I know I've been able to eat some rather large amounts of food in the past...I'll give some examples of things I could put away in one sitting before starting this process:

1) Four bowls of Cereal

2) Cook a pound of bacon and eat the whole thing

3) 3 containers of Pringles

4) 1 pint of Haagen Daz ice cream

5) 12 pieces of fish and chips with a pop and massive tartar sauce (a mean intended at the fish and chip place to feed a family)

6) 3 grilled cheese sandwiches

7) chicken Teriyaki dinner with probably 1 lb of chicken/salad/sauce and 2 cups of rice...

8) One whole cheesecake (not the cheap kind either)

Anyone have any admissions to add

Mine are going to sound weird because I LOVED junk food as much as I LOVE healthy foods. Here are examples of my two extremes:

A really big salad. It consisted of: 3 cup of either romaine or baby salad greens, 6 grape tomatoes cut in half, 1/8 cup dried cranberries, 1/4 cup black bean, 1 hard boiled egg, 1/2 an avocado, 1 tbsp EVOO and either a splash of lemon juice or organic apple cider vinegar and a dash of cayenne powder. I ate this salad or some variation of it nearly every day. I miss salads, but the best I can manage is occasionally making a lettuce wrap. My tummy is ready for all that roughage just yet.

Vegetable Egg Foo Young. A large order was 4 patties. I could eat at least 2 or 3 in one sitting. Often with white rice.

A half pint of Ben & Jerry's, Ciao Bella or Talenti ice cream or sorbet. Especially if it was chocolate.

I don't win often but I think I get the prize of who could eat the most! I'm laughing at the "I ate a whole pint of ice cream." I can't believe I wasn't twice the size, I could eat sheer massive amounts of food. I ate almost 24 hours a day even in my sleep. I woke up once to my hand in the bag of trail mix and chocolate melted on my hand. Pathetic.

My disordered eating went in the opposite direction. I was never a big meal eater. Inconsistent eating might be a better way to describe me. I could nibble all day, or sometimes have a cup of coffee in the morning and not eat again until 8 the evening when I realized I hadn't eaten all day. Then I'd have a bowl of Pasta with some veg and butter or EVOO . That inconsistency was just as dangerous. Not only was I not getting enough nutrients, I wasn't getting the little I did get on any sort of regular schedule. My poor metabolism that was already struggling to work with a defective pituitary and menopausal hormones didn't know what to do. No wonder it held onto every single calorie!

I used to polish off a 20 piece of nuggets by the time I got home from work. Didn't even get a chance to enjoy it,taste it. Just swallowed. I loved Whoppers and 3 big burritos with all the toppings.

I could easily eat any of the following in one sitting:

• 1.5 large pizzas
• a whole chicken
• 2 Bomb burritos (the almost 1lb ones!)
• 4 cups of stir fry, especially General Tso.
• 3 lbs of chicken wings with BBQ sauce
• 2 packages of mac 'n cheese
• Taco bell 7-layer burrito, burrito grande, 2 soft taco, and some chips

Now...4 ounces of whatever I'm having. And I'm actually enjoying the food more now. And I'm looooovin' it!

Edited December 8, 201411 yr by AlwaysVegas

I'm sure we had a similar experience preparing our cupboards, fridges and freezers for post-op, right? Then that moment of panic realizing "how will I ever eat all that?" I used to buy a big bunch of bananas, eat a couple at a time. Now I buy one banana and it takes me three try's to eat IT.

I'm sure we had a similar experience preparing our cupboards, fridges and freezers for post-op, right? Then that moment of panic realizing "how will I ever eat all that?" I used to buy a big bunch of bananas, eat a couple at a time. Now I buy one banana and it takes me three try's to eat IT.

My lettuce and avocados. Once I was cleared to eat whatever I could tolerate I went and bout some. I used to eat 1-1½ head of romaine in a salad. Now I can barely eat half a leaf. I would buy avocados 2 -3 times a week. I ate at least half of one a day. Now they are sitting in my fridge and I'm worried they will soon go bad.

Sadly, I'm not shocked at all. I am actually surprised I don't eat these volumes of food anymore. I've been overeating since childhood. This new way of life is what's surprising to me.

I'm sure we had a similar experience preparing our cupboards, fridges and freezers for post-op, right? Then that moment of panic realizing "how will I ever eat all that?" I used to buy a big bunch of bananas, eat a couple at a time. Now I buy one banana and it takes me three try's to eat IT.

Yeah, I was used to shopping for 6 people, then two of them moved out about the time I had my surgery. I remember the first time I after surgery when I went to costco, I had my hands on the 20 pound bag of potatoes, where each potato was at least a pound. Then I realized those would rot before could even eat 1 or 2 of them. It was really a little shocking to me and probably the first time it dawned on me how shopping needed to change. And then later in Costco, at about a year out, I loved how I could go there for lunch on a Saturday, and be filled up after a few Snacks

So as a new sleever, do you ever get to eat for enjoyment again?

It's a different kind of enjoyment.

Before, I thought my "enjoyment" came from the taste of the food that I ate far too fast to really appreciate because I knew what I was doing to myself was so unhealthy. I tended to be a closet eater, sneaking in food when no one was around because I was ashamed of my habits. I "enjoyed" being stuffed but that was immediately followed by the feeling of immense guilt because I was ALWAYS on a diet, and the latest binge just chalked up another failure on my part. How humiliating it was that I couldn't even control what I was putting in my mouth.

Now I truly ENJOY making great choices that have led to a healthier me. I am no longer consumed by thoughts of food and where I will be buying my next meal. I no longer plan out where I am going to stop for a quick snack nor do I have to think about where I am going to stash the trash so no one knows about all the crap I ate all day.

I enjoy meals with my friends and family because I no longer feel all those eyes on me as either the fat woman who is pigging out with her fat friends or the fat woman who ordered just a salad (as if I was fooling anyone with that one!).

I allowed food to take me to a really unhealthy place in life, physically and mentally and now I am back to a place where I want to be for myself and my family.

So yeah, I enjoy food very much. I enjoy being in control of it instead of it being in control of me.

I can't even read this thread. It's nauseating to imagine.

Yuck!

What was WRONG with us?!?

Oh my gawd, yes.

Half gallon ice cream, large pizza (by my self) and a large bag or Doritos with a couple glasses of milk. ... Makes me sick to think what I did to myself.

Three large plates of buffet food and at least a bite out of All the Desserts. Had to try everything! Id say 4 hours later Id be eating again.

I have also ate an entire large pizza over the course of a few hours in fear that my younger brother would eat it while I was asleep! ???? and he always did if I left it.

Im pre op and can still do that, but since starting the process of getting a sleeve over a year ago, my whole concept of food has changed completely. Hence why I have lost 70lbs so far before my sleeve.

Edited December 8, 201411 yr by Amina

omgoodness. I too binged ate alot but I can't remember exactly what I ate.

And it wasn't like I was taking time to enjoy the food...I called it mindless eating. Now I enjoy food. I had homemade popcorn tonight and it tasted great.