Help! I ate McDonald's 2 weeks post op

[MoominMan 17]

I feel like crying. Really let myself down.

I can't believe I've been so stupid. 15 days post op and I thought I'd try a small McDonalds (6 nuggets and plain hamburger). I feel very ill now. And it wasn't even worth it. Was disgusting. Argh so mad at myself!

[thebariatricbat 12]

I feel like crying. Really let myself down.
I can't believe I've been so stupid. 15 days post op and I thought I'd try a small McDonalds (6 nuggets and plain hamburger). I feel very ill now. And it wasn't even worth it. Was disgusting. Argh so mad at myself!

When you say “very ill” are you in pain? If so you may need to speak to your Bariatric team and tell them everything ASAP.


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[MoominMan 17]

3 minutes ago, thebariatricbat said:

When you say “very ill” are you in pain? If so you may need to speak to your Bariatric team and tell them everything ASAP.


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No just that feeling of illness when you've eaten way too much Christmas dinner. Hopefully that's all that happens, I guess I'll have to wait a few hours to see.

[thebariatricbat 12]

No just that feeling of illness when you've eaten way too much Christmas dinner. Hopefully that's all that happens, I guess I'll have to wait a few hours to see.

Ah I see. Well, everyone makes mistakes, but eating solid food two weeks out can cause serious complications. Not trying to alarm you or anything, but just keep an eye on it and see how you feel. Hopefully it was just a blip and you’ll be absolutely fine don’t beat yourself up, this is a difficult journey for everyone but just learn from your mistake.


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[toodlerue 452]

Dust yourself off. Just don’t do it again.
Continue to weigh your food so you don’t over eat.

[AZhiker 2,252]

Agree, that you need to dust yourself off and get back on track....... HOWEVER, this kind of slip can actually cause very serious harm - like breaking open your internal sutures and rupturing the new connections that are not even healed yet. People can DIE from this, so please, please, please stick to the plan. At this point, the dietary restrictions are about more than losing weight - it is about allowing the surgical sites to completely heal.

My doc would not even allow pureed cooked veggies until week 8, to avoid Fiber that could cause issues for the new surgical connections.

Edited August 26, 2020 by AZhiker

[catwoman7 11,211]

2 hours ago, AZhiker said:

Agree, that you need to dust yourself off and get back on track....... HOWEVER, this kind of slip can actually cause very serious harm - like breaking open your internal sutures and rupturing the new connections that are not even healed yet. People can DIE from this, so please, please, please stick to the plan. At this point, the dietary restrictions are about more than losing weight - it is about allowing the surgical sites to completely heal.

My doc would not even allow pureed cooked veggies until week 8, to avoid Fiber that could cause issues for the new surgical connections.

^^^^ I agree 100%

[MoominMan 17]

3 hours ago, AZhiker said:

Agree, that you need to dust yourself off and get back on track....... HOWEVER, this kind of slip can actually cause very serious harm - like breaking open your internal sutures and rupturing the new connections that are not even healed yet. People can DIE from this, so please, please, please stick to the plan. At this point, the dietary restrictions are about more than losing weight - it is about allowing the surgical sites to completely heal.

My doc would not even allow pureed cooked veggies until week 8, to avoid Fiber that could cause issues for the new surgical connections.

😮 How odd that my surgeon reckons it's fine to have soft (non pureed) foods now. He even said things like curry are okay. Maybe I should play it safe and follow other, more strict, guidelines.

[bufbills 316]

Be careful!!!

[sizemedown 42]

I feel like crying. Really let myself down.
I can't believe I've been so stupid. 15 days post op and I thought I'd try a small McDonalds (6 nuggets and plain hamburger). I feel very ill now. And it wasn't even worth it. Was disgusting. Argh so mad at myself!

Oh honey! I felt like crawling through the phone and hugging you. I TOTALLY could see me doing that. Fast food is so darn yummy and FAST and the REGRET just like you said, too. I have lost 45 pounds pre op but I really struggled with eating fast food a couple times a week. I don't know about you, but i swear my subconscious always does that to me. It tells me you've done great, you DESERVE it. Like it's a reward. Its so annoying. I just have to tell myself ok. So what. You aren't perfect, you're only human. Now that you found out it wasn't worth it just try to do better one day at a time. It's ok. Hugs

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[summerset 5,265]

12 hours ago, MoominMan said:

How odd that my surgeon reckons it's fine to have soft (non pureed) foods now. He even said things like curry are okay.

Yes, it's odd and there are surgeons who allow for solids after just a few days.

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Maybe I should play it safe and follow other, more strict, guidelines.

You should follow your surgeons guidelines (that's the common advice on this board anyway: follow your plan). Why make post-life stricter harder as it is?

[summerset 5,265]

18 hours ago, MoominMan said:

Hopefully that's all that happens, I guess I'll have to wait a few hours to see.

