LumpySpacePrincess

As the daughter of a man who manages a legal marijuana dispensary in Washington state and who also had his own legal medical cannabis garden for a few years, I can tell you that different types of marijuana will illicit different responses. I really don't know what is available in New York, but according to my father there are varieties that will not make you hungry, and will give you a nice, mellow high.
That being said, I think if you go into the experience prepared it may not be such a big deal. Have Snacks around that you know you can have, in portions that make sense. If you try to eat too much in the few months following surgery, your body will definitely let you know and you probably won't want to keep going. In my experience, it is best to let it go for the first six months, then maybe start with once or twice per month after that and see how it goes. Our tastes and responses to foods and experiences change in the first six months after surgery, so you might find that the munchies aren't a big deal that far out.
I would not worry about a "transfer addiction" right away. If you notice you start to need to smoke more than once per week, then maybe take a few steps back and analyze what emotions are surrounding the need to smoke the same way you would have analyzed the emotions around the need to eat.
Good luck!

As the daughter of a man who manages a legal marijuana dispensary in Washington state and who also had his own legal medical cannabis garden for a few years, I can tell you that different types of marijuana will illicit different responses. I really don't know what is available in New York, but according to my father there are varieties that will not make you hungry, and will give you a nice, mellow high.
That being said, I think if you go into the experience prepared it may not be such a big deal. Have Snacks around that you know you can have, in portions that make sense. If you try to eat too much in the few months following surgery, your body will definitely let you know and you probably won't want to keep going. In my experience, it is best to let it go for the first six months, then maybe start with once or twice per month after that and see how it goes. Our tastes and responses to foods and experiences change in the first six months after surgery, so you might find that the munchies aren't a big deal that far out.
I would not worry about a "transfer addiction" right away. If you notice you start to need to smoke more than once per week, then maybe take a few steps back and analyze what emotions are surrounding the need to smoke the same way you would have analyzed the emotions around the need to eat.
Good luck!

As the daughter of a man who manages a legal marijuana dispensary in Washington state and who also had his own legal medical cannabis garden for a few years, I can tell you that different types of marijuana will illicit different responses. I really don't know what is available in New York, but according to my father there are varieties that will not make you hungry, and will give you a nice, mellow high.
That being said, I think if you go into the experience prepared it may not be such a big deal. Have Snacks around that you know you can have, in portions that make sense. If you try to eat too much in the few months following surgery, your body will definitely let you know and you probably won't want to keep going. In my experience, it is best to let it go for the first six months, then maybe start with once or twice per month after that and see how it goes. Our tastes and responses to foods and experiences change in the first six months after surgery, so you might find that the munchies aren't a big deal that far out.
I would not worry about a "transfer addiction" right away. If you notice you start to need to smoke more than once per week, then maybe take a few steps back and analyze what emotions are surrounding the need to smoke the same way you would have analyzed the emotions around the need to eat.
Good luck!

As the daughter of a man who manages a legal marijuana dispensary in Washington state and who also had his own legal medical cannabis garden for a few years, I can tell you that different types of marijuana will illicit different responses. I really don't know what is available in New York, but according to my father there are varieties that will not make you hungry, and will give you a nice, mellow high.
That being said, I think if you go into the experience prepared it may not be such a big deal. Have Snacks around that you know you can have, in portions that make sense. If you try to eat too much in the few months following surgery, your body will definitely let you know and you probably won't want to keep going. In my experience, it is best to let it go for the first six months, then maybe start with once or twice per month after that and see how it goes. Our tastes and responses to foods and experiences change in the first six months after surgery, so you might find that the munchies aren't a big deal that far out.
I would not worry about a "transfer addiction" right away. If you notice you start to need to smoke more than once per week, then maybe take a few steps back and analyze what emotions are surrounding the need to smoke the same way you would have analyzed the emotions around the need to eat.
Good luck!

As the daughter of a man who manages a legal marijuana dispensary in Washington state and who also had his own legal medical cannabis garden for a few years, I can tell you that different types of marijuana will illicit different responses. I really don't know what is available in New York, but according to my father there are varieties that will not make you hungry, and will give you a nice, mellow high.
That being said, I think if you go into the experience prepared it may not be such a big deal. Have Snacks around that you know you can have, in portions that make sense. If you try to eat too much in the few months following surgery, your body will definitely let you know and you probably won't want to keep going. In my experience, it is best to let it go for the first six months, then maybe start with once or twice per month after that and see how it goes. Our tastes and responses to foods and experiences change in the first six months after surgery, so you might find that the munchies aren't a big deal that far out.
I would not worry about a "transfer addiction" right away. If you notice you start to need to smoke more than once per week, then maybe take a few steps back and analyze what emotions are surrounding the need to smoke the same way you would have analyzed the emotions around the need to eat.
Good luck!

