Behavior therapy or talk therapy is often beneficial for weight loss surgery patients. Therapy can help you to understand what food really means to you, and to realize when you eat and why you eat. Once you can begin to recognize the events in your life that trigger emotional eating, you can start to work on finding new ways to deal with those events.
The first day after my Lap-Band surgery I realized that I am a food addict. All I could think of was food. Television commercials for foods that didn’t even look good to me before surgery were making my mouth water. This hasn’t stopped, it’s less intense, but the desire is still there.
The first week or two, I felt like my life was over, after all almost every time I went out of the house, a trip for fast food for myself or someone in my family was included. I didn’t know how to just go to the store to buy what I needed without getting fast food, going to a restaurant, or buying something extra at the grocery store. My life was centered on food.
The third week after my Lap-Band procedure, I experienced a severe infection that was unrelated to my weight loss surgery. This infection required an extremely painful in-office surgery, and painful twice daily bandage changing. The first thing I thought I “deserved” after enduring such a painful procedure was something sweet and fattening to eat. Of course, I couldn’t satisfy my pain with food and I had to start learning how to deal with pain without using food as a sort of painkiller.
Yes, Lap-Band surgery eliminates hunger, and I know of many people who have had tremendous success, but it can’t undo a lifetime of emotional eating. If your surgeon doesn’t recommend a therapist, you may want to consider finding one yourself.
