Emotional Eating

[BZButterfly79 19]

I as driving back from a trip to Walmart this morning and this question popped up, it might be best fitted for post-opers sleeve veterans, but remember how before the sleeve whatever emotion you could run to food, be it a bag of carrots or a bag of chips.

I hope I am not the only one who deals with things by eating on this forum but more than ever I have watched and paid close attention to my behaviors, I "always" eat when I am upset or anxious and this post was born from my thought of the first time you eat or even thereafter surgery ***what*** has happened to you when now what you used to do can cost you your life.

Certainly the wanting to be healthy and skinny is bigger but these unhealthy behaviors that led us here do they subside does it take a long time for the brain to switch and say "we are not going there we can't"? I have read that some of the physiological changes help to keep us from going there(lack of appetite, N&V, pain) and then there are some sleevers who say it is still a mental struggle.

Share your insight and your experience in this subject. After surgery anything ever made you cry or feel sad and think for 2 seconds of eating chocolate?

[BlackBerryJuice 349]

This is a very interesting subject for me, as I was a huge emotional eater pre-surgery and now I don't have that problem at all. I haven't noticed any substitute addictions, either. In fact, I actually went to see an obesity expert about possibly doing a research project about VSG as a tx for emotional eating in obese people, and he liked the idea, but said I'd have to do a master's to pull this off, which I don't want to do and don't need for my career. So it's a very real beneficial side effect. I've had maybe ONE episode of having a really stressful day and wanting to go buy a bag of chocolate and binge on it, but it was really more of an ingrained behaviour than truly wanting to do that. I was able to step back, look at that urge, and just say "I don't need it or want it and it won't taste or feel good, either." That's it! I started counselling right after my surgery, and the original topic was emotional eating, but now we don't even talk about it anymore - it just doesn't happen.

[BlackBerryJuice 349]

Also, while I was careful for the first 1.5-2 months or so not to try any of my old "trigger foods" (chocolate, ice cream, Cookies - any sweets, really), I can now keep these things in the house and not think of them constantly. Right now I've got a box of truffles, box of butter cookies, and a few pieces of chocolate in the house and I don't have any desire to eat them. The truffles and the cookies have been here unopened for a week. Some days I'll want some chocolate and then just have 2 pieces, like a normal person, and then STOP. It's practically effortless. I've always envied those people who could just keep sweets in the house and not devour them instantly, and now I'm one of them! I actually just bought this chocolate cookbook and my boyfriend and I will make a chocolate flourless cake this weekend - I finally feel like I can make these treats and safely keep them in the house.

[Fleur de lis 2]

I find myself wanting to eat when I'm bored. I've been good about keeping sweets out of the house until recently, when I thought it was a good idea to buy my boyfriend some ice cream. Then, to make myself feel better, I bought sugar free ice cream for me. I've managed to avoid eating it straight out of the carton but if I'm completely honest with myself, I shouldn't have it in the house at all. The rest of my vices have been kept out, though. I know eventually I'll be able to enjoy these things in moderation, I just think now it too early considering I'm only around 7 weeks out. Or 6 weeks, I think.

[Maddie 9]

It's tough for so many people to deal with this. Let's face it, most of us were emotional eaters. I have been very fortunate to have not aquired any cross addictions. It is very sad. I know a girl now who is struggling with alcohol addiction that started after WLS. I also know of a girl who died from liver failure for the same reason.

We really have to work hard to find other ways to deal with our emotions.

So far, when I feel the need to emotionally eat, I make myself get up and do something. Go for a walk, give myself a pedicure, or w/e. I just know that I have to distract myself for a while. So far it's working. phew