strong (I smoked for over 30 yrs) but you had 85% of your stomach removed so that you could live a long, happy, healthy, and more active life and now you want to start smoking again?
The reason they have you stop smoking is because it interferes with your healing. You won't be totally healed from the operation for another month.
After the 3rd day you no longer have a physical addiction to the nicotine. It is ALL in your head. Love yourself enough to not start smoking again. And yes, it is hard. I haven't smoked since 2005 and I still want one every once in awhile.
Hang in there *HUG*

Ah, so all you "smokers" didn't have the VSG to get healthy, you just wanted to look better? I'm not self righteous (or "riotous" :-) by a lonnnng shot but hey, even if you just want to look better do you understand that smoking ages your skin and makes you smell bad to most of the rest of the population?
Yep, you're right, it is your choice. Write a note to your future self about all the reasons you are still smoking so when you're suffering with cancer or emphezema or are just plain old looking at 40 you can justify your choice.

Ah, so all you "smokers" didn't have the VSG to get healthy, you just wanted to look better? I'm not self righteous (or "riotous" :-) by a lonnnng shot but hey, even if you just want to look better do you understand that smoking ages your skin and makes you smell bad to most of the rest of the population?
Yep, you're right, it is your choice. Write a note to your future self about all the reasons you are still smoking so when you're suffering with cancer or emphezema or are just plain old looking at 40 you can justify your choice.

Ah, so all you "smokers" didn't have the VSG to get healthy, you just wanted to look better? I'm not self righteous (or "riotous" :-) by a lonnnng shot but hey, even if you just want to look better do you understand that smoking ages your skin and makes you smell bad to most of the rest of the population?
Yep, you're right, it is your choice. Write a note to your future self about all the reasons you are still smoking so when you're suffering with cancer or emphezema or are just plain old looking at 40 you can justify your choice.

Please, consider your question carefully. I know the addiction is strong (I smoked for over 30 yrs) but you had 85% of your stomach removed so that you could live a long, happy, healthy, and more active life and now you want to start smoking again?
The reason they have you stop smoking is because it interferes with your healing. You won't be totally healed from the operation for another month.
After the 3rd day you no longer have a physical addiction to the nicotine. It is ALL in your head. Love yourself enough to not start smoking again. And yes, it is hard. I haven't smoked since 2005 and I still want one every once in awhile.
Hang in there *HUG*

Ah, so all you "smokers" didn't have the VSG to get healthy, you just wanted to look better? I'm not self righteous (or "riotous" :-) by a lonnnng shot but hey, even if you just want to look better do you understand that smoking ages your skin and makes you smell bad to most of the rest of the population?
Yep, you're right, it is your choice. Write a note to your future self about all the reasons you are still smoking so when you're suffering with cancer or emphezema or are just plain old looking at 40 you can justify your choice.

Please, consider your question carefully. I know the addiction is strong (I smoked for over 30 yrs) but you had 85% of your stomach removed so that you could live a long, happy, healthy, and more active life and now you want to start smoking again?
The reason they have you stop smoking is because it interferes with your healing. You won't be totally healed from the operation for another month.
After the 3rd day you no longer have a physical addiction to the nicotine. It is ALL in your head. Love yourself enough to not start smoking again. And yes, it is hard. I haven't smoked since 2005 and I still want one every once in awhile.
Hang in there *HUG*

Please, consider your question carefully. I know the addiction is strong (I smoked for over 30 yrs) but you had 85% of your stomach removed so that you could live a long, happy, healthy, and more active life and now you want to start smoking again?
The reason they have you stop smoking is because it interferes with your healing. You won't be totally healed from the operation for another month.
After the 3rd day you no longer have a physical addiction to the nicotine. It is ALL in your head. Love yourself enough to not start smoking again. And yes, it is hard. I haven't smoked since 2005 and I still want one every once in awhile.
Hang in there *HUG*

