Emotional Eating and Bariatric Surgery: Your Relationship to Food
We all have different coping mechanisms, and some may be healthier than others. Many people binge eat in moments of sadness, depression, and anxiety. This can lead to or contribute to obesity or morbid obesity in some cases. With excessive weight comes a number of health issues, including hypertension, heart diseases, diabetes, and joint pain. These are common reasons why patients come to Tijuana Bariatrics in search of answers.
Custom bariatric surgery may be recommended to help you lose weight if you are obese or morbidly obese, and it can help to some extent with emotional eating. The issue is complicated, but let's consider some of the basics below.
How Your Diet Changes After Bariatirc Surgery
After you undergo bariatric surgery, you will typically feel fuller sooner because of changes to your digestive tract. Your stomach size is smaller, and your appetite is changed. You will be eating different kinds of foods following surgery, and you will be eating multiple small meals a day.
Of course, sensations of hunger and fullness are not an issue when it comes to eating for emotional reasons. The reason for eating is to satiate a psychological need rather than a physiological one.
Dangerous Potential for Overeating Despite Fullness
If you overeat after bariatric surgery, this can lead to serious discomfort and a condition known as dumping syndrome. This leads to nausea, vomiting, and a host of other problems. This can put your health and wellness at risk if it happens continually, which is why the underlying source of emotional eating may require professional attention.
Getting Help for Emotional Eating Problems
People who eat for comfort and emotional needs may want to consider meeting with a counselor or therapist to work through problems and identify certain aspects of their lives that could use changes. A therapist will help put problems or anxieties in perspective and suggest new behaviors or ways of thinking that are better for patients in the long run.
This focus on the emotional and psychological needs of patients after weight loss surgery doesn't get discussed enough. Many people need the support of loved ones to deal with the changes they are going through. If seeing a therapist may prove helpful, do not feel embarrassed or ashamed. Many people can benefit from getting professional health for these sorts of issues, and it may be an important part of changing your life for the better.
Analyze Your Cravings and What Triggers Them
When you notice a craving for a certain food even though you are not hungry, consider the reasons you want to eat the food. Is it because you are angry or upset? It is to help delay some other action or activity? Can the craving for food be replaced by something else? Are you simply eating our of sadness or boredom?
These are all important questions that make us consider our relationship to food and our relationship to others. Be sure to think about these issues closely, and do not be afraid to bring them up with your therapist or your loved ones. Discussing these issues is important, and your honesty and willingness to change can help improve your overall health.
Contact Tijuana Bariatrics
For more information about diet and emotional well-being after you have undergone bariatric surgery, be sure to contact our weight loss surgery center today. Here at Tijuana Bariatrics, we will help address a multitude of issues related to weight loss and recovery for the long run.