@@charmia, that's my take on it, too. I think that since smoking marijuana lowers inhibitions, you could end up making bad food choices and/or overeating. I'm not a smoker but if I was, I would avoid it post surgery.
Just my $.02: Lets be careful how we use the term addiction. If it's applied indiscriminately to every behavior we don't approve of, it loses its meaning.

I promise I will try it after my surgery and I'll give a shout out about my experience. (some of these responses truly had me laughing out loud!! folks need to "lighten up"!)

I would hardly call once a week an addiction? So someone who has a glass of wine or a beer once a week is addicted? Your ignorance and prejudice about Marijuana is showing....

I am a year out (sleeve) and I can still only eat 6 ounces at the absolute most in one sitting, so I'll just be having very small amounts of everything and just being mindful of when I start to feel that I've had enough and ending my meal there. No grazing, no snacking during the day. The few traditional 'sweets' I made (cranberry bread and pumpkin pie) were made with splenda instead of real sugar, and we typically don't eat things like candied yams or mac and cheese anyway. I'm just most excited for the spinach quiche and turkey!

I am a year out (sleeve) and I can still only eat 6 ounces at the absolute most in one sitting, so I'll just be having very small amounts of everything and just being mindful of when I start to feel that I've had enough and ending my meal there. No grazing, no snacking during the day. The few traditional 'sweets' I made (cranberry bread and pumpkin pie) were made with splenda instead of real sugar, and we typically don't eat things like candied yams or mac and cheese anyway. I'm just most excited for the spinach quiche and turkey!

I am a year out (sleeve) and I can still only eat 6 ounces at the absolute most in one sitting, so I'll just be having very small amounts of everything and just being mindful of when I start to feel that I've had enough and ending my meal there. No grazing, no snacking during the day. The few traditional 'sweets' I made (cranberry bread and pumpkin pie) were made with splenda instead of real sugar, and we typically don't eat things like candied yams or mac and cheese anyway. I'm just most excited for the spinach quiche and turkey!

Very interesting article. I should add, though, that some of these points (never "cheating" or getting on the scale every day) would not really be helpful to those of us with diagnosed eating disorders. I know when I get on the scale every day, it becomes an instrument of punishment for myself. Many of us are like this, and I have found (as have others) that getting on the scale only twice per month is much more rewarding and less stressful.
I don't like the idea of there being "cheat" food. Sure some food is considered healthier than other foods, but to say it is "cheating" is implying we are somehow bad or wrong for wanting/eating these foods. Taking away the negative attributes attached to food actually allows us to look at it as just another piece of food, not a forbidden fruit, and we actually will want less of it. I know for those of us with Binge Eating Disorder, telling us we can't have one thing will just lead to a sense of deprivation so we end up panicking and eating five times a normal amount of something else, and eventually getting around to eating the item we were told not to on top of it. Some of us also take notions like "don't eat a cheeseburger" and apply it to every aspect of the food. "Ok, I can't have the cheeseburger so I can't have beef, cheese, or bread in anything else." This leads to over-restriction which cycles back to bingeing.
Exercise is another hard one for many of us with BED or exercise bulimia. You tell me to walk the equivalent of four miles per day (easily done if you're not sitting around all day), and my brain says "Ok, four miles? I'll RUN five PLUS do weights and cycling." A few summers ago I was exercising six hours per day for eight months straight until I burnt out. When I stopped I went right back to bingeing because I felt like I'd failed. So with the daily scale attendance, plus the restrictive eating and prohibitive exercise regime, it was just a recipe for disaster.
So I do think this list is good for many people, but those of us with eating disorders might want to look at how each point will affect us in the long-run.

