Anyone scared to eat??`

I have to admit I am scared to eat and try new stuff.I am very strick about my protein and I really want to expand my horizions about what I eat but quite frankly I am scared.I know what foods trigger me and I dont think I can do the just one or two bite thing... At Thanksgiving I would have loved 1 mouthful of potatos but I just passed the bowl on to the next.I wasnt realled bothered either .To be honest I dont have an appetite anyomore i just really eat and drink so I can get my 80 grams of protein in.Before my surgery I would have eaten anything that didnt eat me 1st!!! I am at the point where I need to start mixing more carbs in my daily diet so I dont loose any more.carbs and fast food were like crack to me the if I ate them the more I wanted so I basically have not had any -fast food or rice,bread,chips potatos ect.. whats a girls to do??? I was a size 20 now I am a jr 3 thats as small as I want to be.I was thinking when I was loosing weight that I would be maybe... 12 or 10 but gosh a 3??? never ever even wore that size in elementary or jr high ...what do you carbaholics/fast food aholics do??? ~Laura~

hi laura, i think you need to try adding healthier carbs to your diet. fruit to start with, and see how you do with that. did you ask your dr's office about this at all? you should put some nutrition books on your holiday gift lisst...... just an idea, or maybe do a search on here... kathy prob knows.... although she kind of has her hands full these days... i always look to her advise for stuff. do you like any fruits? my doc told me the same thing, as i wear from 2-4, but that is not good... even though my legs dont look it... uggh. but i am grateful. if you start eating the crap carbs, you might be setting yourself up for poor eating habits down the line when the 'honeymoon' phase is over in 6-12 months when your appetite is back and that wont be good. so dont eat the bad stuff now and you wont want it later..... i know its easier said then done though. hugs, jess

Laura, I can completely understand where you're coming from. First, you defintely need to be EATING and not just drinking your foods. Our bodies need food for nutrition, period. Not all carbs are created equal. If there is a choice between a slice of French bread or a multi-grain cracker - eat the cracker. For the most part, stay away from the "white" stuff (white potatoes - with the exception of sweet potatoes, white breads, etc.) and eat the "good" fruits like apples, berries, etc. I have a copy of the South Beach Diet's "Good Carbs, Bad Carbs, Good Fats, Bad Fats" and I use it to gauge what I eat. The whole grains and "good" fruits are not going to make you want more. If you're afraid to eat something for fear of it triggering you, then stay away from it. However, I have noticed that my pre-op trigger foods aren't so much of a deal anymore. McDs was my crack/heroin pre-op. I've eaten there a few times since surgery and it's not that big of a deal anymore. The reason is that it just doesn't taste as good to me and I don't feel all that hot after I eat it. I feel so much better when I eat the healthier foods. I will be honest, I don't do much in the way of protein shakes anymore as I try to get all of my protein from my foods. I can eat enough now that I can pretty much get 70+ grams of protein in per day (10 grams/protein per slice of turkey and if I eat 5-6 slices and a piece of cheese and some whole grain crackers for lunch - I've almost got it). However, some days I just don't want to eat all of that meat and beans make me painfully gassy (even with Bean-o and Gas-X) so I have meals like I am tonight - I'm making Spanikopita which is all spinach, mushrooms, onions, and some feta cheese - not a whole lot of protein going on, so I will drink a shake today. I try to keep my diet balanced - each meal consists of protein, veggies, whole grains, and my snacks are usually fruit of some sort. I do eat regular potatoes sometimes - in small amounts, but if I have rice, it is usually brown rice, my pasta is Barilla Plus (LOADED with protein and Omega-3 fatty acids and all sorts of other goodness!!!), and my bread is almost always multi-grain. I try to keep things as close to the natural source as possible - it is just healthy! I am not so into it that I do all organic or anything, but I do keep it as healthy as I can. I allow myself a few sugar-free treats - I pretty much always keep sf popsicles or fudgesicles in the freezer - I may eat one every 2-3 weeks. I also have some sf chocolates - but I can only tolerate 1, maybe 2 per day otherwise I get painfully gassy. These I eat maybe 1-2 per week if that. My biggest "problem" is sf cookies. I buy some, but I love to bake them. I have the most killer sf oatmeal raisin cookie recipe and I really need to stop making them! I ate like 6 the other day!! They are all natural, though, but still - moderation is the key. Anyway, I went from a high of 370 (wearing 4X or 32W) to now maintaining between 180-185 and I am a big-boned 5'8" woman. I wear (even with all of the extra skin) a size 12-14 jeans, when I have my TT done 2/1 I will likely be in 10s. I wear either a M or L top (depending on the cut). I am very, VERY happy with my weight and size. I am (without all of the extra skin) pretty much skin and bones - my husband has actually said that I should maybe put a few pounds back on, but I do NOT want to get into the mentality that I need to put on weight - just seems to slippery of a slope for me. I figure if I eat healthy, exercise as I can (which right now is just my PT exercises) the weight will take care of itself. Again, try a few things, but if you are really afraid of it, then don't. You don't want to push your comfort zone, but if it is something healthy and natural (the "right" fruits and veggies) then go for it!! HTH, Michelle

Complex carbs are good. Just stay away from "white carbs", enriched flour - even enriched wheat flour.

Thanks for the suggestions.I really do eat, just the carb thing really worried me cause I was a true carboholic for sure.I have eaten some fruit and today am eating this new protein oatmeal that has 20 grams of carbs in it plus 36 grams of protein too.I am going it slow since I'm nervous.I have alot of cook books for the bariatric patient and cooking for by-pass pts but frankly I just dont have the time to cook esp just for me.My family doesnt have very good eating habits and when I try to cook lower fat high fiber stuff they dont like it.Its sad, its just hard cause my husband is got a belly and he is a true southerner and wants his real butter meat and potatoes .Believe me I have tried to sneak healthier stuff in or let them try some of my atkins/south beach type food...no go ova here.I just figure if my labs are okay then I will leave well enough alone but...the holidays and my current size I was hankering over trying to add carbs slowly back in and today I am eating this oatmeal.I got it from bariatric eating tasted good sitting a little heavy though.I have a grouchy pouch that doesnt like dry stuff.Thanks a million for the suggestions any more would be greatly appreciated for sure.Its just weird I really have no appetite I just eat when I feel I guess hungry before I would eat just to eat ~Laura~