From the LapSF newsletter.

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Many people can't imagine becoming depressed AFTER losing weight. However, depression can occur after weight loss surgery or when undergoing any time of major lifestyle change. Possible causes of depression after WLS may include:

- Mourning the loss of food for comfort. If food has always been your "friend" or something you depended on when feeling sad, stressed or lonely, saying "goodbye" can be difficult.

- Mourning the loss of pre-operative lifestyle. For example, feeling left out while socializing, participating in holiday rituals, or when dining in restaurants.

- Reactions from others. Relationships with loved ones can change or become strained. Reactions to weight loss may be negative or jealous, or otherwise unsupportive friends/family may resort to "sabotage." Positive reactions or increased attention from others can lead to feelings of discomfort, vulnerability, or resentment.

- Having unrealistic expectations. For example, thinking that everything will get better after surgery or that your emotional eating or other disordered eating habits will simply disappear.

- Hormonal changes. For some women, estrogen is released while fat is burned to make energy. This release of estrogen may cause mood swings.

- Body image discrepancies. After rapid weight loss, you do not recognize yourself or lose a sense of self. You may experience a loss of identity between the inner and outer you.

The postoperative blues typically occur during the first few weeks or months after surgery and subside over time. However, if you find that your symptoms are worsening or are beginning to interfere with your relationships, work, or daily functioning, it is time to seek help from a medical professional.

Do as I did and trade your menstural cycle in on a Honda.

Sorry. That's sick post menopausal humor. I have no answers on this one but I do hope you figure it out and feel better soon!

I have a great idea, which I will be implementing very soon: ditch the implant, go back to Depo Provera. So I have to get a shot every 90 days. There are worse things in life. Like going through a menstrual cycle (including horrific migraines), when I have no intention of ever having children. I keep telling my husband that one of these days I'm going to walk into my cats' vet office and demand that they spay me. I'm only half-kidding.

Just out of curiosity...has anybody noticed a particular food or food group that they simply cannot eat, post-surgery?

I'm eating vegetables just fine as long as I cook them: broccoli, mushrooms, onions, erm, and a variety of other ones. Strawberries and blueberries are fine too (and taste great with my Protein supplement). eggs are great. And one interesting change for me is that I found out that I like tuna. I always thought it was revolting before, but I made tuna salad, using dill pickle relish, and it tastes great. Avocado though, nope-nope-nope. I LOVE the things, but my stomach does not. They come back up right away.

I've actually become a big fan of soy milk. I get the unsweetened, unflavored kind, and mix it in with a little bit of Greek yogurt with my Protein shake, and it's delicious! Speaking of which...I need to get that made. Later!

Hey, me too: tuna with dill pickle relish is, all of a sudden, really good. I've never eaten tuna much.

I can eat avocados and guacomole. I find myself ordering Pasta dishes and I never used to eat pasta. I felt too guilty. But now I eat such a small amount of it I don't feel guilty at all. I eat a few bites of the chicken or shrimp that comes with the pasta and a couple of bites of pasta and I'm done. The rest of the dish comes home with me. The servers ask me if I didn't like it because my plate looks almost untouched. Whoo hoo! That's a great feeling. And I usually get at least a couple more meals out of it.

I can't enjoy ice cream anymore or other milk products except cottage cheese and yogurt. This is a good thing because ice cream used to be my downfall. But it is very strange to not be able to enjoy ice cream for the first time in my life. I also tried to eat a small piece of my mother's recipe chocolate cake. Two little bites and that was way too much and I was uncomfortable and sorry I tried it. I love that feeling. It's my best friend!

Oh yeah, I can't drink coffee or tea and only a couple of sips of any alcoholic beverage. Can you drink coffee and tea? What about wine?

Isn't it strange how some people can't eat things like avocado and others can?

Hey, me too: tuna with dill pickle relish is, all of a sudden, really good. I've never eaten tuna much.

I can eat avocados and guacomole. I find myself ordering Pasta dishes and I never used to eat pasta. I felt too guilty. But now I eat such a small amount of it I don't feel guilty at all. I eat a few bites of the chicken or shrimp that comes with the pasta and a couple of bites of pasta and I'm done. The rest of the dish comes home with me. The servers ask me if I didn't like it because my plate looks almost untouched. Whoo hoo! That's a great feeling. And I usually get at least a couple more meals out of it.

