Table 2.
Summary of the results; theme, sub-themes, and example of codes
| Theme | Sub-themes | Example of codes |
|---|---|---|
| Overwhelming dietary challenges | Meal structure and portion sizes | Less structure and fewer meals; increased hunger during pregnancy at nighttime; night sandwiches when depressed; increased hunger and larger portions; big differences in portion sizes; still small portions; forgetting to eat without a reminder; eating nothing when stressed; being able to eat more contributes to the feeling of failure |
| Cravings | Testing limits; prefers to eat sweets; over time more chips and sweets; constant cravings, escalation of unhealthy eating behaviors; sugar-sweetened beverages; increased intake of sugar; able to eat ice cream and sweets; cravings for chocolate during pregnancy; the desire for food was unchanged; grazing carbohydrates; could not stop cravings and reduce the fat intake | |
| Food- and meal-related unpleasant reactions | Diarrhea and nausea; vomiting of healthy food; nausea from steak; tiredness after a meal; dumping when eating out with friends; takes dumping and ignores it; grazing to minimize dumping; difficult reaction (dumping) when overeating; reduced quality of life because not being able to eat well; food brings no pleasure | |
| Emotional and disordered eating/drinking | Comfort eating to manage negative thoughts; difficult to control eating; comfort eating when feeling lonely; anxiety drives eating; alcohol to cope with emotions, alcohol decreases emotional pain; self-harm behavior by eating too little; the eating disorder remains after surgery; did not change eating behavior; punishing myself with secret eating; unhealthy relationship with food | |
| Confusing weight response | My body must be starving; something must be wrong with my body; eats like a bird; avoids sweets, candies, and chocolate; healthcare professionals do not believe me; eating nothing and still not losing weight; no metabolism; frustrated that the weight is stable despite of healthy habits; dietitian thinks I eat too little; trying to eat healthily | |
| Insufficient nutritional knowledge and support | Lack of knowledge about nutrition; lack of information on energy content; missing information about the risk of weight gain; difficult in understanding nutrition education; need for concrete advice on portion sizes and food choices; misinformed about what to eat after surgery; need for trustworthy advice on eating behaviors and weight management; insufficient information |