Losing weight worries

[dlue89]

I have only had braces for about 2 weeks and I have already dropped 5lbs. My teeth stopped hurting after the 3rd day so I have been able to eat things without pain but I find eating to be a chore rather than an enjoyable experience. I find myself chewing with everything getting stuck under my brackets and I can't get it out with my tongue to swallow. I end up having to swish water around just to get the chewed food onto my tongue so I can swallow it. This process had made eating into a now miserable experience even with foods and flavors I love. It has gotten to the point where even if I am hungry and I start eating I won't finish or I'll take less food because it is now only about figuring out a way to swallow chewed food rather than enjoying eating it. Plus having chewed food stuck and then washed down has a sort of disgusting taste and texture from sitting in my mouth too long. I tear all of my food into very small pieces so I barely have to chew but short of swallowing unchewed food (which is mostly tasteless) or consuming only liquids I can't find a way around it. Has anyone found a good way to deal with this even just from a psychological point of view? I am very small and I can't really stand to lose that much weight. I know I could just suck it up and eat because I have to eat but as someone who previously loved the whole experience of around eating I am having a hard time coping with this change.

[LaraS]

Don't worry too much yet, it will get better. I've had my braces on for about 2 months now, and I find it a lot easier. I don't really understand why, but somehow the food doesn't seem to get stuck quite as much now as it used to. Maybe partly because my tongue has toughened up!
I lost quite a bit of weight too over the first month - I just couldn't be bothered to go through the hassle of eating a full meal then cleaning all the bits out. I found that liquid things like diet drinks and liquid breakfast drinks really helped - I had one of those as a snack mid morning in addition to normal meals.
Hope it gets better for you soon.

[llbill]

I totally feel the same way. I just don't wanna eat or finish anything. I am kinda at the "what the heck was I thinking" stage. Let me know if it gets better. Best of luck.

[bracedat36]

Hi diue89-

I can relate as well. I have only had braces for a week, but suffered serious pain with spacers for two weeks beforehand. I am still in the 'what have I done' mode as well, but am particularly upset about eating. Today I skipped lunch entirely. As you said, all the joy in eating is gone. First, it's a chore to chew and swallow. My teeth are not so sore anymore but my lips and wall of my mouth is so cut up that warm foods sting. I also have a hard time getting my lips over my braces and so often slurp and drool. I am hideous. Then there is the wax. I eat bits of it as I go. If I remove it, then I cut my mouth and lips more. If I don't, I get more food stuck in my braces and have to do a bunch of swishing. Finally, the process of removing wax, brushing and reapplying wax is so tedious that I just don't find eating worth the effort.

I too am quite thin but also accustomed to eating very little. Still, three weeks of inadequate nutrition has become evident. I am tired all the time and quite irritable, not to mention emotional. In fact, today I also made an emergency visit to my Otho with the full intention of having my braces removed. They are an energy suck, I told him. He looked sincerely empathetic but assured me that what I am going through is absolutely normal for many adults. I guess that made me feel better, because I leftmthe office with my braces still intact.

I wish I could say something helpful. Everyone keeps insisting it will get better. I really hope so because losing the joy of eating is beginning to make me sad generally. Winter isn't helping any.

Hang in there. Remain hopeful that things will improve soon.

[JHova]

It'll get better, i guarentee you. In the mean time, what you can do is make protein shakes and eat soft foods to get those extra calories in. Personally I was living off shakes, yogurt, oatmeal, fruits and diced vegies after I pulled 8 teeth out.

If you have a blender, try this:

Milk, blueberries, protein powder, some raw oatmeal, peanut butter, banana, yogurt (about 500 calories)

[dlue89]

It's been 3 weeks and eating is still a very unsatisfying a demotivating process. I even have a hard time enjoying liquids because I can't close my lips properly anymore... I think I am going to talk to my orthodontist when I see him in a week it can't be normal to totally loose interest in eating. Even if I am incredibly hungry I will get a quarter of the way through whatever I've made and just stop because I can't get any of it onto my tongue after I've chewed it. Food just keeps getting more and more unappealing :(

[Theresa48]

I would say it took a full 6 months for me to finally enjoy eating again, but still not 100 percent to be honest! I dropped a bunch of weight too, but it leveled off at losing 10 lbs, and I haven't gained it back, but I have not lost more.

I understand totally...braces took the enjoyment of food right away! and I was (am) a total foodie...

First, it is not forever. Second, drink fortified smoothees. I ate alot of mashed potatoes...ALOT of mashed potatoes....pureed soups are awsome too...and I will admit I often just put meals in the food processor and ate like baby food...don't knock it--try a pizza in a blender and it tastes the same!

Do you have a waterpik? if not, get one, they blast anything out of those braces...I could not have made it without mine...eventually you will be able to eat anything. Chopping things up very small is helpful.

Good luck!