I can't enjoy ice cream anymore or other milk products except cottage cheese and yogurt. This is a good thing because ice cream used to be my downfall. But it is very strange to not be able to enjoy ice cream for the first time in my life. I also tried to eat a small piece of my mother's recipe chocolate cake. Two little bites and that was way too much and I was uncomfortable and sorry I tried it. I love that feeling. It's my best friend!

Oh yeah, I can't drink coffee or tea and only a couple of sips of any alcoholic beverage. Can you drink coffee and tea? What about wine?

Isn't it strange how some people can't eat things like avocado and others can?

I can't handle coffee, but I never did drink much of it, or care for it much before the surgery. Tea is fine--I've become especially fond of green tea with flavorings in it. Crystal Light's Green Tea with Peach and Mango is REALLY good, and I'll often mix it up with green tea I've brewed. That's my morning caffeine hit, anymore.

I've had some bread since the surgery, but only on two occasions. I'm staying away from potatoes, pastas, and rice--I'm still too superstitious, I guess, because of the still-not-officially-in-remission diabetes. The only dairy products I'm having are low-fat cottage cheese, no-fat, unflavored Greek yogurt, and low-fat cheeses (I'm especially fond of string cheese). I haven't so much as tried ice cream, and all other dairy products are pretty much off the table.

Vegetables agree the best with me. I've never had a problem yet with fresh or steamed veggies, and if I want a little more jazz with a snack of fresh veggies, I'll dip 'em in my homemade, ultra-low-cal, ultra-low-fat poppyseed honey mustard dressing (I'll be happy to provide my recipe if you're interested). Mostly, though, I sprinkle fresh veggies with either plain salt, or salt/vinegar/lime juice. Lucky me, I've always loved veggies just for themselves and not as a heavily cooked side-dish. I just about went into raptures when my mom gave me a bag of fresh peas in the pod from her garden, a couple of weeks ago. I just sat around and shelled them, and ate 'em raw and it tasted like the best thing in the world.

Something else I've been really happy to find still agrees with me is stir-fried veggies. Things like eggplant and yams taste REALLY good stir-fried (with other veggies, naturally), they're uber-healthy, and I can go super-light on the oil, so it's low-cal and still tastes great. I think I would've had a heart attack if I couldn't handle onions and garlic anymore, though! Luckily, they're as good as ever and don't upset my stomach.

I'm still a tad upset about the avocado, but I'll survive. I didn't eat avocados on a regular basis even before surgery.

Overall, the only real changes I've made in my diet post-surgery are avocados, and limiting dairy products more. I have to admit that I really miss milk, just to drink. Otherwise though, I'm just eating lots-lots-lots smaller portions. The substance of my diet wasn't seriously impacted by the surgery. I'm LOOOVING my life.

And you're almost half-way to goal!!! So you're definitely doing things right. Congratulations for loving your situation as much as I do. This has been one of the best decisions I ever made for myself.

We don't have the same eating habits and you may be losing faster than I am, but we're both being very successful and we're both very happy and getting healthier every day and that's what counts!

There have been times that I've had half of a baked potato for dinner because it was easy to eat and very satisfying. But I don't eat rice because it gave me so much trouble when I had the band I just got away from it. I don't have diabetes so potatoes and rice weren't a negative for me in that regard. I know people who are diabetic who say that potatoes, bread and rice have a bigger impact on their blood sugar than refined surgar does.

I don't care for honey-mustard dressings or I would be glad to have the recipe. Thanks a lot for offering. When I had the band, string cheese and Laughing Cow low-fat wedges really helped me out between meals. I don't seem to need them now. For a snack I can get some Protein with a few almonds and I like the crunch.

I'm very impressed that you've figured out a great plan that works for you. Oh and btw, I do enjoy veggies like you and the fresh peas sound heavenly. But I just can't eat much of them raw. I love everything lightly steamed. I also can't have pineapple - I just remembered that. Fresh or canned - both are impossible to eat now that I have the sleeve. Do you eat pineapple?

