The things people eat!

[BarnGirlWK 98]

I don't feel like Nikki was being "judgy" at all. Not her questions, not the topic heading, not the observations. I'd be scared to embark on a drastic weight loss method, too, if I saw that others who had been down that road are still consuming foods and quantities of food that I understood they would not be able to. Fair questions, comments, and topic, in my opinion.

Ummmmm, wow! I am amazed that anyone is physically able to eat what Nikki saw them eating. I'm about five months out from my VSG surgery and feel restricted all the time. I do 'lose my lunch' from time to time and am trying to pay more attention as to whether it is due to WHAT I ate, HOW MUCH I ate, or HOW FAST I ate it. Even this week I had to excuse myself from the table . . .

I agree with the posters who have said that there are some things that I can no longer eat. Flour products (bread, Pasta, noodles of any sort) make me feel yucky. I don't always lose my lunch when I eat them, but when I eat them, I don't feel good. So, I find I don't eat them. Then, I may try them again later in the process. Beef makes me feel yucky, gurgly, etc. Beef is hard to digest. Lettuce goes straight through me. I'm not sure why. But I have to say I tolerate cooked vegetables much much much better than raw ones. It's a shame, actually, because I do love raw vegetables. So, I keep trying. Carrots are good. Cucumbers are. Lettuce, totally not. Celery, I still limit, though the fibres and strings should not affect my sleeve at this stage of my process.

And, honestly, each one of us is different. we will physically tolerate things that others are unable to tolerate. We will CHOOSE not to revert back to eating things that we feel out of control eating. We will CHOOSE whether or not to eat that item that isn't on the 'acceptable list'. And once we choose, we will move on from there.

I honestly feel best when I eat fish or chicken and cooked vegetables. I do tolerate whole grain saltine crackers and choose them from time to time. I currently avoid products made with flour. Even rice flour. Even rice. Quinoa has been well tolerated the few times I chose it.

I wish I would feel yucky when I choose a Jelly Belly or a Skittle. If anyone has advise on that one, I'm open to it. Wait, I already know this: do not have Jelly Bellys or Skittles in your environment and you will not choose them. Gotcha!

If only it was that easy.

[Folly 308]

Yes I understand what everyone is saying. like I said I do not know how I will be, I guess I'm just praying that I don't want to eat bad. I love junk food, it's my enemy, I don't judge anyone I guess I'm just kinda surprised that they or anyone can stomach that food after surgery, I guess they can, huh. Well yes I will probably eat bad at times because God and I both know I'm not perfect! I just really pray that I don't fall back into these bad eating habits that I have had! Please don't get me wrong I know every one of us is in this same boat and I pray for all of us to do good and make the right choices.

I've been on all sides of that. I've been waiting for my surgery watching others who already had theirs filling up on junk. I had great success initially and some months of stagnation, followed by old habits beginning to resurface. It turned out, for me, not to be about diet, exercise and food choices. I absolutely had to stop fixating on food and weight and start working on the emotional and psycological issues that took me to a place where I was willing to do that to myself. I can only speak for myself here but once my approach shifted to the deeper issues the weight/food/exercise thing sort of worked itself out with a lot less stress and worry on my part. I have to be mindful of what I put in my mouth but it just isn't such a big deal these days.

Anyone else having a similar experience?

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

I've been on all sides of that. I've been waiting for my surgery watching others who already had theirs filling up on junk. I had great success initially and some months of stagnation, followed by old habits beginning to resurface. It turned out, for me, not to be about diet, exercise and food choices. I absolutely had to stop fixating on food and weight and start working on the emotional and psycological issues that took me to a place where I was willing to do that to myself. I can only speak for myself here but once my approach shifted to the deeper issues the weight/food/exercise thing sort of worked itself out with a lot less stress and worry on my part. I have to be mindful of what I put in my mouth but it just isn't such a big deal these days.

Anyone else having a similar experience?

