I've had a lifetime of compulsive sugar binging and compulsive carb eating. I'm an all in or all bets are off eater. On plan or off. Donuts for lunch or salad. You get the picture. I'm 46, 5ft tall and 220. I've gain and lost the same 30 pounds dozens of times. I can gain 10# in a month. I'm terrified to get wls and gain it all back or still not be able to control my eating. But in the same sense I feel like it's my only shot to maintain a somewhat normal weight. Help!

7 hours ago, blizair09 said:

WLS can be a tool that can help you lose weight, maintain a healthy weight, and improve your quality of life, but you have to put in the hard work to be successful long-term. While you can (and probably should) work closely with a psychologist and a nutritionist, it ultimately comes down to you doing what you need to do to be successful. And you must make a commitment to this become a lifestyle change. People bat those terms around all of the time, but it is true. The people on here that do not reach their goal or that regain all their weight later never changed their relationship with food, depended on the "honeymoon period" to do what they did do, and more or less were seeking to "eat normally, but just less" (which is a fallacy, in my opinion).

The question you have to ask yourself is this: Am I prepared to change my life to ensure my success? If yes, then WLS is for you; if no, you might lose a little weight, but you'll never get where you want to be.

Yes you need to figure out why you over eat, yes you need to do the mental work, yes the surgery is a tool and you need to work hard.

BUT it's a big tool. Hunger and eating is a complex system regulated by hormones/Endocrine system, gut biome/gastrointestinal system and behavior/mental processes/reinforcement and likely a lot of other things we haven't discovered. This podcast is amazingly educational on the interplay:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/weight-loss-surgery-podcast-bariatric-lap-band-rygb/id662443588?mt=2&i=1000373855300

This surgery changed the biology of my binge cycle so the rest of it could work FOR ME. I haven't felt like bingeing since.

And of course everyone is different, but no I couldn't physically eat 10 donuts... crackers maybe.... more popcorn than I should, but like we are taking a couple of cups not a large tub. I'm four years out and get stuffed with one donut.

"The people on here that do not reach their goal or that regain all their weight later never changed their relationship with food, depended on the "honeymoon period" to do what they did do, and more or less were seeking to "eat normally, but just less" (which is a fallacy, in my opinion)."

This statement is so enraging that i can barely contain my anger in response. I dont kbow how many years out you are from your surgery or your age or your life situatuon but i sincerely hope for your sake that it necer changes for you in any negative way. Gd forbid you would have to accept being imperfect.

3 minutes ago, Yettid said:

That's what I'm afraid of. My hope is not craving them as much or wanting to binge. Because I truly don't know how to stop. I've tried everything.

Some people can stop compulsively craving and binge-eating sugary treats only via abstinence. For these people, sugar is their drug and they'll never be able to eat it in moderation. Therefore, they must abstain from it altogether.

Again, I commend you for exploring this issue before you commit to surgery. It takes a lot of guts and healthy self-introspection to admit to having a problem and doing something about it.

50 cupcakes? Are you serious? Really? No way on this earth could I do that! I can't finish one and I'm sleeved four years.

Jess... [GASP] u eat donuts? I would die if i took a crumb from one.

Jess... [GASP] u eat donuts? I would die if i took a crumb from one.

Die in what way? I have a sleeve so I don't dump. My binge feelings are gone. I'm four years out and wear a size 4 and run 15-20 miles a week. I can eat half a donut once in a while. More than half and I get an upset stomach though.

13 minutes ago, reallyrosy said:

"The people on here that do not reach their goal or that regain all their weight later never changed their relationship with food, depended on the "honeymoon period" to do what they did do, and more or less were seeking to "eat normally, but just less" (which is a fallacy, in my opinion)."

This statement is so enraging that i can barely contain my anger in response. I dont kbow how many years out you are from your surgery or your age or your life situatuon but i sincerely hope for your sake that it necer changes for you in any negative way. Gd forbid you would have to accept being imperfect.

I never said I was perfect. But I have done what the doctor asked me to do every single day. And that's why I have been successful.

And what I said is absolutely true. I have no idea why you are so enraged.

19 minutes ago, blizair09 said:

And what I said is absolutely true. I have no idea why you are so enraged.

