Afraid to Eat

[WendyTK 0]

I had bypass surgery April 4. I've been getting my recommended Water and was put on a clear diet when I was discharged from the hospital. This means I can be drinking clear Protein Shakes, broth, etc. I haven't eaten anything or drank anything containing calories since leaving the hospital. I'm afraid to eat. Not because I think I'll get sick but because I went through with this surgery to lose weight and I'm afraid any food will prevent weight loss. I didn't have this feeling before surgery. Is this normal?

[AJSci27 5]

I’ve had this feeling before but it lasted a very short while. Your body needs the calories to survive and weight loss will still happen. Your stomach is not that same anymore and you won’t be able to eat the same amount or the same types of food anymore. That feeling will pass in due time. You’ll be okay! Just make sure you follow your surgeon’s directives ♥️

[toodlerue 432]

The 1st few days are rough. Consentrat on Protein and liquids right now. The Protein Shakes can be counted as liquid.
The first few weeks I only got between 700 and 900 calories day. Just don’t go on a binge. I need a bunch of crap and you will be fine.

[Arabesque 6,490]

If you follow your plan, you won’t put on weight. You are consuming so few calories & even when you progress to purées, soft food & then solid food, you’ll still be eating so few calories & such tiny portions, that again you won’t put on weight.

Not consuming calories, not meeting your Protein goals (or at least being close to it) will actually be doing you more harm. Affecting your recovery & healing, putting your body into starvation mode, being nutrient deficit, etc. These will impede your long term health & weight loss.

May be get in touch with your team & ask if you could see a therapist to work through this fear of eating. You don’t want to swap one set of poor eating habits with another & create new health issues.

Trust the program. It works.

[SleeveToBypass2023 1,837]

If you don't eat, your body will think it's starving and it will hold on to every little calorie, every bit of fat, everything to protect you. That will be what causes you to gain weight, or at the very least, not lose. You have to learn to walk that fine line between eating enough to stay healthy but not too much to cause weight gain. It's a learning curve, and takes a while to figure out. But you'll get there.

Just make sure you get your Protein in first, then carbs (from veggies and fruits), HEALTHY fats, and enough calories. The first 2 weeks, I never had more than 600 calories per day. Weeks 3 and 4 it went up to between 800 - 900 per day. Weeks 5 and 6 I was around 1000 per day. Once I was completely cleared for all exercise, I went up to 1100 - 1200 per day on non work out days and between 1300 - 1400 per day on work out days, depending on what work out I was doing that day.

You absolutely HAVE to give your body the fuel it needs to survive and thrive. The point of the surgery isn't to starve yourself into being skinny. It's a tool to teach us to make better, healthier choices and stick with them.