Wanting to eat everything before surgery. Help!

[Dee2938 71]

I’m loosing it, and not in the good way. I have a little less than a month before my surgery and exactly two weeks before my liquid diet and right now I just want to eat everything in sight. I feel hungrier than ever and I keep thinking if I don’t enjoy it now I won’t be able to for a very long time. I’m worried I’m going to gain even more weight and weight gained is weight that needs to be lost. I want to get down to 130 and as most patients loose about 70% of their excess weight I won’t end up anywhere near my goal weight if I keep this up. How can I get out of this mentality? How do I keep it together. I have two more weeks before liquid diet and I cannot keep eating like this.

[GradyCat 3,695]

I started dieting, or rather eating like a post-op patient about a month or two before actually having the surgery. That way I was mentally prepared for the type of eating I would need to do for the rest of my life. Be careful with those food funerals.

[Deedee12 1,860]

Hello Dee2938, if it's any consolation, I went through a similar pattern of "food funerals" prior to my surgery and I sincerely wish I could say I regret it. I also had about a 10lbs to 13lbs weight gain within the span of 3 months due it. You are very lucky you only have 2 weeks more of crazy indulgence. My advice is that you focus on your absolutely favorites that you won't be able to have immediately OP or EVER and be mindful of portions.....ie don't go hog wild on every food you see, just your top favorites!
Now the caveat for me doing this was the commitment I had with myself to follow my surgery team's plan to a T post OP and use this tool to lose 100% of my excess weight regardless of the expected weight loss of the surgery.
I hope this helps center you some. Another alternative is to start a food journal and have your nutritionist keep you accountable if that's a possibility.

Good luck🧡

Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

[Cherylmilla 160]

i have been trying to eat healthy since before my consultation late July. My surgery date is 10/28/19. I'm not having food funerals, and I'm exercising and I've lost almost 30 lbs on my own. Last night, after a weird craving I haven't been able to fight, I had a piece of carrot cake. Let me tell ya, it wasn't worth the crappy way I feel today. If there is something you absolutely must have, have a tiny bit now and move on. I think things are all in our heads, because we feel we may have to part with some food forever. Some, our soon to be new tummies may not like, but other foods we may have again in the future, in moderation. I'm trying not to see it as an end to my favorite stuff, but a beginning. This is all very hard. I have doubts about doing the surgery every day, but then something comes and reminds me of my why. Good Luck, you'll do wonderful!! ❤️

[sillykitty 10,774]

food funerals are not an unusual thing. No need to beat yourself up for feeling this way

I had 3 weeks between approval & surgery with no liquid diet. I got all kinds of foods and cravings out of my system. It didn’t hinder my post op success

[Orchids&Dragons 9,047]

1 hour ago, Dee2938 said:

I’m loosing it, and not in the good way. I have a little less than a month before my surgery and exactly two weeks before my liquid diet and right now I just want to eat everything in sight. I feel hungrier than ever and I keep thinking if I don’t enjoy it now I won’t be able to for a very long time. I’m worried I’m going to gain even more weight and weight gained is weight that needs to be lost. I want to get down to 130 and as most patients loose about 70% of their excess weight I won’t end up anywhere near my goal weight if I keep this up. How can I get out of this mentality? How do I keep it together. I have two more weeks before liquid diet and I cannot keep eating like this.

First off, calm down, Dee! Some of this is just the panic with an approaching major life change. It will be alright. Unless you develop lactose intolerance, there are absolutely no foods that you will never be able to eat again, if you choose to. You will just have to make allowances, if necessary. Lots of people have had food funerals (myself included!) and in the long run I don't think they were any more/less successful than others. You have to remember that the 60% number is just an average. Some do better, some don't. It's a mixture of how hard you work, how you eat, genetics, lifestyle, overall health (including medications), etc. Good luck on your journey and keep in touch!

[froufrou 678]

Nothing wrong with a food funeral - I did it too. However, maybe give yourself a list of your top 5 foods, have them, thank them, say goodbye and then start your pre-op diet. You have to make a mental decision to stop and you will feel better for it if you take control of it, rather than just going straight into the liquid diet after eating like mad.

[FluffyChix 17,415]

Talk to your doc and RD. See if they can help you with things. Maybe look at asking to have a bariatric counselor on your team.

I will tell you that any work you do NOW before surgery, to wean off of the C.R.A.P. will help you with recovery and minimizes how hard the recovery phase could potentially be. My recovery was nearly non-existent--a cake walk, so easy peasy with very very tiny issues so that they were non-issues in the big scheme of things. Because I was able to get off the caffeine, sugar, chips/crap/snacks and really focused on eating clean and nutritious food.

My doc told me that it's not that I would NEVER eat those foods again, it's just that rather, I wouldn't plan to eat them again and yet they will still "happen" in our lives/and in our meals. You plan for success, and to stay on your optimal food, and know that part of life is being human and eating that slice of pizza, or burger and fries now and then.

There isn't one thing I can't eat now, that I ate pre-op. The difference is thanks to the surgery and to the success of weight loss and knowing HOW FUC*ING AMAZING SKINNY FEELS, I just end up dileberating and choosing to eat "on plan" foods probably 90-98% of the time. Cuz I don't want to feel the bloat and weighted down carb coma that comes with eating pizza or Mexican food or Chinese...

It's hard to conceive that a change like that is possible.

So don't beat yourself up...but try to clean up your pre-op habits now if you can. The more you do now, the easier it will be in the pre-op liquid phase and after surgery.

[froufrou 678]

I never did wean off of caffeine - in fact, my surgeon told me to have a cup of coffee the week following my surgery when I was complaining of headaches! 😂 Love my surgeon ❤️