Will WLS work if the problem isn't overeating?

[Wolfgirl78 266]

Well I've been tracking my foods and I struggle to eat enough calories in a day. Even my thin husband comments on how little I eat. So it really isn't Portion Control I have a hard time with, just the choices. I know that after putting in all this work and pain to have surgery I'm not going to want to sabotage it so I think it'll help me make the better choices for what I need to eat. I just needed to hear from someone else that this really will help.

I'm not trying to be a meanie pants, but are weighing your food on a scale? Even pre packaged foods (because those labels are off 99% of the time) or are you just eyeballing your portions. The only reason I bring this up is because it can be eye opening what a portion really is as compared to what I thought a portion size was.

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[needtorecover 574]

I, too, went on a bender after I moved out of my family's house! No kids' cereals, EVER, so I stocked my pantry with Count Chocula and Cookie Crisp. Along with spaghettios, corn dogs, frozen pizzas, and all kinds of other goodies my parents didn't keep in the house. This is why I am fat.

One of my chief goals as a mom is to ensure my son never, EVER experiences the same food issues I had. Growing up with a mom who was always "on a diet" set a very bad precedent for me.

ANYway... for me, the lap band works great because I definitely have Portion Control issues. My diet is generally good, just voluminous. I'd fill a whole dinner plate to near overflowing with equal parts veggies/starch/meat and eat every last bite. Plus dessert, of course.

Now I eat off a salad plate and eat my Protein first, then veggies, and if there's any room left a bite or two of starch. I cannot get through all my veggies most of the time. Then I stay full for a long time. If I eat too fast, it's painful. If I eat chewy breads, rice, or anything doughy, it's painful. That limits my carb options at dinner.< /p>

I could easily eat around the band, though, as others said. Ice cream goes down nice and easy. So does mashed potatoes, fattening gravies, cake and Cookies (especially with milk)... These foods are easier to avoid when you're full, and the way to get full is on Protein and vegetables. This is why WLS is much more successful than dieting alone. Yes, there's still plenty of work to do and I must be vigilant and aware of what I'm eating. But the painful hunger, the nagging cravings, the dissatisfaction of eating less, that's all much more manageable with an altered stomach.

[nyseness 76]

Well I've been tracking my foods and I struggle to eat enough calories in a day. Even my thin husband comments on how little I eat. So it really isn't Portion Control I have a hard time with, just the choices. I know that after putting in all this work and pain to have surgery I'm not going to want to sabotage it so I think it'll help me make the better choices for what I need to eat. I just needed to hear from someone else that this really will help.

WitchySar,

I have a similar problem. I never had an over-eating issue but I definite made poor choices. I skipped meals ALL the time to the point I have to actually think pretty hard if I ate something that day and if not I would grab a snicker and keep it moving. Especially on the weekends. That is all I was have for the entire day, my family brings it up all the time when I mention the WLS. They're worried about malnutrition. I tend to snack a lot....I love snickers and lays potato chips. Deciding between RNY and VSG was a hard decision for me, but I ultimately choose RNY due to my sweet tooth. A co-worker had the sleeve 2 years ago and she eats really bad, yes she works out but she Snacks on junk all day. After watching her I said the sleeve wouldn't work for me. Portion control was never an issue for me

Since this whole journey I have learned to eat 3 meals a day and cut down on the snacking. I even lost weight b/c I had a very low metabolism. Plus I started walking an hour a day. You have to find out what's right for you.

[Renkoss 420]

I'm really glad that I read through this whole thread. Time to be honest; I've already sabotaged my RNY by eating Cheez-It's and Crackers. I was surprised how many i could eat without feeling sick or getting sick. I've already resolved to the fact that I just cannot even bring that stuff in the house. So, reading through all this proves that you cannot change those bad habits out of your brain with surgery; that has to come from yourself. The surgery limits what you can put in your stomach, but it doesn't stop the type of food you can put in there.

Tomorrow I resolve to change my mindset. I didn't do this for nothing. The main reason was my health due to my diabetes. That has gotten so much better, but that doesn't mean I can become non-compliant now. I don't want the horrible high blood sugars to come back, and they certainly will if I continue to eat carbs like crackers and such.

Thanks for opening my eyes everyone who has posted on this thread. I think I needed a good swift kick in the a$$ and you all have given it to me.

