A frequent question brand-new gastric bypass patients ask is “How do you deal with the loss of food?”
In the first few weeks out of surgery when patients can only eat is Jell-O or protein shakes or broth patients frequently report grieving for food. After all, food is a beloved friend of the morbidly obese. Now it’s gone and emotional grieving results. The sense of loss is magnified during the post-op healing phase because patients don’t feel well enough to do anything. That leaves time to focus on the foods we loved but are no longer allowed.
How can a patient distract their thoughts from food? Here are a few suggestions to help “newbies” get past this stage!
Read fashion magazines and daydream about your new body in the season’s latest fashions. Continue reading “After WLS: How To Avoid Mourning The Loss of Food”