Quite a few questions and scared sh*tless of changing my life. Stupid, huh?

[Indy _Mike 3]

I'm going to do research--I have already before I found this site. However, if someone feel so inclined and has some answers, I would be grateful.

1. Has anyone used Med To Go for Mexico services?

2. How will smoking affect things presurgery, as well as post surgery?

3. I have had compulsive overeating issues years ago. I rarely fall prey to it these days, maybe twice in the same year. Has anyone else dealt with this? If so, how did it affect you? I plan to attend behavioral therapy for at least a year after the surgery.

4. Has anyone ever felt depressed about the fact that you can NEVER pig out again, like not even once. I know I should be happy about this, but maybe at Thanksgiving one year, I'll really miss that part of the tradition. Maybe at a really nice Breakfast buffet, I'll feel sad because I just can't eat anymore, but the omelette really looks good.

5. Does benefit come more from the type of food that one eats or the amount of food that one eats? In other words, if someone eats McDonald's exclusively every day of their life, and their normal diet consists of two Big Macs and a large fries, and for whatever reason in my little make believe example, they still ate every meal at McDonald's, but ate a half a cheeseburger and 10 french fries, would the surgery be effective? (And yes, I of course know that it would not have the same benefit as eating five green Beans and a small piece of baked pork.)

6. How does alcohol consumption change after someone is fully recovered? In other words, on a given day, can I get drunk? (I drink rarely, but enjoy getting completely hammered two or three times per year, given the right circumstances.)

7. I've heard that post surgery, many people actually lose some of the desire to eat badly. I'm wondering if this is true and if so, how prevalent.

As you may pick up from my questions, I am going to (or at least I wonder) miss certain behaviors regarding food. They've been my go to choices. They've been my friends for 40 years. They've been my security blanket. More than anything else, my relationship with food and weight has negatively altered my life for decades now. Despite that, it's scary. . .real scary. My obsession with weight and food is constant. I'm sure some of you will "get" that. It seems to me that having to monitor intake could make it even more constant.

I'm 48, 275, 5-10. Starting to have knee problems, higher blood pressure, borderline diabetes, bad back, etc, etc.

[McButterpants 2,846]

Hi there.

Lots of people have gone to Mexico for their surgery. I traveled to Las Vegas for mine. There are lots of good surgeons out there. Do your research, look at their history, get references and talk to past patients.

Can't answer the smoking question.

Overeating issues - I downplayed my emotional eating issues prior to surgery. I had to address those issues while recovering from surgery and changing my lifestyle. I wish I had addressed my eating issues prior to surgery.

There are times where I feel like eating more or want more - there's an underlying issue here. IF I do overeat, I'm in pain, serious pain. There are times where I wish I could pig out, but those are few and far between. food simply does not have the same hold on me it did prior to surgery. I can go to a buffet full of food and make smart decisions now - rather than pig out, I look things over and decide how I'm going to spend my few precious bites.

Does benefit come more from the type of food that one eats or the amount of food that one eats? My answer is both. I can't eat an entire baguette of break slathered in butter any more. Can I have a piece? Yes, however, it doesn't make me feel good. Good quality food makes me feel good. Refined foods don't make me feel good. So, I don't eat a lot of bread or Pasta - those were staples of my diet before surgery. I will eat sweets on occasion, however, if I eat too much, my body doesn't like it.

Drinking - I can't drink like I used to. I have a drink now and I feel buzzed. I haven't tried two drinks, but I assume that would be my limit. I do OK with wine, but again, it's one drink and I can feel the effects.

Desire to eat was reduced for me. As I said before, food just isn't that important to me any more. My husband will ask me where I want to go out to eat and I really mean it when I say, "I really don't care where we go." I enjoy food, I think I just have a healthier relationship with it now. I really try to think of food as fuel and how it's going to make me feel after I eat it.

I hope this helps!

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

My surgeon will not perform the surgery for anyone who is not smoke free before surgery and committed to staying smoke free post-op.

[shellyd88 463]

Hi there I'm in western ny my surgeon won't operate if u smoke they test u for nicotine so the food thing u talk about if your plan is to eat mcdonalds as a habit don't have surgery your not ready it's not true that u can't eat again for a while u won't eat much and certain things will fill u up faster bread rice Pasta potatoes u will be extremely uncomfortable if u overfill the stomach read the the guidelines they give you carefully follow the dr instructions excercise when u can eat from the allowed list if u eat high fat high calorie high sugar foods it will impact your weight loss and may make u feel unwell as for drinking I'm not a drinker never liked alcohol my surgeon says lay off for six months no carbonation such as soda beer not an issue for me as I don't care lol but I've seen ppl here say they have a couple drinks here and there after the appropriate recovery time some say it affects them more then before speaking for myself some things that are not good for me just don't taste as good anymore and since I couldn't finish anything isn't worth me buying it and throwing most of it away( unless my dog manages to whine cute enough that I give to him) besides I don't want to work as hard as I have to keep the same old habits that got me here I'm six months post op sleeve I've lost 170 lbs since mid sept last year 60 lbs pre op and the rest since my surgery at end of February this year you must decide to eat right most of the time if this tool will work it's just a tool not a miracle best wishes to you

[Sharon1964 2,530]

Overall, your questions lead me to think that you want the surgery but don't want to, or aren't willing to, give up your vices. I would find a good therapist to delve into these issues.

