Can weight loss surgery work for an emotional eater?

amother

Sun, Jan 12 2014, 6:59 am

SS6099 wrote:

That's why many drs will require a phsychological evaluation . Often, the low self esteem from being heavy and overeating triggers more. Coupled with therapy, it may work!
But do realize that surgery alone is not a magic solution.

I dont understand this sentence. I am asking about myself. I dont have low self esteem from being overweight, that I know. but the overeating triggering more, that is something that is an issue with me.

amother

Sun, Jan 12 2014, 7:22 am

Most overeating comes from emotional reasons. Also diets make us fat. Each time you diet you ruin your metabolism etc. and put back same weight back plus more. I read a book and I totally believe in it just hard to do it. There are so many books out there about ending emotionally eating which is the core issue.
Stopping to eat emotionally doesn't mean your emotions won't be there but it means instead of escaping them you will actually begin to feel the emotions.
I never agreed I was an emotional eater. I ALWAYS eat. I eat when I'm happy/sad/tired/depressed/excited....so why is that emotional eating if I always eat. Then one year I went through a real crisis and I put on lots of weight. I saw that I was sorta fighting a depression and believed if I didn't have food I'd be depressed. SO yes it's a long road. But we need to learn to do something for ourselves. To feel our emotions and deal with it.
A friend of mine read one of these books and got really slim. She said more that the weight she lost she did so much teshuvah. She was forced to face her emotions and instead of eatign dealt with a lot of her issues. As a result she started to talk to family members that she was not on talking terms with and has a better relationship with her DH and kids.
I totally believe in it but not there yet. I also think about just doing the "magic trick" of surgery, but it's not a simple solution. My friend says once you do the ending emotional eating it becomes as easy as breathing. ONce you work hard for a few months on it then really becomes natural-and best thing she eats WHATEVER she wants...just as long as she is pysically hungry and stops when satisfied (which she learned through a book what it means. The book is caled "The 7 secrets of slim people").
GOod luck!

amother

Sun, Jan 12 2014, 7:22 am

ChossidMom

Sun, Jan 12 2014, 10:10 am

It's a complicated question to answer.
I have always been an emotional eater and I had vertical sleeve surgery almost a year and a half ago.
The first year is the "honeymoon" because the weight comes off no matter what. It's also frustrating because you can't eat compulsively for emotional reasons....
The idea is that you cultivate healthy habits during that year and these habits are meant to help you maintain your weight loss.
The reality is that there are many people who DO manage to lose all their weight and they seem to maintain it for a few years, although there isn't enough data on people who are more than 2 years out.
I can tell you from experience that once an emotional eater, always an emotional eater. But, your brain does change once you've lost a substantial amount of weight. You become lighter on your feet. It's easier to exercise and you also want to maintain your new body. So, in a sense, you do change. But you still have to work on yourself. I am back to being attracted to sweets and junk food, although there are certain foods I simply don't go near anymore (rugelach and yeast cake) and it's not because I can't eat them. I can eat whatever I want, but the amounts are lower than before.
I don't think there is a pat answer to your question. But I still am a big believer in the surgery. It's a game changer. Three other members of my family had it and all are very pleased that they did.

Feel free to ask if you have questions.

amother

Sun, Jan 12 2014, 10:32 am

I'm an emotional eater. I eat when I'm upset, overworked, nervous, etc. I have no problem eating a big bag of potato chips and not realize it when I'm in that state. That being said, weight loss surgery is NOT a magic cure. The surgery is not a quick fix. It doesnt affect your brain. Except if you change your mindset and use the surgery as a tool. Not as a fix. You still have to work hard at losing weight. It's even harder than a diet, because at times you cant eat alot of "real foods". Alot of people have a problem eating foods like chicken, meats etc. You become limited in what you can eat. For example, I learnt I can eat dark chicken cutlets, but no other kind of chicken. I cannot eat eggs. I can eat salmon only if it just came out of the oven. I find that if it is cold it doesn't go down. I cant eat meats. I cook beans a couple of times in the week because that becomes my source of protein.

If you have any questions, you can email me at anony08701@gmail.com

amother

Sun, Jan 12 2014, 11:35 am

I know several people who have done the surgery still eat just as much they just nauseate everyone else buy eating with a bag to vomit in. they don't eat less they just eat, vomit, eat vomit, eat vomit. It really is disgusting. It can be the answer for some people but it's not so simple. You are still hungry and want to eat from your emotions you just can't cuz your stomach is too small.

