[ArrowGirl]

Hi
I am palnning to have the RNY and will have my first consult next week. I wanted to find out what people's experiences have been with food cravings after the surgery. I am discovering how my cravings drive me, and fear that they will sabotage my WL efforts. Is it true that they go away?
Thanks

[jiffypop]

Good question!!!! and bottom line, everyone's different. for ME, yes - food cravings disappeared - for many months. some of them came back, though. but frankly, i only pay attention to them when i'm stressed!!!

the OTHER issue is HEAD HUNGER. you THINK you should be eating. or eating something different, or something that everyone else is eating. but when you think about it, you realize that you're not really hungry, but you ARE responding to certain cues.

a lot of it is habit - and it needs to be dealt with. IT'S NOT EASY!!!!!! but knowing what's going on and why is most of the battle.

[MyGirlFriday]

Ok Jiffy~So how did you go about dealing with it?

It is so very difficult to deal with stress eating, emotional eating and just flat eating because you are bored.

Any helpful hints would be great!
I know that there are several of us on our journey to getting approved for WLS and it woukld be nice for y'all to share your insight with us newbies.

thanks in advance!


mgf~

[jiffypop]

oh my, mgf - i've been dealing with this for so long that i forgot that not everyone actually can see what's been going on!!!

some key points, though -

1. if ya don't deal with some of these demons/issues BEFORE the surgery, you'll have to deal with them AFTER the surgery - GET A HEAD START on it.
   
2. some of us found therapists who specialize in eating and stress; some of us didn't
   
3. i knit. Kier knits. Nanj crochets. other folks exercise a lot. exercise helps, but a person needs balance
   
4. some folks find that keeping an 'advanced' food diary helps - you know the drill - tracking both your food AND your emotions.
   
5. i found eating with others, whether at a restaurant or a dinner party, or something that involves sitting around eating and talking for awhile, to be a challenge. that's because when you're done, YOU'RE DONE. no more picking at your plate - in fact, it's best if you get rid of it, or dump salt/pepper all over it, or cover it, ANYTHING to avoid going back for a few more mouthfuls. that's one of MANY reasons i always have knitting with me.
   
6. For me, i realized that i use that 'something in my mouth' feeling to ground me. and that had to stop. enter STRONGLY FLAVORED TEAS. doesn't much matter - a good herbal tea works, nice black cinnamon, whatever.
   
7. and NEVER get into the habit of TEA/COFFEE and <fill in the blank> - drink your tea/coffee without eating anything with it -

just a few thoughts - and i'm sure other folks will chime in here!

[annie175]

I am with you Jiff...

I didn't even want to eat, have any food cravings, or even think about food til right around a year out, then they slowly started coming back. Every once in a while I give into them just to get it out of my system. I have to be careful tho that it doesn't throw me into a binge. Especially around TOM.

[KO]

Knittign helps also a lot of Hunger is Thirst
Also I have DH clean the dishes esp if there are leftovers b/c I pick! like a fiend!
also with triggery stuff (the ladies can attest that I become Blue furry and have googly eyes in the face of carbs)
Its better if I just say no than try to have a taste

I had a small victory last night Made DH mac and cheese (he was supposed to make his own but got stuck at work
Didn't test it at all which is indeed a first!

at work/in the store SF gum is my saving grace

[nanj]

Now when you talk about cravings...... By that I mean, I wanted to be able to eat some of the things that I did before I had my surgery. So, I eat ALMOST everything that I ate before, but just different. Plain as mud. I do eat pizza, but it is a whole wheat low carb tortilla pizza. I do eat brownies, things like brownies made with whole wheat flour, zucchini, whey-low sugar, egg whites and such. I eat carby oatmeal once in a while, but scotish oats with a scoop of protein. I eat pancakes, but I either eat whole-grain pancakes or ricotta pancakes. I do crave chocolate and occasionally I eat a tsp of mini-semi-sweet chocolate chips. I can't eat bread unless it is paper thin and toasted. I can't eat whole-grain spaghetti, because it won't go down. I don't keep things in the house that I know I could tear into. I do have grandchildren and they bring crap into the house, but I send it back with them. I freeze my plain greek yogurt with a SF sweetener, with added strawberries and about and inch of banana. Come home after work and set it on the counter, change my clothes and a nice banana split awaits. Sometimes I add SF Carmel sauce. I keep healthy things around: apples, bananas, whole grain crackers, grapes, frozen cooked shrimp, canned tuna, PB&J peanut butter, Ak-Mak crackers, cheese bites and limit those. I'm almost two years out and I'm having head-hunger and a wish for things that I haven't thought of for days. I need to keep busy when cravings hit. I need to keep up my water and I need to keep up my supplements. I went about a week without supplements and I craved everything I could get think about. I deal with FOOD ADDICTION everyday, but I do deal with it. Food will no longer be your best friend. You will eat to live, not live to eat. You can do it. Just get a plan now before you have your WLS. These people have given you some very good advise.

[annie175]

Wow Nanj...I just realized our stats are about the same with only our height different and we don't live to awful far apart.

[nanj]

Annie: I looked at your stats and guess what else....my birthday is June 11th and yours is the 12th. Let's hear it for the girls up North!!!! Yeah! Maybe I will wave to you from across the stadium when Ohio State takes you guys on! LOL!!!! I love to seeing the success that you have had with lapband!!! Oh, I use to be close to 5'9", but I'm an old goat and with the weight, arthritis, and gravity......I'm melting!

[jillybean720]

If you're worried about cravings, you may want to research the VSG or DS as other procedure options, as they involve removing the part of your stomach that creates the majority of the ghrelin in your body. For most, this results in both reduced hunger and reduced cravings (YMMV).