@@Folly ...

Your post struck a chord with me. I've been seeing a shrink since two months prior to VSG surgery, which has been a great help to me. However, I'm only 5 months post-op. I still have so much to experience and learn as a VSG patient. The further out I get post-op, the more humble I get about all this stuff.

Recent threads here about the challenges of maintenance -- two, three, four years post-op -- make me realize that the greatly reduced hunger I'm experiencing now is likely not going to be permanent. Vets' comments also reveal that metabolic changes (not in our favor) are likely also in my future. Their comments confirm that it's so much easier to lose weight during the post-op honeymoon period (however long one defines that period) than several years later.

In addition to the sleeve, I'm now using very well my other tools -- tracking, meal planning, accountability, exercise, etc. But at five months post-op, I'm not yet bored or tired of using these tools. The positive reinforcement and excitement of watching the dropping scales, my visibly changing size and profile and my still-improving fitness level is sufficient motivation for me to use all these tools well.

But I can see the challenges that will come later with *sameness* -- the same weight, the same size, the same clothes, fewer (and then no) compliments, the same fitness ability -- will reduce my enthusiasm for this new lifestyle. There will also be predictable setbacks from life's usual trials, e.g., exercise injuries, illness, family issues, work challenges.

If I imagined I would retain all these WLS honeymoon period advantages forever, I'd be pitifully naive. It's becoming clearer that the real test of my ability to have long-term WLS success will be (1) how well and how consistently I can use all my tools when the s**t is hitting the fan in real life and (2) whether I can keep finding new motivations, goals and rewards to fuel my enthusiasm for using these tools.

[Folly 308]

For me it seems the major challenge thus far has been in addressng the issues that made chronic morbid obesity an acceptable life choice.

*sign*

[BarnGirlWK 98]

@@Folly, I have often said that the trouble with weight loss methods is not that they help lose weight and sometimes help you keep it off, but that not a single one of them seems to address:

- why am I heavy in the first place?

- what triggered in me to let food/candy be the thing that comforted me?

- once I lose the weight, how can I be sure that the weight won't come back unless I address those things that got me here?

- why am I treating only the results of my emotional/psychological issue(s) and not the emotional/psychological issue(s) itself?

There is a reason or reasons I am here, heavy, miserable, in need of a change. What is/are the reason(s) and how do I get off this ride?

[Folly 308]

@@Folly, I have often said that the trouble with weight loss methods is not that they help lose weight and sometimes help you keep it off, but that not a single one of them seems to address:

- why am I heavy in the first place?

- what triggered in me to let food/candy be the thing that comforted me?

- once I lose the weight, how can I be sure that the weight won't come back unless I address those things that got me here?

- why am I treating only the results of my emotional/psychological issue(s) and not the emotional/psychological issue(s) itsel

There is a reason or reasons I am here, heavy, miserable, in need of a change. What is/are the reason(s) and how do I get off this ride?

I truly believe it is the resolution of those issues more than anything else that will determine long-term successful, healthy living.

[Hetera 44]

Change is hard. Healthy food prep is a HUGE commitment of time, energy and money. If you are used to eating fast food, if that's part of your scene, it will be challenging to drop that habit/mindset. All diet/reduction plans, including WLS, are only as successful as the strength of your commitment to which ever one you choose.

[NewBeginning2015 46]

@@Nikkidoodlebug, It seemed that you were expressing surprise in your original post, and I feel that too. I am 3.5 weeks post sleeve. My sister is about 4 years out from RNY. She lost 150 lbs, and in the last year has put back on more than half of that. Over the months I have watched her eating things like ice cream with fruit and whip cream on top, pie, Cookies, high fat & carb meals, etc. She "beats the surgery" by eating slowly but continuously. Eg will eat steadily through out a movie, or keeps a plate and continues eating long after dinner is over. She runs to the bathroom to "dump" and then comes back for more.

