Question:
SWEETS HELP
HELLO, CAN ANYONE TELL ME IF THEY ALSO HAS OR HAD A PROBLEM WITH EATING CANDY. I HAVE THIS CRAVING FOR GUMMY BEARS AND CHOCOLATES. I CANT STOP EATING THEM. I AM DOWN 62LBS AND IN A PLATEU HAVE NOT LOST ANY WEIGHT FOR 3 WEEKS. I STARTED AT 246 DOWN TO 184LBS.. PLEASE TELL ME I AM NOT ALONE AND WHEN DO I START LOSING AGAIN.. :( — evienicole (posted on May 17, 2006)
May 17, 2006
not to sound to harsh though Prolly once you stop eating what you aren't
supposed to. I don't see how you can expect to continue to lose weight
while as you say contimually eating candy. This surgery is NOT a magic
bullet in which you lose and yet get to eat what ever you want. IT's a
tool and you have to do what you are supposed to to make it work. I am
sorry that you are having trouble though There realy isn't anything anyone
can do for you when you make those choices.
Sorry to sound harsh
— NavyNukeWife
May 17, 2006
Well i'm not sure how old you are or if this is even a factor but my mom is
41 and had WLS 3 yrs ago but now she's going through menopause and has been
eating lots of candy too. Her PCP says that her Hormone inbalance is
causing her have sugar cravings and once she gets her hormones in check she
should be ok
— phranny19
May 17, 2006
I KNOW, I KNOW THIS SURGERY IS JUST A TOOL. AND MAYBE I JUST NEED TO SEE MY
PHYCOLOGIST AGAIN BECAUSE CANDY IS MY WORSE NIGHTMARE I AM AN ADDICT TO
THIS. AND CANT TAKE IT AWAY. I JUST NEEDED TO TELL SOME ONE WHO CAN GIVE ME
ENCOURGMENT AND NAVY WIFE, HAS DONE THAT I THANK YOU. I NEEDED TO BE
REMINDED THAT THE SURGERY IS A TOOL NOT A CURE..
— evienicole
May 17, 2006
Hi Evelyn! I also have a sweet tooth. There are some things in life that
you just don't want to completely give up. I am over 3 years post-op and
have lost 165lbs, from a size 28 to a size 10. The biggest thing about
sweets or anything for all that matters is portion control. If you want
gummy bears then eat a couple and go on about your day. Same with
chocolate. I really doubt that you eating gummy bears and/or chocolate has
caused you to plateau. You will continue to plateau throughout your
journey, sometimes it will last longer than other times. There could be
several reasons why you would plateau. Don't stress over it... you are
doing wonderful! Good luck to you on the rest of your journey.
— dl_roark
May 17, 2006
— AnitaJB
May 17, 2006
Evelyn I know exactly what you are going through. I'm doing the same thing
snacking on my dove milk chocolates. Yes everyone is right and it is a
tool, however we all have to remember how easy it is that thoughts come
creeping into your mind. Some have more willpower than others and yes the
tool is something that helps you but the brain does work against you at
times. The tool doesn't fix that. You'll start losing when you get back on
track with the tool and follow those rules. But I did just want you to know
that you are not alone. Good luck.
— kristiegarcia
May 17, 2006
Go Back to the basics hun, I have had a few chocolates here and there only
crave them at that time of the month ...but I have found sugar free candy
and chocolate...which is very good. I started out at 246 as well, I had my
surgery in Sept. 05..it's now 8 months and I am down 87lbs am currently at
159, but it is very slow....so what everyone has told me is go back to the
basics...protein water and hit the gym...you'll be fine!
Franca
— Franca
May 17, 2006
Hi Evelyn...congrats on your loss so far. If you cannot stop eating candy
as you say then you may be downing thousands of calories without even
realizing it. Look at the calorie content of the candy and you may be
amazed. The most simplistic answer is don't buy the candy. You cna beat
these demons saying you are an addict to them is making an excuse to
yourself why you cannot stop eating them. That is self defeating and serves
you no good. You have to do the work to make the surgery work and avoiding
eating sweets (if you are unable to do so in moderation) is one of the
keys. YOU CAN DO IT!!!!
— SteffieBear15
May 18, 2006
LOL - I have to chuckle and I hope you take this with a good natured elbow
to the ribs, but it is true, you will start losing when you lose the candy.
I say this with a wink in my eye because I know EXACTLY how you feel. I
at times crave sugar too, but I can tell you that you can get over it.
Less than a year out of surgery I ate a piece of Christmas candy at work.
It sent me into sugar overdrive. I didn't get sick like I normally would
with sugar, and it totally triggered my sweet tooth. I bought a bag of
candies and put them in my car. What I found was that while I was going
through this, it actually helped my situation because I have a fairly short
commute to and from work, and the time frame in which I could gorge on
candy was short, and hard candies made it so I couldn't harf them down as
quickly as something like chocolate. So that was my TEMPORARY solution.