The issue I have with labeling obesity as a disease is that it undermines goal pursuit for many people. When we believe something is beyond our control, we are less likely to try to change it. Here is a very interesting article from the British Psychological Society that details a study that was recently done concerning the psychological impact of labeling obesity a disease.
http://bps-research-digest.blogspot.com/2014/05/if-obesity-is-disease-is-labelling-it.html

The issue I have with labeling obesity as a disease is that it undermines goal pursuit for many people. When we believe something is beyond our control, we are less likely to try to change it. Here is a very interesting article from the British Psychological Society that details a study that was recently done concerning the psychological impact of labeling obesity a disease.
http://bps-research-digest.blogspot.com/2014/05/if-obesity-is-disease-is-labelling-it.html

I saw that study and it is indeed a very interesting one. I did not anticipate the results they got.
The question becomes how should the results be interpreted. The study indicated that increasing self-esteem and body satisfaction resulted in less favorable food choices among obese subjects - good news/bad news. So the logical conclusion is that some who might have pursued weight loss options when obesity was a "choice", might abandon that goal when obesity is a "disease".
What is the likelihood that most folks who suffer from obesity (currently defined as a BMI >30) will ever achieve long term success with diet and exercise or any other currently available means other than bariatric surgery? Many studies have shown that 95% of folks who lose weight with diet and exercise will regain that weight, and in some cases additional weight, within two years. A study financed by Medicare concluded "It's not a question of if weight loss via diet and exercise will be regained, but rather when it will be regained."
Does the possibility that classifying obesity as a disease may encourage those suffering from obesity to make poorer dietary choices outweigh the potential benefits such as increased research funding, greater involvement of the medical community in addressing the obesity epidemic and expanded insurance coverage making surgery (and other possible options in the future) available to more candidates?
Is obesity a choice or a disease? Either option will have costs, and benefits.

I am frequently asked about whether certain foods should be completely avoided or if it is essential to learn to eat all foods responsibly. Individuals who believe they are “addicted” to certain foods (like sweets) or certain ingredients of food (like sugar) commonly ask this question, and it’s a great question. The most common method of dealing with addiction to substances such as nicotine, alcohol and cocaine is complete avoidance of the substance, referred to as abstinence. Abstinence from these types of substances, while difficult to achieve, is far easier than the alternative of trying to moderate one’s intake of the substance. In the case of nicotine, heroin, cocaine and “hard drugs,” nobody challenges this approach because there is no benefit in continuing to use them. These substances are just plain bad for you so abstinence is completely rational. Alcohol has often been shown to be healthy when consumed in moderation, but for people who have battled with alcohol abuse and dependence it’s just not worth it and once again, abstinence is the preferred approach. In the case of specific foods or certain food ingredients, the story can become much more complicated.
There is an ongoing battle as to whether or not certain foods or food ingredients are “addicting.” Is sugar an addictive substance in the same way as nicotine, cocaine and alcohol? Can someone actually be “addicted” to sweets or carbohydrates? The jury is still out, but a definitive answer may not be necessary. What’s important is for you to consider how you plan to change your behavior given that the environment seems to be making little effort to eliminate the availability of these foods.
Almost everyone has one or more foods that they are prone to eat compulsively, whether they consider themselves to be “addicted” to them or not. Often these foods include sweets that are high in sugar (like cake, cookies, or ice cream); however, many people struggle to control their intake of a variety of foods like deli meat, pizza, peanut butter, nuts or even beef jerky. For many people, sugar isn’t the big problem.
What is interesting to consider is that most people have trouble controlling their intake of foods that they believe they shouldn’t be eating. Over and over I hear stories of people who binge on exactly the foods that they were told they couldn’t have as a child. These are often called “forbidden foods.” Whether it is peanut butter, ice cream, potato chips, cookies, pizza, or cheese doodles, it may be their “forbidden-ness” that makes us eat them compulsively and not their content of sugar or other ingredients that’s the problem. The literature on binge eating lends some support to this hypothesis as a very high percentage of binge eaters describe a history of restrictive dieting and/or deprivation. Indeed, a overwhelming number of patients I have seen over the years who describe themselves as binge eaters describe histories of either chronic