Do you still enjoy food?

[Disney 20]

Have you seen a GI to see if you have a stricture? I did some time in the hospital recently and found out multiple issues I had, one of which was a stricture which caused me to feel stuck and in pain too. It's a simple process. Get knocked out, they scope you, balloon it open and hope it works (it can close back up but normally doesn't). Each of my scopes (I've had 3) from the time I got there til i woke up was about a 2 hour process.

Just wondering how you are doing with that "stuck" feeling after your scopes. Did they help?

[dlflightgirl 2]

I have to say I still love cooking and eating. While out with my husband we share everything. If he wants an appetizer I limit myself to about 2 bites then we share a meal. We normally ask that they bring the food out slow so we can actually savor our meals and not rush through it. I'm lucky because everything taste the same to me as before. Out bills have also been cut by more than half so the surgery is paying for it self since I was a self pay. ( I'm only three months out btw)

[Gayle 9]

I still enjoy food. But I found that I don't like to bring home leftovers that much anymore. Like the next day it's still good. But I'm a little sensitive now so after a couple days of being in the fridge I get tired of it and it's just not appealing to me anymore. Maybe it's all mental, but I feel like I can tell it's going bad or something. IDK, I just give it to my fiancé most the time now

[sasicas 194]

Just wondering how you are doing with that "stuck" feeling after your scopes. Did they help?

I still get the stuck feeling a few times a day but nothing like before. Before everything had gotten to the point of giving me that pain. Now it is very random. My GI did say that sometimes they have to balloon open a stricture 2-3 times before it works. I'm waiting to see my surgeon in a few weeks to get his opinion on if I should pursue being scoped again or not. Originally the plan was to scope me at least one more time after the last one I had done but I have pushed it off for now.

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

I am 2 years out and i wish I did not enjoy eating as much as I did.

I remember in the beginning for the first 6 months or so, eating seemed like such chore, I would rather just make a Protein drink.

I enjoy eating out, and I enjoy the leftovers. I'm single, so I love being able to go out to eat and bring home enough food for another 3 meals.

I eat with people all the time who don't know I had surgery and it's not a problem. I love having a tiny appetite. I am never hungry, but I enjoy eating when

I know it's mealtime !

I agree with Tiffy. This too shall pass!

[Tandybo 1]

I totally know what you're saying. Never hungry, just sort of empty feeling at times. Eating has lost most of it's appeal. I say most, because my head still wants all that stuff, but only until I actually eat a bite... then the craving is gone.

[SouthernSleever 228]

I do enjoy food now. Before I inhaled it. I'd eat oreos, doritos, krystal burgers all kinds of crap but now when I eat I think "I get 3-4ozs of food, lets make it good". I splurge on crab meat (real crab meat) lobster tail. I cook quiche each week for Breakfast. I make homemade bread. I get the most nutritionally out of my food and savor every bite.

Before:

B: Cherrios/milk or doughnut

L: Nothing

S: Hands full of whatever chips and maybe some chipsahoy Cookies

D: A huge plate of Pasta with bottled red sauce

Today

B: 1 egg 1/4 a piece of homemade toast

S: Babybell swiss cheese

L: Crabcake (not a lot of breading)

S: 1c popcorn

D: taco meat with cheese and refried Beans

Nothing was premade other than the Cheese. I made the spices for the taco meat, the Beans, the bread, I didn't lay the eggs though

[ybnormal 21]

Slacker SouthernSleever. Sheesh woman you need to start on those eggs woman! LOL

I've heard that it takes time but that you will enjoy food even more than you did before because like SS said, it's good food now and you can't have very much so you tend to savor it.

Renee`

[DisneyAddict 10]

I still enjoy eating AND cooking very much. It's just not a "torrid affair" anymore. I also don't mind the social aspects of it anymore. My friends know what I've had done. I don't mind relishing two bites of some appetizer and feeling like "Oooo I've been bad" (but in that gleeful way) while my friends have their jaws hanging open. Let em gawk. They knew me when my SOP was unhinge jaw & devour everything in sight (same as my friends). Now, I'm thinner than they are and much healthier...and I don't sound like a winded rhino either. I absolutely enjoy everything that's come along with getting sleeved. I think it gets easier to enjoy things the further out you get. I know my first couple of months I couldnt bear to watch TV without recording everything first because ALL the food commercials made me absolutely pissed and miserable. I didn't enjoy a whole lot either back then.

[kemo46 82]

I'm 5 months out and about 120 pounds down and still don't enjoy food much at all. My tastes are altered in a BIG way. Nothing tastes the same as it used to and a few favorites I can't even stand the taste of now. Even saltine crackers taste odd. I attributed most of it to ketosis - burning fat - but even now (and I guess I still am in ketosis) things just taste really weird and mostly unpleasant. Sweets are nausea inducing and salty stuff is just TOO salty. In our favorite Mexican restaurant I eat maybe 3 corn chips without added salt (used to just pour it on).

Like Tiffykins, I DO enjoy going out now just for the experience. We now can sit in a booth because I can actually fit in one now without by belly pressing into the edge of the table, we both now sit on the same side like romantic couples do, because again I don't take the entire seat for myself. We either split an entree or I get a small portion and take most of it home. We just don't go to some restaurants because they are buffets and it would be a total waste on my part, or the food just doesn't sound appealing to me.

In a way I miss it but I'm really starting to FEEL thin and LOVE the feeling. Bending over at the waist and not having my gut keep me from hitting more than like 80 degrees is just, well, PLEASANT. I am starting to hope it stays just like this and I NEVER get my "appetite" back, even with the physical restriction the changed psychological appetite is what is really making this "easy".

Great post Rootman. Did you just follow your surgeon's advise or did you take it any further and restrict yourself more? I can relate to everything you mentioned. My surgery is the 25th and I cannot wait. The physical restriction is going to be a great help but I really want to develope that psychological mindset towards food.