Please, consider your question carefully. I know the addiction is strong (I smoked for over 30 yrs) but you had 85% of your stomach removed so that you could live a long, happy, healthy, and more active life and now you want to start smoking again?
The reason they have you stop smoking is because it interferes with your healing. You won't be totally healed from the operation for another month.
After the 3rd day you no longer have a physical addiction to the nicotine. It is ALL in your head. Love yourself enough to not start smoking again. And yes, it is hard. I haven't smoked since 2005 and I still want one every once in awhile.
Hang in there *HUG*

Please, consider your question carefully. I know the addiction is strong (I smoked for over 30 yrs) but you had 85% of your stomach removed so that you could live a long, happy, healthy, and more active life and now you want to start smoking again?
The reason they have you stop smoking is because it interferes with your healing. You won't be totally healed from the operation for another month.
After the 3rd day you no longer have a physical addiction to the nicotine. It is ALL in your head. Love yourself enough to not start smoking again. And yes, it is hard. I haven't smoked since 2005 and I still want one every once in awhile.
Hang in there *HUG*

I had to add carbs and high calorie foods to stop losing. Sigh.... I am forced to eat ice cream every day...

Ah, so all you "smokers" didn't have the VSG to get healthy, you just wanted to look better? I'm not self righteous (or "riotous" :-) by a lonnnng shot but hey, even if you just want to look better do you understand that smoking ages your skin and makes you smell bad to most of the rest of the population?
Yep, you're right, it is your choice. Write a note to your future self about all the reasons you are still smoking so when you're suffering with cancer or emphezema or are just plain old looking at 40 you can justify your choice.

Please, consider your question carefully. I know the addiction is strong (I smoked for over 30 yrs) but you had 85% of your stomach removed so that you could live a long, happy, healthy, and more active life and now you want to start smoking again?
The reason they have you stop smoking is because it interferes with your healing. You won't be totally healed from the operation for another month.
After the 3rd day you no longer have a physical addiction to the nicotine. It is ALL in your head. Love yourself enough to not start smoking again. And yes, it is hard. I haven't smoked since 2005 and I still want one every once in awhile.
Hang in there *HUG*

Please, consider your question carefully. I know the addiction is strong (I smoked for over 30 yrs) but you had 85% of your stomach removed so that you could live a long, happy, healthy, and more active life and now you want to start smoking again?
The reason they have you stop smoking is because it interferes with your healing. You won't be totally healed from the operation for another month.
After the 3rd day you no longer have a physical addiction to the nicotine. It is ALL in your head. Love yourself enough to not start smoking again. And yes, it is hard. I haven't smoked since 2005 and I still want one every once in awhile.
Hang in there *HUG*

Please, consider your question carefully. I know the addiction is strong (I smoked for over 30 yrs) but you had 85% of your stomach removed so that you could live a long, happy, healthy, and more active life and now you want to start smoking again?
The reason they have you stop smoking is because it interferes with your healing. You won't be totally healed from the operation for another month.
After the 3rd day you no longer have a physical addiction to the nicotine. It is ALL in your head. Love yourself enough to not start smoking again. And yes, it is hard. I haven't smoked since 2005 and I still want one every once in awhile.
Hang in there *HUG*

I'm still surprised when I sit in a chair and there is space on either side of my butt. Like, "Wow, they're finally smarting up and making chairs bigger!" duhhh

Lol. We are not cows! I think I need to buy a timer and set it before I start a meal. The timer goes off and whatever isn't finished gets thrown away...!!

You definitely need to go out and buy yourself some nice church clothes! No more breakdowns in your closet, ok?
I am slowly redesigning my "look" . I have never been a girly fashionista type - jeans & t-shirt or black slacks & non-tailored top (i.e. baggy). For right now I am sticking with the black slacks but the tops are getting more feminine. I have found that I really like the cardigan over tank top look - two or three nice cardigans or jackets and lots of bright colored tank tops or camisoles aren't too expensive and you can wear them through a lot of "down sizing".

