Newly joined. Expecting approval. But I'm worried...

[Didjit 44]

Hi All,

I just joined the site, and I'm hoping for some honest insight.

I'm just shy of 50 and I'm at my heaviest ever. I thought I had "won" the battle years ago when I dropped from 250 to 180 (and even 165 for a bit) with lots of exercise and dieting. But after 10 years I couldn't keep up that level of intensity (running 40 mi/wk, gym 8+ hrs/wk, no oil/fat/sugar) -- I was willing to do it to get thin but I never expected I'd have to continue like that for the rest of my life! And when running became physically impossible (bad knees & accident) I found my weight creeping up. Frankly, I've lost hope, feeling like only an insane level of diet and exercise would stave off obesity.

So, the story I tell myself is that I can't succeed with just diet, exercise, and willpower; and that I need something "external". Sleeve gastrectomy makes sense to me -- no re-routing, just shrinking the stomach and reducing hunger hormones. And given my sedentary job and a busy schedule, less food makes sense.

Ah, but the here's the rub. Like many here, I expect, I love food. I've come to face the fact that it's an addiction or at least an obsession. I love dining out, I love trying new restaurants. If there's food in front of me, I can't ignore it and it's hard to recognize when I'm full and stop. And even after a heavy meal, a few hours later I'm hungry again. I don't binge, per se, and I generally eat healthfully. But it's hard to turn down an opportunity for dessert or a second helping. I've come to realize that all my intense workout schedule had been a form of bulimia -- enjoy a plate of Pasta, feel guilty, run five miles.

My hope is that the gastrectomy will reduce hunger pangs and the urge to eat. At the very least, it will limit what I can take in, but I'm worried about stretching out the pouch and relapsing. So I'm also hoping to use this as an opportunity to retrain myself on portions. And I'm also hoping that I can avoid the pitfalls, being more emotionally aware and grounded than my younger days. But my biggest fear is that I'm deluding myself and rationalizing why I failed before and why "this time will be different".

I'm interested what others who have been through the surgery have found. Does hunger lessen in intensity? Does food loose it's importance? Have you been able to retrain yourself, or are you constantly having to control your behavior?

Sorry for the long post. Thanks for reading, and thanks for any input.

[Bufflehead 6,358]

It really varies from person to person. I lost hunger completely for about eight months after surgery, but it gradually came back. At that point I was pretty close to goal and highly motivated not to give in to it. Other people never get their hunger back. Others start feeling hungry as soon as their stomach heals. It's not something that can be predicted -- but I would guess that what I experienced is more common than either never feeling hungry again, or feeling hungry right after surgery.

My hunger remains less in intensity than it used to be, but it is there. I do have to work to maintain a slim, healthy body. I will have to work at it for the rest of my life. It doesn't feel like a life or death struggle, but it is work. I watch what I eat very carefully (no more plates of pasta!) and I exercise regularly. The thing is though, my surgeon taught me that if you live in the developed world and you are over 30 and have a healthy body weight, chances are extremely high that you work for it, and work hard. That applies to everyone, not just the formerly morbidly obese or weight loss surgery patients. I had to accept that this is my life going forward, it is better than morbid obesity, and it isn't unfair. It's just something I have to do to keep healthy. It's worth it, and it's not nearly as hard as I would have imagined pre-op. Good luck!

[Didjit 44]

Thanks for the reply, @@Bufflehead! It's helpful (& hopeful) to hear about your experience. I'm trying to keep my expectations realistic, and I'm trying to enter this as self-honestly as I can. I'm not expecting a magic pill (or scalpel), but the effort and commitment has to be realistic as well. It sounds like your experience is what I'm hoping for: regular moderate exercise and a realistic healthy diet to maintain a trim healthy body.

[AB2B 104]

Hi All,

I just joined the site, and I'm hoping for some honest insight.

I'm just shy of 50 and I'm at my heaviest ever. I thought I had "won" the battle years ago when I dropped from 250 to 180 (and even 165 for a bit) with lots of exercise and dieting. But after 10 years I couldn't keep up that level of intensity (running 40 mi/wk, gym 8+ hrs/wk, no oil/fat/sugar) -- I was willing to do it to get thin but I never expected I'd have to continue like that for the rest of my life! And when running became physically impossible (bad knees & accident) I found my weight creeping up. Frankly, I've lost hope, feeling like only an insane level of diet and exercise would stave off obesity.

So, the story I tell myself is that I can't succeed with just diet, exercise, and willpower; and that I need something "external". Sleeve gastrectomy makes sense to me -- no re-routing, just shrinking the stomach and reducing hunger hormones. And given my sedentary job and a busy schedule, less food makes sense.

Ah, but the here's the rub. Like many here, I expect, I love food. I've come to face the fact that it's an addiction or at least an obsession. I love dining out, I love trying new restaurants. If there's food in front of me, I can't ignore it and it's hard to recognize when I'm full and stop. And even after a heavy meal, a few hours later I'm hungry again. I don't binge, per se, and I generally eat healthfully. But it's hard to turn down an opportunity for dessert or a second helping. I've come to realize that all my intense workout schedule had been a form of bulimia -- enjoy a plate of Pasta, feel guilty, run five miles.

