My pre surgery Friday routine is a trip to Wegman's for lunch. Now, if you don't know about the Wegman's food bar you missed out.... My surgery was scheduled for March 4th but was postponed until March 25th. I was bummed and spiraled out of control for a minute. The food bar consist of just about anything you could want to eat- from pizza, to Soup, to chinese, to suishi, to salads, fried chicken, meatloaf, mac n cheese, been burritos, veggies etc. You get the drift.

Every Friday I go here with co-worker for lunch. I try to make good choices but the chinese food calls my name. Now that My surgery is a about a week away I am worried about my lunch time ritual. What do I do now? This issue hit me today as I prepare for lunch.

I'm not scared of the surgery itself. I know it will be uncomfortable (already had ban and had it removed in November) I'm scared that I won't/haven't dealt with my food issues. How exactly do you deal with them anyway? I'm scared that my bad habits will outweight the tool. I'm scared to fail... again.... I'm scared that I won't have the will power to make good choices especially since I don't think I will have good support at home (when I had my first surgery my husband stopped for fries and cheese steak with me in the car) I'm scared that every social event in my life is usually built around food/alchohol(not scare not to drink as I could care less about alcohol).

So, How do I deal with this fear? How do I get passed it? How do I deal with the urges that I can have just "1 fry" just "1 potatoe chip" just "1 piece of fried chicken/fish" I really need to know how to deal with that. I want to be sucessful.

I know my Friday lunch trip to Wegman's will be a casualty to my new life to be and that saddens me.

Tanya,

If you aren't prepared for the lifestyle change that is required to be sucessful after surgery, then perhaps you aren't ready for the surgery.

It's not easy, I'm 3 weeks post op and though I want food bwcauE I cook for my husband still I know I can't... You just know it's not an option end of story... You risk getting very sick if you do eat things you aren't supposed to

It is a very real fear that many of us have had. I truly believe that there comes a time when you are just "ready" to make the change and will not let anything stand in your way. Your desire to eat will change post op; you most likely will not be hungry, so avoiding those things you shouldn't have isn't always as hard as you think. There is also the very real fear of dumping. That alone has deterred me from eating many things, even though I may crave them. Alot of this is a mind game and you have to ready, and I believe, educated, for this to truly work. Best of luck to you!

If you are still eating those foods a week before surgery it sounds to me like you might not be ready for this surgery yet.

I know that sounds harsh but this surgery is a huge change and those foods will make you so sick if you eat them afterwards. There is dumping syndrome, a chance of stretching your stomach out again.

Apparenty your husband doesn't take this seriously to help you.

If he did he wouldn't buy you foods you shouldn't eat.

I suggest talking to someone like a therapist or surgeon about you're fears and concerns.

Whatever you decide to do good luck and best wishes.

Tell us more of your pre-surgery diet? While I think surgery is still an option for you, your road is going to be harder. I don't believe that life is about never having anything again...but you will have consequences. The surgery will allow the choices to be easier to make but someone bent on going around it.....well then your surgery could be a waste of time. Mentally you will also face some hard times. Good luck to you.

I'm a month out and Wegman's is also one of my problem areas. I shop there on a regular basis so the temptation is real. I've decided not to even go on that side of the store because there is nothing I need. (food bar and bakery). Last week I started cutting threw the produce section to get to the meat department which keeps the temptations out of sight out of mind. I've made simpler changes to avoid fast food temptations and restaurants.

Now, I have a list of my favorite places that I want to hit one last time. Most are checked off the list already. I'm having Outback with my son tomorrow when I take him back to college. I think there is only 1 other sub shop left that I probably won't end up at because it's an hour away and luckily I have no reason to be in that area.

Tanya, your line "I'm scared that my bad habits will outweigh the tool" are very real to a lot of us. I haven't had my surgery yet, but I worry about a lot of the things that you do. I plan on attending a support group in my community and am looking in to some private counseling for at least a year post op. I've had 43 years to develop some pretty bad habits, and honestly some are probably addictions. I would like to think I can do this on my own, but it is worth it to me to spend the extra time and money to seek some professional help to get me started. Have you looked for groups in your area?

Best of luck to you on whatever you decide!.

Surgery went well on Tuesday 3/25/14. So I am 2 days out. Not really hungry but finding I can't drink water. Just doesn't sit well. Having tea is saving me. I'll start making watered down tea so hopefully that will help. I'm still scared of failure. I will be praying every for my health and the power to make the right choices. This just got real!

You must step out on your faith and be determined to change your old bad habits into new ones. For me the fear of dying is so great that I've already changed and have lost 20 lbs since February. I am determined to regain my health and happiness that I may live a long healthy life. I don't know if you are a person of faith who believes in a higher power or not but if you are this is an excellent time to reach out to your fellow parishioners for extra support and encouragement. Faith move mountains, trust me I'm a witness to its sustaining power. God bless you, you can do this!!!

Tanya- congratulations on taking this very big step in regaining your health and your life. I am pre-op so I can't necessarily tell you what others can...I too have a big routine that my hubs and I do every week with eating out and we have together decided that it will come to an end with my surgery. the temptation is just too big and my health is more important to me than food. however, I understand your grief over it! maybe the two of you can start trading off and trying other places or do something different altogether? Lastly, I have heard that post-surgery your taste buds change radically and HOPEFULLY you won't even crave these things anymore! best of luck to you