When you're at the "mushie" foods stage, you can just about eat anything if you chew it a LOT. As for skinless pickles: my mother used to make the absolute best, world class bread & butter sweet pickles with skinned and sliced cucumbers. Perfection. I wonder if she still has the recipe.... I will ask her tomorrow. I am soooo blessed to still have my mother so I can ask her silly questions :-)

You definitely need to go out and buy yourself some nice church clothes! No more breakdowns in your closet, ok?
I am slowly redesigning my "look" . I have never been a girly fashionista type - jeans & t-shirt or black slacks & non-tailored top (i.e. baggy). For right now I am sticking with the black slacks but the tops are getting more feminine. I have found that I really like the cardigan over tank top look - two or three nice cardigans or jackets and lots of bright colored tank tops or camisoles aren't too expensive and you can wear them through a lot of "down sizing".

Good Article from Psychology Today…well worth the read......
Portrait of a food Addict - Is addiction to food making us overeat?
Published on August 12, 2012 by Nicole Avena, Ph.D
Look around. Waist lines are expanding at an alarming rate. In fact, with over 60 percent of the country overweight, most of us are overweight. It is the new norm (although that doesn’t mean it is the ideal). Scientists, physicians, fitness experts, cultural analysts, economists and others have identified a wide variety of factors as culprit(s). Surely, you have heard all kinds of explanations about why so many people are overweight: People are less active, junk food is cheap and easier to access, there is no time for exercise, people are more stressed. All are valid possibilities, and on some level, most likely contribute to the problem of obesity.
But there’s one explanation that has been proposed that sometimes elicits a chuckle, or at least a smirk: some people are overweight because food can be addictive.
And at first, the concept of “food addiction” does seem a bit strange. How can food be addictive if everyone needs it to live?
Sure, we need food to live, without a doubt. But, we don’t need empty calories with little to no nutritional value, or excess quantities of high-sugar and high-fat foods that can jeopardize our health.
The concept of food addiction is relatively new. There are limited ways to assess and diagnose it, and there is no official medical or psychological standard. Nonetheless, studies have revealed that there are behavioral and brain changes seen in response to eating food and drug addiction, and these changes are often markedly similar. As a result, scientists have used the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), which is used to diagnose substance dependence (i.e., drug addiction), as a tool with which to study food addiction. According to the DSM-IV, the seven criteria for addiction are:
1. Tolerance as seen when an individual consumes a larger quantity of a substance to reach intoxication or a desired effect; or when a person experiences a markedly diminished effect when consuming the same amount of the substance
2. Withdrawal as demonstrated by a withdrawal syndrome or taking another substance to alleviate or avoid withdrawal symptoms
3. Consuming the substance in larger amounts or for a longer period than the person intended
4. A persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to reduce or control substance use
5. An immense amount of time is spent on efforts to obtain, use, or recover from the effects of the substance
6. Because of use of the substance, participation in social, occupational or recreational activities are given up or reduced
7. Substance use continues despite knowing that a persistent physical or psychological problem is likely to be caused or aggravated by using the substance
An “addict” is someone who exhibits three or more of these criteria any time in the same 12-month time frame.
Let’s take a look at some ways these criteria might be viewed with regard to food. These are just examples, but they highlight the overlaps that might exist between substance dependence and food abuse.
1. People normally experience feelings of pleasure when they eat. However, some people must eat larger amounts of food to experience this feeling. This increased intake of food required to feel satisfaction might be a manifestation of tolerance
2. Headaches, fatigue, and irritability can be experienced when too much time goes between meals, or when people deprive themselves of certain foods. Could this be a manifestation of withdrawal?
3. An individual may sit down with the intention of having a small, healthy meal, but end up eating much more than they intended, and eating foods that perhaps weren’t intended.
4. An individual may make repeated attempts to try dieting or losing weight, but fail. Also, one may try to cut back on eating certain foods that are bad for them, but find it difficult to stop eating them.
5. People spend a large portion of their day (and sometimes even their night) eating.
6. Excessive eating and being overweight impedes participation in recreational physical activities, and can lead some to be embarrassed or uncomfortable at work or with friends when it comes to their weight.
7. One may continue to overeat even though he or she knows it will impede various aspects of daily life and well-being, such as increasing risks for heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Food addiction is a hotly debated topic in science and fitness. As we continue to search for explanations regarding why, despite all of the public health warnings of obesity, many adults and children continue to be overweight, it’s important to keep in mind that eating highly-palatable foods, or merely just the exposure to such foods, can have effects on our brains and behaviors. Many people overeat because food taste good, and it does something else for them beyond just supplying nutrients and calories.
Nicole Avena, Ph.D. is a research neuroscientist and an expert in the fields of nutrition, diet and addiction.

