it's simple, Mama. YOU DON'T HAVE TO. after about 18 months, you can have a peppermint patty or two. NOT MORE. you get everything back, in small amounts. honest!!!1

the only exception are those foods that just don't sit right - and you'll learn as you go along which ones they are. cooked leaf spinach is a problem for me - but if it's chopped up and mixed in with other stuff, i'm ok.

Hello to everyone. I was moved to post after I saw mama basically echo my thoughts when she asked how you can handle never eating the things you like again. This is currently a thought for me because I am trying to decide between the LB and RNY. My ins will not cover WLS until April so I have a few months. I am getting paperwork together right now.

Four years ago my sister got a LB. She was about 300lb and she is 150 now and feeling very good. She lost her weight as rapidly as a bp patient according to her dr. She eats almost anything she wants now, just in small bits throughout the day. She really never sits down to a meal. That being said, a year ago she was under 100lbs. She lived on cigs and whiskey. In her words, she fixed her body but not her head. I think she is slowly working through it.

I am now at the point where WLS is a definate for all the reasons everyone has already stated. I am under the impression that I will be able to eat a larger variety of food w/ the LB. Is this false? I also have a friend who did the LP 6mo ago and has only lost 45lbs. She is very disappointed and wishes she would have done the RNY. Any suggestions?

Hi Roamans and

I am glad your sister is working through her problems. She is 100% right though, weight loss surgery is a tool, not a cure, it does not fix the brain. I am sorry to hear she is smoking and drinking Some times we lose certain habits but then pick up others along our journey but that can happen with or without surgery.

Just remember going into any WL surgery, everyone is different. With the lap band you will be able to eat a large variety of foods. People tolerate things differently. Some can't eat rice... I can. Again, everyone is different and it really depends on the stage you are in.. for instance, if you are not restricted or just a little, you'll be able to eat more and tolerate more than if you are fully restricted (fills).

Lap band is a slow weight loss aid, you are supposed to lose 1-2 lbs a week. 45 lbs in 6 months... she should be thrilled !! One thing I bet your friend is doing is comparing herself to others which is a big NO NO !!! Seriously she is doing wonderful... I hope her doctor is telling her that. If he is not, maybe you can.

You still need to eat healthy with the band, milks shakes, greasy foods and fancy coffee's can go down very easy adding up to a lot of calories.

Roman, this is such a personal decision. I really hope you choose what's right for you and not what other are doing or saying... BUT at the same time, its FANTASTIC that you are research both options and learning the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Making a blind decision is the worst thing anyone can do.

Good luck !!!

What Leenie said.

and all this talk about being able to eat this or that got me thinking. every person in this world has food preferences. there is NOTHING that'll get me to eat lima beans. one of my sisters will NEVER touch a green bean or a pea. for many of us, our food preferences and tastes change after surgery - and that's over and above what we find we don't tolerate.

For me, a prime example is ICE CREAM!!! i used to love it. and now, if i have a spoonful or two, i'm done. i can literally take it or leave it.

i guess what i'm saying is this: if you decide to have the surgery, your food preferences will most likely change - and it might be that your tastes change, or that you have trouble with the food. but you WILL find other things that you enjoy MORE.

and here's the kicker - very few of us got heavy by being fussy eaters! some of us [raising hand here!] have had WAY too close an association with food - so, IMO, reducing my preferences for, say, ice cream, is actually part of the head issues i've had to deal with. i'm viewing it as being on the path to a more normal, less obsessed, relationship with food.

just my two cents!!!

My dr had been pushing me to lose weight, and when I flat out told him I couldn't stick to a diet, he suggested WLS. I went to a seminar given by a local WLS surgeon, and he described all the different surgeries. I decided on the gastric sleeve - simple, permanent, no malabsorption. I had always been a volume eater, so I felt that what I most needed was something to help me cut down my volume.

I was also a bit scared that it wouldn't work and that I would regain the weight, or that I might die on the operating table, etc. etc. But I knew the quality of life I had was getting worse by the day. My knees were hurting, I couldn't keep up with my husband when we went walking, I was diabetic -- lots of problems. I was willing to take the risk because the status quo sucked.

I had always felt pretty helpless against cravings, sugar, etc., but I found that after my surgery, the cravings were manageable. They remove the part of the stomach that secretes the harmone that makes you hungry (one of the harmones), and that has been very helpful for me. And if I do slip up, I can't do as much damage because of the size of my stomach (i.e., I can't eat the whole bag like I used to).

