Long term eating post-op

[Dell]

I was wondering last night while out buying more soup and jelly :sigh: and drooling over food items I have never even contemplated before, HOW restrictive is the post op life? I know it seems a late time to ask but its little warnings I have had like "you can have NO sugar postop, no chocolate, sweets, cake, ice cream etc" but then I hear one lady has "chocolate every day" another has at least one glass of wine a day and so on. now, don't get me wrong I do NOT intend to have this huge operation and gorge on all of the above, but I wondered if the reality is actually somewhere in the middle....that eventually I will be able to enjoy a small dessert or chunk of Dairy Milk every so often if I want it (can't imagine it right now tbh, been off sweet things for weeks for some reason!!) or if its a real situation that ANY sweet stuff will sending me dumping and has to be avoided at all costs...?

 

[Mixman]

Is the woman who has chocolate every day losing as much weight as the others? grrrrrr, sorry, but this is one bit that angers me! We got large in the first place because of eating chocolate and other unhealthy foods every day!
Frankly, I'd be embarrassed to admit this is what I was eating!

Now I'm not saying you CAN'T, you may be fine, but why would you want to? People have had the operation to lose weight! Eating chocolate every day WON'T be good for losing weight!

Right, rant over, now the 'un-angry' bit.

Some people do dump on sweet things badly, some don't. People have 'treats' post op in moderation and it's perfectly acceptable to do so if you're able to. A bit of chocolate once a week is not going to harm you as a treat if that's what you desire! Take it as a medal. If you are good all week, you can have something as a reward!

 

[Dell]

M, it enrages me too and I haven't even had my op yet! This is a small group of people who all had their ops 2-3 years ago and to be honest, they have lost a lot of weight but 2 of them have started to gain a little and none of them look or weigh anything like my own personal targets or how well I have seen others do! They don't seem ashamed at all and I want to give them all a good shake

I don't ever want to eat like I have to get to this size, NO WAY, I can't see the point in going through with it to do that! I guess its trial and error and my friends and family can reap the rewards of my baking obsession instead LOL!!

xx

 

[cazbandy]

Some people when they are quite a bit post op, might have to eat a certain amount of calories to maintain so its hard to judge these people.

There are a few bypassers on here that have admitted they do this but only to maintain.

How I see it is this, I had my operation so I could regain "normal" control over my food. To me this meant being able to say no when I wanted to certain foods or yes, if I really felt like it.

I don't want to have someone, anyone telling me the best way to lead my life. I do what is right for me and you should do what feels right for you.

I think "treats and rewards" are like the old days filled with guilt and bad emotions, I want as far away from that as normal.

Even on weightwatchers they allow sweet things, wine and such...it's just about balance and moderation.

 

[jaynefrances]

I eat naughty foods in moderation and feel no shame about this. Its about getting the balance right. I can eat a couple of squares of chocolate but any more and i dump, so this helps to control my urges !
If i fancy something i don't deny myself it, as this leads me to feel unhappy and reminds me of the old days of strict diets that just creates a cycle of misery for me !
I had hoped i would be one of the lucky ones that suddenly had the resolve to not eat rubbish ever again, but it didn't happen unfortunately and i still have to rely on willpower to balance my days out.
Some days i succeed and some days i don't, some weeks i have a bad run of days and because i am more aware of it now, i know that i have to make more of an effort following one of these spells if i want to maintain the weight loss.
Last night i fancied some chocolate, so i coated some strawberrys in it and had a handful. It dealt with the chocolate craving but also gave me an extra portion of fruit ! If i'm out with hubby and he has a pudding i have a spoon of whatever he is having and that does the trick.
There is nothing i could eat pre op that i can't have a little taste of now, so life doesn't end post bypass, but as people say, you still have to exercise willpower and control or the op won't work for you.

 

[POPPET]

Dell this is an excellent thread-hope we get some more long-term post-oppers giving us their views-

some very thoughtful/useful replies so far,thanks

 

[shelbell]

I'm one who has to eat small amounts of chocolate, and a lot of high fat foods in order to maintain my weight, but I am unusual and have chronic malabsorption as a side effect of surgery. In general, if you are able to stick to moderation, a small treat now and then is no problem.

 

[Grace]

I'm very early post-op and so far can't touch sweet stuff because of dumping. I enjoyed half a glass of wine on Friday night though. And also a tiny portion of curry. Yum!

At the moment it seems like my brain has been re-wired and I have no craving for anything naughty that can't be very easily dismissed. I am however, craving salad!

When people ask me what I can't eat and I tell them, they look all sad and concerned....me? I honestly don't care about stuff I 'can't' have. I had this surgery to lose weight, get healthy and get fit and that's what I'm going to do. The surgery has given me the will-power I lacked and I'm loving it!

I wouldn't judge anyone for their choices. BUT when I heard that with bypass, people typically lose 65-70% of excess weight (I think I have that right?) I immediately thought that if humanly possible, I want to lose 100% of my excess weight. Food no longer has power over me and I love it!