Wow! This is such an enlightening convo. I'm reading everyones comments trying to see where I fit in.
I know that I am a boredom eater (which I have read, falls under emotional eating), but I don't consider emotional eating the same as food addiction (although I notice that others here do). Many things fall under the umbrella of "addiction" nowadays it seems; sex addiction, food addiction, for example, and until reading many of these responses I felt that calling an unhealthy obsession an addiction is a cop out. Even the "obesity is a disease" school of thought makes me uncomfortable... like, which of us "caught" or "came down with" obesity??
So here's my stats: I don't binge, not ever, but I HAVE once or twice felt embarrassed enough by something that I was eating that I tried to hide it, because I didn't wish to be judged. I tend to eat for the feeling of fullness (full, not miserable), using that to gauge how satisfied I am, versus listening to my body and saying "enough" before I feel that slight pressure. On the other hand, I have never had "clean the plate" syndrome, much to my mother's dismay, and when I'm done I'm just done, no matter how much there is left on my plate. I do, absolutely, feel powerless to resist certain food at times, but that's only when I have been depriving myself in the first place. Is that food addiction or rebellion?
Typically though, I feel like my weight issue is more a matter of greed, and I think I knew where it came from. I grew up quite poor, my mother didn't allow us to eat unlimited amounts; portions were small, there were no seconds, and she often groused that I was wasteful and selfish and that she couldn't afford this or that, so as soon as I got out on my own I remember eating as much as I liked, of whatever I wanted, and getting seconds, and wasting some of it...because I could! Because it was a luxury I had never had. Now, when I eat, I take larger portions because I want to make sure I get *enough*, if that makes sense (even though I don't eat it all). I fear that there might not be enough, like when I was a kid, and it makes me want more than my share. So in closing, I do not believe that I have a food addiction. I feel that greed, and later a lack of willpower when I did attempt to diet, and finally just sheer laziness (because God forbid I should exert myself...awful business, that) caused my condition. But now, however, I can say that I honestly see that some people genuinely ARE addicted.

While sifting through the internet, looking for information on recipes and things to have on-hand after surgery, I found this.
Read it all the way to the bottom, I know it's lowbrow humor, but worth at least a smile!
Portions after Weight Loss Surgery
Practicing Portion Control in the early stages after surgery will help you avoid eating too much food which may cause some discomfort. Continuing to practice portion control will help avoidlarge portions sneaking back up on you. Eating portions larger than what your pouch can hold will stretch your pouch and provide more calories than you need.
Tools you’ll need to help monitor portions:
Measuring cups and spoons

Food scale

6-inch plates and small bowels

Hi there! Well, I requested extra counseling after the initial psych evaluation that was required for my insurance. I'm not sure if you are spiritual or not, but what I did was I talked to God a lot & told him all of my worries, fears, anxieties. I literally said "Lord, please let me be one of those types that can tolerate just about anything after surgery". I watched a whole lot of Youtube videos & received a lot of tips, ideas, strength, and encouragement. I also utilized this forum a lot. I spent many days before/after work lying on the couch or on the bed & thinking/meditating about my feelings & the journey ahead of me. These are things that helped me. I was DETERMINED before surgery to return to as much as a normal life as possible. I knew I would follow the advise of the professionals for the most part, but I've also learned to know what my personal body wants/needs despite of. For example, I just started using a straw today with no issues. It's helping me drink my Water better/quicker (not too quick of course). I hope this helps. Oh, I've also journaled to get my emotions out.

You will be just fine. And won't it be sweet when you lose weight and you're looking fine. Then what will they be saying? ha ! Actually, I am sure the negative people in your life will find something else to try to hurt you with. Be strong, be happy !