So I am a craving eater. I crave certain foods at certain times of the month and can't stop eating them once I start. That's how I gained most of my weight. Once a craving starts, I seem to not have any control to stop it before acting on it.

Question1:

I tried an all shakes Optifast diet under doctor supervision and could follow it for one week before I flunked out.

I am terrified that if/when I get surgery, I will still crave food... Won't be able to eat the food due to the small stomach, and will be miserable and depressed for the rest of my life...wanting food but not being able to eat it.

Would it be like that? Is it like that for people who have gone through the surgery?

Question 2:

Are there any Southeast Asian (Indian) people in this forum who could give input on how drastic the food changes are post surgery. Are you able to eat ANY Roti (tortilla type bread) and rice at all? My nutritionist says most people can't tolerate it and those two things are staples in Indian diet. I am already depressed that I can't eat any Roti for the rest of my life.

My surgery should be a month or two away if Insurance approves, I don't have a date yet.

I have not had surgery yet but I am on the liquid diet. (day 4) It is hard but you can do it!! If I can make it through this anyone can. I have no will power. lol. I am sure your diet will have to change quite a bit but you should still be able to eat most things... it will just take time to progress to the next stage. The best advice I can give you is to think about how much you like food and then think about how much you like you current body. For me food is really a luxury when compared to how I feel health wise.. I am tired and cranky and feel like giving up but, I am going to do this! For me! There is not a type of food on the planet that I would give up that would make me resent feeling better. I might miss it now and then but with the sleeve you can have most kinds of food. (depending on how you tolerate it and your goals) The sleeve is a tool, you have to do the heavy lifting.

I think you'll still be able to eat it, just small amounts, and that's all that you'll want. It's not really a deprived feeling you get like I thought it would be. You can eat what you want, and after about 4 bites, you're too full to want any more of it, but you had some, so it's okay. I know the dread you're talking about, because I used to feel that way about pasta and burgers, like I would have to say goodbye to my favorites, but I can have them if I want, and now I don't really want them, because it seems to be a waste of useful space in my tummy. I definitely think losing the weight is way better than not getting to gorge on our favorites anymore.

I still have cravings, but a small amount satisfies me, and I go about my day. The biggest issue is that you can still eat a lot of junk food. The bad stuff slides right through, and none of the surgeries will fix that issue.

As for rice, Pasta, breads, for me, and I know a few others, those are all slider foods. That just means I can eat a lot of more those things than I can dense Protein. I can actually eat twice as much rice as I can meat. I eat sushi, chicken/rice casserole, mexican rice, chicken fried rice, just about all rices work fine for me.

I was a volume eater, and I enjoyed that stuffed, overstuffed, absolutely miserably full feeling, and then I would sleep. I loved going to sleep with a full belly. I have pretty much lost that desire, or enjoyment from being overstuffed. Believe me, I still love food, but a small portion of all my favorites more than satisfies me mentally.

It does take some time to get over the changes. But for me, life seems very, very normal at this point. Eating isn't a chore, I don't obsess about my food choices, I just make good choices, and eat what I want. My surgeon and nutritionist do not believe that foods should be completely off our menus. They believe this is a complete lifetime commitment and lifestyle change. Deprivation diets do not work long term, and they want everything in moderation, and that is what works best for me.

Even when I thought I'd never be able to eat certain things, I figured being fat and being able to eat pasta is much worse than being skinny, healthy, active, and not popping 4 different meds to control or treat obesity related conditions. I'd give up pasta, rice and bread if I had to do so, if my body wouldn't allow me to eat them, but I make a choice to eat small amounts, and go about my life.

Remember, nothing tastes as good as being thin feels.

I think I was scared as well about the changes I would have to make post op.... but for me the long term effect of the op outweighs those changes.

I know I'd never be able to get to target on my own - I've tried for the past 20 yrs and not managed it.... the fact I may not be able to eat certain foods long term is worth that gamble.

I can't comment about the cravings but I can say I don't feel hungry.,.... which for me is totally weird!I used to stand in front of the fridge looking for something to eat..... not now.

