Hi all, I just wanted to introduce myself. I had a sleeve April 1, 2022 and lost 100 pounds and am approximately a size 4-6. I am so grateful that I have been able to have this surgery but it has been so hard for me emotionally and I still struggle with food issues, obsessive food thoughts, overeating, erratic eating. It is two years later and now I'm just really struggling with eating late evening or middle of the night nighttime snacks-things like toast and crackers or snacks that I normally wouldn't eat and things my doctor doesn't want me to eat. I almost find that it is similar to a rebound effect after I have dieted in the past. So I have gained about 10 pounds and am worried I will gain more if I don't gain control of my eating struggles. Does anyone relate and/or have any advice for me. I'd like to keep no bread in the house, etc but I have a husband and daughter that eat and so I'm not sure how to deal with it. My doctor gave me a choice of the bypass, the switch or the sleeve and now I wish I would have gone with the bypass or switch just because I'm struggling so much. Would love to hear from others and experience with carb/snack cravings and how you deal with it.
Intro April 1st 2022 Gastric Sleeve
- Thread starter TKat143
- Start date
dianeseattle
Member
Hi TK, here's what I believe is the bottom line. You have always had control over your choices of what to eat. Choice sits right next to obsession in your brain. But when you overeat, you are abdicating your choice and letting your eating disorder drive your bus.
That's not to say making a healthy choice is easy. It's very hard. But you must accept that overeating and eating sugary/high calorie food is a choice YOU are making. I can completely relate to what you're saying and my brain has been through exactly what your brain has.
But assuming you've had the surgery and are still struggling, you have to commit to other mental changes. Ask yourself this: Why do I make the bad choice instead of the good choice? Don't stop thinking that if you find yourself stumped. Keep asking it. Then develop a new mental message to fight it.
Fighting your obsession has nothing to do with which surgery you chose. You were already having an argument with yourself before you achieved your astonishing weight gain. But your brain chose food, chose to surrender, hoping to make it go away. Using your brain is definitely the solution, but you have to commit to allowing your brain to make the healthy choice. There are many ways to do this, and my favorite is affirmations. Search the group for that word and you may find some affirmations that work for you.
But there are also some simple things you can do while reinforcing positive thinking. Stay off the scale. Put your fork down between bites. Chew each bite about 20 to 30 times until the food is liquefied, Eat slowly. Drink a glass of water with your meal, alternating bites with sips. Don't eat while reading or watching tv. Give your meal your full attention. Eat slowly and consciously, noticing as the food breaks down and slides down your throat. Congratulate yourself wildly whenever you reach any goal, no matter how small. And with affirmations, remember, do not phrase them with negatives like "I'm going to stop eating like a pig." Phrase them in present-tense, like, "I chew my food slowly because I care about my body and health."
You can find ways to change your negatives into positives by reading this book I recommend all the time, which is actually free to read online in PDF. You'll have to search for it, but when you read it, realize that you're "eating" it every time you finish a sentence. If you get a negative message, it's probably a script you learned from tv or magazines or your family, or just our society's unhealthy obsession with body image. Go for health, not fashion.
Many people who allow themselves to remain obese don't realize the fat is wrapping itself around your heart and clogging up your chambers, arteries and veins. You will die from this. Period. Do you want to die from heart problems so you can eat garbage all you want? Or even not garbage, but good food in large quantities?
We'll be happy to support you, no matter what level of support you need. But you also need to have medical professionals in place to do blood tests and listen to you talk about food or your emotional problems, and you need to practice different habits so they become dominant. You need to do that. It's hard, but you are the only one who can really talk to your brain. You're doing it right now. Choose what you want your brain to hear and absorb.
You can do it.
