Sooo....had a bit of a stark realization last night. I'm not sleeved but I have been researching it and getting ready. I am in "the pipeline" so to speak in my surgeons office.

So last night I prepared a meal for me, my wife, and daughter. Something that I thought was actually pretty healthy. We had grass fed organic hamburgers (4-5oz), served them with a toasted sandwich thin (120 cals, lot less than a normal "bun") and had a large yummy salad with romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, mushrooms, and a vinagrete.

So what sucker punched me is that....this meal would not be possible after VSG. It (in my opinion) was very healthy and relatively calore controlled. I really enjoyed it. It kinda of made me sad that while the VSG will help me control my food intake - it will also prevent me from enjoying meals like this also.

What finally brought me around back to reality is that....while I may have had this meal last night....I had 6 slices of pizza the night before and had fast food 2-3 times during the week. THAT is why I want this surgery.

Sometimes you do need to get rid of some of the good with the bad...in order to reach your goal. There is definitely a STRONG mental part to this and I have utmost respect for you people that make it work. I'm going to get there too!

Just thought I would share.

I agree.... I think of the same thing often. But I realize that eating good food is my obcession and the reason my body is slowly dying. I think you did a great job of repositioning your thoughs to the more positive reasons for having surgery. I know that this is going to be aneven greater challenge once I am sleeved. I am so glad that this forum exists for support.

Sooo....had a bit of a stark realization last night. I'm not sleeved but I have been researching it and getting ready. I am in "the pipeline" so to speak in my surgeons office.

So last night I prepared a meal for me, my wife, and daughter. Something that I thought was actually pretty healthy. We had grass fed organic hamburgers (4-5oz), served them with a toasted sandwich thin (120 cals, lot less than a normal "bun") and had a large yummy salad with romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, mushrooms, and a vinagrete.

So what sucker punched me is that....this meal would not be possible after VSG. It (in my opinion) was very healthy and relatively calore controlled. I really enjoyed it. It kinda of made me sad that while the VSG will help me control my food intake - it will also prevent me from enjoying meals like this also.

What finally brought me around back to reality is that....while I may have had this meal last night....I had 6 slices of pizza the night before and had fast food 2-3 times during the week. THAT is why I want this surgery.

Sometimes you do need to get rid of some of the good with the bad...in order to reach your goal. There is definitely a STRONG mental part to this and I have utmost respect for you people that make it work. I'm going to get there too!

Just thought I would share.

Sure you'll be able to have a meal like that.... eventually!! We eat burgers all the time--I just have mine small, and on a plate instead of on a bun (bread is WAY too filling and icky feeling to have much of now, unless toasted). And salad... yummmmmm, love love. At first when you're back on regular solids, you might not get the "mental" satisfaction out of it, even when you can eat it, 'cause just a couple of bites will do ya. But you will get back to the point where you DO feel like you're eating a full meal, even though it might be just 1/4 of what you'd have eaten before.

After VSG you will still find food enjoyable and you can still have good meals! It will take a little while before you are eating "real" food again but once you are it's still good! In that case I would have done the burger with no bun and ate 1/2 of it and if you wanted the salad or a veggie then have it! I personally haven't ate salad yet just because I'm still so focused on my protein because it really does help my scale move! I have burgers a lot (esp. when we go out, it's easy) but I just don't eat the bun so that I'm getting all protein!

It is a BIG adjustment it you will find your "nitch"!!

Sooo....had a bit of a stark realization last night. I'm not sleeved but I have been researching it and getting ready. I am in "the pipeline" so to speak in my surgeons office.

So last night I prepared a meal for me, my wife, and daughter. Something that I thought was actually pretty healthy. We had grass fed organic hamburgers (4-5oz), served them with a toasted sandwich thin (120 cals, lot less than a normal "bun") and had a large yummy salad with romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, mushrooms, and a vinagrete.

So what sucker punched me is that....this meal would not be possible after VSG. It (in my opinion) was very healthy and relatively calore controlled. I really enjoyed it. It kinda of made me sad that while the VSG will help me control my food intake - it will also prevent me from enjoying meals like this also.

What finally brought me around back to reality is that....while I may have had this meal last night....I had 6 slices of pizza the night before and had fast food 2-3 times during the week. THAT is why I want this surgery.

Sometimes you do need to get rid of some of the good with the bad...in order to reach your goal. There is definitely a STRONG mental part to this and I have utmost respect for you people that make it work. I'm going to get there too!

Just thought I would share.