[Kindle 8,667]

Ok, this is probably going to piss off a lot of people, but I seriously don't understand why you would put yourself through a surgery to mutilate a perfectly healthy organ if that organ isn't the problem. In my case, it was the problem....way too much food, both good and bad and way too many calories. But in your case, why have surgery that simply induces Portion Control when you claim portion control isn't the problem? Because that's ALL surgery does, you know.

According to you its your conscious choices of what you eat that are causing your obesity, not your calories or portions. Seriously, surgery is not going to fix any of that. It's like saying I am getting bad grades in school because I'm out partying every night and skipping class to go shopping. So I'll have my legs amputated so I will have to stay home and study and I will appreciate and rely on my intellect more.

If portion control is not the problem, you don't need a surgeon, you need a good therapist to assist you in learning new ways to deal with life without turning to crappy food choices. Or an endocrinologist to figure out why you are obese when you barely eat 1000 calories/day.

[audaciousmarie 165]

Like the title of the thread says, will WLS work if the reason for being overweight isn't from overeating? I don't overeat but I definitely choose the wrong foods.

This is something I was wondering about as well.

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[KristenLe 5,980]

@@Renkoss Damn Cheez-Its! I went away recently with family and packed all "good" foods for me to eat (pre-surgery). I thought I had it all figured out until someone whipped out a box of Cheez-Its! I almost cried! Lol. I didn't cave though - I pulled out my cucumber slices and hummus and chucked my middle finger at the Cheez-Its! ????. I even buy them for my SO so I have to have enough strength not to give in to temptation (because it'll always be around me). I'm sure I will slip up at times - but I'm hoping that the work I'm doing on my mind pre-surgery helps post-op. :-)

[Renkoss 420]

@@Renkoss Damn Cheez-Its! I went away recently with family and packed all "good" foods for me to eat (pre-surgery). I thought I had it all figured out until someone whipped out a box of Cheez-Its! I almost cried! Lol. I didn't cave though - I pulled out my cucumber slices and hummus and chucked my middle finger at the Cheez-Its! . I even buy them for my SO so I have to have enough strength not to give in to temptation (because it'll always be around me). I'm sure I will slip up at times - but I'm hoping that the work I'm doing on my mind pre-surgery helps post-op. :-)

Good for you for having that kind of willpower KristenLe!!! I know my willpower can be weak, and I thought a handful of Cheez-its won't hurt right? WRONG! A handful turned into another and another...I killed the whole box over a long weekend! That's not acceptable. My husband doesn't really keep junk food in the house, and if he does it is usually chips and I'm not a big chip eater, so pretty safe there. Crackers of any kind can be a downfall for me, so I have to just stay away from them. I've indulged in a little bit of Pasta a couple of times, but nothing severe since surgery. I now just use zucchini for the noodles. I like them enough and they are a great substitute.

You will do very well after surgery with how you are setting yourself up now. Funny thing is I wasn't eating the crackers and Pasta prior to surgery. I don't know why I thought I could indulge now. Sometimes you just need that swift kick in the pants to make you realize what you are doing wrong.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

I don't think the learning EVER stops. The journey certainly never ends.

You can take this or leave it -- but I found that during the losing phases it paid for me to find out what worked for me and then to do it over and over and over again. Not to say I was perfect (I doubt anyone really is), but I certainly gave myself high marks for "compliance."

When you hit maintenance -- that's when you have to experiment and find out what you can tolerate, eat moderately of, and avoid like the plague. Everybody's lists of those things will be personal to them. In fact, you can't experiment without "failing." And failing is the only way to learn what will work for you.

@@Renkoss -- obviously, you're precocious.

[Renkoss 420]

I don't think the learning EVER stops. The journey certainly never ends.

You can take this or leave it -- but I found that during the losing phases it paid for me to find out what worked for me and then to do it over and over and over again. Not to say I was perfect (I doubt anyone really is), but I certainly gave myself high marks for "compliance."

When you hit maintenance -- that's when you have to experiment and find out what you can tolerate, eat moderately of, and avoid like the plague. Everybody's lists of those things will be personal to them. In fact, you can't experiment without "failing." And failing is the only way to learn what will work for you.

@@Renkoss -- obviously, you're precocious.

Actually VSGAnnie, I'm a late bloomer!!! But, I'm also a hard-head by nature. I'm learning...

[ButterflySeoul 98]

Ok, this is probably going to piss off a lot of people, but I seriously don't understand why you would put yourself through a surgery to mutilate a perfectly healthy organ if that organ isn't the problem. In my case, it was the problem....way too much food, both good and bad and way too many calories. But in your case, why have surgery that simply induces Portion Control when you claim portion control isn't the problem? Because that's ALL surgery does, you know.

