Gastric ByPass/VSG/LapBand

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Stress and how it affects eating

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aliciacollins37
aliciacollins37 Posts: 7 Member
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Do those of you who are post-op find when you are under a lot of stress that you can't eat or have issues with food agreeing with you? I am 3.5 months post-RNY and if I am stressed I can definitely tell my pouch is affected. It's such a drastic change since prior to surgery food was the first place I turned when I was stressed. I need to find a balance somewhere in this equation.

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  • Holly_penguin
    Holly_penguin Posts: 149 Member
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    This is behavior that will affect your results and success negatively. Talk to your support team for help. Maybe a therapist is the answer for you. Maybe yoga in the answer for you. Maybe painting, writing poetry, reading is the answer for you. Maybe singing at the top of your luings in a local park is the answer for you to redirect this stress away from eating. Old habits die hard, get on top of it now. I really can't stress that enough.
  • Tristaan
    Tristaan Posts: 126 Member
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    Find another outlet for stress. :) I will say at a little over 6 months out though, my appetite has returned somewhat and I can consume sweets seemingly with no problems (no where near what I used to but I can still do it). So use this time early on to find that hobby or activity that is NOT food oriented to de-stress, because there is no guarantee that you will forever have this side effect of not wanting to eat or being able to eat.
  • sue100194
    sue100194 Posts: 129
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    I wish I had the problem of losing my appetite when I get stressed :) I'm working on my thesis for my masters degree and find myself wanting to eat while I work. Naturally I don't really want to do this so I get up and walk away and find something else to do when i get that urge........but as the time approaches for me to get this paper done, I need to stay focused. So do I give in and fall back to my old habits and chew while I'm working? I guess time will tell but I'm definitely fighting to get school done and stay on track with my new lifestyle. LOL.
  • pawoodhull
    pawoodhull Posts: 1,759 Member
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    Yes, I do. My whole relationship with food has changed since my surgery. And it's not really that I can't eat. There aren't any physical symptoms, it's more of an attitude thing. Pre-surgery, if I was stressed, angry, etc. I got an "I don't care, it doesn't matter" attitude and would eat everything and anything I wanted. Since my sleeve, my attitude is the complete opposite. When I get like that I just don't want to eat and I don't. Example, a couple of weeks ago had a huge fight with the husband in the morning, 99% my fault if I'm honest here, but it ruined the whole day for both of us. So all I ate the whole day was a cup of Pumpkin Flax Granola cereal with skim milk. And I only ate that because by about 3 PM I was lightheaded.

    I would agree with Holly-penguin that if this is a constant issue for you, it could impact your weight loss and you need to talk to your doctor or their support team. But if this is an occasional thing, be glad your reaction to stress has changed, because it really is easier to stay on track if we no longer turn to food for comfort.

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