I had a thought like that -- that I just would not be able to eat as much. What I finally concluded was that "eating normally" for me is apparently normal also for a linebacker or a Russian lumberjack. I'm not really a food addict -- you know how peope say oh my gosh, however will I live without my chocolate and all of that? I can live without chocolate. I can live without anything really. I just have a little problem putting my fork down. Over time, you won't really miss your appetite, is my theory. Or my fondest hope, you pick.

You made me smile. I had my moment the day after surgery sitting in hospital while watching 4th of July TV ad for hot dogs. The thought flashed into my head "omg I'll never be able to pig out on hot dogs again!" then I had to laugh because the thought was "pig out on" not never eat them again. Its your choice if you ever want to eat a burger with bun again. You will be able to eventually. You will just be restricted as to how much of it you can eat and you will be satisfied with what you can eat. The sleeve is great that way.

That meal sound yummy. I am 11 weeks sleeved. I would be able to enjoy it. Just not the same way as before. Instead of wolfing the burger down and making my salad huge, I would take one or two nice bites of the burger, bun and all, and then I would eat the meat with alternate bites of salad until i got that, "This has to be the last bite or else" feeling. And when it was all said and done, I would have the same satisfied feeling I would have had eating the whole meal prior to being sleeved.

I can't wait for you to see what I mean for yourself!

I haven't been sleeved yet either (I go in on the 27th) but the way I understand is taht we can have the burger, salad and substitute to the bun for an arnolds thin flat bread (probably only 1/2 the burger and 1/2 of a 1/2 of the flat bread..BUT we can still have it eventually...go to eggfaces blog-see her recipes-they are AMAZING!!! Let me know if you need the link.

This discussion has been so helpful! I am scheduled for 4/18, and worry so much about not being able to enjoy food afterwards. I love healthy eating, but also have overindulged way too many times. The idea of repositioning thinking is so helpful, as is the reassurance that it can be mostly portion size which changes. Thanks all. What a great group! Wish me luck! Starting two weeks of low carb/higher protein, experimenting and stockpiling protein powders and stevia-sweetened drinks, etc., and determined to make this work once and for all.

My boyfriend is not the most insightful person. There's a salad bar I love. Actual salad. And I eat mine very close to dry. I love all those raw veggies, the tomatoes, even the onions and then dodge people for the rest of the day. But when I expressed a similar thought to him about how much I would miss those two plates of salad, he said "it's true you won't be able to have that as a whole meal, but you can have exactly that same food spread as your meals through the day and by living 15 extra years, the sum total of your food intake will be the same". Yes, he's a nerd. That's actually how he said it and he's right. That's why I'm being sleeved. I'm trying to think of it as just spreading the food out over time. Smaller quantities but more life between the meals.

Sooo....had a bit of a stark realization last night. I'm not sleeved but I have been researching it and getting ready. I am in "the pipeline" so to speak in my surgeons office.

So last night I prepared a meal for me, my wife, and daughter. Something that I thought was actually pretty healthy. We had grass fed organic hamburgers (4-5oz), served them with a toasted sandwich thin (120 cals, lot less than a normal "bun") and had a large yummy salad with romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, mushrooms, and a vinagrete.

So what sucker punched me is that....this meal would not be possible after VSG. It (in my opinion) was very healthy and relatively calore controlled. I really enjoyed it. It kinda of made me sad that while the VSG will help me control my food intake - it will also prevent me from enjoying meals like this also.

What finally brought me around back to reality is that....while I may have had this meal last night....I had 6 slices of pizza the night before and had fast food 2-3 times during the week. THAT is why I want this surgery.

Sometimes you do need to get rid of some of the good with the bad...in order to reach your goal. There is definitely a STRONG mental part to this and I have utmost respect for you people that make it work. I'm going to get there too!

Just thought I would share.

Just FYI, last night my husband and I went to Cracker Barrel. I had about 3oz of a hamburger steak (it was simply a flattened out hamburger patty covered in A1 steak sauce) 2oz of pinto Beans, and about 1/3cup of hashbrown casserole. It took me over an hour to eat it, and I had a cup of decaf coffee before my meal and few sips in between, OH yeah and I ate 2 of my husband's steak fries.

A few days, ago I went to Chili's, had 2 1/2 of the hamburger sliders with lettuce from my side salad, 1 nacho from my girlfriend's plate, and the inside of 2 southwest eggrolls.

I eat the bagel thins, and I usually make an open face (just 1 slice of the bagel thin) with turkey bacon (2-3 slices) and 2 slices of cheese (1 pepperjack 1 american). Sometimes for sh*ts and giggles, I throw a poached or fried egg on there too.

I'm telling you this because you might not be able to eat the entire meal again, but rest assured, you will be able to eat all of those foods, and while it won't be the entire amount you consumed last night, it'll be a good size, satisfying portion.