cheating on Post Op liquid diet.... help

[cariel 0]

I was banded last Thursday and did well with the liquid diet until yesterday. I took a bite of food and now I've taken quite a few. Will any of you admit to this? if so, were there any consequences? I'm feeling really guilty.

[UpperWestSide 3]

It is very important that you know that the consequences of moving to food too soon after surgery are usually things you can't see or feel but that could have long term consequences. The act of digesting the food causes your insides to move to push the food (even a little of it) through the area where you just had surgery. The area is swollen and needs sufficiant time to heal before being asked to do work. If you disturbe the healing process you can cause a slippage of the band which has not yet had time to settle into place. This could happen now or it could just be undermind so that when you are moving into the next phase, or later down the line, it could herniate or slip.

Don't move past where your Dr. has told you to go with shakes or food. The problems it could cause would be terrible of it either made the band ineffective (and who wants to go through this surgery only to have a band that won't work) or even worse, requires another surgery to fix what you broke.

Try to fill that hungry space with a variety of shakes or Soups and with the knowledge that you are doing something wonderful for yourself.

Best of luck.

[ElfiePoo 109]

I was banded last Thursday and did well with the liquid diet until yesterday. I took a bite of food and now I've taken quite a few. Will any of you admit to this? if so, were there any consequences? I'm feeling really guilty.

Cariel,

The preop and postop diets are not carved in stone and will vary among doctors. Based on past posts here and on other forums, some doctors have people back on regular food within a week. Others keep their patients on complete liquids for a full month after surgery.

My doctor had me spend 2-3 days on each phase (liquids, mushies, etc.) of the postop diet and I was back on regular foods by the end of two weeks.

So I doubt you've done any damage. Keep in mind that right now all you have is a little piece of plastic inside you. Any restriction you have is due to swelling, not the band. Until you start getting fills...and restriction...and depending on how much swelling your band causes, you may find that you're already back to the point where you were preband...meaning hungry all the time.

My doc told me to eat if I'm hungry, but make wise choices. In other words, no junk. So for the last 3 months post op I've only lost 17 pounds (the rest was preop) because I have eaten more than 1 cup of food but that's ok. I haven't been miserable.

Personally, I would say if you're hungry and really have to eat, just move to the next stage. That's better than diving right into regular food again.

.

[BetsyB 9]

There is so much variation in pre- and postop diets!

My doctor advances his patients to purees at 3 days postop. After 10 days, we move to solid Protein.

I haven't cheated, because I've been allowed to eat---but I can't imagine that a bite or three will harm you.

That said, it might be a good idea to really work on establishing the healthier habits that are necessary for success after banding; adhering to short-term guidelines will help break the bad habits that got you banded in the first place.

[Queen Fig 0]

I was STARVING post op, so after a couple of days, I e-mailed my nutritionist and she said that I could move ahead of schedule and start mushies early. You probably haven't done anything to hurt yourself. Just know that until fill 2 or 3 you will be relying on more willpower than you thought you'd have to. Start practicing now. Just remember that things will improve and you WILL get to a place where you are not so hungry anymore. The weeks after surgery but before your fills is a killer! (At least for me!) Good Luck!:sifone:

[Foxxy 0]

I did. I cheated on day three because I was so effin hungry. I boiled lentils and then blended it to a paste, put it through a seive then added more chicken broth. Not like this was a big deal, but when I drank it, I thought I was gonna pass out because it got stuck and made me so nauteous. I didn't do nothing after that because I was too scared. I know how hungry you get but just try to stick it out a bit longer, you'll be ok!

[trina720 0]

Hi carriel, just wondering how is it going for because i can strongly relate to cheating. i noticed that in this forum, no one really admits to cheating but i believe in honesty. I've been banded for 3 weeks and i've been cheating since day 3.

I wanted to know did it harm you in anyway and how are you coming along with your weight loss. I'm not a big cheater but i started mushies on day 3 and i eat oatmeal or grits 1 a day because i am too bored with the liquids. i can't do it.

[BetsyB 9]

i noticed that in this forum, no one really admits to cheating

I think that most of us will very freely own up to mistakes we've made. But, too, most of us are very, very dedicated to making life changes that recognize that doing things the way we've always done them will not work for us any more---and therefore are working very hard to be compliant, particularly in the immediate postop period.

"Cheating" is a concept that becomes moot when you realize that it really isn't "cheating" to make a decision to eat. This comes a little later in the game, though. Racing out of the starting gate and immediately deviating from plan really can set you up for difficulties---not food-wise (no one is going to die from eating ahead of what may be a very conservative diet advancement schedule), but emotionally.