The decision needs to be made for the right reasons and taking into account all the factors as well as the risks and there are risks!!!

amother

Sun, Jan 12 2014, 11:37 am

I agree it is only a tool. I did the gastric bypass 9 years ago and I lost about 65% of my target weight loss. I didn't really change my eating habits too much because I always ate healthy foods, just too much of them. So, the surgery helped me with my portion control in the beginning. For me, it took about a year until I could eat almost normally again except for certain foods. Fruits and vegetables went down and stayed down the best so I ate those a lot. Chicken/meat had to be stew like or else I had to eat super slowly to make sure it didn't give me a problem.

I lost a lot of weight then had 2 pregnancies. That put on a bit of weight as I still needed fertility meds. I think if I were finished having kids it would have been easier to keep the weight off but they are worth it! I realized that my metabolism didn't change and I had to find a new way of eating so I lost another 30-40 lbs after the pregnancies from clean eating/paleo/primal. I find that I still need to eat a quantity of food. I can't eat a 5 course meal but I can now eat a bowl of soup plus a plate of food. So, it works better for me to avoid kinds of bad foods for me and trigger foods. I need to avoid regular sugar and refined carbs totally or else I crave them. I learned to crowd my plate with cooked and raw veggies and eat good bits of proteins and as much good quality fats as I could eat. My energy levels soared as well as I finally feel like I learned how to eat right. The surgery and dieticians didn't do it alone.

Now, I regret the surgery because I have major malabsorption issues that have led to other issues so I don't recommend gastric bypass to anyone unless they are 600 lbs or so and are a ticking time bomb and don't have time for something else. Better to get a safer surgery that is a slower weight loss and you can properly learn how to eat for the rest of your life.

Happy 2B

Sun, Jan 12 2014, 12:41 pm

ChossidMom wrote:

The reason I ask is that I can eat absolutely anything with my sleeve and I have never once thrown up. People that I know that have thrown up only do so if they ate too fast or too much.

Vomiting and not being able to get things down is common in people who do the lapband, which is barely done anymore in Israel.

The people I know who vomit had the lap band.

amother

Sun, Jan 12 2014, 11:19 pm

The sleeve is not a simple surgery. A family member of mine had it done. She was seriously ill for a long time. She was severely dehydrated and could not tolerate any liquid or food. Eventually it was determined that she had pancreatitis from the surgery and she had to be hospitalized again. The lap band I have heard is an outpatient procedure. Much easier.

groisamomma

Sun, Jan 12 2014, 11:46 pm

I did the sleeve three weeks ago. I second everything ChossidMom says. I'm still not feeling all back to myself and I did get dehydrated (because I "forget" to drink) so I have less energy, but there's no comparison to the lap band.

Eating to vomit to eat some more is disgusting, amother above. That does not happen with the sleeve as far as I know. I am a bit disappointed that I'll never be able to eat an entire calzone in one sitting, and I hate that I can't drink while I eat a meal (I do anyway if I get very thirsty) and of course I'm still learning the ropes...but as far as emotional eating, that doesn't happen anymore.

Now if someone could get me a multivitamin that doesn't taste like cardboard, they would be my new best friend... LOL

ChossidMom

Mon, Jan 13 2014, 2:57 am

2kiddos wrote:

So why is the lapband so much more popular here in my community? Is it less invasive?

It may be "less invasive" but they put a foreign body into you. Very, very often, you meet lapband people a few years down the line and their lapband has slipped and causes them serious problems.

In Israel there is ONE doctor ( Dr. Avinoach - "The Lord of the Rings) who still does this surgery, to the best of my knowledge. Every single bariatric surgeon has moved over to performing the sleeve surgery because it was found to be much more effective. You cannot compare tthe quality of life either. With a band there IS NO quality of life. Yes, there are a few that succeed in losing most of their weight but the suffering they endure.... I would think long and hard before submitting myself to that. The bariatric clinic at Hadassah hospital is full of lapband patients who are in trouble and are now having their bands removed and are moving to the sleeve (when possible). And, it's no picnic to have your band removed. It's surgery (laparoscopic).

As far as complications - Every surgery has complications and even a risk of death. The percentage of complications with the sleeve is very, very low. My nephew had a particular, bizarre complication and would still not trade his sleeve for anything in the world.