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?

Yeah I kinda resent the filthy liars comment. My obsessive cravings are gone. Once in a while an "oh that looks good" but no real cravings.

I love the title. You obviously have a good sense of humor.

I will be sleeved in a month and I've given up the idea that it's going to make life perfect.

I know it's just a tool. Like a hammer needs my energy to swing it. I'm going to make it work. We got this!

Sorry you are having such a hard time, and I can't imagine who told you this surgery would control your cravings. The surgery was on our stomachs, not our brains. All I was ever told or read about was that this was a "tool" only and that all the mental stuff was still up to us. I knew this would be a head game for the rest of my life. Like lilprincess said, WE have to CHOOSE to control our cravings. I get still hungry and have to eat every 3-4. I just choose to eat Protein or healthy Snacks. But I also don't completely deny myself a non nutritional treat if I want it. I've had wine, Desserts, ice cream and just yesterday a street taco, tortilla and all. I just had to find what works for me and so do you. Success requires commitment to a lifestyle change, this isn't a magic bullet.

The book "The emotional first aid Kit - a practical guide to life after bariatric surgery" by Cynthia Alexander was very helpful in helping me know what to expect and how to deal with the emotional and mental aspect of VSG. Good luck.

The book "The emotional first aid Kit - a practical guide to life after bariatric surgery" by Cynthia Alexander was very helpful in helping me know what to expect and how to deal with the emotional and mental aspect of VSG. Good luck.

Kindle--

I wish EVERYONE who struggles with emotional eating (duh--mostly all of us!) would read "The Emotional First Aid Kit" by Alexander as you mentioned above. It is by far, the best reference book I have. She writes in very simple "tells it like it is" language, and covers pre-op thru maintenance. She talks about the mental health needs that bari patients don't even know they will encounter. For whatever reason, it seems that many bariatric programs don't seem to get around to paying that much attention to the mental health aspects of WLS. At three years post-op, I still refer to it for guidance and inspiration. Thanks again for recommending this great book to our fellow sleevers.

For the most part my cravings are gone. It's all in my head and due to the situation I'm in... The first 6-7 months I tried to abstain from any and all of my trigger foods and I didn't have any cravings, until I was looking at it at a lunch/dinner, party, etc. Now I might have a bite or two of something I'm craving and I'm satisfied. That was NOT the case ever before surgery... Also I have found that some things I loved and craved prior to surgery, just don't taste good any more, like Reese's Peanut Butter cup. My fiancé had one and I took a bite... It just was not good to me anymore :-)

Everyone is different. How we react to cravings, hunger, food situations is going to be different for everyone. Some people are very lucky with no hunger of cravings. Some people are somewhere in between...

I'm glad some were able to take the "filthy liars" comment jokingly/sarcastically as I intended it.

I'm just annoyed at people insisting that because something worked for them, it will absolutely work for you also. Everyone's different! I'm tired of the "one size fits all" proselytizing. It can make you feel VERY inadequate when that "one size" doesn't fit you.

I didn't have surgery with the expectation it would diminish cravings. It's the healthy eating I've been told time and time again, that I hoped would diminish them. Sadly, that hasn't worked for me and thus, here I am posting about what a tough mental struggle this is. If you are lucky enough to not have cravings just from eating healthfully, yay you!

I just want others who are experiencing this to know they aren't alone. I eat healthfully and work out HARD with cardio & weights almost EVERY DAY and my cravings haven't budged in the five months I've been on this journey.

Edited June 1, 201412 yr by KittyChick

Amen this is soooooooooooo true........I must be the exception still have the same cravings like before

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?

Kittychick, so have you tried eating what you are craving? I know some people have true physiological sugar and carb addictions so eating just a little will cause you to crave it even more. If this is you, I wouldn't recommend going there. Fortunately, this doesn't happen to me, so I can indulge in treats when I crave them. Like snowchick, a couple bites satisfy my craving and I move on. And this only happens 2-3 times/month. The rest of the time I'm totally on plan. So I guess if it doesn't sabotage you, I say indulge in a cupcake. I had 1/2 cupcake with buttercream frosting tonight at a birthday party and was thinking of you... Knew you would have enjoyed the other half.

I love the title. You are my inspiration for all future titles lol.

When I crave sweets, I force myself to start thinking about fruit, and about 5 or 10 mins later I am craving fruit instead of chocolate. I had to learn to do this since i am diabetic. It works for me though.

I remember reading "A carbohydrate addicts diet" years back. It made a lot of sense. You might want to get it and read it. I am not completely endorsing it since it has been awhile since I read it but might be worth a shot.