 

[wombat]

I am just 2 months post op but can eat most healthy things...

I could probably have sugar free chocolate and cakes...But I don't want to...
I am just feeling I am so blessed to have this op that I don't want to do anything to jeopordise it...
Although just yesterday I had the hugest craving for cake... And even made the decision to go to Costa and have one of their almond bakes... Went there with family and decided not to! Just had my usual skinny latte there. Was just about to sneak in a peace of hubby's cake when remembered - no food when drinking! Gosh, this bypass is a bliss!!

 

[RoseA]

I am just 2 months post op but can eat most healthy things...

I could probably have sugar free chocolate and cakes...But I don't want to...
I am just feeling I am so blessed to have this op that I don't want to do anything to jeopordise it...
Although just yesterday I had the hugest craving for cake... And even made the decision to go to Costa and have one of their almond bakes... Went there with family and decided not to! Just had my usual skinny latte there. Was just about to sneak in a peace of hubby's cake when remembered - no food when drinking! Gosh, this bypass is a bliss!!

You're a stronger woman than me, I had one of their 'breakfast loaf cakes' in Costa yesterday... and dumped. :wave_cry: Oh well, one has to learn the hard way I guess...

 

[wombat]

You're a stronger woman than me, I had one of their 'breakfast loaf cakes' in Costa yesterday... and dumped. :wave_cry: Oh well, one has to learn the hard way I guess...

Well, I learned my lesson hard way! On the 5th day after my op I decided it would be ok to have a youghurt banana smoothie... BAD decision! Me and my mum (and my 9 months old baby) were in Brussels train station waiting for Eurostar train back home when I had it.... 3 sips later I thought I am gonna die! Dizziness, nausea, diarreah (sp?)... The whole package.
Panicked and got a ticket to the earlier train (which cost a fortune)... Just thought - have to get hope ASAP and go to hospital! I literally thought I damaged my puch and will die!
2 hours and 3 bog visits later was absolutely fine... Minus the huge credit card bill next month!
So - no carbs, no sugar for me:8855:

 

[RoseA]

Well, I learned my lesson hard way! On the 5th day after my op I decided it would be ok to have a youghurt banana smoothie... BAD decision! Me and my mum (and my 9 months old baby) were in Brussels train station waiting for Eurostar train back home when I had it.... 3 sips later I thought I am gonna die! Dizziness, nausea, diarreah (sp?)... The whole package.
Panicked and got a ticket to the earlier train (which cost a fortune)... Just thought - have to get hope ASAP and go to hospital! I literally thought I damaged my puch and will die!
2 hours and 3 bog visits later was absolutely fine... Minus the huge credit card bill next month!
So - no carbs, no sugar for me:8855:

What a way to learn a lesson !! I can understand your panic though. Fortunately mine wasn't anywhere near as dramatic and it didn't happen for a couple of hours, by which time I was home. It was my first real dump although I've experienced the mild sweaty type before.

 

[lotsabeefy]

I'm with Mixxy on the chocolate thing and would bet that 9 out of 10 of us got in the mess we're in through that stuff it should be classed as an illeagal substance lol.
However i eat everything else in moderation and the low sugar version, i still loose weight and am very happy with the way i eat xxx

 

[Dell]

Thank you all so much for your fabulous replies! Its interesting to read how it works for different people. I'm not normally one to judge, working in the dept i do i come across lots of prejudice and its unpleasant! But the people i see who eat lots of chocolate and a few bottles of wine a week really are struggling with weight loss and even gaining now which is such a shame :-( they really put a negative spin on postop life too which i don't find helpful lol

 

[claudia24]

YOU have to judge ur amounts of what you cant eat, not everyone dumps and not everyone can handle even a bit of chocolate were some people can eat a full bar, im 9 month out and i still get craving for a bit of chocolate so ill have a small milky bar, if i want crisp i have french fries or wotsits, ive spoken to my nurse and dietician and they agree that its ok for me to have thoses long as it not every day and i opening admit i wil have 1 or 2 milky bars a week and if i have crisp i have half of the packet one day and the other half the day after, i find it for me to be a good balance, i eat a whole lot of fruit and salad every day and the little bit of naughtness i find is good.

everyone is different and has a different balance in what to eat etc....

long as we dont abuse this great tool we have been given we will lose the weight we need to

 

[dawny]

i went through a phase a couple of months after surgery where i just fancied something sweetish, so i bought a couple of atkins bars, no sugar, low carb, low fat, and they were nice, i bought another couple to keep in, just in case i fancied them again, and they are still in the cupboard, but at least i know i dont have to feel too guilty if i do want them.

 

[Dell]

oooh good idea, I also used to love those WW chewy bars, so might see how they fare too. I am really looking forward to just a normal meal, I don't think sweet stuff will come into it but I am sure I will have my moments, like Christmas when the Miniature Heroes come out!!!