Getting obsessed

[Sunwyse 1]

I think I've got this obsession with food going on. Not food per se, but cooking and doing stuff with it. I'm cooking all the meals for my partner at the moment and wanting to do lots of baking. I don't have all that much interest in food for myself and I don't crave it while I'm doing it or he's eating or anything.

I'm also starting to feel bored. My energy levels are coming back up, but I'm still not quite ready to be doing much. And my hunger has come back.

Anyone else experiencing this?

[Fanny Adams 7]

I had similar feelings in my post-op stages. I think it is part of coming to terms with our new relationship to food. food has been our partner/lover/comfort for so many years that even when we can't eat it, we crave that "connection". It does fade over time as you get used to life as a bandster.

With the hunger, how much you feel depends on how well you are healing, how quickly the swelling goes down and whether or not your doc put in a small amount of fill during the op (mine put in 2cc into a 10cc band, first fill was at 4 weeks). Do your utmost to stick to the plan that the doc has given you at this stage. It is very important not to eat solids too early, because solids will cause the stomach to churn when digesting and that can damage the stitches and embedding process where the band is sitting around your stomach. The difficult bit to this is that you almost certainly won't feel any problem, pain or damage right now if you cheat but the problems can show up later on (like about a year later) as slippage.

If you are really hungry, eat more frequent meals of whatever you are allowed, i.e. have another bowl of Soup every couple of hours rather than solid food at this stage. You shouldn't worry too much about weight loss in the post-op period. Your weight will be going up and down in reaction to a number of things and the scales aren't really accurate over the next few weeks.

It is highly likely that you will hit a plateau or regain a few pounds in in the weeks after the op. My theory on this is:

* In the pre-op weeks, we saw big numbers as weight loss because we had switched from a solid to a liquid diet and most of the loss was not fat but simply emptying the digestive system. At any point in time on a normal eating regime, an average person will have 10-15lb of food in various stages of digestion in their alimentary canal. Us fatties probably had 20+! Real fat loss at that stage is probably only 2-5lb, the rest is fluids and undigested food. However, we believe the big numbers and get disappointed when they don't continue.

* During the operation, they put you on an IV saline drip, which boosts your Fluid levels and Water weighs MUCH more than fat. This can take several days to a couple of weeks to get out of your system (see next point).

* The internal swelling from the operation all contributes to Fluid retention, which is boosted by the IV drip. Until the swelling goes down, you're going to hold onto that fluid.

* As the swelling goes down, you start to move from liquids to mushies to solids. You will probably notice that you don't poop for quite some time post-op, which is a combination of the constipation-causing painkillers, the fact that you are eating MUCH less in volume, and that you are now re-filling your digestive system from it's previously completely empty state. This means that as you lose fluid weight, you are regaining solid food weight, and all the actual fat loss is disguised by those two. Some people will retain more fluid, especially if they're eating salty canned Soups (I know I did!), so they will see a gain. Others will lose more fluid than they are gaining in food weight, so they will see a slight loss. For others it will be equal or will go up and down day by day.

In the meantime, in the background, I believe that if we stick to the diet plans, we are still losing real fat at the steady rate of 2-3lb a week - we just can't see it and judge it accurately because there are too many other influences. Once you get back to solid foods, a "normally full" digestive tract and get rid of the extra fluids, your scales will be much more accurate and should be showing a steady loss of 1-2lb per week.

Sorry about the long post, but that's my theory! I think it makes a lot of sense and fits with all I know about human biology.

Edited November 2, 2008 by Fanny Adams

[Sunwyse 1]

Hi Fanny,

no probs about the long post, it makes a lot of sense actually. I've been a very good girl so far, only having liquids or custards which are thinned down with milk. And I'm having something roughly every 2 hours cause I may have been through weightloss surgery, but I still have quite a bulky body that needs a certain level of calories in order to function.

I have to say though, my obsession with food isn't totally new. For years I've thought about becoming a professional cook because I wanted to learn about food, the technical stuff and the creative side. I guess I just have too much time on my hands right now and its taking over.

Was a really interesting read.

[Fanny Adams 7]

Well one thing to look forward to is that you DON'T have to give up your enthusiasm for cooking. I have found that I have become MUCH more fussy in my eating since banding. Previously, I would eat just about anything put in front of me, even crap food that didn't taste particularly good at all, as long as it had volume. Now, I am much more interested in the taste of food and getting right into gourmet styles and quality ingredients. For example, where previously I would buy the largest rump steak I could find, looking for the "biggest bang for my buck", now I look for a small tender juicy piece of filet steak. Previously, I would fill up on stodgy casseroles made cheaply and easily, which mean lots of refined white carbs and flours, etc. Now, I'm experimenting with Thai foods and getting into the flavours of fresh herbs and steamed fresh vegetables. You CAN enjoy food with the band, as long as you don't let yourself get too tight. And it is MUCH nicer concentrating on quality and flavour rather than sheer volume.

[ozscot1 0]

Hi Fanny Adams,

I agree with that it is better getting quality rather than bulk. I like you have also noticed my taste in foods are changing.

Sam

[Sunwyse 1]

Totally agree about the quality! I actually started growing my own veg and herbs a few weeks ago. I'm also planning on switching to being vegetarian in about a month's time. We will be able to get such a small amount in, compared to how it used to be, I plan to get as much good, living foods into me as possible - and definitely agree about quality over quantity!

[Roheryn 0]

:thumbup:Hehe I have started one too....currently have spinach, lettuce, Basil, Spring Onions, Tomatoes, Oregano and Sage growing!

So far only the lettuce and spinach is ready...oh and the oregano and sage also

Edited November 3, 2008 by Roheryn

[Sunwyse 1]

My cucumbers and tomatoes have put up their heads and my eggplants are going well, first shoot came up yesterday. I've got a few more to plant, just got to get around to getting the potty mix ready.

[bindi2203 0]

i was so obsessed with cooking, watching cooking shows. reading cooking books anything to do with food, post op. It does pass. i cant believe that i am cool with not eating the junk i used to.