It breaks my heart to observe because I know how hard it was for her to lose that initial weight, and how drastically the weight loss improved her health and confidence. It also scares me to observe it, because I know "that could be me". I make myself available if she wants to talk, but so far she hasn't wanted to, so don't know why she's making these choices now.

My surgeon told me that about 20% of people with WLS regain back to an obese level. So, I take my sister as a cautionary example to remind me that the surgery is not the final solution but rather a tool that I need to use effectively. And, I look for other examples of success -- there are many on this board which is encouraging. I try to learn from them, but it is clear that everyone's route to success is different, so I need to work out what will be successful for me. The odds are still much, much better than any other weight loss method I have seen.

You are smart to be considering such questions now, before surgery. Keep observing and contemplating and learning. Be sure to somehow record or retain these lessons so that you can draw upon them after surgery. That's your own personal plan for success. Good luck, and keep us posted on your journey!

[jess9395 5,448]

I had three Oreos this morning for breakfast! After I ran an 8 mile trail race w a 1400' elevation rise and placed second in my age group. Oh yeah, had w few potato chips and some Peanut Butter pretzels too.

I've lost over half my initial body weight weigh 135 wear a size 4 and have 17.5% body fat. I love being "skinny" because people no longer judge what I eat!

[Nikkidoodlebug 120]

@@NewBeginning2015 your post is why I said what I said! It's a concern of mine and I will take your advice and run with it. I will start my new life's journey learning from other people,and bending and turning it all to work for me. I know that I will probably have one of those bad days, I'm not perfect but I will try! Thank you for the advice and I will keep you posted. I can't wait!!

[carolvalen 24]

I'm over a month out and I don't eat healthy 100% Of the time. To tell you the truth it's kinda expensive. I'm a snacker. Good thing it's only a bite or 2 of unhealthy. It's really hard. Lots and lots of exercise. In fact I'm so sore today. Lol

[gal friday 176]

I have a friend who had a band (like me) and it failed (like mine). So she transitioned to a sleeve (like me) and she lost a lot of weight, but then she got pregnant, ate whatever she wanted, gained more weight than she lost on the sleeve and then gained back the weight she lost on the band. She transitioned to a DS about a month before my sleeve surgery. For months, she pressured me to get the DS. Because she is long distance, I couldn't see what she was eating, so I had no way of knowing if this was a true failure of her surgeries. So because 8 years with a failed band made me paranoid that I was the failure, not the band really took a toll, I just started thinking the sleeve would fail, and that I really needed a DS (even though my BMI was 36.1). When I brought it up to my NP at a pre-op visit, she demanded to see the texts from my friend. With her experience, she was able to tell right away what was going on. "This is behavioral. Your friend has a lot of excuses, I can't believe her surgeon is doing a third surgery. Look at all of the excuses she has for her weight gain! I've known you for almost 10 years, and you don't do this. You are honest about your failings."

My NP was right, my friend had excuse after excuse. When I feel tempted to eat a cookie, or ice cream, I pull out my phone and read her texts. I do eat junk food sometimes (I had half an Oreo last night), but the threat of a DS is enough to keep me from doing something stupid over and over and over until it becomes a pattern.

[carolvalen 24]

@ lipsticklady mostly me. Just sayn not anyone on here. I've really made so messed up decisions and I understand exactly how hard it is to get of track and eat unhealthy. And how much I pay for it.. sorry if it came of offensive

[LipstickLady 25,682]

@ lipsticklady mostly me. Just sayn not anyone on here. I've really made so messed up decisions and I understand exactly how hard it is to get of track and eat unhealthy. And how much I pay for it.. sorry if it came of offensive

Huh? Missed it.

[carolvalen 24]

Lol. I'm going crazy.. sorry. I thought I seen something stupid I posted not realizing it sounded bad. I'm sorry again. Most of the stuff I post is from my own experience and my sleeve. I'm kinda new at this. ????