If you set yourself up, right from the beginning, for a sense of guilt and failure, you might wind up with a self-fulfilling prophecy. It's more positive to work on mastery. You can conquer food! It doesn't rule you! Be the boss. Make good choices. It's hard, but it can be done.

[Kary 0]

Cariel, I'm day 7 post-op and have wanted to cheat as well. I cheated on my pre-op diet everyday for a week and was surprised to find I had lost 9 lbs. I totally agree with Queen Fig, up until the first or second fill, it's basically alot of willpower. My doctor has me on liquids for 2 weeks post-op then week three and four are mushy to soft solids so I'm dying! Therefore, I try to eat same thing everyday, one shake for morning, shake for lunch and bowl of Tomato Soup for dinner and a sugar free popicle every day. I've lost 12 lbs this week alone. Hang in there. You are going to be fine, just don't over do it with the solids too much! :scared2:

[Kris110385 0]

Hello All!

Okay I am so lucky I found this post.

I did not cheat once on my pre-op diet I was a crazy person and stuck with the diet like it was life or death!

However, now that I have 5 days post op I just want to eat everything!!! In fact I had a cup of applesauce this morning and now all I can think about is what I can have for lunch! I must say the thought of straying away from what the can and can not list is definitely in my mind! I am not sure if I am just bored and tired of sitting at home and need to get my butt back to work or what the deal is but I do know that I am realllllllly hungry!

Is it bad to switch to solid foods at this point maybe not a burger by any means but I mean soft solid foods of coarse..

Thanks for your help!

[BetsyB 9]

It's far better to advance your diet as recommended by your doctor.

If you really can't tolerate the hunger any longer, call your doctor's office for input; you may be happily surprised to be told to advance.

But foods like applesauce, which are relatively high in sugar, might not be the best choices right off the bat; they cause a sharp spike in blood sugar (as compared to, say, protein), followed by a plummet---and worse, cravings for more.

Every doctor is different, in terms of postop "rules." You can choose to take or leave yours (though again, if you were to call his/her office, you might find that moving ahead is okayed---and you might get good guidance about how to do so in a way that is least apt to bother your new stomach)---but if you do deviate, try to do it in a way that will really give your body what it NEEDS.

[Drasan 23]

I agree with Betsy. Call your doctor, let her/him know how you're feeling. I've been in contact with my group because I've not been able to eat as much as I was instructed to eat with the next phase of mushies.

Let your professionals know what's going on. Give them the opportunity to help you.

I'm one week post-op and must still be swollen because I'm FULL. I have noticed some head hunger, you know? But when I stop and really think about it, I am not hungry.

Good luck, I hope you get the hunger under control soon!

[LuvinLife 0]

I am DYING to EAT!!! I am on day 7, i think. I had surgery on 3/11. I have almost convinced myself to eat something but am scared to do so.

I know this is gross.. BUT.. I have ate some popcorn chicken and a few mac n cheese noodles for the taste and spit it out before swallowing. I am sooo done with this liquid diet and I have till NEXT Wednesday! I could cry!

What I can't figure out is if we are losing weight now with only liquids, how in the HELL are we going to lose weight when we start eating again?

[LuvinLife 0]

I also believe I am having hunger pains, they are so uncomfortable!!! Anyone else feel this in their stomach! UGh

[BetsyB 9]

I was very hungry--not head hunger, but bona fide hunger hunger--and that persisted until after Fill #2. Since I don't yet have good restriction, it still lingers, to a certain extent.

When you don't have restriction, your stomach capacity is smaller, but it still empties at a near-normal rate; the result is hunger.

The thing is, you don't really have to eat in response to the hunger! I'm not saying you shouldn't ever, but you can lose weight during this time if you choose to eat in a way that permits it. Yes, it is dieting. But it's a short-term thing---there is a light at the end of the tunnel that will relieve you of the need to be super-vigilant.

Not everyone views this time of bandster hell as a time for losing. You'll hear a lot of, "It's time to focus on healing." And that is very true--to an extent.

But you can work with your body instead of against it. You can make sure that the foods you do choose don't work against you, hunger-wise. You can measure your food to make sure you don't overdo. And so on and so on and so on.

PLEASE don't get in the habit of chewing and spitting food--that is disordered eating, and can really lead to more issues down the road. The idea is to form a new relationship with food--not continue on a destructive path.