Sometimes the truth stings...

Also, some individuals are more comfortable with cheerleaders, yes-people, Pollyanna types, and others who offer false reassurances and/or tell them exactly what they want to hear.

Human nature is bizarre at times. When confronted with a choice between the real deal and a faker/shaker, many people select the phony, especially if the phony person is nice or 'supportive.'

I would not be ableto stop eating donuts for the rest of my life. I once attended a mindfulness eating demo. I had been told NO DRIED FRUIT. The leader asked that'we participate with a sinle raisin. I noted that i am not permitted dried fruit. She looked at me for a long moment and asked it just pne raisin would hurt. Of course not' the majority of the participants assured me. Well, it was evening...the class let out at 830. I did not have any dried fruit in the house so....i ate it.

When i got home, on my doorstep were several packages ritual gifts given on a holiday i celebrate named Purim. And in one package was a one ounce box of raisins. You can bet your bottom dollar there was not one raisin left in that box. Luck was with me: i managed to put all the other components of the baskets into the trunk of my car and donated the contents the next morning.

But that is exactly hiw a carb affects me. I have not even inhaled any sugar or simple carb since that time.

1 minute ago, Introversion said:

Sometimes the truth stings...

Also, some individuals are more comfortable with cheerleaders, yes-people, Pollyanna types, and others who offer false reassurances and/or tell them exactly what they want to hear.

Human nature is bizarre at times. When confronted with a choice between the real deal and a faker/shaker, many people select the phony, especially if the phony person is nice or 'supportive.'

I cant see the original post, is this an argument over how many donuts someone ate ? we should all be nice to each other in here, its supposed to be a safe forum and now im getting scared.

"Sometimes the truth stings..."

Im not going to engage this discussion. I know i have complied with the directives given and i know i reached goal. I also know i am gaining weight. If ypu wish to continue to caste these aspersions at me witjout knowing my circumstances...have at it. Apparently it makes you feel good.

Best wishes to both

There are a lot of myths being perpetuated on this thread. To be fair a lot of them are perpetuated by doctors who find it simpler to give axioms or simplifications rather than explain complexities.

First of all, sliders aren't things that form a slurry and slide through. All food forms a slurry when chewed and combined with juices (stomach acid).

Sliders are foods that don't have much substance to them and thus when chewed sorta dissolve away. Think of which foods you can crush down to nothing WITHOUT eating them. Crackers, chips, toasted bread, crisp cookies etc.

Some other foods behave like sliders because they don't stay in your stomach--most of those are liquid to begin with like broth.

There are other foods that behave that way on a case by case basis, but a lot of the things listed here--donuts, cupcakes, bread in general, do NOT slide right through. Neither do they swell up in your stomach. The feeling you get that makes it seem like swelling is from the gluten proteins becoming gummy. Ball up some white bread outside of your stomach and you will see what I mean.

As for why or whether there is a honeymoon period of a year or a regain starting at 3 years... yes there is some observable data there. But is it because we reach our new set point and losing beyond that is harder or is it a time window... we don't KNOW. The best obesity researchers don't Know.

I'm four years out and maintaining well but I can't pretend to be an expert on anything except MY experience. I lost 136lbs and can easily maintain 115 of that. The last 20lbs are a pain in the butt! But you know what, that's NORMAL. I'm 47 years old. What normal 47 year old woman doesn't struggle with 20 lbs or so. Am I a failure? No. Heck I don't even consider that regain. Do I even care? Most of the time, no! That half a donut or three cups of kettle corn at the Father's Day car show sometimes mean more to me than those 20lbs. Other times I buckle down and drop them. It's all good.

Have I reframed my relationship with food, yeah. Do I still have a cookie in times of anger or stress or frustration, you bet I do, but I know it's an anger cookie. And you know what, my sleeve stops my from that cookie turning into 2 or 3 or a dozen just as much as my mind does.

We are all in this together and until we've walked in each other's shoes all we can speak to is our own experience and there is no universal.

That said, newbies should probably stick to their docs program and not believe they can listen to their bodies instead... listening to our bodies got us all obese. We picked our surgeons for their expertise. Why trust someone to cut you open but then not trust their dietary advice?!?!

Excellent POST!!! Well said, thank you