Really worried; need advice

Smillzee · January 8, 2011

Hi folks, This is Smillzee. I'm having a really tough time not obsessing about food. I had my surgery on Dec 29 and have been on total clear liquid diet since Dec 28. Here is the thing I"m worried about: I have been reading here how most people can't tolerate food after surgery. How it turns them off and how it is so difficult for some to even get down a glass of Water. This has not been my experience at all and I"m worried I"m going to be a total failure. First, yesterday, I ate some mushed up split pea Soup and I had about a third of a cup. It was so good I felt I could have eaten the whole can. Then, today, in total frustration, I ate (until they were mushy of course) 4 Ritz crackers. They were so damn good! Food does not turn me off at all. I have no problem drinking the 90 ounces of water a day, the Protein Shakes, whatever I can get my hands on. On Monday, when I'm technically able to have real food, I am going to limit myself to 600 calories but I'm so worried that I'm going to blow this by snacking or by just not feeling full like everyone else. This was my problem before the surgery and I'm not convinced it is gone. When I ate the 4 Ritz crackers, I felt fine and simply wanted 4 more. What the hell is wrong with me? How come I never feel full? What can I do to deal with the introduction of real food come Monday? I know that going back to work will help a lot with the idle time but still, I don't want to snack my self and never even lost the original weight that everyone else does. I have done extensive research on the surgery and realize that the part of my stomach that secrets hunger signals has been removed so maybe my feelings of hunger are all in my mind but that doesn't make them any less intense. Any advice or suggestions? S

myrori · January 8, 2011

Hi folks, This is Smillzee. I'm having a really tough time not obsessing about food. I had my surgery on Dec 29 and have been on total clear liquid diet since Dec 28. Here is the thing I"m worried about: I have been reading here how most people can't tolerate food after surgery. How it turns them off and how it is so difficult for some to even get down a glass of Water. This has not been my experience at all and I"m worried I"m going to be a total failure. First, yesterday, I ate some mushed up split pea Soup and I had about a third of a cup. It was so good I felt I could have eaten the whole can. Then, today, in total frustration, I ate (until they were mushy of course) 4 Ritz crackers. They were so damn good! Food does not turn me off at all. I have no problem drinking the 90 ounces of Water a day, the Protein shakes, whatever I can get my hands on. On Monday, when I'm technically able to have real food, I am going to limit myself to 600 calories but I'm so worried that I'm going to blow this by snacking or by just not feeling full like everyone else. This was my problem before the surgery and I'm not convinced it is gone. When I ate the 4 Ritz crackers, I felt fine and simply wanted 4 more. What the hell is wrong with me? How come I never feel full? What can I do to deal with the introduction of real food come Monday? I know that going back to work will help a lot with the idle time but still, I don't want to snack my self and never even lost the original weight that everyone else does. I have done extensive research on the surgery and realize that the part of my stomach that secrets hunger signals has been removed so maybe my feelings of hunger are all in my mind but that doesn't make them any less intense. Any advice or suggestions? S

Mushies and liquids and yes even crackers will go down easy and provide little resistance. Wait till you have something like lunch meat or chicken, I warn you to go slow and chew and chew and chew, swallow and let a couple minutes go by before starting the next bite. With real food, if you go to fast you miss the full signal (it is very different than before) and if you pass it up with that one bite to many you will be in a world of hurt! Then you will probably have to vomit.

After a while you will get why they call soft foods, puddings, creams ect slider foods. Real food fills you after about 3 bites and you really need to tune into your signals not to over do it and hurt yourself.

Smillzee · January 8, 2011

Sounds like excellent advice. I guess I just have to settle down and really understand my new body. When Monday comes, I'm sticking to the mushy stuff and the Doc says I can have real chewy type food after about a month. I get the slider aspect and I suspect that is what leads to weight gain, right? I mean milkshakes, pudding, etc...those calories can really add up fast. Thanks again for the calming words and the warning. S

Mushies and liquids and yes even crackers will go down easy and provide little resistance. Wait till you have something like lunch meat or chicken, I warn you to go slow and chew and chew and chew, swallow and let a couple minutes go by before starting the next bite. With real food, if you go to fast you miss the full signal (it is very different than before) and if you pass it up with that one bite to many you will be in a world of hurt! Then you will probably have to vomit.

