Self-soothing and comfort foods post bariatric surgery.

[LipstickLady 25,682]

When I am stressed/sad/anxious, I clean. I organize drawers, I weed out closets, I purge. I resist starting, but if I'm angry, I tend to throw out a lot more stuff than when I am in a good mood. I love when I am done, I can see results and a decluttered area is very soothing.

I try not to eat for comfort. It's a bad habit that I am afraid would spiral out of control FOR ME.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

food just doesn't hold the same comfort for me that it once did.

This is the biggest thing for me. food is not comforting because the full feeling isn't the same. Plus I still have a huge disconnect between my brain and my stomach. Before surgery I would think about food and get hungry. Now when I think about food, my stomach doesn't care.Tastes can be very mentally satisfying, but even that taste enjoyment which is mental doesn't carry over to anything physical. This makes it easy for me to just have a bite or 2 of something and stop. I know that this disconnect might not always exist so I try to stay aware.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

I'm thinking about how in the past I ate in ways that comforted me -- as many of us used to do. BTW, I didn't do this in times of enormous pain, but more to escape from constant, low-grade pressure, stresses, and anxieties.

The point at which food numbed me was reached only after I'd eaten FAR more food than I can eat today, when I'm 18 months post-WLS.

Back in the day, it probably took at least 1500 calories in a single meal to reach the point of numbness. Usually, the food was takeout or restaurant fare -- burgers, Mexican food, pizza, Pasta, Chinese. Sugar and other carbs were especially efficient in putting me in what some of us might have described as a "food coma."

But today, there's no way I could eat that much in a single meal. 1500 calories is only a few hundred calories less than I can manage in a whole day now.

This is probably why those who suffer from transfer addictions explore other substances or activities to escape their discomforts.

[Cervidae 2,389]

@@VSGAnn2014 perhaps this is because I'm only 6 months out, but I'm fortunate enough that I don't need to binge to feel comforted. That full feeling I get when I eat a quarter cups of black Beans or 2 ounces of chicken is enough to make my brain think "man, we're stuffed! we must have just stuff our face with something!" I wonder how much that will change and how soon. For now, I see it as a huge blessing. Especially considering it wasn't really junk food that was my vice before, it was binge-eating.

[BabyNewYear 31]

Homemade Soups and stews were my favorites.Sugare free puddings. The cream of wheat was helpful,too. I have luckily not had problems with nausea so my biggest issue was just getting that uncomf feeling when I overate.

I do think people are spot on about trying not to focus on the food as much as other outlets to be successful with weight loss. That said, old habits die hard and it may be good to have a few lower calorie favorites to fall back on to make it through. I used to not be so thrilled about Crystal Light but now its my best friend, lol.

[ACV 34]

Weighted blanket? I'm going to look that up too.

[pink dahlia 2,513]

Geeeesh ! Sorry you had such a crappie day ! Not sure if this will help, but since you're a "sensory "person , how about some things that relax/comfort you and aren't food related ? Learn to knit , crochet or sew and make soft squares for knitted baby blankets for a local hospital. . Make washable fleece blankets for the local animal shelter. How about hats for the homeless ? See if a special needs group or daycare needs homemade Playdough, fingerpaints, etc. You get the picture. Volunteer when you can in a place that you happy and comfortable, everybody wins ! Good luck !!

[Dub 9,922]

Hey all.

In 6 days, I will reach my 6-month post-RNY date. So far, while it certainly has been an emotional roller coaster, I haven't really had one of "those days" - you know those days. The ones when you wake up and it seems like one crappy thing after another is happening, and nothing is going right, and everything is falling apart. Well, today, I had one of those days. I won't get into it but suffice it to say I'm worried about my future, I'm frustrated with the physical and mental health monsters that still plague me, and, as a nice little rotten cherry on top of the rancid melted sundae, I got snubbed by a prospective client (I'm a freelance photographer and artist) and I'm generally feeling like the most useless, untalented, and hopeless lump of poop ever.

Well, these days happen. But my question for you all is how do you soothe your emotional aches and pains and anxiety after weight loss surgery? If I'm not willing to go eat something delicious and unhealthy, but I'm in desperate need of comfort, what can I do? What helps you? Are there bariatric-friendly foods that have been successful replacements for comfort foods for you?

Exercise makes me feel incredible, though exhausted (physically) but does very little in the way of making me feel better emotionally. Sex is great, but for various reasons not always readily available. I've realized since starting this journey that I am an extremely sense-oriented person. I'm tactile in the way a lot of little kids are. If it feels good, I'm going to touch it, or do it, or possibly rub it against my face (sorry, kitties). It's certainly a contributing factor to my binge-eating before surgery, I know.

Any help would be very, very much appreciated.

Had one of those days yesterday.

I can only say that my response to the bullcrap that developed was measured and careful......only due to my efforts in the gym earlier in the morning.

I find no comfort anymore from food, gratefully.

I do thrive on physical contact and living in the moment. Problem there is just as you worded it..."for various reasons not always available".

[SweetPeas 117]

I'm preop, but if I'm really out of sorts and upset, eating anything really doesn't appeal to me. My brain is always too jangled to choose anything, I guess. When all my senses need a collective hug, I go for a cup of not tea, maybe with a slice of lemon (I love the scent of lemon, and the scent of a frshly cut lemon always makes me smile). I snuggle into the softest jammies I have and under a blanket and curl up with a good book. I put my cel phone in another room and escape into the pages.

I have also found hot tea to be very comforting. The ritual of hot tea has been great in helping me cut caffeine (coffee) out of my diet, especially since I can sip on it all day at work.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

Hot tea is awesome in the winter when you want something warm.

Bonus points for drinking it black and calorie free.

[Pescador 1,374]

I just started testing hot teas, started with Chai and cinnamon. Added lemon, then a tiny bit of honey. I plan to go through a lot of testing this winter.

[sharkgirl 251]

I'm going through something pretty awful right now -- this week my sweet, dear, kind husband / best friend received a second cancer diagnosis. And it's bad.

I have some good advice for you: Feel your feelings. Feel 'em. Feel 'em all. Be authentic with yourself. You're going to feel them eventually -- one way or another. And if you try not to feel them, you'll be drawn to something that could turn into something even uglier. But you'll still have the feelings you started out with.

Don't judge yourself negatively for feeling grief, anger, frustration, whatever. Sometimes, some days, some years **** happens. And it sucks. And we would be insane not to feel bad.

Of course, I don't think feeling permanently bad is a goal. That's not what I'm advising. Speaking for myself, I just get through the bad feelings faster and move faster to a more comfortable emotional space when I don't try to avoid what's actually happening at the moment.

This actually is a form of mindfulness.

And obviously, meditation helps -- the kind of meditation where you experience what's really happening and don't try to *make* something else happen.

YMMV.

I'm very sorry about your husband's diagnosis.

[her1981 448]

@@Cervidae Have you tried an adult coloring book? I LOVE them!