Nobody seems to be addressing my ADDICTION to food...

[NurseMom 15]

i'm still pre-op, and going through all the appts and such...

i am truly a food addict. no question. an addict. i have even been to 12 step programs...right now, i can eat MORE than my hubby who is a former collegiate football player, and is 6'2" and 250...

i know that the sleeve is obviously physically limiting, but nobody seems to want to talk about my EMOTIONAL addiction to food. my NEED and LOVE of food is still there, and will still be there post-op, i fear.

i truly wonder IF this will work for me, because when i read threads about how little is eaten, i panic. truly, panic

anybpdy else worried about this???

[becksnky 25]

Yes, very much so. I love food and I get more comfort and joy from food than anything else. I know that is sad, but true. I just pray that the hunger is gone and that somehow this works. I am commited to making it work because my friend (food) doesn't LOVE me anymore. Never has really.

[zozo 1]

I think you need to go for a psychiatrist to deal with all that or I am afraid u would regress

[desertmom 297]

A therapist is a great Idea!

[Justine13 264]

food addiction is so very real and many of us struggle with this. It's very wise to work through this with a therapist (I've had many come see me for these issues as well) as after surgery- you won't be able to use food as a comfort - at least for a while and then when you can- You're going to risk stretching and really sabatoging the surgery. Very good insight on your part - I'm happy to hear you're at least admitting it and now you need to work through it. A surgeon isn't going to do this with you and neither is a nutritionist. This goes deeper than that and if I were you- I would contact a therapist. I've always said- We could alllllll benefit from therapy at one point, if not many points, in our lives. Luck!

[delta_girl 931]

This has actually been discussed a lot in various forums. Just about everyone here is a food addict.

We all didn't get to be obese because of slow metabolism or thyroid problems.

And yet there is a great deal of success post op.

Having strategies and plans in place are a huge asset in the process.

[pedsnurse120304 19]

i'm still pre-op' date=' and going through all the appts and such...

i am truly a food addict. no question. an addict. i have even been to 12 step programs...right now, i can eat MORE than my hubby who is a former collegiate football player, and is 6'2" and 250...

i know that the sleeve is obviously physically limiting, but nobody seems to want to talk about my EMOTIONAL addiction to food. my NEED and LOVE of food is still there, and will still be there post-op, i fear.

i truly wonder IF this will work for me, because when i read threads about how little is eaten, i panic. truly, panic

anybpdy else worried about this???[/quote']

This is any awesome post. I cannot agree with you more than 100%. Im was sleeved 4 weeks ago, and was never prepared like i thought i was. I also still want to eat, eat and eat again. Have an appoinment next week with the Psychologist. She will definatly have her hands full. lol.

[becksnky 25]

And by the way, I don't know how many of you had to have a PSYCH eval for your approval, but my psych eval was a joke. I thought it would address some of these issues. Discuss the issues of emotional eating, why and how did you get to be that way, ways to cope, etc. Nothing at all. Brief in and out. Just a waste of money. Jump through the hoops. Now the real work begins and yes, see a therapist.

[delta_girl 931]

And by the way, I don't know how many of you had to have a PSYCH eval for your approval, but my psych eval was a joke. I thought it would address some of these issues. Discuss the issues of emotional eating, why and how did you get to be that way, ways to cope, etc. Nothing at all. Brief in and out. Just a waste of money. Jump through the hoops. Now the real work begins and yes, see a therapist.

I had to go through one too and it was a very strange experience. We discussed my support systems with friends and family and who cooks at home and what do we cook. We talked about my history of diets since I was very young. We talked about my job and if I drank alcohol, my education, exercise habits, etc. But we never discussed food as an addiction.

He did ask how I planned on handling food choices when I traveled for work.

The head part of this whole thing is huge. I have been very successful so far since surgery, though I have eaten things I knew weren't good choices now and then. Yesterday at work I suddenly found myself in the kitchen looking for something sweet to eat because I had this sudden craving. I wasn't hungry at all. There was some toffee popcorn and I ate several pieces of it then I got myself the heck out of there. Then I wished that I hadn't done it. The great thing about the sleeve is that it minimized the calorie damage since there is no way I can slam down food like I once did.

[gmanbat 5,889]

Passion is the energy of life. It is directed love.

The passion that we have for food is still passion. We don't need to do away with passion. We need to make it a servant. Redirected, passion is power.

We need to focus on the use of food's energy, not put all of our energy into getting more food.< /p>

Too much food did not give us more energy, it robbed us of it.

Now we will get less food and do much more with it.

We were stuck in a room with a TV that ran the same show over and over and over. Now we turn the TV off and go out into the big world where possibilities are endless and we are free to explore ourselves and our abilities.

Find something beneficial to focus your passion on. Make food energy your servant.

[NurseMom 15]

thanks to everyone's responses. i guess i was a bit scared that nobody else felt this way (i LOVE the positive post-op stories, but can't believe that people's addictions just POOF disappear!) and so happy to find that everyone is somewhat dealing too....

i agree with an above post- we didn't just ARRIVE at 225 lbs, or 400 lbs, or whatever, we ATE our way here. yes, while i agree that surgery will physically work, i still need to work on the HEAD...thanks!

[kyllfalcon 768]

Not addicted to food per se. Addicted to sugar. Love the stuff. Want the stuff.

My mouth waters just typing about it.

My eyes seek it out as I travel through the building in which I work. The stuff is everywhere. There are literally dozens of full candy dishes plus a legal-sized drawer filled with bags of candy, available to anyone who wants it, company paid.

Geez. My eyes move toward it, but I forbid my legs and arms to do so.

I do not keep any such stuff in my own home.

Yes, it is a LOT of head work. The surgery and subsequent physical healing is just the tip of the iceberg.

But you can do it!!

[Pookeyism 1,143]

It is a powerful thing. Scary how much so...get in touch with a counselor and do what you can.

Read The Power of Habit by Dughill...it will help you understand alot. It is not a book geared twords overeating, but habits in general...very informative, very helpful.

[thinoneday 445]

nursemom, maybe it's because we ourselves have an addiction/emotional problem with food and don't know HOW to address it????? I myself, out 3 years, just weighed myself after about 2 - 3 months and good lord, I've gained 10 lbs! I must be the biggest emotional eater/drinker on this entire forum! Basics here i come. . Good luck

[Tink22-sleeve 528]

I have 2 suggestions. My nut had me take up a couple of new hobbies to keep the munchies at bay. Ive been practicing playing the guitar and knitting. This helps alot.

I also see a therapist that specializes in eating disorders and food issues. This has been a huge blessing.

Best wishes to you!