I don't think that it's going to piss too many off-- I think a lot of people are probably thinking the same thing.. that being said.. I do disagree lol.. but only because there is evidence that gastric sleeve and gastric bypass are extremely beneficial tools for people who have type 2 diabetes, not only for the weight loss, but also there are effects on glucose metabolism, and getting rid of the large portion of the stomach also causes changes in gut hormones.. which is a major factor in diabetic "remission". BUT I also think that the op, even though she thinks portion size isn't an issue.. might have a change of thought on that, when after surgery she realizes just how small an amount of Protein will be filling her up. OP if you make good choices and follow your bariatric team's dietary guidelines, and eat your Protein first (once you're on "real foods" not liquids) and your veggies and starches after Proteins.. I think you'll do great.

[Kindle 8,667]

@@ButterflySeoul you are totally right. Bariatric surgery does have beneficial effects for type 2 diabetics regardless of any secondary weight loss. But the OP wasn't asking about if surgery would help with diabetes. She's claiming she does not eat large portions and that she eats less than 1000 calories/day. Her claim is her obesity is due to poor choices. Surgery will not fix that. From her description, the benefits of surgery (smaller portions) is not something she needs. When it comes to making better food choices, a good therapist or even a dietician would be a much more effective, less drastic and safer tool.

[ButterflySeoul 98]

@@ButterflySeoul you are totally right. Bariatric surgery does have beneficial effects for type 2 diabetics regardless of any secondary weight loss. But the OP wasn't asking about if surgery would help with diabetes. She's claiming she does not eat large portions and that she eats less than 1000 calories/day. Her claim is her obesity is due to poor choices. Surgery will not fix that. From her description, the benefits of surgery (smaller portions) is not something she needs. When it comes to making better food choices, a good therapist or even a dietician would be a much more effective, less drastic and safer tool.

I know... that's why I said that I think the op might have a change in her thoughts about portion size once she realizes the actual portion sizes of things post-surgery.. it's one thing to read about them, and a whole different thing when you're taking a bite or two of anything and already feeling full, kwim? I obviously haven't seen her medical records or know if she has any co-morbid conditions (besides thyroid that she mentioned) but my point was that the surgery doesn't just restrict portions. The changes in the gut hormones are also a pretty major factor. That's the only part of your post that I was disagreeing with-- when you said "that's ALL surgery does". I think it does a lot more than just restrict portions for you.

[MissKay 329]

Oh dear god, okay, so I stopped reading at page 4 so I apologize if I echo anyone.

First off, some of you are being extremely judgmental and not wrapping your heads around what she was asking. We're all adults here, let's remember to act like it and being supportive???

Secondly, @@WitchySar while yes clearly it won't force you to change what you eat, it WILL HELP you. Kind of like hitting a reset button. The 2 week pre-op all liquids diet was rough as hell, but a real eye-opener for me. I'm now a week post-op, and seeing the foods I once loved is hard, and I still think they look and smell great, but I have no appetite for them. At least not yet. I know eventually I will want to eat these things. Will I? Probably. But the difference is that I'm re-learning eating patterns, I'm learning proper portions, and where I might have had 1/3 bag of cheetos at one point, now if I do decide to have them in the future, I may have like 4 or 5 and call it done. A small taste, and then move on. But always Protein first, then veggies.

As long as you are committed to changing the foods you eat, then this will still help you. Because like I said, in a way, it's like hitting a reset button. I didn't have anyone teach me the proper foods to eat growing up. We were poor so we ate what we had and could, nutrients didn't matter. I didn't gain weight until after high school, but it was still that mindset that followed me around (plus the lovely PCOS hormonal imbalance) that screwed me.

So, yes, it may help. But with this it's more in your hands than it is the sleeve being the main tool.

Edited June 19, 2016 by MissKay

[Alex Brecher 10,516]

@@WitchySar,

WLS will never work if you don’t change your eating habits, regardless of what the problem is! But it can definitely work if you use WLS as a reason to change your food choices. The WLS diet excludes a lot of junk foods, possibly like ones that you may be choosing now. If you get surgery, go on a liquid post-op diet, and gradually add back in healthy foods without the unhealthy ones, you’ll probably crave grease, sugar, starch, and salt less. However, you’ll probably also crave them less if you eat healthier without surgery, too! So I guess the question is whether you can eat healthier without the motivation of WLS, or if you think WLS is what you need to motivate yourself to choose the right foods.