Weight Loss Holiday Eating Anxiety for Bariatric

 Most bariatric surgery patients experience a wide range of holiday eating concerns that can really ruin a good vacation around friends and family. Don't let your worries spoil the day!

Most bariatric surgery patients experience a wide range of holiday eating concerns that can really ruin a good vacation around friends and family.

Before surgery, the holidays meant bringing in and enjoying family, friends, and lots of food—often at a sticky rate because holiday foods are "special" because they're only provided during the season and They are prepared so carefully which adds guilt if you don't partake in it.

How many times have you heard these phrases spoken at holiday gatherings?

"That's all you have? I worked so hard on that dish..."

"You eat it now, because it won't be here for another year..."

"It will hurt my feelings if you don't eat it..."

"These are very special ingredients that I ordered specifically for this dish..."

"You can't starve ... it's a holiday!"

"Just a small bite, pleases….."

"And lo, there's a lot..."

"Take some of this house with you if you're not going to eat it now..."

"Hey crap! You're allowed to eat a lot today!"

"You should have put on your FAT pants to carve yourself like the rest of us..."

Oh, how could this list fill a book, right? Comments like these add enough stress to non-surgery individuals who carefully watch their weight, let alone those who have had bariatric surgery and need to be careful about what they eat, how much they eat and how much. Bar eat. So you're not the only one feeling some anxiety about being around all that special food this season.

I'd like to make a few suggestions that have worked for me and others during this most stressful time when the holidays equate to special foods and the pressure to participate in them gets out of hand at times.

1. Prepare Your Mind for Organizing: Reflect on past holiday experiences and evaluate what this year has in store for you. Keep in your mind what you'll say and do when those food-pushers taunt you or the bottom-right threaten to eat you during a "special occasion."

2. Guess the Meals: Reflect on past holiday foods you've always been taken for granted in your social circle. Predetermine what you will and will not eat. Deciding ahead of time will put a stop to urging others to "cave in" your gut-reactions about what you shouldn't eat.

3. Never try anything new at a party: Not knowing how you will react to food puts you at high risk of making you sick and making you go back to the bathroom immediately or feel sick for an hour or so calls to do. It will draw attention to you, which is something you don't want. The host and guest will feel bad for you, so don't put them or you in this situation. Eat only what you are absolutely certain you can tolerate.

 

4. Take Baby-Bites of "Special" Foods: If you want to consume foods strictly for societal expectations, take baby-bites, literally. If it's too much for baby's mouth, you're putting too much on the spoon or fork.

5. No offense to throwing it away: At a social event where you don't want to know how little you're eating, have a small plate with small portions of food, then small pieces of each item, then toss when someone If you are not watching, then relax. It gives the impression that you are "normal" and everyone will assume that you have received your sustenance. It hurts the feelings of Great Aunt Gerdy who actually cries if you refuse her special 60%-sugar/90%-fat/carb-loaded/stroke-on-a-plate pie. Taking out the unexpected portions is a "different" way to consume it... so don't feel guilty about it. All that matters is that Great Aunt Gerdy is delighted to see her pie disappear.

6. Eat healthy before you go and bring your own essentials: Never go hungry at a holiday party... NEVER! This is self-sabotage in the worst possible way! enough said? Carry your own treats and drinks that are RNY friendly for you. Don't request extra effort on your host. You know what you need, so take it with you. You can have sugar-free fudge sickles or those sugar-free pudding cups when they're eating pies and cakes. And if they're only serving soda or alcohol and you can't have them, bring your own herbal tea or packets of unsweetened hot chocolate. This will make you, the host and guests feel comfortable and nobody will feel like you are a "victim" because they eat your no-no.

7. Talk More Than Food: The holidays should be about the people, not the food. So be social. look after people; Laugh with them, tell stories, listen to their long stories, play games, etc. If you do these things, you'll be amazed at how well a meeting will be for you just because you didn't pay attention to the food. And when the food-pushers come along, just glance away by them and walk out because you've got to talk so much or your cell phone is vibrating and you have to excuse yourself for the call... .When you need to, a pre-planned "way out" is perfectly acceptable.

8. Change the Food-Theme: If you keep telling them about all the foods you've been missing out on this year, other people might want to cry boo-hoo with you. Do not do this! Instead of mourning the loss of your favorite holiday treats, brag about the fact that you're feeling so healthy, your clothes are getting baggy, and you're re-dreaming about all the great things that are now yours. There are stores for are decreasing. Don't allow anyone to take pity on you because you didn't eat like you used to.

9. Wear a "knock-out" outfit: Wow them this holiday season by wearing a special outfit that you take great pride in. The food is no longer special to you... you've changed it to a special outfit you can wear now! Let people whisper to each other how good you look instead of how little you eat. When you feel good about yourself and look good too, the stress of not eating so much will go away from you.

10. Summarize Your Visit: If you're receiving a lot of pressure from others or feeling too much anxiety, leave the meeting earlier than you originally planned. Maybe you're tired, the roads are getting worse, you just feel like you need to do something... Remember that a "pre-planned" getaway should be there for you when you need it.

I can attest that these are tricks I have used and still use at social gatherings when it is expected to eat particular foods during special times. Granted, I'm three years post-op, so my worries aren't as high as they once were... but they certainly didn't threaten my holiday happiness not long ago!

Most of all, remember this.... the more you prepare ahead of time, the less you'll feel nervous about those dreaded holiday eating worries. Now go have fun!