After a while you will get why they call soft foods, puddings, creams ect slider foods. Real food fills you after about 3 bites and you really need to tune into your signals not to over do it and hurt yourself.

bobbyboysgirl · January 8, 2011

Well, first of all you shouldn't be eating so many carbs. Spit pea Soup and crackers is not going to help you lose weight. You should stick to high Protein (70 grams a day) and very little carbs. You should also keep track of everything you eat. Probably the soup was easy to go down as well as the crackers so that is why you didn't experience any difficulty. I had my surgery on Sept. 29th and I can still only eat 2 ounces of food at each meal. I make sure that I get in all of my Protein but it is difficult if I eat too fast or eat more than 2 oz. Your surgery is only a tool to help you. Your doctor should have told you what to eat and what not to avoid. Trust me, you will know when you have eaten too much because it will be really painful. Good luck to you. This is the best thing I have ever done for myself and everything my doctor told me has come true.

Hi folks, This is Smillzee. I'm having a really tough time not obsessing about food. I had my surgery on Dec 29 and have been on total clear liquid diet since Dec 28. Here is the thing I"m worried about: I have been reading here how most people can't tolerate food after surgery. How it turns them off and how it is so difficult for some to even get down a glass of Water. This has not been my experience at all and I"m worried I"m going to be a total failure. First, yesterday, I ate some mushed up split pea soup and I had about a third of a cup. It was so good I felt I could have eaten the whole can. Then, today, in total frustration, I ate (until they were mushy of course) 4 Ritz crackers. They were so damn good! Food does not turn me off at all. I have no problem drinking the 90 ounces of Water a day, the Protein shakes, whatever I can get my hands on. On Monday, when I'm technically able to have real food, I am going to limit myself to 600 calories but I'm so worried that I'm going to blow this by snacking or by just not feeling full like everyone else. This was my problem before the surgery and I'm not convinced it is gone. When I ate the 4 Ritz crackers, I felt fine and simply wanted 4 more. What the hell is wrong with me? How come I never feel full? What can I do to deal with the introduction of real food come Monday? I know that going back to work will help a lot with the idle time but still, I don't want to snack my self and never even lost the original weight that everyone else does. I have done extensive research on the surgery and realize that the part of my stomach that secrets hunger signals has been removed so maybe my feelings of hunger are all in my mind but that doesn't make them any less intense. Any advice or suggestions? S

chilo1 · January 8, 2011

Well, first of all you shouldn't be eating so many carbs. Spit pea Soup and crackers is not going to help you lose weight. You should stick to high Protein (70 grams a day) and very little carbs. You should also keep track of everything you eat. Probably the soup was easy to go down as well as the crackers so that is why you didn't experience any difficulty. I had my surgery on Sept. 29th and I can still only eat 2 ounces of food at each meal. I make sure that I get in all of my Protein but it is difficult if I eat too fast or eat more than 2 oz. Your surgery is only a tool to help you. Your doctor should have told you what to eat and what not to avoid. Trust me, you will know when you have eaten too much because it will be really painful. Good luck to you. This is the best thing I have ever done for myself and everything my doctor told me has come true.

You should bear in mind that different doctors have different rules and eating plans. I was allowed Soups and soggy Cereal, oatmeal from day 3 after surgery. My guidelines are different than most people on this forum, as I'm allowed carbs as long as I get enough protein in. I did once or twice have an urge for eating tortilla chips when I was only a couple of weeks out, I had a few, chewed extra well and it was fine, not that I'm suggesting you to do that! As others have already said, once you've started with dense protein, chicken, eggs, you'll realise that yyou do get full after a couple of bites!

I haven't lost the weight as quick as some people, but I am losing steadily and my surgeon is happy and so am I!