Eating All the Time

The truth is, I have to always be chewing something. I chew gum, I eat ice. I drink diet soda. I drink coffee. I do as much non-caloric eating as I can so I don’t become a 300-pound woman. Sugar-free jello is a great space-filler. But it’s not necessarily about emptiness.
I always thought this urge to always have something in my mouth to be the result of being told to stop eating. “You don’t want that much, do you?” or “Are you really going to eat that?”
This compulsion needs to be fixed before I go further with gastric bypass surgery. What would be the use if I just can’t stop putting things into my mouth?

-Olivia