NEWSFLASH!

Newsflash: I can be full on just a little bit of food. In my pre-surgery quest, I have decided to see what it’s like to eat like one must following weight loss surgery. Of course, I do this knowing that I have a giant stomach stretched to the max from 20 + years of overeating and that post-WLS, most people are left with a stomach pouch roughly the size of an egg, or about 3-4 ounces. I didn’t think that I’d get full on just a cup of food. But guess what? I can! I am hungry again 2-3 hours later, but then a ¼ or so of food goes back in. Because I like to think I can think my way out of (or into) things, I think that if I’m going to expect to adjust to such a major life change following surgery, I ought to test it out first. I mean, what happens if I don’t try it first and then I’ve got this crazy, altered anatomy that doesn’t do what I want it to do? I heard one person who is five years post-op say she would never recommend the surgery to anyone because most people simply do not understand how great of a life-style change it really is. So basically I need to know if I can do it before I do it (like I said, sometimes I think too much).

So anyway, here I sit, measuring, weighing, and counting like never before. I mean to be serious this time. I’ve been eating no more than one cup of food at a time. One cup isn’t all that much, especially compared to the way I’ve been eating. Of course, post-op diets should have very limited amounts of fat and refined sugar and protein comes first. And so it has been for me the past few days. Full disclosure: I’ve only been doing this for three days, but what a difference it has made. I realize that I have to be committed to this for the rest of my life. And right now I understand that my health and longevity depend on my ability to do this for the rest of my life, surgery or no surgery.

Realistically, I think most people, me included, grossly underestimate how much we consume. We really, really, really don’t realize how much we take it. My husband says he just had a couple of beers when really it was six. Sure, to him, it honestly seemed like it was just a couple. I say, “oh, I don’t really eat that much and somehow I’m still so fat.” Ha. I challenge anyone who thinks that about themselves to take a hard, honest look at the volume you consume. Before you put a single thing down your gullet, weigh and measure it. Take a good look at how much food 4 ounces really is and eat only that amount. Track it for a few weeks and then take a look back and see how much you were consuming before. I bet you’ll be surprised.

I am so on the fence about this and I don’t think you should go into it unless you’re sure. While it is not impossible, it’s very difficult to get a do-over in this scenario. So, gone for good are the days of eating until I’m stuffed just so that I won’t be hungry later. No matter what I eat now, no matter how much, at some point, I’m going to be hungry again later. There’s absolutely no reason to eat enough for two at one sitting. Eat just enough to satisfy my physical needs and stop. This is a skill we’re born with – new born babies are smarter than I – but so many of us need to relearn this lesson.