How have your taste buds and cravings changed post-surgery? What foods used to be your favourites that you now can barely even look at?

For me it's everything sweet. My tolerance is at zero. My shakes and protein water that I have to drink daily are completely punitive and something I just have to suffer through. My partner and I went to a fave cafe for lunch today and they bake all manner of tasty treats, including black sesame baked doughnuts that we both loved. They're less sweet than regular doughnuts and the flavour was delicious. My partner grabbed one after lunch with his second coffee, and out of curiosity, I stuck my finger in the tiniest bit and brought it to my tongue. Thankfully I had my own coffee to get the taste out of my mouth. It was horrid.

Savoury is my best friend. Thank god for savoury.

Edited November 5, 20214 yr by Smanky

11 minutes ago, Arancini said:

I love this thread!! Can anyone else also eat a food only once?

I no longer crave or like sweet things (yoghurt, over night coats, honey, etc). I also immediately stop eating if I dont love the taste of something. I wish I could say it’s because of discipline or at least a conscious decision but it’s not. The moment I taste something that I either dont like or just dont care for that much I immediately lose my appetite. That’s completely new!!!

The strangest thing I noticed though is that I can’t eat things more than once in a row. For example: I made bean Soup and had so much left over that I planned on eating it throughout the next week. The first time I had it it tasted so so good. The second time it made me naseous (so I stopped) and the third time just the smell alone made me nearly ?. Same thing with other foods.

Oh! And I HATE garlic!!! So weird! Used to love it and put it in pretty much anything.

My sense of smell also seems heightened and sensitive. So much has changed!

Yes there have been a few things that one day it will be yummo then when i eat it again its yuck.sense of smell has also heightened for me. I use to love spicy foods now not so much. Frozen meals are a big turn off for me too which is a nuisance because i rely on them for work ? and yes i have to really like something or i cant eat it

I love this thread!! Can anyone else also eat a food only once?

I no longer crave or like sweet things (yoghurt, over night coats, honey, etc). I also immediately stop eating if I dont love the taste of something. I wish I could say it’s because of discipline or at least a conscious decision but it’s not. The moment I taste something that I either dont like or just dont care for that much I immediately lose my appetite. That’s completely new!!!

The strangest thing I noticed though is that I can’t eat things more than once in a row. For example: I made bean soup and had so much left over that I planned on eating it throughout the next week. The first time I had it it tasted so so good. The second time it made me naseous (so I stopped) and the third time just the smell alone made me nearly [emoji1785]. Same thing with other foods.
Oh! And I HATE garlic!!! So weird! Used to love it and put it in pretty much anything.

My sense of smell also seems heightened and sensitive. So much has changed!

Same! My husband gets so aggravated with me because I waste so much food. I can only eat a small portion and then save the rest for later, but never want to eat it again. And I'll go through phases. All I wanted for about a month was eggs, now I can't stand them. I feel like this is similar to when I was pregnant, lol. Weird food cravings and weird food aversions.

I wish i could break up with food. I'm almost 2 weeks post RYGBP and i find myself having cravings that ive never had before. Im craving all kinds of unhealthy food like french fries, fast food, pasta, candy, etc. i did not have these cravings pre op and it was always fairly easy to avoid these types of pitfalls. Im not saying i ate perfectly pre op but portion control was my biggest downfall, not necessarily what was being consumed. i haven't lost my taste for anything apparently. I haven't given in and tried all things i want because im still so soon post op but i hope this stops quickly because its really hard to have a protein shake when all i want are french fries. Anybody know of french fry flavored protein shakes? Lol
how long did it take for people's taste to change?

Chocolate. But I think chocolate shakes 3x a day for 21 straight days did that.

9 minutes ago, Ltdanfan said:

I wish i could break up with food. I'm almost 2 weeks post RYGBP and i find myself having cravings that ive never had before. Im craving all kinds of unhealthy food like french fries, fast food, Pasta, candy, etc. i did not have these cravings pre op and it was always fairly easy to avoid these types of pitfalls. Im not saying i ate perfectly pre op but Portion Control was my biggest downfall, not necessarily what was being consumed. i haven't lost my taste for anything apparently. I haven't given in and tried all things i want because im still so soon post op but i hope this stops quickly because its really hard to have a Protein Shake when all i want are french fries. Anybody know of french fry flavored Protein Shakes? Lol
how long did it take for people's taste to change?

you could try what I did, just lick a chip (french fries) to get the taste in your mouth without eating it

I thought about that but im afraid that ill “accidentally” chew it and swallow it then want more. I can wait out the cravings, its just frustrating that i have them. I wish i had more of an aversion to eating. Or at least eating certain things. Im worried that as i heal, it will be harder and harder to stick to a diet.