I had the surgery done in Mexico due to cost (Dr. G. Alvarez). Good luck in your decision.

you've gotten great advice from everyone... just wanted to say welcome.

I'm 17 weeks out from surgery today and I'm thrilled with my results.

Thanks for bringing this up. I was sort of wondering if cravings would change after surgery.


(Unrelated to WLS, but related to cravings... I used to eat a bowl of ice cream every night. When I was pregnant with my son, I ate a MASSIVE "bowl" of ice cream daily - sometimes twice daily. Guess how much ice cream I've had this entire pregnancy? Exactly one spoonful. I guess this little one doesn't like ice cream. So... I can see how cravings can change as we change physically.)

Another thing I am worried about with WLS is how my severely changed eating habits would effect my relationships with others. Would food-pusher relatives that cook elaborate meals for every visit get it when I didn't even have room to try a little taste of every dish? How will family mealtimes change with my husband and children? Would I be sending confusing messages to my own children about what is "healthy eating" when they see my pint-size portions as I encourage them to eat an entire plateful? I'd love to hear anyone talk about these issues - especially how their young children viewed mommy or daddy's seemingly bizarre eating habits.

My family has been super supportive and totally understand about the surgery. My neices are little (5 and 6) and we just explained that my tummy was now way too small for alot of food and they seemed to grasp it OK. I still eat with my family every night, I just use tiny plates and tiny bowls. Also those food pushing relatives can try, but after surgery it really wont matter. it isnt like before when you got full and could still fit more. after surgery when you are full there is no way to get more in there(at least with the rny). trying to over eat leads to puking, at least for me.

oh Mama - have you hit on a bit issue here!!!! talk with as many people as you can about this - no matter what we do, our relationship with food changes, and as a result, our relationships with PEOPLE change. As duckslove pointed out, some folks are really supportive - others, not so much.

I guess with children - and i have none, so take this with a grain of salt - it's mostly about modeling good food choices, eating only when hungry, getting exercise, etc, rather than being a member of the clean plate club. sure, your kids need enough food, and they'll be sure they get it [i hope!]

but what's even more bizarre is that you'll lose some friends, and make others. some people simply can't tolerate seeing the changes in us.

thanks to everyone.
i have decided to have the RNY. I met with my dr today and had the letter of necessity written etc. I have to wait to schedule until april due to my ins company's policy. I work the overnight shift (12 hr shifts) on my feet the whole time. After 4 shifts in a row last week I was so sore that it took me two days off to just be able to walk without a limp. Of course i cried, and then I thought, "does it really matter if you can eat pasta and brownies anymore?" NOthing tastes good enough to feel like I have been for the past 6 mo. so.....the journey begins!

congrats, Romans - on making a decision - no matter what's decided, just starting on a good course of action can make all the difference.

we'll be around here as you go through the journey - and the hoops!!!

Congratulations on your decision! I hope this is the beginning of something wonderful for you.

I guess I have to get to that point where I'd say "does it really matter if i can't eat popcorn and peppermint patties anymore?" Right now I feel like it does sort of matter. Maybe i am too entrenched in my relationship with food to be serious about WLS right now. I'll wait and see how I feel after the baby. I'll have "two under two" then , and I may not have much time to indulge in old habits and would rather be able to keep with with my kids anyway.

oh such good questions.

1. in the beginning you don't have that much room but at thanksgiving I DID have a taste of EVERYTHING.... granted I was the cook so I knew what was in everything... but my plate had a bit of everything on it.....

2. family mealtimes: you will be making healthy food in appropriate sizes. A HUGE plate of food is NOT healthy. We have severe portion creep in this country. THREE ounces of protein is a very small amount. and it's an appropriate size. The parent eating a giant plate of spaghetti is the one sending the wrong message. Why would you encourage your children to join the 'clean plate club'.

The eating habits of WLS pateints more than a couple of months past surgery are NORMAL. for example I am going to lunch today with a friend.... we picked Wendy's..... I'll have a small salad (and eat about half of that and a small chili and probably finish most of that. I'm 4 months out...

last night we had meatza for dinner (pizza with a meat crust) ONE slice and I was done. Hubby managed 2 but said he ate too much. how many slices of pizza is "normal".... I used to eat a whole small pizza myself. is that NORMAL?

Jillybean and a bunch of other wonderful folks from this forum answered some of my questions a few weeks ago that were very similar to some of your questions about food restrictions. I dunno if you read it but I'm gonna stick a link here in case you want to look over it. =)

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/weig...ions-mine.html