And you're almost half-way to goal!!! So you're definitely doing things right. Congratulations for loving your situation as much as I do. This has been one of the best decisions I ever made for myself.

We don't have the same eating habits and you may be losing faster than I am, but we're both being very successful and we're both very happy and getting healthier every day and that's what counts!

There have been times that I've had half of a baked potato for dinner because it was easy to eat and very satisfying. But I don't eat rice because it gave me so much trouble when I had the band I just got away from it. I don't have diabetes so potatoes and rice weren't a negative for me in that regard. I know people who are diabetic who say that potatoes, bread and rice have a bigger impact on their blood sugar than refined surgar does.

I don't care for honey-mustard dressings or I would be glad to have the recipe. Thanks a lot for offering. When I had the band, string cheese and Laughing Cow low-fat wedges really helped me out between meals. I don't seem to need them now. For a snack I can get some Protein with a few almonds and I like the crunch.

I'm very impressed that you've figured out a great plan that works for you. Oh and btw, I do enjoy veggies like you and the fresh peas sound heavenly. But I just can't eat much of them raw. I love everything lightly steamed. I also can't have pineapple - I just remembered that. Fresh or canned - both are impossible to eat now that I have the sleeve. Do you eat pineapple?

>>>> Yeah, this is definitely one of the better life-choices I've made, too. I've got so much energy! And it's so much fun talking to people like you who're loving this as much as me.

>>>> Y'know, I've quit worrying about actual weight (well, at least as much--gotta be honest). I seriously obsessed about it in the first few weeks post-op. Now, I'm just going by clothing size--which is an awful lot of fun all by itself! Lots less precise, but I do enough worrying about things already (sometimes irrelevant stuff), without adding that to the list.

>>>> Yeah, that's pretty much it with the starch/carb thing, for me. Throws my glucose level into the stratosphere. Still. I've gotten so I'm used to making meals without a side of rice or Pasta, or whatever. Lots of good recipes out there, thank goodness. :biggrin2:

>>>> I'm still at the point where a couple of sticks of string cheese IS the meal (after I pay kitty-tax and give my tortoiseshell her bit--otherwise she'll try and snatch it right out of my hand; she comes running when I pull open the plastic packet). I found this mixed nuts thingy at Yoke's that tastes really, really good--I especially like the filberts in it! I've started nibbling on those for Snacks, and you're absolutely right, the crunch factor is very satisfying. I've made my own nut mixtures in the past using raw nuts, and I may go back to that yet. There's a grocery store near here that has a spectacular bulk food section.

>>>> I've only tried pineapple once since the surgery. That was one of the ones I had to stay away from before because of the high fructose content, and I figured I'd better wait a bit after to make sure the acid wasn't going to make me go *blat*. So, the pineapple thing is still up in the air. The one time I tried it, it was at a local farmers market just a couple of weeks ago, and this guy was selling a salsa seasoning mix of his own devising with locally-grown ingredients. He threw it in with tomatoes, and also in another recipe, used pineapple. Both of those make my mouth Water just remembering the taste. It was GOOOOD. Neither of them disagreed with me. At all. And I bought several bags of the salsa seasoning. I'm definitely going to have to give it another try, now that you mention the pineapple thing.

It's kind of funny, actually, realizing that there are some foods that I can eat now that I couldn't before, simply because it's only a few bites, versus an entire serving or more. I'm still experimenting with those.

Y'know, one thing I can't eat now at all is canned tomato-anything. Tomato Soup is okay, so is minestrone soup with tomatoes in it. Fresh tomatoes are wonderful (and I'm getting LOTS out of my garden). But spaghetti sauce, canned tomatoes, etc., I can't eat. It makes my stomach hurt, and then it makes me go *blat*. I'm experimenting with drying tomatoes, and will see how those work in cooking, instead of using tomato sauce. Oh yeah, and I can go with very limited amounts of catsup. I was a HUGE catsup fiend, too. As far as I was concerned, when it came to Breakfast, catsup was almost as important as the entree. Catsup and eggs, catsup and omelets, catsup and...everything. :confused1: Now, not so much.

Hey I like your weight chart. That's cool.