Good luck with your decision

I was really worried about how the sleeve would alter my life as well. I can tell you that as someone who is just over 3 months post op, I have already been able to eat any food I wanted without problems. The first 8 weeks were a progression from Clear liquids, to full liquids, then to mushy foods--so obviously I didn't have as much freedom in the beginning--but now, I make choices based on what I want, and what I think is good for me physically and emotionally.

What I mean by that is this: I have spent so many years struggling with restrictive diets that I really want to avoid the "I can't have that" mentality. I want to lose weight--and at this point, I feel like my food intake is restricted enough to help me accomplish that goal if I make sensible choices most of the time.

I eat my Protein first (which means that most of my meal is protein) and I don't drink with meals (other than the occasional sip). Other than that, if I want Pasta or rice, it goes down just fine--but here's the catcher: If I have eaten around 3 oz of protein, I don't have room in my stomach for much pasta or rice, and I just don't crave the big servings of carbohydrates that I used to crave.

Do I still crave old favorites? Sure...and sometimes I let myself have them. I almost never eat fried foods--but I had a piece of fried chicken one night. I love to bake goodies with my grandchildren and when I do, I will eat a cookie or a slice of "whatever". But when I eat a small treat after a meal, I'm know that I'm not going to be able to eat more than a small amount, and it satisfies. When my kids came over last week and wanted to have family time by the pool and order pizza, I was surprised to learn that I could still eat my old favorite (Super Supreme from Pizza Hut)--but I ate one piece--and honestly didn't want anymore. (I used to eat 4 pieces for dinner, 2 for Breakfast the next day, and 2 or more for lunch too.)

I agree with Tiffy that my ability to eat junk food is the biggest problem I have with food. I can consume a lot of calories in greasy chips without the food being bulky enough to cause me any feeling of restriction. I guess if I tried to eat a whole bag of something, I might feel restriction...but I've always been a grazer, and a handful of this and a handful of that can add up to a lot of calories in the course of a day, so I have to make a conscious effort to not eat a lot of junk and to really limit my Snacks. Fortunately, I stay full most of the time, so it's easier than it sounds.

The most difficult part of the surgery for me has been trying to remember to drink my fluids. I don't drink with meals, I stay full after meals, and I don't want to drink too soon and wash my food down...then I get busy and forget because I'm not thirsty...and before you know it the day is almost over and I realize that I haven't had enough Water. I'm really working at doing better with this and remembering to take my Vitamins.

I think you are going to be happier with the VSG than you might think! I was "morbidly obese" prior to my surgery...it wasn't long before I reduced to "severely obese"...this week I now meet the criteria for "obese". It won't be long before I can say a glad goodbye to the diagnosis of obesity as well--and believe me, this feels better than rice or roti ever tasted.

you guys are super! I started reading the responses a bit teary eyed and by the end I was smiling.

I could relate to something in each reply I read. I have been dieting for over 20 yeas off and on. When I am not dieting, I am binge eating and feeling horrible about my body and my self control. It would be SO nice to buy clothes from regular people department instead of plus size department. My BMI is creeping above 40. I am 40 years old and feel like I am 80. Even my internist seems happy that I will finally be a frequent visitor of her clinic [for diabetes] and help her business grow

I am going to get the surgery no matter what. But I was scared of the changes I would have to make. Reading everyone's responses' made me feel so much less scared. It was so nice to hear from people who have been there. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO REPLY!

Really, I can eat anything I want. I can eat rice if that's what I choose to eat. I can eat pita bread which is sort of what I think you're talking about. I just can't eat all that much of these things. Once you're sleeved, you get full fast. I choose not to eat those things because there are other things I like better.

I have been going through sort of a mourning period for food during my preop diet, and the other night when I was watching one of the 4 million food commercials on tv I was thinking how good this hamburger from Red Robin looked and that I would never again be able to enjoy that satisfied feeling after you polish off a huge meal. Then it occurred to me that yes I would be able to have that same feeling again, only after I am sleeved I would feel that way much sooner than I did before. After reading what the other "older and wiser sleeves" have said, I am confident that I and you will still be able to enjoy anything we want to, we just won't need that much of it.

