Cravings...

[MamaChristi]

I'm still waiting for my surgery date, but have a question. After your surgery, do you have trouble craving certain foods? I know that the gherlin (sp) isn't produced anymore, but I'm worried about craving things like- chocolate, french fries, ice cream, bread, pizza....all the things that made me fat. Please help me. Thanks.

[LeslieF]

I found that my appetite and desire pretty much vanished. I am not complaining but the sensuality (if you can call it that) of it all just disappeared. I still eat because I have to...don't enjoy it that much. It is much better when I eat with my family or company. If I don't remind myself to drink my required amount or eat a meal I could very easily skip a meal. I still enjoy watching all my cooking shows etc... BUT I don't have the desire to eat or get hungry when I watch. So that is a good thing. I guess you can say that I now eat to live rather than live to eat. The surgery was the best thing that I ever did for me and I have no regrets. Good luck on your journey.

[Ericam]

I agree w/ Leslie. I also found that no hunger is there and that if anything, its reteaching yourself to think. I am cooking for my family and have no desire to eat it. In fact, the things I loved before surgery, now nauseate me to smell, for example, bacon and eggs. YUCK. I was also concerned about how I would handle situations where there would be foods I love like pizza, steak, bread, and sweets. I now just don't feel the desire to eat it, I guess since I am not hungry, it just isn't appealing.
Good Luck to you!

[queenmab]

I guess I am having a different experience... I still have hunger, especially if I go more than 3-4 hours without eating anything. But, I do agree that cravings are not the same. Instead of getting that gnawing feeling in my belly for a specific food, I only get it in my *head* ... and that is something that I really have to work on. If I can manage to eat protein every few hours, I find that my cravings are minimal.

My biggest issue is when my family goes out to dinner (which we only do on the weekends these days, and that is an improvement). I know that I can only eat a small amount of any food, and that it is sensible to *share* what my husband and kids order, but I feel deprived when I don't get to select what I want ... I guess I have to learn to be more flexible.

[madmacaunt]

I too still get cravings. I have noticed that the cravings seem to be more mental than anything else. I have eaten a few bites of french fries, but I didn't really enjoy them so I didn't eat anymore (I considered that a huge victory). I find that I'm more concerned with getting enough protein than with anything else. Basically, if a food doesn't have a good ratio of protein to calories, I don't eat it.

This has been a difficult week for me emotionally so I have struggled with cravings. I have been able to satisy myself with a healthier alternative. I do get hungry (but the hunger is different than it was pre-surgery) if I haven't eaten for several hours. I try to eat three small meals and two snacks per day. I also try to make sure that all of my meals and snacks contain as much protein as possible. The more protein I eat with my meals, the less hunger and cravings I have later in the day.