The only thing I use ketchup for is when I make barbeque sauce (not since surgery tho) and on hot dogs and as a dip for fries. For some reason hot dogs seem good to me but I can't eat the bread and I can only eat a couple of bites of the dawg with some ketchup and mustard and relish. It never sounded good to me before surgery and I rarely, very very rarely, had a hot dog. Fries do not appeal to me and I did like them before surgery. I used to love me a cheeseburger and good french fries. I couldn't eat a cheeseburger these days if my life depended on it. And I can tolerate maybe 2 or 3 fries and that's it. Which is a good thing...

Ketchup with eggs reminds me of my best friend, my sweet, dearly departed sister. She loved ketchup on her eggs. I would have trouble these days without tomato based sauces for Pasta since I have pasta more often now than I have in my whole life.

Isn't it crazy how our tastes change with our new stomaches? Your kitty sounds like a sharp cookie. The cats I've had never got into anything I ate. They weren't the sharpest crayons in the box though.

OMG, I have to tell you about a salad I had for dinner tonight. I ate more of it than I have anything since surgery. It was a baby spinach salad with peas, toasted pine nuts and pesto (store bought) for the dressing. Absolutely incredible. It was a Barefoot Contessa recipe. I don't know what else was in it - I was at someone else's house. I will definintely look it up online and make it! Very light and summery and you mentioned liking peas so you might check it out. Highly recommend it. If you try it, please tell me what you think of it.

The pineapple salsa sounds interesting. Farmer's markets are great this time of year! And the one near me has the best sugar free chocolate nuts. Almonds, cashews and peanuts. Much better than the regular grocery stores and they are very satisfying and the cashews are a good source of Fiber for me. Works well, if you know what I mean. I've sure enjoyed hearing about your food preferences and the changes you've noticed since surgery!

Ciao! (chow, lol)

Hey I like your weight chart. That's cool.

The only thing I use ketchup for is when I make barbeque sauce (not since surgery tho) and on hot dogs and as a dip for fries. For some reason hot dogs seem good to me but I can't eat the bread and I can only eat a couple of bites of the dawg with some ketchup and mustard and relish. It never sounded good to me before surgery and I rarely, very very rarely, had a hot dog. Fries do not appeal to me and I did like them before surgery. I used to love me a cheeseburger and good french fries. I couldn't eat a cheeseburger these days if my life depended on it. And I can tolerate maybe 2 or 3 fries and that's it. Which is a good thing...

Ketchup with eggs reminds me of my best friend, my sweet, dearly departed sister. She loved ketchup on her eggs. I would have trouble these days without tomato based sauces for Pasta since I have pasta more often now than I have in my whole life.

Isn't it crazy how our tastes change with our new stomaches? Your kitty sounds like a sharp cookie. The cats I've had never got into anything I ate. They weren't the sharpest crayons in the box though.

OMG, I have to tell you about a salad I had for dinner tonight. I ate more of it than I have anything since surgery. It was a baby spinach salad with peas, toasted pine nuts and pesto (store bought) for the dressing. Absolutely incredible. It was a Barefoot Contessa recipe. I don't know what else was in it - I was at someone else's house. I will definintely look it up online and make it! Very light and summery and you mentioned liking peas so you might check it out. Highly recommend it. If you try it, please tell me what you think of it.

The pineapple salsa sounds interesting. Farmer's markets are great this time of year! And the one near me has the best sugar free chocolate nuts. Almonds, cashews and peanuts. Much better than the regular grocery stores and they are very satisfying and the cashews are a good source of fiber for me. Works well, if you know what I mean. I've sure enjoyed hearing about your food preferences and the changes you've noticed since surgery!

Ciao! (chow, lol)

You know what's really funny to me, is that I've broadened my tastes in meat. Turkey tastes awesome to me now, and I like ham now--especially lunchmeat--and I already mentioned the tuna thing. I found out that I LOVE mahi-mahi. But I've always loved vegetables, and I've started experimenting with ones I'd never tried before, including cooking with beets and turnips, Brussel sprouts, and cabbage (not all together--so far!). Vegetables really agree with me the best. I'd love it if I could get all my Protein from the supplements and just eat veggies and fruits all the live-long day.

