Things I Don’t Miss

In making my decision to have gastric bypass surgery I knew there was a lot that I would be giving up. This was one of the things that made the decision hard. Knowing that eating, one of the greatest pleasures in my life, was going to be forever different was a hard pill to swallow. I said my goodbyes to food during my food break up which you can read about here. I thought it was about time I made a list of things I don’t miss.

It’s mostly other people who comment on and worry about what I can’t eat now. It doesn’t really bother me because to start with my appetite for many, many things went with my surgery but also this was a choice I made with my eyes open and I knew what I was getting myself into. However, there’s some things I don’t miss that if you had told me pre-surgery I wouldn’t miss these things I would not have believed you.

1. Bread. Seriously who doesn’t love bread? Fresh bread, garlic bread, pizza bread, toast. Bread was such a staple in my diet pre gastric bypass and now I have the odd bite here and there and am never terribly impressed with it. I don’t get the same satisfaction from eating carbs anymore and they just fill me up too quickly and make me feel a bit meh.

2. Potatoes. I had a serious love affair for potatoes. Roasted, mashed, in chip form, saladified, really any way you could prepare potatoes I loved them. Now I will eat the odd chip but I honestly don’t miss them. Much like bread I don’t get the satisfaction I did from them before and I find them really underwhelming.

3. Pasta. My old love of Italian food and pasta went hand in hand. There was not much that could have topped a bowl of beautifully rich and creamy pasta for me pre gastric bypass. It was one of the last meals I had before surgery too. Now though me and pasta just do not get on. I’ve attempted to eat it maybe twice since my surgery and It just didn’t feel good. It also really blows my mind how little I care about not liking it anymore too. I can happily cook spaghetti bolognaise for my family for dinner and just have the bolognaise part without the pasta.

4. Cake. Again who doesn’t like cake? Unless you’re my strange three-year old who turns your nose up at the most unexpected stuff then I’m assuming you like cake. If I eat cake now I generally will have about two bites and then I’ve had enough and have completely lost interest. It doesn’t feel good going down and again it’s just not satisfying eating it. This makes admiring and not eating my baking so much easier.

5. Fast Food. I didn’t eat fast food all the time (like people so readily and easily assume when you’re morbidly obese) but did enjoy it now and then. Of course it was handy at times when you’re busy and just need to do something to fill the gap fast. I had a few different fast food places on my food break up list and said goodbye to them all. I can happily watch other people eat it and still have no desire to eat it.

6. Soft Drinks. I weaned myself off soft drinks before surgery because they were an absolute no go for at least the first three months after my gastric bypass. I will have one every now and then since but honestly every time I do I wonder why I bothered. They fill my tiny tummy with air, make me burp heaps and just don’t do it for me anymore. I haven’t even touched energy drinks since because I had a serious love affair with them and I think staying away is for the best. Give me my water and one coffee a day anyway of the week now please!

Having not really planned how this post was going to go it’s really interesting to see how many high carbohydrate foods made it onto this list. I don’t eat too many carbs now and don’t actively work them into my diet so much since I’m so focussed on my protein needs first. I would never have believed you if you had shown me this prior to my surgery and told me I would no longer get excited to eat or enjoy these things.

I still find it so interesting how it was my tummy and plumbing that was effectively changed but that how much my mind and the reward based thinking around food has changed for me too. This is one of the reasons why now, looking back, im so glad I took the plunge and had my surgery totally not knowing what to expect. I’m now fully able to live my life how I want to and I don’t even miss these things, it really doesn’t get much better than this!

Comment below and tell me if there’s things you don’t miss that really surprise you after having bariatric surgery, I’d love to get to know you and see if there’s any similarities.