Also here is a recipe: Unsweetened Almond milk, Hersheys chocolate sugar free syrup, splenda. It tastes JUST LIKE regular chocolate milk with like 2 carbs and 30 calories for a big glass.

Edited June 1, 201412 yr by Travelmego

Important topic, and I'm a filthy liar! (Wink!). I've indulged in all sorts of crap since being sleeved, but I do realize that there are significant psychological and nutritional factors that make each person's journey different. I'm six months out and remain very much in the learning phase with my new tool! Here are some of the tips that I need to stay on track:

1. I write down what I eat as well as calorie content.

2. I drink Protein on waking, as an afternoon snack and before bed, for a total of 340 calories per day.

3. I eat 40-50 calories worth of dark chocolate after lunch, or as a snack.

4. I only eat fruit once per day, and always with Greek yogurt, and limit to 2-3 oz fruit. I don't eat bananas.

5. My meals are tasty, because I feel deprived with boring food. They are half protein, half veggies. Rarely cheese, it just slows me down. Beans are great!

6. No white stuff. I don't even bother with brown rice, but may add it back when I reach goal.

7. Sometimes I have to look away from store shelves or advertisements for food. I also have to mute the TV during commercials.

8. I get my fluids! Sometimes my fluids include a Light sugar free decaf Starbucks caramel frappucino, and that is the biggest treat ever! But it only puts me back 100 calories. Awesome!

9. I started working out before surgery, and I will not stop. I can see my biceps, and that makes me proud and happy regardless of whether I continue to wear half sleeves to cover the bat wings.

10. I keep healthy Snacks available always, especially for my car ride home from work when the siren song of the beautiful cheese croissants from the super market next door used to seduce me so regularly. Even while grocery shopping I have to walk around the bakery area.

11. 50 ways to So I the Yourself Without Food is a wonderful book on mindful eating. Its heavy stuff, but its real. It takes effort to do something as big as overcoming a food addiction. But it can be done.

You get the idea. These are MY ways of dealing with my imperfect mind. But they do help. May you find your path to success and a more peaceful mind, too!

Thank you for the recommendation - I just downloaded the Kindle version.

I was never one to crave sweets, but salty, crunchy starchy junk was my go-to. I have found that if I avoid it, I do a lot better. Or I allow myself a 60 calorie bag of "Pirates Booty" at my kid's Little League Snack Shack, and that satisfies my need. (If I bought a giant bag, it would be gone in 2 seconds.) It is an addiction, and I have to be very mindful of its effects on me. Overall, I abstain.

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!

@@ColoEmpress

I guess we are all different I cant eat sweets or fried foods!! I will have severe dumping abt an hr later after eating them sweating, sever cramps, heart beating fast and runs!! I dont crave foods but i sometime see people eating things I love and want a BITE, sometimes i take a bite and sometimes I just go get me something to drink and ignore it!! Goodluck on everyones journey, its a struggle

Kittychick, so have you tried eating what you are craving? I know some people have true physiological sugar and carb addictions so eating just a little will cause you to crave it even more. If this is you, I wouldn't recommend going there. Fortunately, this doesn't happen to me, so I can indulge in treats when I crave them. Like snowchick, a couple bites satisfy my craving and I move on. And this only happens 2-3 times/month. The rest of the time I'm totally on plan. So I guess if it doesn't sabotage you, I say indulge in a cupcake. I had 1/2 cupcake with buttercream frosting tonight at a birthday party and was thinking of you... Knew you would have enjoyed the other half.

@@Kindle - This has been suggested to me before and I've just been too afraid....feels like a "slippery slope". But the other part of me wants to see if I can take away it's power and prevail. Eat half the damn cupcake and MOVE ON.

I've made great health changes and I practically LIVE at the gym....I feel like maybe it's time to test my mettle!?

Edited June 2, 201412 yr by KittyChick

And to those others who lose their hunger either for good or for a long period: Those of us who never lost it HATE YA'LL. It's what I hate the most. The fact that I'm still hungry - most of the time, since I can eat very litte, I'm hungry more often. And for those of u who have lost it and say "It's just stomach acid. Take a PPI". Not only am I already taking a PPI 2x a day, I KNOW the difference between hunger and stomach acid. I'm 46 yrs old. I know the difference - and it's truly hunger.

And yes, I still get cravings. Mostly for Mexican food about once a month. Luv the saucy, spicy, cheesy goodness. A few bites will do it for me now tho...