I have begun to detest food and emotional eating

grace20072010

Is anyone else with me on this? I originally had the lap band (which was a miserable mechanical failure and caused nothing but grief) so I thought I would find this easier, but I have found eating has just become a chore. I don't crave anything, I don't want to eat, I don't look forward to eating. I am sick of measuring out food that I don't want to eat to begin with. I was never a meat eater before, so consuming meat all the time is awful. I am trying some receipes but that isn't even fun. I literally hate eating and having no appetite does not help. I know I am not consuming enough. I see my doctor tomorrow and need to discuss with him what is going on as my appetite has gotten less since I had my gallbladder attack last week, but this surgery has me dreading just going in the kitchen. The enjoyment of eating is gone. I never was an overeater - my weight was primarily due to PCOS and meds that cause weight gain (and two pregnancies) and unhealthy eating albeit not in excess - but I have to acknowledge that I used to use food for enjoyment more than I thought. Now that is gone I find myself feeling restless and not sure what to do with myself. I had the lap band for six years and it was a nightmare, and I thought if I could go through that the gastric bypass wouldn't be that bad but it has been really much harder than I thought. What about the rest of you? How are you re-channeling your ''stress'' or emotional issues? Exercise isn't doing it for me although I am determined to run in the Hartford 5K race October 11th so I am training for it. Couch potato to 5K. I ran it last year and a 92 year old beat me! That is not happening this year!

csmccord

You know, as a gastric bypass patient, I found that once I could eat solids again, for a few months it was just mechanical. I ate because I had to. I never got hungry, so I ate on a schedule. However, that feeling did pass for me. Now I enjoy eating, almost to my chagrin. I'm an emotional eater, always have been, and that's at least mostly what's to blame for my initial weight gain.

The hardest part of even the bypass is dealing with the emotional stuff. There are many things that have come up for my wife and I as a result of our changing relationship with food. The mental side of things are the longest running to take care of.

While my situation is vastly different from yours (my obesity was not caused by meds or conditions) I feel that maybe talking to a counselor would be a good thing. The enjoyment of food is overall a good thing. My wife and I experiment in the kitchen on a weekly basis. It's a rule that we have to try one new recipe a week. Lately, it's been indian food. Regardless, it took us like a year to get to that point. We've seen the psychologist/counselor a few times post surgery to help on a few issues we were having. Another suggestion might be to try out the local support groups. I think most bariatric clinics or diet related councilors have one. We have free monthly meetings in the northern VA area for those that have undergone surgery.