Sweet Cravings emerging 8 months post op

JamesAztec · November 2015

I had VSG back in March. Since January when I started losing weight before surgery I've tried to limit my sweets. And when I do have something sweet I've tried to make it a no sugar added version. But as we all know, there is sugar in MANY foods even though we don't think of them as "sweet". I've tried to limit those for the most part too.

Try as I might, I find my "sweet tooth" coming back. Especially after a meal. I'm starting to crave sweets. I think part of it is habitual as I've been eating sugar free popsicles after dinner regularly. I've also been eating "Belvita". They're fairly healthy for a processed food but still have lots of sugar. And I know that as time passes my appetite will come back and my cravings will change.

I guess my question is, for those who had the surgery how did you deal with changing cravings and more specifically sugar cravings? I'm definitely going to work on cutting down on all sweets. But I also realize that long term that having sweets (mostly sugar free, but occasionally with sugar) can be part of a healthy diet. Thoughts are appreciated!

ki4eld · November 2015

I cut it out for a year. I can now have a little dark chocolate without it triggering. However, the second it does, I'll cut it out again. For me, it's a trigger food. I don't care that it can be part a healthy diet. I know that it's a bad thing for me. Try as you might, you may discover that's true for you too. Give it some time and get off the sweet taste entirely. Give it a few months and see if you can bring it back. You have to experiment on yourself.

garber6th · November 2015

I had waited a year to eat any kind of carbs, sugar, etc. Once I tried sweets again, I noticed I wanted them a little more and I was indulging a bit. Nothing too crazy, but I didn't like that I was heading towards making it a habit/old behavior. I did the 5 day pouch test to clean the slate so to speak, and I am starting from square one again. Honestly, it's going to be trial and error. You will have to see what you can handle, but be very careful not to let it get out of control.

anbrdr · November 2015

I was really hoping I would get dumping syndrome. My cravings returned with a vengeance in month 3. I am learning hard to indulge in moderation, and to find suitable replacements for my triggers. I need to buy stock in Quest bars.

gdnplnty · November 2015

Okay, sounds wierd, but those protein bars are very 'heavy' for me. So, I cut them up into little minis and have a few of those to satisfy that chocolate cravings that I seem to get. One or two of those seems to take that edge off.