The long term solution is to get rid of the sugar. I first got it out of
my system in the sense that I got tired of the same candy and sugar wasn't
as appealing. My hormones also I found made a HUGE difference on my
cravings. I never knew what PMS was until surgery because my cycles were
always wacky. So I was never able to put it together until I was well over
a year out - maybe more like 18 months out. Anyway, as long as you eat the
candy you will have a tendency to crave it. Simple biology here is that
you are eating sugar, your pancreas is putting out more insulin, you get a
little drop in blood sugar (or a big one sometimes maybe) and you crave the
candy again. It's a phisiological response as well as emotional. Now when
I get this way, at some point I start to recognize what is going on and I
grab something with protein. Even if it's a fast food burger, I will go
for it because what that does is quell the demons and helps you get the
sugar craving under control. I don't endorse eating fast food all the
time, but what I am saying is that protein is usually what will satiate
your appetite to the point where your phisiological response will be
quelled - so it's easier to deal with the emotional. I still crave sugar
sometimes - because sometimes I will have a dry mouth or something and pop
something in my mouth as I'm running out the door. Then I've been
triggered. So recognizing this from the onset is the key, in my opinion.
Once you see what you are doing (eating a bite of something because you are
tired or thirsty is an easy thing to fall into), you are better able to
combat it. Find something healthy - protein or a diet drink - that will
help you quench what your body really wants. It's hard to listen to it
after all these years, but you can learn to do that. Once you recognize
what you are really feeling - thirst, hunger or sleep - you will be better
able to combat that. And again, hormones do come into play. I go through
this every month and have to remind myself every month what is going on.
That is usually a day or two into it before it strikes me, but I'm
learning. It's all a process. So don't freak out just yet, but do try to
get on track. Don't over-analyze why you are doing this right now. If
you try these things and can't get a handle on it, then you know it's more
psychological than phisiological and you need to talk to a counselor. But
right now try to see if your body is asking for something else and try to
deliver it! Good luck!
— Dinka Doo
May 18, 2006
You've had some good answers; I'm glad everybody is keeping it positive!
:) I just wanted to congratulate you on your loss so far and encourage you
to log your nutrition, if you don't already. As someone else mentioned,
it'd be easy to ingest way more than you realize on the candy. Maybe
having a visual of exactly how much you're taking in will help.
— Jeanie
May 18, 2006
I know this sounds funny, but i was reading somewhere that if you take
extra calcuim it will help knock the cravings. Now this was for when you
are PMSing, but i don't see why it wouldn't help you.
— Jenney
May 18, 2006
I am about 2 months out, and have a hard time with sugar. All I every ate
was sugar and carbs. I am now learning to use self control. About 1 week
ago I bought a bag of sugar free chocolate mint cookies(my favorite). I
thought when I bought them I would only eat 2 a day. Well 2 turned into a
lot more, and I had finished the bag in 3 days. I knew I had to put an end
to it. I bought Sugar Free hard candies to suck on when I get the craving.
So far it is working. Another thing I did was buy the citrical chews at
Walmart and I take them 2 times a day. I try to wait until I am craving
something sweet to take them. They have 4 grams of sugar and it stops the
craving. I am using this tool to reshape my life. I will not buy candy
anymore. I know it is not good for me, and when I look at my 4 year old, I
don't want her to go through life like I did. Good Luck!
— Tiff
May 18, 2006
Tell us about your supplement plan. Sometimes irrestible cravings can be
subdued by staying nutritionally balanced. Not for normies, but balanced
for US. Whey protein (in water) helps with sugar cravings, specifically .
Being deficient in other vitamins or minerals can create specific texture
cravings, too. We tend to read them as "weak willed", when it
might be something else entirely. We shouldn't have to "white
knuckle" this whole trip. There are natural things that can help you
get back on the rails.
— vitalady
May 19, 2006
I know how you feel (i am @ the moment having a love affair w/ jolly
ranchers ! :) unfortunetly our minds get the best of us sometimes and we
lose site of our goals...keep trying to kick start that old habit of saying
no to the bad.i am 6 weeks out and down 33 lbs. I wish you all the best
you'll be at goal soon and this will be in the past. if you crave chocolate
try sugar free fudgcicles (don't go crazy~i have been there) but they will
curb a chocolate craving @ only 40 calories per pop and taste great! BEST
WISHES through your journey~SMILES
— tiffany E.
May 21, 2006
You mjust go back to the diet you are supposed to follow. I do not eat
candy, because I know if I did I would not be able to stop! So I just do
not have any at all.
— Novashannon
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