female only Horomonal Eating - PMS and all that jazz

[kbVA 5]

So - hormonal eating. A BIG problem for me and for someone like me who is considering the sleeve surgery, I worry that this will be a big hindrance for me. Obviously, with surgery I can't do *too* much damage, but I'm still concerned. Some months aren't too bad, but some months I do a LOT of damage with hormonal eating. I realize it's hormonal because I will literally wake up one morning (after period has started or just ended) and not feel like a raving food beast anymore. But when it strikes, it's BAD. I just can't be satisfied, I want only foods that are terrible for me - the badder the better. Some months I can get a handle on it, especially if I recognize it coming on, but some months I don't realize it until I'm knee deep in my 10th pint of ice cream....kind of exaggerating....kind of....

I'm just so frustrated by this! For so long I've thought that I just have to learn to deal with it, but maybe I'm missing out on some great help out there or idea that can help me tame this beast. I'm on birth control (lower dose hormones), we have 3 kids and aren't positive we are entirely done yet or one of us would be getting some kind of permanent BC done. I always struggle some with Portion Control and my love for baked goods (hence the surgery) but this is another factor that has significantly impacted my ability to ever be a normal weight.

[KristenLe 5,979]

There's some good info in this article. I'm also going to go to counseling for dealing with emotional eating. I have a 6 month wait for insurance approval so I figured I'd get all the tools I could.

http://www.helpguide.org/articles/diet-weight-loss/emotional-eating.htm

[Cervidae 2,389]

Part of the reason the surgery works is because it seriously limits the amount and kinds of food you can eat. You'll probably feel VERY differently the first time you try eating something that doesn't agree with you. Just that unpleasant experience alone may help you to avoid eating the junk, or too much of something. It's not going to kill you but it is going to be extremely uncomfortable, perhaps even painful. So if you truly cannot resist and you have to sort of make yourself snap out of it by experiencing dumping or stuck food, well... the surgery does help in that way.

Another reason it works is because it cuts out the part of your stomach that makes a surplus of the hunger hormone. For at least a few months, sometimes closer to a year, after surgery, most people simply don't feel hungry, myself included. Sometimes food is even completely undesirable. This sounds sort of miserable, because we love food... but really, it's another tool to help curb our appetites and stay on track, and to eat the food we actually need to live, not to live to eat food that was actually making us obese/sick/etc.

I have PCOS, and I'm a hormonal eater too. Only now at 8 months have I started feeling it again, and I can tell you with certainty that it is NOTHING like it used to be. It's controllable. It's like what "normal" people go through when they crave something (people who never got obese because they don't have the hormone and metabolic health issues that led us here). I crave a food, I tell myself I can't or should not, or I am choosing not to, eat it, and I eat something else. Usually a measured amount of some healthy substitute, and after a few bites, the craving has died down. So manageable now compared to what my life and my appetite used to be like.

This surgery really is amazing. It gives us the ability to be the kind of person and do the kinds of things we always wanted to to be healthy but could never sustain long-term. Thankful every moment of every day!

[Christinamo7 4,042]

post surgery when I want - no NEED - chocolate I am actually satisfied with a chocolate Protein shake. go figure. sometimes I add Peanut Butter powder to it.

my understanding is that down the road some of those cravings can come back - and so we do need to work on our own issues - but it really does change the game in the short term anyway.

[JamieLogical 8,710]

I am going through a hormonal/emotional craving situation right now. I'm 20 months post-op. I can tell you that the struggle is still real, but nothing like what it used to be. Even if I completely lose it and overeat on things I shouldn't be eating, the amount of "damage" I can do is still very limited by the physical restriction. At most I can maybe eat an extra 400-500 calories in a whole day if I do a lot of grazing/snacking? That's nothing compared to the extra 3000-4000 calories I used to be able to put away with a whole pizza, bag of chips, and pint of ice cream.

Yesterday I ate some chips and some Pop Tarts. Definitely NOT proud of that, but I've got it back under control today, eating on my normal schedule. I guess my point is that food is still a daily battle at times, but at least with the sleeve, you have a tool to help you win that battle far more often.

