I am a little over 3 months post-op and have already started going back to some of my old eating habits--ordering take out, not separating eating and drinking, eating junk food. This week, I ended up splurging four different times on junk food I struggled with overeating pre-surgery. Luckily, I can't eat more than 3-4 ounces at a time, and I am still losing pretty quickly (down 45 pounds from surgery and 80 total from when I started losing weight in May of last year).

I know that won't last though and am terrified of stretching my pouch. I'd still like to lose another 70 pounds but am having a hard time finding the motivation to exercise regularly and measure portions when I'm losing weight even when I eat terribly. Anyone else dealt with this?

Yes, although I have only had take away a couple of times ( unhealthy options) I try to look for salads or meat and veg options you know take away meals instead of fast food. I live alone and find it very hard to motivate myself to make something to eat at home for example right now it's 12.30 I haven't had breakfast and finding it hard to get motivated to make some lunch even though I have plenty of options in my cupboard and fridge. Think about what you went through and are going through do you really want to ruin what you have achived so far. I don't believe in denying yourself but moderation is the key. I still have coke chocolate and chips but I don't feel great after it and it certainly isn't in the amounts I use to eat although coke could be tricky as it's fluid . I haven't exercised at all apart from the odd walk around the block here and there and my gym membership application is still on my fridge ?. I did weigh portions to get an idea but I don't do it as often as I should. My fitness pal is a good app to track your food in take on I found that easy to use and very helpful

Just remember that it will never be as easy to lose the weight as it is in those first months post op when hunger is not an issue (at least for most). I am 11 months out an just started getting my hunger back and I really wish I had lost all my weight before it came back because I can already tell it is going to be much more difficult going forward. You may be losing while eating bad but you aren’t losing as much as you would if you were on plan. Just know that you will be able to have those forbidden foods again eventually. Maybe not four times a week but definitely in moderation. You have gone through so much to get to this point don’t sell yourself short now. You know exactly what you need to do to get back on track. You seriously have for this.

When those old habits are strong it can be very hard to stop them controlling your choices.

You’re not alone. Managing cravings & changing old habits is one of the most difficult thing to work through post surgery. For many of us, they never leave us & are always there. We just find ways to take control of them.

First get any junk food out of your house, delete the home delivery apps, delete the takeout phone numbers, & throw out any take out menus. Second, get in touch with a good therapist who specialises in eating disorders. (Did you see someone as part of your approval process? If not your medical team can recommend someone.) The therapist will support you to work through what’s driving you to eat & find strategies to manage those cravings & old habits.

It’s pretty darn difficult to stretch your tummy but these glory days of weight loss don’t last. Your real hunger comes back, the weight loss slows, you’ll be able to eat larger, more recommended portion sizes. You need to grasp all the opportunities the surgery initially gives with two hands.

All the best.

I can't believe any of you think this is about not knowing what to eat. Are you kidding me? How many obese people don't know the existence of diets?

I know you're trying to be helpful, but jesus f'in christ it takes arrogance on a level not imaginable to suggest meal plans to someone who's eating McDonald's 90 days after a sleeve.

OBESITY IS A COMPLEX CHRONIC DISORDER. GET THERAPY, OP.

Old habits die hard. You're not going to like my answer, but you probably need to talk to the therapist at your surgeon's office to discuss why you're going back to these habits, how to get rid of these habits, etc. You know what to eat and what not to eat, the key is doing it.

5 hours ago, MiniGastricBypassDude said:

I can't believe any of you think this is about not knowing what to eat. Are you kidding me? How many obese people don't know the existence of diets?

I know you're trying to be helpful, but jesus f'in christ it takes arrogance on a level not imaginable to suggest meal plans to someone who's eating McDonald's 90 days after a sleeve.

OBESITY IS A COMPLEX CHRONIC DISORDER. GET THERAPY, OP.

I don't see anyone suggesting meal plans ? I seriously believe we all try our old favourite foods, sometimes they hit the spot and sometimes it's meh and you don't hurry back to have them. I got a take away steak sandwich yesterday and found it really bad, too much bread it was on some sort of huge bun, hardly any salad no cheese and it was awful. Today I made my own thin bread, lots of salad and it was yummy. The further along I get on this journey the more I am finding I am enjoying what I can make at home which is a much healthier option and if I don't eat it all it's OK where if I ate out and someone else pays for it I feel guilty for not eating it all. I think the OP will work this out too.

I would get a handle on that ASAP or you're going to undo all the work you've done so far. I agree with the commenters who suggested seeing a therapist. This is your once-in-a-lifetime chance to lose a TON of weight - don't blow it.

I agree with everyone who recommended seeing a therapist. So important.

I'm not sure which surgery you had, but as you said you can only eat 3-4 ounces at a time. You're choosing to eat low nutrient foods that isn't going to give you the nutrients you need. I'm going to go out on a limb here, but I'm thinking since you are already not taking your health seriously, you aren't taking your vitamins and supplements that your team has recommended. Malnourishment is a real issue with obese people. Because so many binge on fast food, and junk food, they aren't getting proper nourishment. Since we can only eat small amounts, it's vitally important to eat nutrient dense foods. A balanced diet.

With wls surgery comes a certain responsibility for ones health, and when you dismiss what your surgeon has told you to do, there will be dire consequences to ones health. Are you tracking your protein? You're only 3 months out. If you're not getting your protein in, there can be hair loss. If you're anemic, you might require blood products. Not minding your calcium, you can encounter fractures. Sure you're losing weight now, it's a caloric game. You probably don't have true hunger due to only being 3 months post op, but you're feeding your head hunger. Seek counseling before your health is adversely affected.

I agree with trying to see a therapist, but that can be very hard to find if you didn't do your surgery with a big surgery center in the US or where you live. I've heard that places outside the US (especially Mexico, Turkey, etc) don't provide much support after surgery, and I know from experience that finding a therapist trained in weight issues can be very hard.

I would try to work on things like figuring out what you are feeling when you decide to order take out. Are you tired, bored, sad, angry, lonely? If any of these things are the problem, eating take out is not the solution. If you wait until you are over tired or way too hungry to eat, you are more likely to make bad choices with what to eat. It's not hard to keep better choices on hand. Try keeping low sugar flavored Greek yogurt, tuna, protein shakes, cheese, fruit, etc on hand.

I travel a lot so I eat out, but I try to choose the best possible option (high protein, low carb) and when I'm home, I make something with ground turkey or chicken like chili, taco meat, ground turkey stroganoff, etc and divide it in portions to freeze so I always have something that takes two minutes to heat up. It takes much less time than ordering take out.

I don't wait after drinking to eat (my surgery center said we didn't have to) but I definitely don't drink after eating - it's painful to me, plus we were told it would just flush the food down our stomach and we'd be hungry sooner.

Try to get yourself to track, even if it's only every other day. You said you've been working since May 2021 on getting this surgery. There's no second chance after this. Even if you have a revision surgery, you may not lose much weight. It's now or never.

Not sure your feelings on therapy, so here's what I do/did when falling of the wagon early on - First, forgive yourself - Each day is a new day and you damn sure can't change the past. Tomorrow morning, get up. weigh, track, measure - Hell, skip the weigh part, it's probably screwing with your head since you're losing weight. Track and measure. Track EVERYTHING. You're going to fail a few more times, make the next day a new day, don't let it last a week or a month. - If it were easy, we wouldn't need the surgery to help us.