Since you're obviously fine now after a few hours and you don't notice any pain anymore you're most likely alright and didn't do any damage. Luckily internal healing is usually quite fast.

Take your lesson from this episode: you need strategies to handle your cravings for certain foods. Recognizing that it was "not worth it" is an important step. You won't be 100% successful handling your cravings (nobody is) but it's crucial for long term success to get as much grip on your cravings as is necessary to reach and maintain your desired weight.

I don't know what your surgery-prep program covered but in case this wasn't an issue or not sufficiently covered: books about "normal eating" or "intuitive eating" are really helpful. I especially recommend the books of Karen Koenig and Geneen Roth. Also "Brain Over Binge" and "Never Binge Again" are interesting reads, albeit not everyone's cup of tea though.

ETA: Karen Koenig also has a blog with interesting articles.

Edited August 27, 2020 by summerset

[AZhiker 2,252]

On 8/26/2020 at 4:55 PM, MoominMan said:

😮 How odd that my surgeon reckons it's fine to have soft (non pureed) foods now. He even said things like curry are okay. Maybe I should play it safe and follow other, more strict, guidelines.

I did not say my surgeon disallowed all pureed foods. My solids started with soft, non fibrous foods. It was the fiber in vegetables that was not allowed until week 8.

[AZhiker 2,252]

On 8/27/2020 at 5:21 AM, summerset said:

Take your lesson from this episode: you need strategies to handle your cravings for certain foods. Recognizing that it was "not worth it" is an important step. You won't be 100% successful handling your cravings (nobody is) but it's crucial for long term success to get as much grip on your cravings as is necessary to reach and maintain your desired weight.

I don't know what your surgery-prep program covered but in case this wasn't an issue or not sufficiently covered: books about "normal eating" or "intuitive eating" are really helpful. I especially recommend the books of Karen Koenig and Geneen Roth. Also "Brain Over Binge" and "Never Binge Again" are interesting reads, albeit not everyone's cup of tea though.

ETA: Karen Koenig also has a blog with interesting articles.

I totally agree that each mistake needs to be an opportunity for insight, learning, and growth. This first year is the time to really zero in on WHY you overeat, and to develop tools to change both the thinking patterns and the habits. For example, I caved to cravings for French fries after 2 long bike rides. I was sick afterward and regretted the choices. But I discovered I was not getting enough electrolytes during my rides and was craving the salt. Once I learned a new way to hydrate, I was fine. I still struggle with eating during the evenings. I still haven't unraveled the complexities of night time binging, but in the mean time, I am making choices to drink a big mug of hot herbal tea in the evenings. I also prep raw veggies to have on hand if there is a total munch attack. There is a theory that you cannot break a bad habit without replacing it with a better habit. So until I figure out the evening "hand-to-mouth" disease, I will substitute healthy alternatives. Just some thoughts....... but the big lesson is to LEARN a lesson every time there is a slip. You can't just brush it under the rug and pretend it didn't happen and that you will do better next time. Unless you learn and prepare for "next time" there will never be a permanent change.

[summerset 5,265]

2 hours ago, AZhiker said:

I still struggle with eating during the evenings. I still haven't unraveled the complexities of night time binging, but in the mean time

For me it's not really complex: I use food for relaxation and I usually undereat during the day so I usually eat the majority of my calories during the evening hours and I'm fine with it as long as it doesn't cause me any reflux issues (I eat my last meal about 2 h before going to bed as recommended because of this). Exceptions from this are rare.

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Just some thoughts....... but the big lesson is to LEARN a lesson every time there is a slip. You can't just brush it under the rug and pretend it didn't happen and that you will do better next time. Unless you learn and prepare for "next time" there will never be a permanent change.

Sometimes I do exactly this. Forget it and do different next time. I think I overanalyzed things way too much in the past. Sometimes sh*t just happens and some things are not as complex as we think (or as we were told) they are. IMO it's important to make the distinction between "sh*t happens" and an ongoing problem so you don't waste energy on an issue that not really needs that much attention.

To get things into perspective IMO it helps to look at the behaviors of people who were always at a normal or almost normal weight. They're not perfect and they also engage in emotional eating to a certain degree.

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I am making choices to drink a big mug of hot herbal tea in the evenings. I also prep raw veggies to have on hand if there is a total munch attack. There is a theory that you cannot break a bad habit without replacing it with a better habit. So until I figure out the evening "hand-to-mouth" disease, I will substitute healthy alternatives.

Substitutes never worked for me. I either eat what I crave or I don't eat at all when it comes to snacking. It's easier for me this way. I'm either still hungry or hungry again, then I need to eat "something substantial with calories in it" or I'm not hungry and then there is no reason to eat at all, let alone some food I don't really want.

There was a rather flat and long learning curve involved though. The "find substitutes" option is way too prevalent out there so one really has to be fed up with this (pun intended) not really working before trying a different way.