"Last Meal" Syndrome

[lunalady]

Hi, all!! I'm curious if any of you suffered from the "Last Meal" Syndrome...I'm sure there's another, even cooler, name for it than that, but "Last Meal" is what my brain has come up with.

For a bit of background...I made the decision about three weeks to have the surgery. Ever since then, I'm eating anything and everything I can get my chubby little fingers on! It's almost as if I think, "Oh, it's okay. This is the ONE time in your life when it's OKAY to be heavy and to pig out! You don't want your BMI to be too *small* when you get to Mexico, do you?"

Man, it's totally frustrating!

Any thoughts on what you did to beat yourself at the mind-game would be totally appreciated!

[Moname]

Hi Luna,

Had so many "Last Suppers" I could have been ordained. Enjoy them because you won't be having them for a while. Life will be back to normal sooner than you think, though, and you will be able to eat small bits of EVERYTHING, just remember, chew, chew, chew, and princess sips, princess sips, princess sips.

Good Luck!

Moname

[Smiley]

I wasn't allowed to have that problem because I only had 3 weeks from the time I scheduled surgery until I actually had it. I had to lose 3-4 pounds in that time frame, so I had to get busy on the weight loss immediately.

One thing I have learned is that I can have anything after the band that I had before the band, just in moderation. Granted, it should have been in moderation before the band, but that was not always the case. I still order the same thing at restaurants that I used to order, except I only eat a fourth or a third of what I used to in one sitting. So, by taking leftovers home I actually get to enjoy my chosen meal a couple of more times.

When I say I order the same things, I was never in to ordering the heavy stuff or things that are smothered in gravy, fried, super huge and such. I do switch some of the sides now for steamed vegetables and have discovered that I like steamed vegetables, which I never would have known pre-band because mashed potatoes without gravy (don't like gravy) sounded so much better. I still order hamburgers on occasion as well, I just remove the bottom bun and pick as much off of the top bun as I can while still allowing me something to hold on to and protect my hands from the mustard and ketchup. The weird part of this is that I can totally tolerate bread, but I simply choose not to.

Now is the time to start practicing what your new bandster lifestyle will be like, so put your chubby little fingers back in your pockets and walk on by with the thought in your head that you could have some of that, but you are too good of a person to eat "that" kind of food. Snobbish? Yes, but so what, you are on the way to developing a new you and by golly the new you is going to look good!

[DeannaMiller]

Hi, all!! I'm curious if any of you suffered from the "Last Meal" Syndrome...I'm sure there's another, even cooler, name for it than that, but "Last Meal" is what my brain has come up with.

For a bit of background...I made the decision about three weeks to have the surgery. Ever since then, I'm eating anything and everything I can get my chubby little fingers on! It's almost as if I think, "Oh, it's okay. This is the ONE time in your life when it's OKAY to be heavy and to pig out! You don't want your BMI to be too *small* when you get to Mexico, do you?"

Man, it's totally frustrating!

Any thoughts on what you did to beat yourself at the mind-game would be totally appreciated!

We have all gone thru this phase! You will still be able to eat what you love, just in smaller portions. You really only need to get thru the first 3 weeks after surgery with the fluids, then you will be back to eating , just a lot less. Good luck!

[jhawkchick75]

Ditto to what everyone has said. I did the same thing and thought I needed to go on the "farewell tour" of my favorite places. Sadly I did it - even went to Red Lobster in San Diego the night before my surgery. Looking back now I soo did not need to do that. Mind you everyone is different and some feel restriction after the first fill but that is rare. For me, i've had several fills now and the only thing I can't do is breads. And even thin I can do really thin crust pizza and crackers. Smaller portions of course, but I can still do anything. Even after the first fill I could still do some bread.

I get another fill on Tuesday and don't get me wrong i'm not gonna lie...I am worried about what might be out of the picture after this one and do have the urge to go get those things one last time. But as i get farther along in this process it just doesn't bother me as much. Easy for me to say 7 months along, but I do want you to know it does get easier! I used to eat McDonalds literally like 7 times a week (sometimes more than once a day) and if you would have told me 7 months ago that I would go weeks at a time without it I would have told you that you were on crack! But I haven't had it for almost 3 weeks I think - honestly can't remember it's been a while.

I'm sure i've screwed up their inventory at the McD's down the street!

What you are feeling is completely normal, but know its not the end. Good luck!

[lunalady]

Oh, you guys, thank you, thank you, thank you!!

I honestly thought I was losing my mind! It's nice to know that my behavior is somewhat normal...and it's ESPECIALLY nice to know that this too, shall pass!

And Shelby, I just laughed and laughed about your Mickey D's comment...I am *so* totally guilty of doing the same thing. It's just so close and so handy to zip through the line and get a burger, fries and a sweet tea, isn't it? lol

Yup, the McD's down the street will be wondering what's up with *their* inventory in about three weeks, that's for sure!

Ladies, thank you for your input!

Hugs!

[meerkat]

Hi, all!! I'm curious if any of you suffered from the "Last Meal" Syndrome...I'm sure there's another, even cooler, name for it than that, but "Last Meal" is what my brain has come up with.

For a bit of background...I made the decision about three weeks to have the surgery. Ever since then, I'm eating anything and everything I can get my chubby little fingers on! It's almost as if I think, "Oh, it's okay. This is the ONE time in your life when it's OKAY to be heavy and to pig out! You don't want your BMI to be too *small* when you get to Mexico, do you?"

Man, it's totally frustrating!

Any thoughts on what you did to beat yourself at the mind-game would be totally appreciated!

I didn't have so much a "Last Meal" syndrome as a had a "first meal" syndrome post three week liquid diet. I really wanted that new pizza pasta bowl the whole time. I've been off the liquid diet for almost a month now and still have not had the pizza pasta bowl but i don't think about it very often now. Wanting to buy new "normal people clothes" is what helps me with the mind-game. Once you start losing the weight you get more encouraged to lose more. Good Luck

[Alia]

I haven't even had my surgery scheduled, I am still in the process of having my primary approve me for the procedure- and still- I find myself eating so much crap I would never have had just one month ago. I honestly probably put on ten pounds. I often think to myself- "I can eat that cuz I will have my surgery in a few months." AHHHHHH! I have to pull myself up by my boot straps and... STEP AWAY FROM THE FOOD! Lol... Well, keep us posted on your progress- and good luck with everything!

[Kristi]

I was approved to have the surgery on March 25th, but had to lose 11 pounds before it. So for nearly 2 months before my surgery I watched everything and I mean everything I ate like a hawk.

However, I did go and have a last meal at Chick-Fil-A. It was very tame, but I had been craving it for a month and felt that since I was three days before the surgery, I would go anyway. And of course my mind would not order the fried chicken strip or nuggets.

I had the 2-strip kids meal and they were grilled strips, with fruit instead of fries and a non sweetened Ice-Tea, which I added splenda to for my own sweet- tea. It was the best meal ever and I was techincally still being good.

I have 2 more days to go before normal foods again and cannot wait. I am so very very tired of soups!

I like the idea of haviing a cheeseburger, but kind of worried. I like In-N-Out protein style, animal style cheeseburgers without the sauce (a weekness, probably cuz I didn't eat them much even before, but love them.)

Hugs,

Kristi