To the filthy liars who say cravings go away

[KittyChick 140]

So many people insist that certain cravings go away if you abstain from something long enough but I haven't found that to be the case AT ALL and it's getting frustrating.

I have a major sweet tooth. Detoxed during pre-op in January, have stayed away from my vices (sweets & baked goods as well as LASAGNA/pasta) since but the cravings really haven't subsided as much as I've been led to believe.

I keep hoping a week will pass where I'm not fantasizing about cupcakes but no such luck!

I feel like I'm ALWAYS going to be dealing with this psychological obsession. It's a REAL distraction in life! I wish I could get electroconvulsive therapy or have my brain scrubbed to somehow forget the taste of pastries!

Anybody else in this sorry state?

[mickally 95]

Yes! This is so true. I think about sweets and crave them all the time. I wonder if it will ever stop and if I indulge it's 100 times worse. I'm also hungry all the time. I thought all this would stop once I had my sleeve but sadly no. I'm not one of the lucky ones.

[Gr8fulMiniMe 66]

My surgery is this coming Thursday so I cannot say for certain yet. However, I was just on a forum page that spoke about the difference between over-eating and food addiction. I felt already that I will need a support group as I know I have that food addiction. They also have a 12 step overeaters forum going as well. I hope you find something u can substitute those cakes and Cookies with. I am going to do whatever it takes to be successful at this. Good luck my friend!

[Wendydarling19 310]

I'm sorry to say this but I am on a low carb high fat diet and I don't have cravings. I do treat myself to a sugar free ice pop or candy every once in awhile and I do have weeks where I carb up for the week. Maybe thats why on my low carb weeks my cravings go away pretty much completely idk

[Oregondaisy 2,020]

The more carbs I eat, the more I have cravings for sweets. If I am very strict and watch my carb intake carefully, I have no sweet cravings at all.

[moonlitestarbrite 902]

cravings are a mental response to a physical or emotional state... everyone has different triggers. and only some of them come from being hungry. (which is the only thing this surgery is reported to "maybe" control.) mostly cravings come from anxiety, discomfort, tiredness, loneliness, anger, smells, sights, etc.

in order to get past cravings we have to identify our triggers and then plan out ahead of time how we will deal with them. the more we work through them the easier they become to deal with (weaker the response next time), eventually they may go away... but can come any time from any trigger. we have to do the work, the sleeve doesnt magically fix eveything.

cravings dont usually have much to do with being hungry, which is why we all got fat.

[sleeved215 23]

Seems like your surgeon and nutritional team didn't properly prepare you. Your cravings never go away but ur will to stay healthy should over power the cravings. We are all human and make mistakes, just last week I purchased a bag of Cheetos myself lol. I ate about 6 of them and asked myself, is this bag of Cheetos worth sabotaging my weight loss? So as I was driving I rolled down my window on the express way and threw them out the window lol.. I rather have a ticket for littering than have gained the 33lbs I lost since HW on some damn chips!

I had similar struggles but I always catch myself in the act and rectify the situation immediately. So I'm the last person to criticize you but what u will say if you depend on your sleeve solely to do all the work in your weight loss journey you WILL fail. The sleeve don't stop our decision, just the amount we can eat at one time but don't mean we still can't munch all day everyday, little at a time that sh!t adds up so please please please be mindful because I want you to succeed

[Harley59 67]

I am 7 weeks post op and I have been having some cravings. I just dish out my very small portion and have some. I had about 2 tbsp or so of lasagna and loved the taste and then I was done with the craving. I don't know but it helped me. Good luck it's all a challenge:)

[kpay10 95]

For me, I still might have an occasional craving if I'm around the food, however it is now a short-lived and manageable craving. I've cut out sugar and simple carbs for over 3 months now and I'm no longer tempted. Before I was sleeved (4 1/2 weeks ago) if I indulged in my sugar craving I found the taste to be sickeningly sweet. Carbs are another story- I love them, so now I avoid them like the plague.

[MelBooks 76]

I totally feel you on this! I've been playing with some Paleo "treat" recipes that fit in with most post-op diets. My biggest craving is muffins of all stupid things, and I've found some really good recipes that are egg and coconut flour based. I bake them as mini muffins, keep them in the freezer and use them as a very occasional treat. The other great thing is my kids love them too, so I've put them in their lunches!

Also, a small piece of very high quality dark chocolate (70% or higher) is a very nice treat. It is usually fairly low in sugar and if you let it melt slowly in your mouth, it can last a long time.

My NUT says, and I completely agree, planned treats are an important part of a healthy diet. The key is to pre-plan them and portion them out. And by making smart choices about those treats (my coconut flour banana muffins are virtually identical to ones with white flour but much higher in Protein and Fiber and pretty low in carbs), you can have those planned treats more often.

[ColoEmpress 23]

Had a long talk with my Nut on this one. She said if I have a sweet tooth, then the sleeve was NOT the surgery for me. The bypass would be the better choice because of dumping syndrome--if I gave in to the cravings and ate something sweet or fatty it would most likely cause a response I would NEVER forget and take care of the cravings immediately. The sleeve doesn't have the same effect and requires you to be able to overpower those cravings and move past it. Unfortunately that information isn't real helpful since you've already gone through surgery

When the cravings kick in, try taking a walk or going for a bike ride. Some other activity that gets you FAR AWAY from the food. Good luck!

[LindafromFlorida 1,542]

With two diabetics in the house being sleeved, it has to be mind over matter and not tempt my husband with anything with sugar in the house. He has lost 90 lbs and I am finally sleeping soundly at night knowing his blood sugar won't plummet. I have to admit bread was my downfall though. I buy no more, and I do miss it.

[gottagonow 82]

Funny title. I only get cravings when I am out with friends and there are meals of wonderfulness. But my stomach can't go there. This may sound like torture but I can't just sit in the house so I still go out with my Water and company and try to ignore delish smells and enjoy the atmosphere and company.

Plus, like I said before, I can't get that stuff down. My friends don't know and none have asked what's up. We are not going to brunch or dinner or anything obvious so I guess they just figure I already ate.

And I feel good living my life.

[LivingFree! 478]

Yep, it is true. WE are the ones who have to learn to CONTROL our cravings. The purpose of the sleever or any other WLS has never been to make cravings go away. It's really sad if some medical professionals are telling patients that they won't have to worry about cravings any more and can eat whatever they want and not worry about weight gain anymore because nothing could be further from the truth.

The truth is that the sleeve works really well, but WE are the ones that have to make the sleeve work.

It is also very true that the more processed, starchy carbs we consume (bread, Pasta, tortillas, chips, fries, Cookies, cake,candy, etc, etc etc), the more our bodies crave them and want more and more. If we eliminate those foods from our diets and replace them with lean Proteins and fresh fruits and veggies, our bodies quit craving carbs with that obsessive force. Sorry this isn't what you want to hear, but it really is science, and not "filthy liars" (LOL) saying this. Experiment with it. I didn't believe it either at first. I was the queen of junk food. I eat sooo clean now compared to how I used to be. And what is so cool is that I don't miss the junk. It feels good to put healthy food in my body that nourishes me.

If you are interested in trying to learn how to get some control over cravings a good place to start is to google "mindful eating."

Good luck. You can change this. We always have choices. Even if it seem like we don't--WE DO!

[KMP85 11]

I have to say the cravings aren't there for me. But that is just me