Shopping for food

Hi all,
This is a subject I’ve never seen on this site but hope I can get
some input from others.
I had open RNY on 10-23-01, have lost 87 pounds, don’t eat much
but…I am still shopping for the same amount of food as I did prior
to WLS! That means that I waste a tremendous amount of food each
week. I have tried many things to stop this but I still can’t get a
handle on cutting down on what I buy.
I don’t shop when I am hungry. I only take a certain amount of money
to the store. I go with a list. However, I seem to be addicted to the
whole process of buying food…I don’t eat it but I buy it. I stop on
the way home from work just to walk around the grocery store! Is that
sick or what?
Anybody else ever have this problem?

5 Responses to “Shopping for food”

  1. Clair Huffman Says:

    I am almost 6 months out from my surgery and have done pretty well so far but
    have found that I still spend hours shopping every week. I buy way too much
    food and then have to figure out how to store it. I have two closets full of
    canned goods, my freezer is full, and you can only eat so much fresh food at a
    time. I thought that with eating less, my grocery bill would go down but it is
    still way to high.
    Jennifer

  2. Wes Owen Says:

    <<I still spend hours shopping every week.
    I still do the same thing. Its not as bad as it was as a new pre-op when I
    had to by anything that had more than 2 grams of protien in it whether I
    liked it or not…but there is something so facinating about buying the
    food, having it in the house and then being able to resist eating it! I
    love watching cooking shows now and love to think about making those meals
    for other people, but don’t really crave any of the stuff for myself.
    Lisa Bennett

  3. Nanette Zora Says:

    but have found that I still spend hours shopping every week. I buy way too
    much food and then have to figure out how to store it.
    I was a hoarder before surgery and am still a hoarder after. My cupboards
    are *always* filled to overflowing… something that makes my partner Sarah
    *crazy*!!! I have been away at school for almost 3 months, but went home
    last month for a week. I was aghast at the emptiness of my cupboards,
    refrigerator, and pantry! Sarah laughed and said they had plenty of food
    and did not need to go shopping as I kept insisting we do. I am going home
    next week and give me a week and those shelves will be filled once again.
    I do not have a clue where this comes from. It spills over to my plate,
    too. I *always* put wayyyyyyy too much on my plate. I used to put 10 times
    too much on immediately post-op. Now, I am down to about 3 times too much.
    An improvement, for sure, but still not “normal.” I do not have the recipe
    for what I can eat and what my brain says I can eat down yet. I wonder if
    this will ever resolve itself.

    Did I grow up in the Depression? No. Did my family? No one that I knew.
    I know my growing up time included ample groceries and frequent shopping
    trips. I also know that, for most of my life, I have had this I Have To Eat
    It All (and FAST!) Because There Is NO MORE IN THE WORLD mentality/emotion.
    I still fight with this one… am able to work with my brain easier now than
    pre-op (this issue was a frequent topic in therapy over the last 25 years).
    Over and over I remind myself that there is ALWAYS enough (here in my life
    in the United States… I am very blessed, I know) and I do not need to
    hoard or to gulp or to over-fill my plate.
    Easier said than done.
    Barbara Herrera
    San Diego, CA - 41 years old
    Open RNY April 5, 2001
    Dr. Julie Ellner, Alvarado Hospital, San Diego, CA
    04/05/01: 344# / BMI: 63/ Body Fat: 75%
    04/05/02: 172# / BMI: 31.6/ Body Fat: 28%
    04/14/02: 165# / BMI: 30.2
    One Year Re-Birth Day: healed of ALL co-morbs, mobile beyond every
    expectation, every pre-op dream surpassed a million-fold, and smaller than
    any memory.

  4. Ulysses So Says:

    this reminded me again as i ate dinner tonight that i do best when i use a
    sandwich plate or even a cake plate as i am less likely to put too much on
    that plate. i put away the food in the fridge before i eat anything.i also
    mess around with garnish and arrangement to make it all look good and that
    requires some empty space on the plate. works for me. by the time i am done
    making up my plate and setting the table and lighting the candle etc… it
    all looks not just normal but nice.
    love ida and george the wonder beagle

  5. Bertha Princess Says:

    I went to my favorite potter and bought myself a special little bowl and
    plate to add to the ritual of my new eating life. They have a beautiful
    blue -green glaze that reminds me of the northern lights… For so many
    years I had bought her pieces as gifts for others, and now I bought some
    for myself for a very special occasion - the advent of my new life..
    Kim
    open RNY 4-20-02

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