DeeDee67

Thanks everyone. This is my first time on this site. My surgery was 1-14-14. I know from experience that when you eat just Protein a lot of carb craving will go away. This journey is a battle of the mind with the help of the sleeve. Let us help each other think of all we will gain and not what we will give up. Put on a smile and drink that Protein. We Will Make It. Good Choices to all

I would say "Don't worry, you'll be able to eat all those things," but I don't want it to sound like encouragement! No but truly, you will probably be able to eat most foods you loved pre-op once you have recovered from surgery and your stomach heals.
The decision to NOT eat those foods is when the real work begins, because eating around the surgery is self-sabotage and will probably lead to weight gain. Post op, I really miss 3 things: pizza, diet soda, and cake. I mean, really. LOL, sometimes I obsess about those things but I make a choice not to eat them - otherwise, why did I have this huge surgery? My desire for cake, etc, hasn't disappeared, but I'm more motivated to lose weight than I am to buy and eat that piece of cake from the bakery. Post-op, I spend a lot of time thinking about food -- food I should eat and food I shouldn't eat. It's a battle every single day to make the right choices. Thank god I had the surgery to help me along - otherwise, what's the point?

Not sure who this everybody is who is saying you can't have carbs again. Of course you will if you chose. Hopefully sugar will no longer be your go to for comfort. Soft breads I don't really eat but I also don't mind, somehow you adjust your brain to this. Toast as it is crunchy should be no problem. I haven't had rice; can have a little potato but chose again not to. You will find that your food tolerances and preferences will change for the better with the sleeve. Enjoy the ride!!

This probably isn't the response you are looking for, or the person who is qualified to give it. I haven't even technically had my six month surgiversary yet, although I did have my six month follow up yesterday. I was nervous about giving up certain foods "forever" before surgery because frankly, they were one of the main sources of pleasure and comfort in my life. So I know where you are coming from. pizza, eh, not so much, I was never a pizza fanatic. But big slices of lovely toasted artisan bread slathered in butter? I could go through half a loaf in a single afternoon, easy.
Anyway, here's the deal for me. I've lost 134 pounds since my first visit with my surgeon. I've still got a ways to go (50 more pounds? Don't have an exact goal weight yet, I'm thinking of a clothing size and body fat percentage). I haven't had anything made with any kind of grain, any starchy veggie, or anything with refined sugar since my surgery. And I don't care. It doesn't bother me. I don't feel deprived. Sure, sometimes I see something yummy like those boxes of Trader Joe's pumpkin spice toaster pastries or the Peanut Butter Cookies from my neighborhood bakery and I want them - but I don't seriously consider actually eating them. The only thing that matters to me is getting to goal. When I get there, then I'll worry about whether I can have a piece of toast again. I may not be able to, whether because it's physically uncomfortable, or maybe it leads me to a bad path of eating horribly and not being able to maintain my weight. I'm not at goal yet so I can't say for sure, but I think I am going to be okay with that. There are plenty of other foods that I enjoy eating and can take pleasure in and that are sleeve and health-friendly, so I am not "depriving" myself of the joys of eating - I am abstaining from the things that got me to a 60 BMI and in need of surgery.* I would encourage people going in to surgery to train yourself, as much as possible, to have the questions in your mind about the future be things like "what are the strategies I can use to most carefully follow my surgeon's dietary plans?" and "how can I most quickly and safely get to my goal weight/size/body fat percentage?" instead of "when can I eat pizza/rice/cookie again?" or "will I be able to eat a half a loaf of toasted bread slathered with butter again?" Do your best to focus on the health challenges in front of you rather than the unhealthy foods you may be leaving in your past, at least for a long period of time if not forever.
I know that's easier said than done! As I said, I have been there and completely understand what you are going through and the mourning process that goes along with the thought of losing that source of comfort and pleasure. It got a lot easier for me when I saw the pounds coming off, the sizes dropping - that became a big source of comfort and pleasure as well. Good luck!
*thanks to Nikke and the other posters at the OH sleeve board for the discussion about the language of deprivation - it helped me a lot!

Hey chica! Well...this has crossed my mind so I'll chime in publicly. Sometimes I feel like I've already eaten a lifetime's worth of carbs and sugar and I'm looking forward to not wasting so much time and energy on craving things.
I've been also wondering, though, what a good mourning process is. A grieving process and an adjustment for how to cope now that the carb "release" is taken away. Will exercise be my replacement crutch?
I FREAKING LOVE pizza. I know I'm not going to be able to slam in half a pizza in about 10 minutes like I can now.
THANK GOD.
Nothing really tastes as good as I think it will taste. I need to start daydreaming about what I will be able to do not what I plan on eating.
This is a toughy. I'd be glad to see what some of the successful sleeve vets on here have to say about their transition away from carbs was like.
Thanks for your honesty, NoLa! *hugs*