Will I Ever Be Able to Enjoy Food Again?

[ByPassedGuy 1]

I've been a foodie my entire life, I'm 31, I love Dinners Drive In's and Dives, I follow all the latest best places to eat on Yelp and I live in Oregon so Portland has some of the best places to dine around. Will I be able to savor and enjoy those same ingredients again. I know the same volume of food wont be there and it will be a fraction, but will that even satisfy me? I know this s all for the better of good for our health, I guess I'm scarred because this is for the rest of our lives! Oh and my surgery is in 11 days, I'm in the middle of my liquid diet!

[miiasan 370]

I am about 4 months out. As far as the flavors - yes, you most definitely be able to enjoy them. You will need to stay away from breads, rice, white potatoes, and sugar, but you will probably find that you will not want them as much. So, that leaves out those decadent Desserts for sure - and freshly baked bread (my weakness).

You will only be able to eat a tiny bit at first and will struggle to get in enough . . . eating Protein first always. You will need to let your stomach heal. You will also find that your tastes and what you can tolerate changes. For instance, I cannot stand fatty food - it really makes me nauseous. You would be surprised how much butter is used in restaurants! I slowly started using different spices at about a month and tolerated them well. While it is true that you can only eat 2 oz. at a time and it has to be Protein -there are various ways to prepare it which can make it taste great.

I wouldn't worry if I were you. Of course you will have to change on your pre-diet and post diet to shakes and some pretty bland food. Sometimes it can be hard - but as with a lot of things - that time passes pretty quickly and before you know it you will be cleared to eat just about anything (within the 'protein first' protocol)

Good luck with your surgery and healing time. Stick with the plan and know that down the road you can experiment with flavors. I think you will find that you won't be able to tolerate some hings, but others will be absolutely delicious.

[lauraellen80 855]

I'm 8 months post op and almost 20 pounds below goal, and I've been going out to restaurants since the soft foods phase and still very much enjoy the experience. I think my first meal out was Indian paneer tikka masala without the rice or naan--at this point I'd probably eat part of a piece of naan bread with it but skip the rice still.

BUT... I go about eating out much differently now. I would suggest focusing on places with fresh, flavorful, high-quality ingredients rather than the typical "diner, drive-in, and dive" deep-fried foods. I will occasionally have a few french fries when we eat out, but only if they are really good, fresh, hand cut fries.

I've found that I've become much more choosy about what I'm eating, and if I decide to have an item that's higher in carbs, I keep other carby foods off my plate. So if I do choose to have a few fries, I won't be eating any bun or bread with the meal. We were at a Super Bowl party last weekend, and I chose to have a slider without the bun because I wanted to have a cookie for dessert. I go out for Mexican, and I have 3 or 4 chips with salsa but order fajitas with no tortillas.

One of my biggest lessons from this surgery is that I can't have it all, all the time. I can't treat every meal like a holiday feast. I can occasionally choose a treat, but I have to make sacrifices elsewhere in the meal (or elsewhere in my days food plan--on Thanksgiving I had a Protein shake for Breakfast instead of my usual oatmeal) to balance it out.

There are some people who insist that we, as people with obesity, can never be trusted to eat "in moderation" and ought never allow anything fried or carb-heavy to pass our lips again, lest we fall right back into our old ways and balloon up to where we started... but I don't believe that is true for everyone across the board. Since surgery, I've been working really hard to instill good habits that I can live with for the long haul. And those habits for me include making allowances for some "special" meals here and there. For me, having whole classes of absolutely forbidden foods is the easiest road to going off the rails and bingeing on them, unfortunately. I don't keep much in the way of processed carbs--Cereal, Pasta, bread, crackers, etc.--in the house, but I also don't demonize them and swear all of them off entirely. Except cereal... I just can't trust myself with Cereal. :/

Maybe I'll be proven wrong once I'm out of the "honeymoon phase," but we'll see...

