Reality is here....

Reality is here. Tuesday I was baking mini-cupcakes and ate 2, with frosting and all. But, on a high note... I went to the gym for the first time since February! I received my new menu, I get to eat veggies (soft) and fruit (w/o skin). It's amazing how much more human/normal it makes you feel. I'm actually able to go out to a restaurant. It's been great. Dawn

You are so brave! That sugar did not make you ill? I am so afraid it will NOT make me ill so I will not even try anything with sugar!! It has not been too hard to resist I have been off sugar for an entire year (something I did to prepare for the surgery to get healthier). I made two pans of brownies (my famous brownies) for my kids (grown now) over the weekend and did not even try a taste, too careful. I don't even want to know if I can tolerate sugar. I am using the treadmill but have a new bowflex that the Dr. will not let me use for 2 more months so you be careful at that gym! je

I'm not sure about the sugar content, but it didn't make me sick, which like you, I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not. I've been told by the nutrionist that if you keep the sugar content below 25 grams you're usually safe. I forgot to check. Like you I've been afraid to try a piece of actual candy or other high sugar item in case I dump. I'm going really slow at the gym. I just did 40 mins of cardio yesterday and today on the circuit I did the lowest weight possible, especially on the stomach crunch one. Dawn

Dawn, Did you have your surgery in August of this year? How on earth were you able to eat the cupcakes? Tila

Hi Tila, Yes, I had the surgery Aug. 1st of this year so that makes me almost 2 months out at this point. The cupcakes were the small, bite size ones, so together were only 1/2 a regular cupcake and I didn't eat them at the same time. Dawn

Dawn, I am glad that you got past that and are now pushing yourself to go to the gym. mmmm....cupcakes, were they chocolate or vanilla or maybe even lemon on lemon? Dont answer me. I am glad you didn't get sick.

Maybe I should have...

Don't give into the temptation to eat sugar. I work with a nurse who had the same surgery about 8 years ago. She started eating sugar and found it didn't bother her. Then she's hungry again a few hours after she eats the sweets so the cycle continues. She would love to have the surgery again and start all over. She stopped losing weight and is still more than 100 pounds overweight. She also has severe anemia and that can't be reversed. I see our surgery as a gift. I don't even want to know if I can tolerate sugar, it's not a healthy option. Our bodies are not like they used to be. We can only eat small amounts of food and that will be for the rest of our lives so we need to make sure what little we do eat provides the nutrients to keep us healthy.

Oh, I agree and know all that. That's why I was kinda hoping that sugar would make me sick. Obviously, since I chose to have the surgery, sticking to a diet long term hasn't been a success for me. Someone at the support meeting said, "I have lots of 'will' power, it's 'won't' power I'm lacking." The slip-up is why my thread was labeled "Reality is here..." We're all bound to reach a point where we fall off the wagon, whether it's at the 7-week mark like me, or 3 1/2 years like the RN in charge of my program (she stopped exercising and gained 15 lbs and is still struggling to lose it a year later). The difference this time is we have a new tool, that as long as we use it correctly, we have a much better chance of long term success. As in all failures, small or large, the key to still be successful is to pick yourself up, and get back on track, without beating yourself up about it. Which I did and it finally made me get to the gym instead of just walking or riding my bike a couple times a week. We're human, and we have a relationship with food and as in all relationships, they don't always go the way we hope/want. I just wanted to be held accountable for the slip... and to show that good can come out of it.

Hi there- I'm lurking from the July 2005 board. My opinion is... I didn't succeed with diets in the past because I always felt deprived. Now I am not deprived! If I want a bite of cake, I take a bite of cake (just so you know, I have NOT had a bite of cake but I haven't wanted one! hehe And I'm a cake decorator!) We do our best to eat as we are told, protein first, veggies second, etc. most of the time- but if you're really craving something- HAVE IT! YOU will be the one to suffer if you dump, or even if you gain your weight back. You certainly sound intelligent enough to me to know that you shouldn't make a habit of it. But I don't think anything should be off limits! Incidentally, I *thought* that I didn't dump on sugar either. I bought some whole wheat cinnamon graham crackers, and as long as I ate 1.5 or less, I felt like it was a treat and it was ok. Well, last week I had a cold, so I took some Nyquil. Then I ate 1.5 of those crackers. About a half hour later, I was literally crawling to the bathroom- too weak to even sit on the toilet but I had to- it was coming out both ends (sorry TMI) and I would consider that experience to be as bad as when I had food poisoning in 1990! It was HORRIBLE!!! Thankfully, it only lasted 10 minutes. Whew. I made DH eat the rest of the graham crackers. No more for me, it's not worth chancing it! Don't beat yourself up, and I admire you for saying it in public and holding YOURSELF accountable- because it's what YOU think that matters! (((hugs)))