over-restrictive dieting or having grown up in homes where their parents or others denied their access to certain foods. Some patients jokingly referred to one or both their parents as the “food police.” Once they were free from such restrictions (either by moving out to live on their own or by going “off” the diet) their consumption of these foods seemingly became uncontrollable. It seems that avoidance or total abstinence from such foods might actually be causing the binge eating. There is an all-or-nothing quality to this behavior. One possible explanation for this pattern is that the individual has never actually had the opportunity to eat these foods in moderation but rather to be forced to avoid them or eat them like there was no tomorrow. They were never allowed to eat them, so when they were finally available, they overindulged. So again I ask: “Is this type of compulsive eating or bingeing due to an “addiction” or to over-restriction, and what should you do about it in either case?” Should you continue to avoid certain foods or food ingredients or try to learn alter your behavior?
The answer really depends on your personal philosophy and how much distress the whole matter is causing you. Do you want to learn to eat certain foods more responsibly or would you rather continue to try to avoid them? Does it cause you great distress to think of a life without your favorite foods? Does it cause you great distress to make constant efforts to avoid certain people, places and events because your “trigger foods” will be available? If you decide that you would like to learn to eat certain foods more responsibly, you need to accept that this will take some work. To be successful, you need to become a bit of a scientist and experiment with different approaches.
Perhaps you are experiencing anxiety about the proposition of trying to learn to eat your “trigger foods” responsibly because you have never had the ability to do. This is completely understandable. Also, consider that if the foods you find to be triggers are inherently unhealthy (like “junk food),” maybe abstinence isn’t such a bad idea. After all, like heroin and cocaine, it’s hard to make the argument that chocolate covered cheesecake is good for you. You could try to learn to eat chocolate covered cheesecake responsibly, but life will continue even if you permanently take it off the menu. However, many people believe that they shouldn’t have to live the rest of their lives without chocolate, peanut butter, cashews and other foods or perhaps they just don’t want to. They are aware that most people do not need to resort to such levels of restriction. If you think in this way, then you need to learn how to eat these foods responsibly. You have to practice a new way of eating to get better at it and strengthen your ability to do so just like you would any other skill.
One approach to strengthen new eating skills is to eat certain foods in a limited number of circumstances and in a different manner. For example, if you believe that cashews are a “trigger food” and you have no history of eating cashews responsibly, it would be silly to continue to buy the one-pound jar of cashews from the bulk food store. You know how that story is going to end. Similarly, it may not be wise to bring a gallon-sized container of ice cream into your home if ice cream is a “trigger food.” However, it may be possible for you to learn to eat a responsible amount of cashews or a single serving of ice cream if you buy a small container of either when you’re at a convenience store. This is a good way to learn with a much smaller chance of bingeing. You don’t have to completely avoid cashews or ice cream for the rest of your life. Just don’t buy them in large quantities and bring them home for the time being. Many people adopt this approach. They’re not averse to eating these foods and don’t avoid them completely; they just don’t bring large quantities of them into their home. Many a patient has told me a similar story about pizza. When they want pizza, they go to the pizza parlor and buy a slice or two. They just don’t have a whole pizza delivered to their home. These are examples of altering behavior rather than avoiding certain foods altogether. This is how you learn to eat responsibly…you practice.
Another approach gaining a great deal of attention is called “mindful eating.” There is a growing literature on the merits and effectiveness of mindful eating in the treatment of binge eating as well as for those who simply want to learn better eating habits even if they don’t have concerns about their weight or eating behavior. Mindful eating is an approach where one learns to be more present-focused while eating, and can be especially helpful when eating “trigger foods.” A primary objective of mindful eating is to learn to develop an ability to control one’s eating behavior. Mindful eating involves slowing down and focusing on the thoughts, feelings and sensations you are experiencing while eating to be in better control of your behavior. Mindful eating is the antithesis of avoidance. Much has been written about mindful eating, so do some research if you’re interested in learning a powerful method to alter your eating behavior so that you may be able to develop the ability to enjoy eating certain foods without experiencing distress and anxiety or leaving them off the menu completely.

