Scared to eat

[hlw3387 2]

I will try to keep this short. I am coming up on two weeks post op for VSG. At the two week mark I move to puréed foods per my surgeon. I have done well with fluids and the progressions so far, and I am losing well, but now I am scared to start the next part of the process and further because I am scared I will gain back what I have lost and not continue to lose weight. I have NEVER EVER been scared to eat before. I just really don’t want to mess this up.

[Arabesque 7,623]

Congrats on your surgery. You aren’t alone in what you’re feeling but you’d have to be eating A LOT (calories & volume) to regain the weight you have lost so far. And that likely is not possible as physically your tummy won’t let you eat that volume of food at the moment. You’re still healing, your tummy is very sensitive & and likely intolerant to certain foods.

Actually puree can be a bit challenging because certain flavours, textures & smells can be quite horrible which can limit your food options. But you’ll work out what you can eat with some trial & error. Each stage does get easier especially as your tummy becomes less fussy & sensitive & you’re able to eat a wider variety of foods.

Stick to your recommended portion sizes, foods, eating frequency & you’ll be fine. (If you didn’t get this guidance from your surgeon &/or dietician ask them.) You won’t mess up & not wanting to will help you stick to your plan.

All the best.

[catwoman7 11,285]

Arabesque is correct. There's no way you're going to be eating anywhere near the calories you'd need to gain weight. You WILL continue losing. Plus you can't live on just fluids for the rest of your life. Not only would that be unsustainable, but you can't do that for long without being under medical supervision. I lost over 200 lbs over the course of two years, and it sure wasn't from only drinking fluids...

[SleeveToBypass2023 2,682]

What you're feeling is completely normal. We want this to work so badly that we have ourselves convinced food is the enemy. We tend to live in extremes. Pre surgery, food was an addiction, like a drug. Post surgery, we're scared to eat because we're convinced every little morsel will pack all the weight on and undo all of our progress. It's learning the balance between the two that takes the most time and effort. It's always a work in progress. Food is fuel, no more and no less. We eat to live, not live to eat. But we can't live without eating. If you start working on the disordered thinking (and yes, it is an eating disorder we all have) and we stick to the plan for what to eat, when, how often, etc and we move our bodies.... we get healthier, our relationship with food slowly changes, and the weight comes off. Once you're cleared to work out (beyond just walking) you will need the calories to keep your body from thinking its starving (when that happens, it holds on to every little pound and ounce of fat). Just take it one day at a time, and you'll get there. Start really slowly, give yourself grace, and don't fear food. It's fuel for our bodies, and we need it. We just don't need it the way we had it pre surgery.

[BabySpoons 632]

On 9/8/2023 at 6:06 PM, hlw3387 said:

I am scared I will gain back what I have lost and not continue to lose weight.

I can relate to that mindset. I used to kid people pre-op that all I had to do was look at food and gain weight. And it was kind of true.

But now after your WLS and sticking to the doc's plan, you will see the results on the scale. Fears will subside. Mine did.

GL going forward.

[NCL04321 164]

On 9/9/2023 at 8:30 AM, SleeveToBypass2023 said:

What you're feeling is completely normal. We want this to work so badly that we have ourselves convinced food is the enemy. We tend to live in extremes. Pre surgery, food was an addiction, like a drug. Post surgery, we're scared to eat because we're convinced every little morsel will pack all the weight on and undo all of our progress. It's learning the balance between the two that takes the most time and effort. It's always a work in progress. Food is fuel, no more and no less. We eat to live, not live to eat. But we can't live without eating. If you start working on the disordered thinking (and yes, it is an eating disorder we all have) and we stick to the plan for what to eat, when, how often, etc and we move our bodies.... we get healthier, our relationship with food slowly changes, and the weight comes off. Once you're cleared to work out (beyond just walking) you will need the calories to keep your body from thinking its starving (when that happens, it holds on to every little pound and ounce of fat). Just take it one day at a time, and you'll get there. Start really slowly, give yourself grace, and don't fear food. It's fuel for our bodies, and we need it. We just don't need it the way we had it pre surgery.

This is so true about starvation mode. I too was afraid to up my calories and in effect put myself into starvation mode and my weight loss stalled. As soon as i upped the calories, the weight started coming off again!!!