I'm not sure how I compare to others, but just so you aren't surprised, I should say that I really don't get that satisfaction that comes from having a full belly anymore. The clues that tell me that I have had enough to eat are more feelings of slight discomfort in the area of my chest, that get more uncomfortable if I take another bite. When I stop eating I do have a sensation that I equate to being full because it causes me to not want to eat more--but it really is very different than that old stuffed belly feeling.

I have read in some posts that the nature of the surgery affects the nerves in the stomach. Some posters have said that the old familiar feelings of being full return as the nerves heal, but I'm not far enough out to be able to say whether or not that will be true for me.

I'm not sure how I compare to others, but just so you aren't surprised, I should say that I really don't get that satisfaction that comes from having a full belly anymore. The clues that tell me that I have had enough to eat are more feelings of slight discomfort in the area of my chest, that get more uncomfortable if I take another bite. When I stop eating I do have a sensation that I equate to being full because it causes me to not want to eat more--but it really is very different than that old stuffed belly feeling.

I have read in some posts that the nature of the surgery affects the nerves in the stomach. Some posters have said that the old familiar feelings of being full return as the nerves heal, but I'm not far enough out to be able to say whether or not that will be true for me.

Katt, I'm with you on this one. I really don't find satisfaction from getting stuffed anymore. Like that night of that huge, long 4 course meal, I was actually not feeling so wonderful. I didn't feel bad, but it wasn't the same as pre-op.

Like I said, I still love, love, love food. But, it's just not the same anymore. I love to eat, and I think part of it for me is that for the first time in my life, I feel in control. It's very liberating to know that after my small portion I'm truly satisfied physically and mentally. There is no need or desire to keep shoveling food into my mouth.

honey you just said everything i've been feeling and haven't been able to put into words, because it was still buried inside me and i just couldn't articulate it. i'm happy someone was able to just put it all out there and i was able to benefit from all the responses as much as you!

on top of the obsession with food though... i also have this weird thing that i don't like to leave anything on my plate. when i go out to eat (or even sitting at home or a friend's for a meal) i don't stop eating until i've eaten everything. i don't usually get 2nds of anything, but i just don't stop until my plateful is gone. i don't know why. my parents never said "clean your plate." and sometimes, in my mind, i'm sitting there about halfway through telling myself to stop, and i can box it up and take it home and enjoy it later... but then i keep eating. i don't know why. i can't explain it. i don't feel like it's out of my control because i KNOW i could make myself stop. but somehow, i rarely ever do.

is anyone else like that? how has it changed after the surgery? i'm scared if i do that after surgery i might injure myself....

Believe me, if you eat past the point your sleeve likes, it will come back up. You have no choice. It has nowhere to go so it comes up. It's not like throwing up like

you have the stomach flu. It's just

the last food you ate, and out it pops.

Really, I don't mind the amount of food I can eat. I eat my one piece of pizza and I don't want to eat more because I am full. I look at my kids polish off 4 more pieces and I wonder where they put it.

The other day at at the mall, I was craving a cheese burger. I ordered a single cheeseburger from Wendys. Not the kiddie one, a regular one. I ate until I was full and it did not bother me one single bit to toss the rest in the trash.

Today I ate a huge salad. Salad is one thing I can really pack away. I guess that's because lettuce chews down to nothing.

I can eat anything I want now. Rice, Pasta and bread were troublesome for the first 6 months or so and I tended to avoid them. If I crave a burger, which is only very occasionally, I will eat about half and throw the rest away. I can quite easily graze on leftovers later if they are there and that's not because I am hungry but more to do with head-hunger which I still addressing. I can maintain my weight like this but at the moment am choosing not to do that or buy in high calorie foods in order to lose more and get closer to my goal.

Tiff is right about the slider foods and ice-cream, chocolate, chips, biscuits can go right through with little problem. I like salads and will eat a lot in the summer but need the Protein as well or I will be feeling hungry again later. meat, chicken, fish etc. fill me up and so does brown rice of which I only need a tablespoon of.

If I do eat too much it will come back up within half an hour. I can eat quite a lot more than I could 6 months ago but it is still a lot less than I could pre-wls.