band v bypass life after WLS

[j.u.s.t.l.i.z.]

this thread ive started because of a response i made in another thread and i would really like to hear ppls opinions from there own personal experiences both with bands and bypasses after surgery.

do u bypassers still crave the taste/texture of the bad foods ? as i get the impression from bypassers these cravings leave the brain but banders it doesnt, id be intrested on the responses from both bypassers and banders. as the chain of thought towards food seems at different ends of the scale between the two ops.

thanks

any comments appreciated as im trying to learn/understand the way of thinking towards food after ops from both perspectives.


liz xx

 

[brett30]

bump ....... cause i wanna know to ... i live day by day for choc and I'm hoping this goes away when Ive had op ... thats one of the only things I'm worried about .....

 

[j.u.s.t.l.i.z.]

hopefully there should be some replies soon brett. i started this thread because im interested in how peoples attitudes change towards foods after all different types of wls, i dont mean to come across nosey its just something im very interested in, the phycological effects as well as just the physical changes.

 

[emmabeee]

Hiya, freezing cold up here in north lincolnshire.

As for your question, i'll let you know after ive had my bypass xxx

 

[j.u.s.t.l.i.z.]

thanks emma

 

[cazbandy]

I can honestly say my feeling towards foods I would have before just shovelled into my mouth in massive quantities have definitely altered.

I used to eat on average 1-3 bars of chocolate nearly everyday, now I may have 1 only 1-2 times a week, and its always a small one and always something I know I am going to enjoy. Cheap rubbish no longer appeals, it has to have quality and real taste. I'd rather go for dark chocolate whereas before anything would have done.

I used to loved foods like that essentially had a breaded covering, but anything greasy now leaves a horrid taste in my mouth. About the only concession I have to this is Tescos Finest Chunky oven chips, every now and then.

I also used to love pizza, but even they are tasting greasy too.

I am falling back in love with real food, fresh food and food I know has real beneficial nutrition. I like the fact I eat so much better now.

Todays lunch was roasted chicken (no skin) and morrocan cous cous with salad. In the past and prior to surgery it might have been a whole pizza, chips and mayo...

The very thought of that actually makes me feel a little sick now...a day I never imagined...

 

[serenitylove]

my attitude to food has to a degree improved greatly , but not as well as maybe it should, i have a more normal attitude to how much i eat i no longer binge as i cant! but do i still think about food planning half the day in my mind what im having? yes i do and im unsure that will ever go. i still have things i shouldnt but in more moderation and i pick things that dont go thru band easy i have a saturday whisper which is my choc fix for the week and if i want sweet after that i stick to muffins as it kills me after a few mouthfulls. i was bulimic for a few years although with therapy i got control of purging the binging never went, with the band it has ,i feel in control of my eating although pyscologically i shouldnt focus on controlling food for me i cant help it,its like fighting a war i win a few battles i lose a few but im determined to come out on top. in honesty if my band was removed id be back to my old ways in a matter of a few weeks.

 

[wannaloose18stone]

I have all the cravings I used to have, I really have to work hard tio stay away from to much "crap". I find that I am hungry all the time and eat about every 2 hours, of course its only tiny amounts though.

 

[LBD]

This is a really interesting thread and very helpful to those of us who are still in the research stage.

Thank you to everyone who has replied.

 

[I will get there one day!]

Hi

What an interesting thread!

I'm still in the early days with my band. I must admit that my weight loss is not as much as I hoped but I am trying to be patient and stay focused.

I was a binge eater and too spent a few years with bulimia. I did lighterlife for a year and although I lost loads of weight, it really buggered up my eating habits again afterwards. I think this is because of the deprivation aspect of the diet. In the few months before I was banded, I literally binge ate until I was sick. It was usually packs of sandwiches, cake, biscuits and chocolate. Since the op, I've been far from perfect and have had the off piece of chocolate. The difference though it that I have enjoyed what I have eaten and I have eaten slowly, savouring the taste.

I don't have the same cravings as I did and the thought of some of the stodge makes me feel sick. I too am enjoying eating decent food. I have arranged to have an organic box delivered weekly and I like the thought of not filling myself with crap!