My hope is that the gastrectomy will reduce hunger pangs and the urge to eat. At the very least, it will limit what I can take in, but I'm worried about stretching out the pouch and relapsing. So I'm also hoping to use this as an opportunity to retrain myself on portions. And I'm also hoping that I can avoid the pitfalls, being more emotionally aware and grounded than my younger days. But my biggest fear is that I'm deluding myself and rationalizing why I failed before and why "this time will be different".

I'm interested what others who have been through the surgery have found. Does hunger lessen in intensity? Does food loose it's importance? Have you been able to retrain yourself, or are you constantly having to control your behavior?

Sorry for the long post. Thanks for reading, and thanks for any input.

I felt like I was reading my own story. I am 42 and have been losing and gaining the same 50 lbs for 14 years. I can't wait to read what others who have already had the surgery have to say.

Thank you for sharing.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hi All,

I just joined the site, and I'm hoping for some honest insight.

I'm just shy of 50 and I'm at my heaviest ever. I thought I had "won" the battle years ago when I dropped from 250 to 180 (and even 165 for a bit) with lots of exercise and dieting. But after 10 years I couldn't keep up that level of intensity (running 40 mi/wk, gym 8+ hrs/wk, no oil/fat/sugar) -- I was willing to do it to get thin but I never expected I'd have to continue like that for the rest of my life! And when running became physically impossible (bad knees & accident) I found my weight creeping up. Frankly, I've lost hope, feeling like only an insane level of diet and exercise would stave off obesity.

So, the story I tell myself is that I can't succeed with just diet, exercise, and willpower; and that I need something "external". Sleeve gastrectomy makes sense to me -- no re-routing, just shrinking the stomach and reducing hunger hormones. And given my sedentary job and a busy schedule, less food makes sense.

Ah, but the here's the rub. Like many here, I expect, I love food. I've come to face the fact that it's an addiction or at least an obsession. I love dining out, I love trying new restaurants. If there's food in front of me, I can't ignore it and it's hard to recognize when I'm full and stop. And even after a heavy meal, a few hours later I'm hungry again. I don't binge, per se, and I generally eat healthfully. But it's hard to turn down an opportunity for dessert or a second helping. I've come to realize that all my intense workout schedule had been a form of bulimia -- enjoy a plate of Pasta, feel guilty, run five miles.

My hope is that the gastrectomy will reduce hunger pangs and the urge to eat. At the very least, it will limit what I can take in, but I'm worried about stretching out the pouch and relapsing. So I'm also hoping to use this as an opportunity to retrain myself on portions. And I'm also hoping that I can avoid the pitfalls, being more emotionally aware and grounded than my younger days. But my biggest fear is that I'm deluding myself and rationalizing why I failed before and why "this time will be different".

I'm interested what others who have been through the surgery have found. Does hunger lessen in intensity? Does food loose it's importance? Have you been able to retrain yourself, or are you constantly having to control your behavior?

Sorry for the long post. Thanks for reading, and thanks for any input.

I felt like I was reading my own story. I am 42 and have been losing and gaining the same 50 lbs for 14 years. I can't wait to read what others who have already had the surgery have to say.

Thank you for sharing.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

[The New Kel 1,312]

@@Didjit,

I enjoyed reading your thoughtful post and questions. I can really relate to where you are. Like you, I am in my late 40s, and I have a very similar weight history as yours. I'm only 5'3" but I weighed 240 at my highest, which I think was a BMI of 43.

Like you, I have a history of exercising extensively, only to justify eating terribly later.

I have a memory being 23 years old, in the USAF, living in a dorm room, lonely, 2200 miles away from family. On my days off, I would run a couple miles, then bike ride several miles, then lift weights. My "reward" was to go to Burger King or Arby's and order huge amounts of food, and stuff myself. So dysfunctional.

To give you a bit of insight as to how I have reacted to the sleeve so far: (I am just over a month post op)..

I was addicted to food, especially high calorie fast foods. The withdrawal from those foods for about 2-3 weeks post op wasn't easy ( I even had dreams of eating burgers, lol). But, I came to grips with the addiction and looked it in the eye and admitted that I had been choosing a terrible lifestyle.

Around week 3 post op those foods lost their hold on me and I no longer want them. My appetite is fair now, and I only get hungry when my body requires fuel. And then, the hunger is satisfied with a couple ounces of good Protein. My new stomach knows that bad foods, carbs, sugars and fillers will make it feel bad, and so that feeling overrides any mental head hungers. That's the beauty of the surgery. You simply don't have room for the bad stuff. At least this is my experience so far.

I think you are going to do great. You are already asking the right questions and you are already facing your demons by inquiring and admitting your weaknesses. This is a great big huge part of WLS success, tackling (and admitting) the mental issues we have with our relationship with food.

Sounds like you're truly ready, and have the insight be very successful with WLS.

Kel

Edited November 4, 2016 by The New Kel

[Didjit 44]

Thanks, @@The New Kel. It's a relief to hear about your experience. I hope it continues for you and that my experience is similar. Thanks for the support!