[Newman19 44]

Before surgery, I would have told you that I just liked the "taste" of food and that's why I was overweight. I am 4.5 months out and I can tell you that was only half of the story. I also liked the quantity of food that I ate. Once I was back on regular food at 6 weeks, I was excited to be able to go out to eat again. After a couple of times going out, I found myself saying "oh what the hell. I might as well not eat at all because I can only handle a couple of bites anyways." Now if I really only liked the "taste" of food, then eating out would have still been enjoyable. What I really missed was being able to sit around with friends for an hour and gorge on food. I never realized that until after the surgery which seems so dang obvious now. I have now gotten used to only being able to eat a little bit and it's not a problem for me anymore. I can enjoy going out to eat and not feel bummed out about it. The head game after surgery was much harder than the physical part of it. I went to a wedding a couple of weekends ago and they had an amazing chef cater the food. He did about 15 different appetizer type dishes and I was bummed that I could only have one bite of about 5-6 of them. What I wasn't bummed about was being 50 pounds lighter and not hiding when everyone pulled their cameras out. It is absolutely worth it but it IS an adjustment for sure. I feel better because I am eating food that is good for me and also because I am a couple of sizes smaller now. As for alcohol, I can take about 2 sips of beer and it makes me feel way too full. I can drink a small amount of wine but too much makes me feel sick. I think it's the sugar. Also, if I finish an entire glass of wine, I am seriously blitzed. It doesn't last long but I am a super cheap date now. Hopefully that answers some of your questions. Best of luck to you.

[Daisee68 2,493]

Start therapy now. Do not wait until post-op. You will be too far behind at that point. And no smoking. I also had a nicotine test pre-op.

[Boogirl6 17]

I've heard that most doctors will not perform the surgery if you have been smoking. My surgeon requires no smoking at least two weeks prior to surgery. This is going to be REALLY hard for me! I'm thinking about starting Chantix. Any other suggestions? I'm not really worried about not being able to pig out anymore. I think the biggest thing I will miss is not being able to chug icy cold Water on a hot day. That is something that is so satisfying to me! But I guess I have to be willing to give these things up to start my new life. I would love to make some new friends on here, pre and post op!

[Indy _Mike 3]

Thank you all for your insights. They psychology of all this is sometimes not addressed as much as the physiology. I think the former is, for me at least, even more of an issue than the latter. I'm afraid to give up my crutch, my go to answer for everything for the past 40 years, my friend. Perhaps not give up as much as place major limitations on. It's scary.

Chantix is amazing! I used to to stop about four or five years ago and was successful for a year. By the time you are ready to stop, the taste of the cigarette will be awful. Negative reinforcement at its best.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

In addition to seeing a therapist, you might also want to explore something like Overreater' Anonymous. The OA.org website has meeting scheduled as well as literature and podcasts.

I truly believe you can be successful after WLS if you are open to using every resource available to you.

[Daisee68 2,493]

@@Indy _Mike - Honestly I think you are further ahead of the game than many that enter into this surgery blind and frankly in denial of their escape to food. I will tell you that I wasn't willing to admit I was a food addict in the beginning at all. I had thyroid problems, I just needed a little help to lose and then I would be fine, blah blah blah. Thank goodness for my therapist! (Sorry I know I said that before.) But seriously, I had no intention of really seeing the therapist as much as I have especially once she wanted me to admit I was a food addict. How dare she! But man am I glad I didn't give up. She tells me all the time exactly what you are saying - food has been my best friend for over 40 years. ​ Since you already recognize these issues, you are headed in the right direction. Find a good therapist that works with Bariatric patients. They will help you work through some of these issues. When I started, "hey even if I don't go through the surgery, surely this can't hurt". I tried to quit several times but didn't and so glad I didn't!

[tssiemer 85]

I haven't even had my consultation yet but I can tell you every social occasion I have friends and family other than my husband is centered around food. If I do not participate in this behavior I fear my social life, or what remains of it will suffer drastically. That's my only problem I've seen so far. I never get the urge to pig out and gorge myself but I will miss food. I will miss the way it makes me feel but this is sooo worth it for my back injury.

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Edited August 22, 2015 by tssiemer