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Craving all the wrong things

Merylk34
Merylk34 Posts: 54 Member
edited 8:57AM in Social Groups
Question for all post op people. I'm 5 days out from surgery. I start my preop liquid diet on Saturday. But I'm craving all the wrong foods. I wants lemon pepper chicken wings, a burger pizza. All the wrong foods in the worst possible way. I have not given in and won't. But damn how do you get past it. I'm almost my time of the month so I'm thinking maybe that's why. A friend at work had gastric bypass and said the same thing happened to her. She was scheduled to start right before her surgery and had insane cravings for things she wouldn't normally eat. She gave in took 2 bits of a burger and the cravings went away. I've been doing so good and it's killing me right now. Advice!!!!

Replies

  • aylajane
    aylajane Posts: 979 Member
    At 5 days out, think of it as life and death. Do you want those wings so bad you are willing to risk a leak and end up in the hospital with lots of other issues??? It probably wouldnt actually happen, especially if you only ate a bite or two and chewed it really, really, really, well - but there are reasons you are given the instructions for puree and liquids, and you are playing with fire if you dont follow them.

    In the absolute worst case for me, I licked a few doritos :) The taste was all I wanted - it didnt actually have to be in my stomach. I dont recommend, but if that keeps you from actually eating it, then do it. But dont make that a habit.

    Use this time to figure out other ways to deal with "head" hunger - that is a skill you are going to need anyway. Start reading all you can on reasons people eat, etc. And keep yourself really busy. or sleep a lot. Just get through it.

    Good luck :)
  • Merylk34
    Merylk34 Posts: 54 Member
    Sorry let me clarify I mean I'm 5 days out as in preop. I have surgery on may 4th.
  • Merylk34
    Merylk34 Posts: 54 Member
    Either way I get what you mean. I've done this great leading up to it and I get that I can't eat those things after the fact. I'm struggling bad though lol.
  • candacet36
    candacet36 Posts: 353 Member
    My personal opinion....you need to work on retraining your mindset... Food is fuel for your body.

    I am 18 months out and I still crave things that are not good for me but I know that I HAVE to fuel my body. YOU CAN DO THIS... IT IS HARD...but it is also SO worth it!
  • Merylk34
    Merylk34 Posts: 54 Member
    candacet36 wrote: »
    My personal opinion....you need to work on retraining your mindset... Food is fuel for your body.

    I am 18 months out and I still crave things that are not good for me but I know that I HAVE to fuel my body. YOU CAN DO THIS... IT IS HARD...but it is also SO worth it!

    Your right thanks I need to get my head straight. I appreciate it.
  • loriloftness
    loriloftness Posts: 476 Member
    The craving is a "head" hunger, not a body hunger. The "head" hunger will go away for a little bit after surgery, but it will come back. Think of this as practice for post-surgery. I find the best thing to do when I am having "head" hunger/cravings is to distract myself. Think of things you can do that will distract you from eating. Most of the time you will realize you weren't even really hungry.
  • mycatsnameisbug
    mycatsnameisbug Posts: 118 Member
    Same happened to me. I think for me knowing I absolutely CANNOT eat things is a binge trigger for me. I worked thru this with my nutrition therapist and knowing that someday I would be able to have those things again (in moderation, in limited quantities) helped ease the mental rebellion my brain staged right before surgery. That being said, most days I focus on healthy eating and there's not much room for junk :)I agree too with the distraction... I saw a lot of movies in the theater the week before I had my surgery- shake in hand! best of luck! I won't sugar coat it- this part is hard- but it will be a drop in the bucket in the grand scheme
  • Merylk34
    Merylk34 Posts: 54 Member
    I love that there is so many of you who understand and can relate to what I'm saying. I appreciate all the encouragement. I honestly have not had junk food in almost 5 months and honestly have not missed it. Normally before my monthly cycle I crave sweets (which I have not had either) but this month it's junk food. I took a really long walk today and feel a lot better. I don't feel like the craving is taken over. Plus all the responses made me realize it has to be head hunger and maybe a little of knowing those foods won't be part of my life anymore. Thank you all who responded.
  • ac7nj
    ac7nj Posts: 266 Member
    We all have had that you will get through this, your not going to never have those foods again. Tell your self you can give them up for now. That the surgery will last for a while. ( I told myself a year ) but some of it has been less.

    Randy
  • pawoodhull
    pawoodhull Posts: 1,759 Member
    This is what I call head hunger. You are not physically hungry, just want to eat. ac7nj is right, it's probably the thought of never being able to eat those foods again. Truth is, you can eat those foods again, much smaller protions, but once we totally heal, we can eat what we want. Some people can eat all things in moderation after surgery. I'm not one of those, so I made the decision to just not add certain foods back into my life. Everyone is different, so you will have to decide that for yourself. For now, get as much protein in as you can because that does help with the hunger. Also make sure to get all your water in because that helps too. And remember, your success pre-op though important, is not an indicator of your success post-op. Do your best now, try your hardest, and trust the process.
  • Merylk34
    Merylk34 Posts: 54 Member
    Thank you so much for all the encouragement. I've got control of this and will not allow myself to break all the hard work I've done so far.
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