[kbVA 5]

I am going through a hormonal/emotional craving situation right now. I'm 20 months post-op. I can tell you that the struggle is still real, but nothing like what it used to be. Even if I completely lose it and overeat on things I shouldn't be eating, the amount of "damage" I can do is still very limited by the physical restriction. At most I can maybe eat an extra 400-500 calories in a whole day if I do a lot of grazing/snacking? That's nothing compared to the extra 3000-4000 calories I used to be able to put away with a whole pizza, bag of chips, and pint of ice cream.

Yesterday I ate some chips and some Pop Tarts. Definitely NOT proud of that, but I've got it back under control today, eating on my normal schedule. I guess my point is that food is still a daily battle at times, but at least with the sleeve, you have a tool to help you win that battle far more often.

That whole pizza, bag of chips, and pint of ice cream you mentioned....did you sneak into my house and film me doing that to get that idea??? That sounds pretty spot-on when it's the super bad PMS times!

Thanks everyone - I figured the sleeve would help restrict the damage I could do but it's nice to hear that it's all leveled off for the most part for you all and that without the hunger hormone surging for a long while as well (sounds like both the PMS and hunger hormone surges together have been disastrous) that there's hope. If the worst I ever do on a PMS rant is a PopTart....that will be amazing:)

[needtorecover 574]

I'm struggling with hormonal eating right now, too! My PMS is vicious.

But like other said, the hunger isn't nearly as sharp as it was pre-surgery. And when I do give in to cravings, my ability to overeat is very limited. I let myself get too hungry last Friday and told myself I could eat whatever I wanted at the restaurant I went to and ended up getting a burger and fries. I decided to eat until I was completely satisfied, and only managed to eat 1/2 the burger and 1/3 of my fries before I felt too full to continue. Now old me? Especially premenstrual old me? I'd have wolfed down the whole burger, all the fries (plus mayo), plus the rest of my partner's nachos, 2 more beers, AND ordered dessert. And probably would've eaten more when I got home.

The surgery makes a HUGE difference.

[sleevedinseptember 69]

I have the same struggle especially around PMS and during my actual period. I have to actively coach myself through it - sometimes I win and sometimes I lose. Some of my strategies - I give myself permission to eat anything I want after I have satisfied all my Protein and Fiber needs for the day. Frequently, I just don't have room to actually eat more than I should. I also try to go to bed earlier, drink more Water or have a special tea that I reserve just for moments like that.

If none of that works or I just want to give into the cravings, I try to find the best/healthiest option. so for example I will prepare myself a little "mezze" plate of cheese, olives, peppers and hummus, grapes and strawberries. I can never get through all of this but something about having the visual abundance and freedom in front of me helps my brain not to feel stressed out by the idea of not eating what I'm supposed to.

And if I have a piece of chocolate or cake or whatever I don't beat myself up - I just make sure it is worth the expenditure because these days there's nothing like eating something and feeling like it was not worth the splurge.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

This is a good time to learn some substitutes for things you like that are healthy.

Protein shakes and Protein Bars can satisfy cravings for sweets, and there are plenty of low carb Snacks and sweets available.

I have lot of options in my home, so if I want something, there is something healthy immediately available and I don't have to leave the house and be tempted by other things.

[CallMeTee 77]

So happy to find this thread, hormonal eating is something I struggle with as well, and probably one of my biggest worries once I'm post-op. I take comfort in all yall's experiences.

[bigmamaAfrica 49]

I just started my period and going through it with hormonal (and stress related) hunger and eating! Im almost 2 months post op and I'm one of those rare sleevers that feels hunger. Yay, me.

Im trying to go for healthier substitutes, but its also difficult to find affordable health foods in Africa like Protein bars/chips etc.. Tasty tropical fruits abound but that does nothing to satisfy my craving at all!! Doing the weekly shop this morning with my partner and hoping to get some supplies.. Thanks for the tips and support

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Edited May 28, 2016 by bigmamaAfrica

[sharonintx 1,275]

I love Pop Tarts