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Help with emotions and not eating enough

M

Mfaulk4506

Member
Hi all I had gastric sleeve on febuary 23rd, since I have been cleared to have my soft food diet that I am supposed to be on for 6 months I have noticed that my appetite has gotten less and I struggle to eat every day. I'm also having some emotions and depression. I do see medical help for my depression so I am on medication but I can't seem to get out of this slump. I have noticed that I do not enjoy food like I did, and since not enjoying it I struggle to get myself to eat. I have been consuming protien shakes with extra protien to make sure I hit my protien goal every day. I'm just curious if anyone else has had this problem.
 
I had the gastric sleeve surgery on March the 27th and this has not been my experience. My brain still wants to eat all the things I used to eat, but luckily, I can't. I feel hungry every two hours, unless I eat eggs, or other high protein food. I hope you start feeling better soon. :)
 
I think it's normal to fall into a bit of a slump at this point, it's kinda like saying goodbye to an old friend. Even though it was harming you, it's still a huge change and feels like grief. As far as not really enjoying anything for a while, I went through that too, it didn't last too long but I definitely felt it. I think it will lighten up once you've had some more time to process and normalize life on this side of the surgery. Take good care of yourself right now, you deserve it.
 
Thank you for confirming that I'm not a total mental case lol, I was starting to feel as if this was going to be my normal. I'm glad I am not alone in feeling this way. Was there anything that helped you get through the not wanting to eat part Lily27?
 
I'm about 3.5 months post op now, and I don't remember how long it lasted but I do know that I started feeling better overall, more energetic, and I needed to eat to fuel the things I wanted to do like walking and swimming. I didn't feel hungry, but I did start noticing that my energy was getting lower if it had been a long time since I'd eaten. That eventually led to being more interested in food again.
 
I totally get this. I am 4ws out from my gastric sleeve and I have to set a timer for every 2-3 hours because I DON'T feel hungry. I had to start doing the timer because I would be working and like 5hrs later I realized that I hadn't eaten or even drank anything. The water goals have been my nemesis. I have to have my water tumbler IN MY HAND all the time to remember to drink.

As for the depression part I am right there with you. My depression was bad for years before the surgery. Now after the surgery I feel like everything is heightened, every emotion is bigger and I feel on edge all the time. I talked with my therapist and my doctor and they both said that its probably my body trying to get back to normal on a physical level, hormonal level and just mental level. I mean I had 80% of my stomach taken out and now all I can fit in there is like two bites of something right now LOL
 
Mfaulk4506 said:
Hi all I had gastric sleeve on febuary 23rd, since I have been cleared to have my soft food diet that I am supposed to be on for 6 months I have noticed that my appetite has gotten less and I struggle to eat every day. I'm also having some emotions and depression. I do see medical help for my depression so I am on medication but I can't seem to get out of this slump. I have noticed that I do not enjoy food like I did, and since not enjoying it I struggle to get myself to eat. I have been consuming protien shakes with extra protien to make sure I hit my protien goal every day. I'm just curious if anyone else has had this problem.
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I did struggle with some depression after surgery. I didn't quite know why I felt depressed but read that it can occur after surgery. Things do get better as time goes on. Don't forget that most of us had an addiction to food, and when you can't eat those foods that brought you joy, you can get depressed. As you navigate this journey, you learn to find other things that bring you joy in life.
 
Mfaulk4506 said:
Hi all I had gastric sleeve on febuary 23rd, since I have been cleared to have my soft food diet that I am supposed to be on for 6 months I have noticed that my appetite has gotten less and I struggle to eat every day. I'm also having some emotions and depression. I do see medical help for my depression so I am on medication but I can't seem to get out of this slump. I have noticed that I do not enjoy food like I did, and since not enjoying it I struggle to get myself to eat. I have been consuming protien shakes with extra protien to make sure I hit my protien goal every day. I'm just curious if anyone else has had this problem.
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Hello,

I'm about 10 weeks post op and going through a major funk. About 3 weeks post op I was readmitted for bad nausea and dehydration. Now that the physical aspect is getting better, my depression is becoming apparent. I should be so happy about the weight loss, but all my energy and enthusiasm is drained right now. I hope it passes. Just know you are not alone in your experience.
 
Tara2526 said:
Hello,

I'm about 10 weeks post op and going through a major funk. About 3 weeks post op I was readmitted for bad nausea and dehydration. Now that the physical aspect is getting better, my depression is becoming apparent. I should be so happy about the weight loss, but all my energy and enthusiasm is drained right now. I hope it passes. Just know you are not alone in your experience.
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Adjusting after surgery is really tough. It’s normal to feel off, especially when food doesn’t bring you joy anymore. Just hang in there, you're not alone in this. Keep focusing on what you can do for yourself, and don’t hesitate to reach out for support.
 
Kimmer said:
Adjusting after surgery is really tough. It’s normal to feel off, especially when food doesn’t bring you joy anymore. Just hang in there, you're not alone in this. Keep focusing on what you can do for yourself, and don’t hesitate to reach out for support.
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Thank you so much for your reply. It's good to know I'm not alone, and I appreciate your response.
 
Tara2526 said:
Hello,

I'm about 10 weeks post op and going through a major funk. About 3 weeks post op I was readmitted for bad nausea and dehydration. Now that the physical aspect is getting better, my depression is becoming apparent. I should be so happy about the weight loss, but all my energy and enthusiasm is drained right now. I hope it passes. Just know you are not alone in your experience.
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Hi. I am sorry that this happened to you. I also was experiencing some lows but I attributed to not eating enough. But I also for sure had some emotional attachment to food, so that's not out the window. I still remember how food used to make me feel (joy then guilt) and now we must adjust to the reality that food won't be there on our good or bad days. *Sigh*. I am not sure how to help as of this moment because I am still going through buyers remorse 5 weeks post-op now. And it's mainly because I feel so malnourished. I hope it gets better for everyone starting this journey.
 
How are you feeling now? Are you getting enough protein, water and taking your vitamins? Which surgery did you have? Have you had any follow ups with your doctor?
Barimari66 said:
Hi. I am sorry that this happened to you. I also was experiencing some lows but I attributed to not eating enough. But I also for sure had some emotional attachment to food, so that's not out the window. I still remember how food used to make me feel (joy then guilt) and now we must adjust to the reality that food won't be there on our good or bad days. *Sigh*. I am not sure how to help as of this moment because I am still going through buyers remorse 5 weeks post-op now. And it's mainly because I feel so malnourished. I hope it gets better for everyone starting this journey.
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Over the years I've struggled with feelings of sadness over not being able to eat what I want to, sort of like we need to have a funeral for the food. It's a very real part of the process for some people. I am no longer interested in eating like I used to be, so I guess I've made the adjustment. My issue now is low blood sugars if I wait too long to eat, so I have to be careful with that.
 
Wendy4323 said:
Over the years I've struggled with feelings of sadness over not being able to eat what I want to, sort of like we need to have a funeral for the food. It's a very real part of the process for some people. I am no longer interested in eating like I used to be, so I guess I've made the adjustment. My issue now is low blood sugars if I wait too long to eat, so I have to be careful with that.
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I think so many people don't understand that committing to the surgery is physical, mental and emotional. Some people say it's so easy and the easy way out. It's ABSOLUTELY NOT THE EASY WAY OUT.
I'm so glad you've made the adjustments and I hope you continue to get even better as well as not waiting too long between meals.
 
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