I was banded on May 7th, and so far, everything has been going well. I went in for my 2 week appointment and have lost 10 lbs., so the surgeon was happy with my progress.

I have noticed something pop up that I'm not sure whether or not I should be concerned about. I'm the cook of the family, so I've been cooking for my "boys" ever since the surgery was over. Initially, I'd call them down to be my taste testers, but that's become quite a nuisance and sometimes even undoable (since they like going outside to play, etc.). Therefore, I started putting a bit of food in my mouth to taste it, and then I'd spit it out since I knew that I wasn't allowed to actually 'have' that food.

At first it seemed pretty benign, since it was extremely small quantities, and it was just for tasting purposes. However, these last 2 days I've caught myself putting a few croutons in my mouth, chewing them until they were really liquidy, and then spitting them out (since I know that croutons aren't the kind of food that I'm supposed to be eating).

Should I be worried about this? Has anyone else experienced a similar eating behavior crop up after surgery?

Seems like you realize what your doing, but I wonder how much of our eating is simply habit. I know in the past I just ate anything really didn't realize what I was doing. Good thing you are aware of your eating. I think you'll be okay.

I've seen people recommend this as a stop gap during the liquid diet phase.

I think that part of the liquid diet problem is that it is a sensory deprivation. It's not just about food but data input from your nose and mouth.

As long as it is temporary, I wouldn't worry too much.

One Thing My Pre Op Diet Taught Me Was That I Eat When Im Bored Or Lonely. Now That I Am Aware Of It I Can Work On Sopping It. I Am Rarely Hungry Now (one Week And Two Days Banded) And If I See Chocolate Or Any Old Friends I Miss It. In Time Your Eating Habits Will Change. Stay Strong!!!!

Hang in there! A new friend of mine banded on 4/22 was so desperate for something crunchy & salty, that she raided the Cheese Nips box, poured a handful, sucked all the salt off them, then one by one, actually put them back in her mouth to chew them like crazy & then spit them out before swallowing. We both laughed ourselves silly at the wacky things we do sometimes. All in all, it was pretty harmless & seems quite logical because of the food sensations we are missing with the liquid phase. I'm sure it will pass :blushing:

I chewed a few meatballs with my Soup the other day and spit them out.

Highly unsatisfying! My stomach was so angry that the meatballs didn't come down it's way. It's better for me to just deal with the liquids until my mushy stage on Monday.

I think you'll be okay.

I've not done anything like chewing and spitting but 3 years on down the track I have an absolutely terrible habit of not eating any meals at all during the day, just picking ALL day. I cant be bothered to sit down and eat so I just eat crap (that goes down easily) all day long.

Now, I dont do this too often or I'd gain but I really have to fight it.