Hello,

I’m new here, I’m having the procedure in April. I’m starting before the surgery to eat the way I will after the surgery. I was advised by my surgeon to eat mainly protein, vegetables and some fruit if I wanted it. He was telling me to be successful I’ll need to give up most carbohydrates all together. I’m having trouble with this thought ill never have pizza or chocolate again.

I understand in order to be successful I need to adapt a complete new way of thinking. I need to let go of the unhealthy foods and just eat only healthy foods for the rest of my life. But even normal dieting people still eat some unhealthy foods as a ‘cheat day or treat.

Do you still enjoy the occasional slice of pizza?

I also understand that what I’m sacrificing is nothing compared to the better life I will have afterwards. I will have my health and quality of life back. That is priceless! So I’m prepared to eat only certain things for the rest of my life. I’m more then ready to have this surgery. I just need support with the fact as a foodie I’m leaving so much food behind for good!

thank you

Lisa

I still have an occasional slice of pizza although I can't eat more than 1.

This surgery is unpredictable though and some people seem to have far more restrictions in terms of foods they can't handle. For me, I have trouble with any kind of ice cream, heavy cream, or whipped cream. I once had a tiny chocolate fondant with ice cream and then a tiny piece of pumpkin pie with cream and both times that did not go well. Everthing else I have no trouble with but I also don't crave a lot of crappy food.

21 hours ago, MiniGastricBypassDude said:

As someone who spent 6 months in treatment for binge eating disorder - and truly put it behind me - black/white mindset is great for alcohol or drug addiction, and absolutely horrific for disordered eating patterns.

I'd strongly recommend therapy to anyone feeling they lose control of their eating, and for some reason, group therapy works really well for this kind of problem if available to you.

100% agree. Therapy is so essential to long term success. I am SO grateful for the work I did before surgery that got me to a place where I could use the tool properly. So, so much of this is mental & emotional.

ETA - I'm only 3 months out, so still very solidly in the protein and veggies phase. But I absolutely know that a balanced diet, including carbs of various sorts, will be in my future. Adherence is so vital during the active weight loss phase (1 year or so). But as you reach maintenance, you will learn how to incorporate other foods that help you maintain vs. continuing to lose weight.

Edited December 13, 20214 yr by Sleeve_Me_Alone
ETA

you could probably eat really bad food after about 6 months, might feel uncomfortable but youd be able to eat it.

i guess noone wants to tell you LOL

so i wouldnt miss that food too much or try to indulge because 5years down the line if you dont hit goal or you feel like the surgery was pointless the feeling of being able to eat pizza just wont be worth it.

Although at first things are very restrictive, they become more loose after a few weeks. Like others said, I will have thin crust pizza once every couple weeks, equivalent of one slice. I also steal 3-4 of my children’s french fries on weekends, and am satisfied.

However, I haven’t eaten anything with added sugar since the sleeve. Not even a bite. The occasional sugar-free chocolate, as well as protein bars, more than satisfies me.

I think it really is dependent on the person, but this works for me.

I am three months out and I enjoy small "treats" occasionally. I will eat a tiny (about 1.5 oz) piece of cake on a holiday, but not a huge piece and not every day. My birthday was on Thanksgiving this year so we celebrated it the day before. I had about 1.5 oz of chocolate mousse cake on the celebration day, and then the next day was Thanksgiving so I had about 1.5 oz of a different cake (my mom keeps the local French bakery in business between her cake orders and croissants and baguette - she is not obese, just overweight). The next night we had a ton of leftovers plus a cake someone had brought and I decided two nights of dessert in a week was enough. I didn't want to start eating dessert again every day.

I also will eat a cracker or some cream of wheat if my stomach is upset, which happens a lot. AND... I drink diet soda! My surgeon said after 4 weeks we could have carbonation, so I drink it again. But very slowly, not like 6 cans a day like before!

I eat at restaurants most of the time because I travel for work. I try to make the best choices I can, but I know it's not perfect. Still, I'm not going to quit my job that I love; I'm just going to learn to make the best choices I can. I'm not aiming for perfect.

I’m a bit over a year out, and I’m firmly in camp carbs are fine. I know there’s no way I can eliminate carbs forever. It’s not the way I want to live my life. I did eliminate candy and pastries/cookies, because I feel like those are a slippery slope for me, but no fruit or potatoes or even sushi and beer just isn’t going to work for me. I exercise a fair amount and I keep my overall calorie count down, but I’m not giving up carbs for life. We go out to a local pizza place on occasion where you can get a slice and a salad. I always eat the salad first and have a few bites of the pizza before I get full. So no, I don’t go crazy like I used to, but I still am having some.

2 hours ago, blackcatsandbaddecisions said:

but I’m not giving up carbs for life

Same camp. Restrictive diets - at least of this pretty extreme kind - will be the first step to get back to obesity for most. Eventually, you'll fail, and then what. For most it's probably helpful to really work through whatever food issues they have in order to exercise moderation, flexible control, and importantly, self-love.

I don't give up all carbs. I do give up sugar, flour, rice, potatoes, and processed foods. I get my carbs from fruit and sweet potatoes. But then, I am a sugar/food addict and all of those on the list are trigger foods for me.