Edited February 13, 2016 by lauraellen80

[lauraellen80 855]

Oh, I will also say that throughout the week, my breakfasts, lunches, and Snacks stay pretty much the same every day. It's dinner where I tend to mix it up a bit more. I think this helps me stay on track, too.

[Djmohr 6,965]

@@lauraellen80

This was very very well said! It is exactly how I approach food. What I choose to put in my mouth has to be worth it and if I do make a choice like a piece of toast or some chips, I make other better choices to offset it during the day.

As a morbidly obese person I never ate a lot of food, I just made wrong choices in what I ate all day long for every meal. If I have learned anything about nutrition it is how to eat properly and in moderation.

There are things my body no longer desires and I am thankful for that. I really love delicious Protein and good carbs but I also love to have a treat on occasion and I do mean occasion.

[Djmohr 6,965]

Oh and I never eat bland food. I have learned that good seasoning and even spicy food is fantastic. Even in the puréed stage.

[ByPassedGuy 1]

Thank you for all the support, thoughts, and ideas. I've got a few friends who are all 1, 2, 3, and 5 years out who said they would do it all over if they had to and made the right choice. Though yes, it does create limits and you gotta stick to the plan but you can still eat what you like.. I'm just a week out now do I'm second guessing myself. You spend months preparing, work up, tests and diet that you forget eventually you will end up having the surgery. Thanks for the responses.

[gpmed 623]

@@ByPassedGuy You've gotten good responses to your question. I'd just add a challenge to open yourself up to trying and enjoying new foods, flavors and spices after bypass.

Things may be a little bland at first, especially during the liquid phase, but just remember it's temporary. I'm five months out and I enjoy occasional meals out at restaurants that use whole food ingredients and have dishes featuring Protein, veggies and whole grains.

These meals are very enjoyable and satisfying. I'm a novice cook and I appreciate restaurants that use the same quality ingredients I do at home but can make dishes above my ability.

I also enjoy that I no longer overeat and the way quality food gives me fuel for plenty of energy and physical activity throughout the day.

Btw, your friends are right that hardly anyone regrets surgery in the long run. A lot of us had "what have I done to myself" thoughts immediately after while still in pain and on liquids. If that happens to you, it's normal and will pass.

Best of luck with your surgery!

[Dub 9,922]

I watched Guy's show a great deal, too.

That and BBQ Pitmasters was a favorite.

I've always enjoyed grilling.

Last June I began the bariatric process that let up to an October sleeve surgery. Let me say this and reinforce it in the most emphatic of terms.........I FREAKING LOVE WHAT MY SLEEVE HAS ENABLED ME TO DO.

I no longer watch those shows......not because I don't enjoy my food. Heck....I'm having some chicken tenders for Breakfast that I grilled last night. Delicious and also having some sharp cheddar cheese with them. Rich flavors....excellent meal.

I no longer seem to have the time to watch those shows....and my other favorites like Homeland, Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, Blacklist and etc. I stay more busy now than before.

I tend to spend an hour or two each day in the gym on my days off.

Just not into sitting around and watching TV like before.

Gonna grill some killer porterhouse steaks tomorrow night and that one steak will make three meals for me.

About to make a pot of chili in a minute for my son and I to enjoy later tonight.

Going to smoke some chuck roasts next week.

Yup......you can certainly enjoy your food and drink down the road. You are in the hardest phase of it right now. That's all. liquid diet pre & post have safety components to them.....follow them to the letter. Somewhere around week 8 or so I began to fire up the coals and have fun in the kitchen again. I certainly don't sample all the stuff I make....stick to low carb, high Protein eats. If I have an adult beverage....it's no longer beer, but a high grade vodka or tequila mixed with some Ocean Spray Cranberry 5 calorie drink.

Would I have my sleeve surgery all over again ? Hell Yes I Would !!!!!!

[gpmed 623]

@@Dub I would kill to have you cooking for me!