I have to respectfully disagree with #5. sleeping in your exercise gear sounds obsessive and mildly dysfunctional on a psychological level. If you did that, and did not get up to exercise, there is likely to be an increased amount of shame, anxiety, or guilt over not following through right away. Seems like that would push you back into the "What's the point?" mentality a lot of us have had in the past when we "fail."
To be honest, the biggest thing anyone can do to help them during this process is to speak to a therapist about their eating issues. As much as we would not like to admit it, none of us got to where we are because we have a healthy, non-dysfunctional relationship with food. Short term changes are relatively easy, but the long-term changes we need to make are extremely difficult without professional support.
The second most important thing is to stop putting moral labels on food. No food is "clean" or "good" or "bad." It just is. By putting those labels on different foods, you are giving the food the power to dictate how you will view yourself for the day. If you didn't "eat clean" does that make you a dirty person? You may not say it to yourself outright, but I'll bet anything you'll be thinking that in some form. When food stops being a moral choice, and simply a nutritional choice, we stop giving food control over our lives and start controlling the food.

Very interesting article. I should add, though, that some of these points (never "cheating" or getting on the scale every day) would not really be helpful to those of us with diagnosed eating disorders. I know when I get on the scale every day, it becomes an instrument of punishment for myself. Many of us are like this, and I have found (as have others) that getting on the scale only twice per month is much more rewarding and less stressful.
I don't like the idea of there being "cheat" food. Sure some food is considered healthier than other foods, but to say it is "cheating" is implying we are somehow bad or wrong for wanting/eating these foods. Taking away the negative attributes attached to food actually allows us to look at it as just another piece of food, not a forbidden fruit, and we actually will want less of it. I know for those of us with Binge Eating Disorder, telling us we can't have one thing will just lead to a sense of deprivation so we end up panicking and eating five times a normal amount of something else, and eventually getting around to eating the item we were told not to on top of it. Some of us also take notions like "don't eat a cheeseburger" and apply it to every aspect of the food. "Ok, I can't have the cheeseburger so I can't have beef, cheese, or bread in anything else." This leads to over-restriction which cycles back to bingeing.
Exercise is another hard one for many of us with BED or exercise bulimia. You tell me to walk the equivalent of four miles per day (easily done if you're not sitting around all day), and my brain says "Ok, four miles? I'll RUN five PLUS do weights and cycling." A few summers ago I was exercising six hours per day for eight months straight until I burnt out. When I stopped I went right back to bingeing because I felt like I'd failed. So with the daily scale attendance, plus the restrictive eating and prohibitive exercise regime, it was just a recipe for disaster.
So I do think this list is good for many people, but those of us with eating disorders might want to look at how each point will affect us in the long-run.

Very interesting article. I should add, though, that some of these points (never "cheating" or getting on the scale every day) would not really be helpful to those of us with diagnosed eating disorders. I know when I get on the scale every day, it becomes an instrument of punishment for myself. Many of us are like this, and I have found (as have others) that getting on the scale only twice per month is much more rewarding and less stressful.
I don't like the idea of there being "cheat" food. Sure some food is considered healthier than other foods, but to say it is "cheating" is implying we are somehow bad or wrong for wanting/eating these foods. Taking away the negative attributes attached to food actually allows us to look at it as just another piece of food, not a forbidden fruit, and we actually will want less of it. I know for those of us with Binge Eating Disorder, telling us we can't have one thing will just lead to a sense of deprivation so we end up panicking and eating five times a normal amount of something else, and eventually getting around to eating the item we were told not to on top of it. Some of us also take notions like "don't eat a cheeseburger" and apply it to every aspect of the food. "Ok, I can't have the cheeseburger so I can't have beef, cheese, or bread in anything else." This leads to over-restriction which cycles back to bingeing.
Exercise is another hard one for many of us with BED or exercise bulimia. You tell me to walk the equivalent of four miles per day (easily done if you're not sitting around all day), and my brain says "Ok, four miles? I'll RUN five PLUS do weights and cycling." A few summers ago I was exercising six hours per day for eight months straight until I burnt out. When I stopped I went right back to bingeing because I felt like I'd failed. So with the daily scale attendance, plus the restrictive eating and prohibitive exercise regime, it was just a recipe for disaster.
So I do think this list is good for many people, but those of us with eating disorders might want to look at how each point will affect us in the long-run.

Very interesting article. I should add, though, that some of these points (never "cheating" or getting on the scale every day) would not really be helpful to those of us with diagnosed eating disorders. I know when I get on the scale every day, it becomes an instrument of punishment for myself. Many of us are like this, and I have found (as have others) that getting on the scale only twice per month is much more rewarding and less stressful.
I don't like the idea of there being "cheat" food. Sure some food is considered healthier than other foods, but to say it is "cheating" is implying we are somehow bad or wrong for wanting/eating these foods. Taking away the negative attributes attached to food actually allows us to look at it as just another piece of food, not a forbidden fruit, and we actually will want less of it. I know for those of us with Binge Eating Disorder, telling us we can't have one thing will just lead to a sense of deprivation so we end up panicking and eating five times a normal amount of something else, and eventually getting around to eating the item we were told not to on top of it. Some of us also take notions like "don't eat a cheeseburger" and apply it to every aspect of the food. "Ok, I can't have the cheeseburger so I can't have beef, cheese, or bread in anything else." This leads to over-restriction which cycles back to bingeing.
Exercise is another hard one for many of us with BED or exercise bulimia. You tell me to walk the equivalent of four miles per day (easily done if you're not sitting around all day), and my brain says "Ok, four miles? I'll RUN five PLUS do weights and cycling." A few summers ago I was exercising six hours per day for eight months straight until I burnt out. When I stopped I went right back to bingeing because I felt like I'd failed. So with the daily scale attendance, plus the restrictive eating and prohibitive exercise regime, it was just a recipe for disaster.
So I do think this list is good for many people, but those of us with eating disorders might want to look at how each point will affect us in the long-run.