Starting the process

[vhelea2015 0]

I have decided to start the process of getting gastric bypass and my sister is doing the same thing and she has her surgery scheduled for beginning of May. I'm just struggling with the whole process! I feel guilty for being hungry and wanting to eat. Like physically hungry not just head hunger. And when I do eat I feel like it's never a healthy enough choice and I constantly hear my sister and the surgeons PA in the back of my head saying I'm not eating healthy enough, or I'm eating too much or not enough? This is what scares me about this whole process because I've tried losing weight in the past and I became SO OBSESSIVE with counting calories that I went days without eating. I just feel like I have no idea what I'm doing and that I'm doing everything wrong.....thanks for coming to my Ted Talk ‍

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[lroever 15]

I'm kind of in the same boat. I dont think I'm eating healthy enough and seems like I can't get enough to eat. I don't know when my surgery is yet so I have time to keep working at it. Hang in there. It'll be worth it.

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[Arabesque 7,534]

Okay breathe. You’re not expected to know it all at the very beginning. Have you met with your dietician yet? Have you met with a therapist yet? They should be a great source of information, guidance & support. Ask for as many appointments as you need. If your sister has been approved she is further along in the process so you can’t compare yourself. Remember it’s not a race. We’re all different physiologically & psychologically. We may have similar experiences but they won’t be totally identical.

No wonder you get hungry if you’re starving yourself. And then the emotional torment is likely drinking head hunger & cravings as you consciously or sub consciously are looking to food to try to comfort you. If you want to start making changes start slowly by making only one to two changes to your diet at a time. Reduce portion sizes, reduce your sugar intake, increase your vegetable intake, try some different cooking styles, try some new recipes, reduce your caffeine intake or reduce how many takeaways/fast food you eat. You’ll be on your pre surgery diet before you know it & that’s a whole different ball game.

Once you have surgery things will be different - you physically won’t be able to eat the volume of food you used to eat & you will be on a restricted staged return to eating solid food. & your hunger & interest in food may be greatly reduced.

The learning about food nutrition, our own personal needs, what drives us to eat, etc, takes time. In fact you’ll continue to learn. Almost three years out & I still discover new things about my eating & what I need to be healthy.