There has been one occasion so far when I tried to fool myself. I bought a pack of sarnies and was already stuffing them in my mouth in the car. It taught me a lesson though because I felt like I was having a heart attack and ended up puking in my car! Not good and serves me right.

In general therefore my attitude to food has definitely changed. I do still crave but no way to the same extent. I also know that moderation is the key.

I look forward to reading other replies.

x

 

[j.u.s.t.l.i.z.]

thankyou everyone for your replies, they are very detailed and informative, as LBD says this thread will help others. thankyou.

 

[indianlight]

Hi LIz - Great question and one I can answer from both sides in 4 weeks!!

Wannaloose, I'm having a bypass in 4 weeks (having been banded for 3 years - long story)and am curious is the hunger, head hunger or reall stomach hunger??

 

[j.u.s.t.l.i.z.]

Hi LIz - Great question and one I can answer from both sides in 4 weeks!!

Wannaloose, I'm having a bypass in 4 weeks (having been banded for 3 years - long story)and am curious is the hunger, head hunger or reall stomach hunger??

hi deb, are you getting excited now the dates drawing nearer ? i will be interested in your answer on this thread on how you emotionally feel towards food after the bypass and the differences to how you felt with the band.

speak soon

liz x

 

[I will get there one day!]

Hi Indianlight

I will be really interested to hear your story. I'm being nosey - tell me to mind my own business, I'm intrigued as to why you are now having bypass?

 

[LBD]

Hi Indianlight

I will be really interested to hear your story. I'm being nosey - tell me to mind my own business, I'm intrigued as to why you are now having bypass?

Me too..........I am dead nosey!

Lisa x

 

[waynetta]

I am finding myself craving things, but once I try them & can't eat them, because they hurt or get stuck, is putting me off. So on a positive note, my cravings should get less and less as time goes on. I have also found that my tastes have changed, everything that I used to love like, ice cream, chocolate and even sugar free squash are way too sweet now and that also puts me off things.

 

[j.u.s.t.l.i.z.]

I am finding myself craving things, but once I try them & can't eat them, because they hurt or get stuck, is putting me off. So on a positive note, my cravings should get less and less as time goes on. I have also found that my tastes have changed, everything that I used to love like, ice cream, chocolate and even sugar free squash are way too sweet now and that also puts me off things.

hi allie, thanks for your reply, my band is working in a similar way, i eat the things i crave and the pain/vomiting puts me off also, i look at these foods craved after that experience and no longer instantly think yum but instead think of the pain it gave me so i dont want it again.
the sweet stuff seems to be the difference between the changes a bypass to a band brings as banders are not effected in any way with sweet foods and are rarley put off having them, bypass in my opinion is the better choice for people with a sweet tooth as most can no longer tollerate sugar tastes.

 

[cazbandy]

I still crave sweet things but tend to go for more natural sources, such as honey or fruit.

I guess it's all part of the re-education WLS brings to us all in the end.

 

[j.u.s.t.l.i.z.]

yes its a big "lifestyle change" that takes alittle time to ajust to, as we, most of us has been over weight for many years, and after surgery takes the brain a while to ajust to the new situation.

 

[indianlight]

Hi Nichola & Lisa, it's not being nosey it's how we all learn.

I was banded and lost 6 stone quickly, in the first 6 -8 months then my weight has stayed the same ever since. I have ahd many problems losing my voice, I suffer reflux anyway and this became worse affecting my voicebox which can lead eventually to throat cancer (scary), also my pouch was stretching and we couldn't get the restriction right, I was constantly having fills then being unfilled now I have an empty band and have been that way since before xmas.

The fact is I was offered a bypass to begin with but I was really scared of having it done, I had only gone to talk about a balloon so a bypass seemed very extreme to me, so I opted for a band.

I'm very much of the opinion that if anyone has 'a lot' of weight to lose then the bypass could be the better option. I've seen many successes with the band and indeed the hospital class me as one although I feel like a failure) but I had maybe 12 stone or more to lose and I don't think the band is drastic enough to get rid of that. If I'd had a bypass then I would have been to my goal weight(whatever that might be!) by now.

I must emphasise though, don't let my experience put anyone off having a band as without it I'm sure I would be more than 30 stone now..instead of the mere 20 stone I am....lol