Having regrets

[tmhfrank]

I'm three weeks out from having surgery. I see commercials and I want what they are advertising. I miss eating the way I did. I find myself wanting to snack on those chips and popcorn. I'm feeling as if I am going back to my old habits. Sometimes I wished I never had the surgery. Is this normal?

[americangrrl]

I am having my surgery in October... have faith in ur decision that u did something to improve ur health... u cannot change it now... keep the negative thoughts at bay... change the channel, get up and walk.... whatever it takes to remind u or take ur mind away from "ur old habits"... and remember y u chose to have the surgery in the first place... think about how much happier and healthier the "new, thinner and improved u"... will be...

[Shirl]

I'm sorry you are dealing with those head games. Did you read articles or books about weight loss surgery that inspired you? Did you have a post op strategy written down somewhere? Revisit those Books/articles/notes to remind you why you went through with surgery.

There are many of us here who are advocates of cognitive therapy, specially to deal with food compulsions and addictions, and also to assist in developing stress-management skills to deal with food triggers.

I can tell you that I do not regret this surgery one tiny bit, even when I'm suffering from chronic constipation, or the few times I took a bite too much and I felt like pucking! I don't regret either when my partner is eating delicious food or enjoying a glass of wine without me.

I do know what it feels like to be trigger by food commercials, thank goodness for the power off button! The worse is when you get an imagine in your head and your glands start tweaking and you can't stop thinking of how delicious that or this will be. I have given in a couple of times, and the sleeve stopped me on my tracks either my hating the taste, nothing like I imagined or my tummy just hating the way it went down. The physiological reactions I have had to certain trigger foods are a good learning tool for me.

I don't react all bad all the time, for instance ice-cream, pudding, flan (I'll kill for a good flan!) all go down perfectly well and no restriction in sight. I have to be super vigilant of those foods, and not be around them. So far I have been so so good on portion control. The times I wasn't I regretted it!

All I can offer you is to get back to the why and how, and get professional support if needed.

Hugs And the best of wishes to you!

[KariVSG]

my surgery is in October also, i will miss eating alot of things but it will be so worth it

[americangrrl]

I agree... it will b soooooooooooooooooo worth it... I am more concerned with being healthy and feeling good about myself...

[barbaradear1]

I agree with the off button. I was watching a movie the other day and they were eating Chinese Food (My Favorite), my mouth was watering but I still don't regret my decision. What I have found is that my mind thinks I want it and if I try it, I don't like that food so much now. Taco Bell was another of my addictions and I tried a bite or two the other day and found I would rather have my protein shake. Something about this surgery changes the way you taste things but your mind still thinks you can eat them.

[Remsta]

Chew a delicious piece of gum. Bubble gum. Hubba bubba, bazooka. Anything that is fun so u can get the sweet taste without guilt.

[redkcmom]

I record 95% of shows to fast forward commercials.
I usually clean the kitchen if fast food comes on and I don't have recorded

[wvrnsson]

Hang in there. I have a difficult time watching cooking shows like I used to, even if I was watching them for the celebrity hosting it. I can handle the competition shows better because the focus isn't as much on the exact dishes. I don't watch many commercials at all myself because I record most of my TV shows on my DVR and fast forward. I will be watching football and baseball live, and of course, some of the foods advertised there are more tempting than chips and popcorn, but I will do my best not to be tempted. Right now my stomach couldn't handle chips and popcorn anyway, so that's a good deterrent. Now when I reach my phase 4 diet in a month, then we might be more tempted.

[Pam G]

Do you have a therapist you can talk to about this?

[ACE]

I struggled at first with all of the food advertising on TV or just driving down the road and seeing bilboards. But I began yelling at the TV to remind myself that it was not going to taste as good as I thought it would and then saying things like YUCK when ever i saw the ads. Now its been five years since my surgery and even my kids who are 2, 5, and 6 yell at the ads or the fast food places saying "thats yucky stuff, we dont eat it its not food" and I have no issue with the ads anymore. Some ads even make me gag just to look at them where they used to make me drool. I love being this far out but it does take time and patience and perseverance to get past the head games we play with ourselves.

[Connie4]

Three days after I wrote to myself under my notes in my iphone.... oh no what did I do !!!!

Just ran into today....I don't regret any of it today.. just was a mind game..

Stay away from those commercials it's just not good for you to watch... a tease.. and what got us here in the first place.

My sleeve was done day after yours.

[girlwitharosetattoo]

I'm a couple of days out and I am really struggling. The liquid diet, the sore belly, wondering why I couldn't have accepted myself no matter my size, if I will ever enjoy food again. I am drowning over here!

Even if I could eat regular food, nothing sounds good to me right now. The smell of everything makes me sick!

I googled and yes, it's pretty common to have regrets/depression shortly after the surgery but nearly everyone past the 6 week mark says it gets better so I am going to believe it- what choice do I have? There's no going back now.

At least we can commiserate here because unless you've had WLS, you can't really understand these feelings.

[auntygayle]

Keep up the good work. Like many have said, if you do give in to the temptation you'll often regret the way you feel. Just yesterday I absolutely had to have ice cream, and I did. What a mistake! I had such a bad stomach ache from it, I rolled around in bed for hours in the fetal position. Now I know that the next time I just have to have it what I'll be up against. It was not worth it! I have the same thing happen any time I eat grains. I'm kind of glad it happens, too. That way it drives home how important it is to stick to it.

Do you have a bariatric support group in your area? I'm not usually a joiner, I like being at home at night, but I'm busting out of my comfort zone and going to a group meeting on Monday. If you don't have a bariatric support group, look for a group called Celebrate Recovery. They have weekly meeting for anyone with hangups, habits, and hurts they want to break free from.

Best wishes to you!

[Donna Rudewick]

I've had no regrets. I know it's normal to have them though. I started my journey in November of 2015 and had surgery July 20,2016. I read a lot of posts on the forum, read and reread articles, watched videos, and did my 6 month preop diet to a T. After surgery I was one of the lucky ones to have no pain just slight discomfort. Now all this is not meant that I don't miss certain foods but the alternative for me is so much better. I was taking 5 insulin shots a day plus oral meds and my sugars were still out of control. I now take 1 shot a day and oral meds but soon will be off that. My sugar is normal for the first time in 10 years. I have more energy and stamina and so much more pride in how I look. It may seem hard at first but it does get so much better. If nothing else when you see those commercials think to yourself, I loved that stuff but it's what got me here. Maybe eventually you will begin to view it differently.