And yeah, sharp kitty. Quirky, too. Although, come to think of it, I've had cats all my life, and I've never met one who wasn't quirky. Some are just more quirky than others.

The weight chart is off of the same site that does the BMI thing for signatures. I just found it yesterday or the day before. Kinda funky, although I gotta say, it's pretty spammy. I may take it off for awhile.

I ate out with a friend yesterday afternoon, and got fries with my meal. I ate one, and couldn't eat any more--it was too greasy! That's my thing, post-op: I can't do high-fat, and I don't do well with processed tomato products.

I have a food dehydrator now, and today I'm going to start buying up fresh produce to dry for the winter. It's easier than canning, and it's really nice to have, say, dried peaches during the winter when you can't get decent fresh ones. It takes up less storage space, and it keeps forever, especially in the freezer or refrigerator. I'd like to try making Jerky, too. Great snack item, or to tuck into your purse for a quick meal on a road-trip.

Dehydrators used to be all the rage. They're back and that's a good thing.

One suggestion: try freezing fresh peaches. They're amazingly good and I think much better than canned.

I just experienced the emotions... with my first menstral cycle after surgery last Friday... wow it hit me hard too.. ut this explains alot of it... thanks for the post.

Steph 123: Thank you sooo much for posting these reading resources. I love you! Helpful angel is what you are.

WOW !!!!I Dr C. Alexander Rocks!! she is my therapist at clevland clinic... just bought the book on line.. Thanks for posting these great books... the cookbooks as well!!

From the LapSF newsletter.

********

Many people can't imagine becoming depressed AFTER losing weight. However, depression can occur after weight loss surgery or when undergoing any time of major lifestyle change. Possible causes of depression after WLS may include:

- Mourning the loss of food for comfort. If food has always been your "friend" or something you depended on when feeling sad, stressed or lonely, saying "goodbye" can be difficult.

- Mourning the loss of pre-operative lifestyle. For example, feeling left out while socializing, participating in holiday rituals, or when dining in restaurants.

- Reactions from others. Relationships with loved ones can change or become strained. Reactions to weight loss may be negative or jealous, or otherwise unsupportive friends/family may resort to "sabotage." Positive reactions or increased attention from others can lead to feelings of discomfort, vulnerability, or resentment.

- Having unrealistic expectations. For example, thinking that everything will get better after surgery or that your emotional eating or other disordered eating habits will simply disappear.

- Hormonal changes. For some women, estrogen is released while fat is burned to make energy. This release of estrogen may cause mood swings.

- Body image discrepancies. After rapid weight loss, you do not recognize yourself or lose a sense of self. You may experience a loss of identity between the inner and outer you.

The postoperative blues typically occur during the first few weeks or months after surgery and subside over time. However, if you find that your symptoms are worsening or are beginning to interfere with your relationships, work, or daily functioning, it is time to seek help from a medical professional.

thanks for sharing, im sure alot of us could relate to this and its nice not to think you are alone~

A 2007 clinical study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh reviewed the medical records of almost 17,000 bariatric surgery patients from 1995 to 2004. The study found that 16 patients committed suicide, which is a significant increase over the national statistical average, which would predict no more than two deaths from suicide in a subject pool of that size

I feel like I'm going through a little bit of depression since I've had the surgery. I don't think it's food related. I've just started eating, I think it's overwhelming with the whole new learning process of trying new foods, how your stomach is going to feel, what is feels like to have a BM - my first ones have been horrible, and then the insides are so sore you can't do much and that can make us depressed to. Even though I'm heavy, I would still do mostly everything in the house, drive the kids around, etc. Now I'm 12 days post op, my insides hurt, I went to the market today felt lightheaded and loppy and just not like the 'normal' self I am used to. We are all doing this to get heatlhy and 1 or 2 or 10 months from now we will be back to our regular selves again and back to being the way we were but a more heathier version. My friend Nancy told me to remember my goal to be healthy and to be here for my kids. With the way I was going i would have been 300 lbs by January and probably facing a massive heart attack. I'm refocusing, eating according to Dr's orders and healing both inside and out.

Good luck everyone!!

Kim