9 minutes ago, Ltdanfan said:

I thought about that but im afraid that ill “accidentally” chew it and swallow it then want more. I can wait out the cravings, its just frustrating that i have them. I wish i had more of an aversion to eating. Or at least eating certain things. Im worried that as i heal, it will be harder and harder to stick to a diet.

I thought the same but it is much easier than I thought. I think you do have to allow yourself to have what you crave every now and then other wise you will drive yourself crazy and binge. For example I allow myself a coke and chocolate every other day (small portions) and last week I wanted it everyday but this week I have have only fleeting thoughts about consuming those foods/drinks and not had any. once you get into the habit of making better choices it gets easier.

Ltdanfan I tried the French fries and they sat like a rock in my belly for a week. Three French fries were so painful I avoid them like the plague!

Perhaps i just need to wait until im on solid food then i can learn the hard way. Its like all this thinking about what i cant eat and all the things i see that i should avoid have given me an obsession with food that ive never had before. Pre op, i hardly thought about food unless i was hungry or it was right in front of me. Now it seems thats ALL i think about.

On 2/27/2022 at 12:53 AM, Ltdanfan said:

Perhaps i just need to wait until im on solid food then i can learn the hard way. Its like all this thinking about what i cant eat and all the things i see that i should avoid have given me an obsession with food that ive never had before. Pre op, i hardly thought about food unless i was hungry or it was right in front of me. Now it seems thats ALL i think about.

That’ll fade! Im only 5 months out and all my “early stage” cravings are completely gone. The first 4-8 weeks I felt devastated because I was convinced my surgery “didnt work”. I was craving food CONSTANTLY, being obsessed with watching tiktok junk food compilations and wanting to eat so bad. I havent had junk food or what we typically would consider “bad” food but I have had pieces of food I had glorified in those weeks (guacamole, fried egg, chocolate protein yoghurt) and I hated it. Your taste buds change. Your priorities change (because you know you can only take a few bites). And ultimately you change. It’s hard to believe now (and when people told me “back then” I wasn’t convinced either. I thought “yeah yeah except I’m different!”. But here I am now writing this) but trust me. Hang in there. Sit it out. Stick to your diet. Trust the process. I have faith in you!

Gonna have to add "creamy" food to my no-fly list. It started early on with coconut yoghurt, being too rich for me, and has since morphed into any form of coconut, and taken mayonnaise and anything else with a fatty, creamy consistency with it.

Vegan Kewpie mayo on our favourite asian faux-chicken was a pre-op fave of both myself and my partner, but now I can't do either, and definitely not together! My partner gets to eat all that on his own.

I also don't love bananas like I did. I can eat half a small one, but I don't get the same pleasure from it, and they can't be too ripe. Now I only eat the occasional bit for the potassium.

I wish I could divorce cookies. Seriously, they're mean to me. They make me break out in fat. ? My stomach post-sleeve can't stand potatoes or pasta more than a spoonful or fork full.

I was sleeved in 2019; Since surgery, I cringe at anything too sweet.

On 3/23/2022 at 8:05 AM, GradyCat said:

I wish I could divorce Cookies. Seriously, they're mean to me. They make me break out in fat. ? My stomach post-sleeve can't stand potatoes or Pasta more than a spoonful or fork full.

I make the peanut butter "cookies". Peanut butter, an egg, and sweetener (I use honey, and only half the called for amount). Google any 3 ingredient peanut butter cookie recipe. Easy to just grab one or two as a snack. Satisfies the craving, and the craving goes away eventually.

On 11/5/2021 at 7:58 AM, lizonaplane said:

I was hoping that my tastes would change after surgery, but they really did not, with the exception of french fries/fried potatoes (tried two different types out of curiosity and they just tasted mealy and gross). I enjoy the Protein Shakes and artificially sweetened yogurt. I haven't had any real sweets yet, so I guess I'm hoping to break up with those. I'm at my parents' house right now and there are some other guests so my mom bought my favorite cake from the fancy French bakery and I didn't try it. I am afraid that I will like it and I won't stop eating sweets. Also, I had a bit of fear of dumping, even though I had the sleeve. I ate a light and fit greek yogurt watching them eat the cake... it was a little sad.

I felt same way, but after my 6 week recovery I decided I was going to live with my choices. As long as I’m eating right and exercising and moving throughout the day, I will have a little piece of that cake.(not everyday) I’m post op 3 months now and down 60lbs.