Do you ever??

feel like screw it I'm just going to eat and not count/log anything? I don't necessarily mean eating bad things just eat without planning everything out. I woke up this morning and felt like I didn't want to have to bother with a meal plan. I wanted to eat when I was hungry and not worry if I was on my usual schedule or how many calories I had consumed. I don't feel like I need to run out and get a candy bar, but I wanted to be able to eat when I wanted to but it would be good choices. Anybody else feel this way, if so how do you keep yourself in check?

Hi, Amy I sometimes open the refrigerator and think what a pain... I mentioned that when I feel like EATING that I tell myself that the food tastes "like dog food", which is a big turn-off. Last week I told my husband that a dessert looked really good and he said, "It tastes like dog food." I nearly fell-over laughing; tears in my eyes...wow! To keep myself in check, I think of dog food, eat popcorn with I can't believe it's not butter, and "occassionally" have a mini-binge...of 2 Tropical SF ice pops. Yum Ro

Thanks for the dog food suggestion. I'll try it. Now do you imagine the wet or the dry ?

OMG!!!! My husband asked me the same question that day. The answer IS: I think of wet dog food for any food that is moist and high in calories or unhealthy...dry dog food for any food that's crisp and high in calories or unhealthy. I have never met an obese person who has actually been SO hungry that they have eaten the dog's food...coincidence...I think not! LOL Ro

Hey Amy, Yes and occasionally (very rarely!) I have done this and it just gets too out of control. I am an addict.. will always be one. So because I am, I will always need to be accountable for myself and my actions with food. As much as I wish I didn't have to be it is just the way it is and has to be for me. I went through this when I was 4 months out and really did some soul searching on it.. now I just know its part my life. I guess enough times of reading about postops and WLS grads gaining their weight back and their lives spiraling out of control I have leaned that they ALL have something in common. 1) Not journaling/logging their food intake. 2) Left the basics - drinking with meals and grazing. 3) Too many bad carbs leading to cyclic snacking and loss of control 4) not exercising and not drinking enough water BETWEEN meals. 5) a lack of preplanning. Honestly I think these above things can make or break success.. try to embrace the lifestyle change.. later on stay with it and you will be happy you did. I live with an RNY that is 5 years postop. We live much different lifestyles with our RNY. He eats basically what he wants and has never had a protein drink/bar/supplement since surgery, he does graze and he drinks with his meals.. had has gained 30 lbs above his lowest weight even doing all of this.. he is lucky. He is male and he is still young.. 29. He had the surgery when he was 23. Trust me.. he will gain it back if he doesn't stop this behavior and he knows it and is very much aware of it. He has quit the junk snacking and now reaches for healthy popcorn and things.. he is not gaining and even losing slowly now. He was never told 5 years ago to put protein first.. but he was told not to drink with his meals a rule he never followed. Just keep doing what you are doing.. life is so much better with RNY when you are accountable and follow the rules! I promise.. ;) You will be happy you did.

Thanks for the vote of encouragement. So far I have been able to keep myself in check today. I wasn't going to log at all today, but then I felt guilty and said just do it so I did and I already feel better about it. I have hard time in the evening about an hour or so after dinner. I keep feeling hungry and the water just doesn't get rid of it. I have been allowing myself to eat if I still have the calories available, but then I feel like I was grazing. If you keep your calories under where you want to be do you feel its ok to eat whenever and not just 3 (or 6) times a day?

There are days like the week just prior and coming on to my cycles that I have to "preplan graze/munch" I just have to.. but I make sure my cals/totals are right one still.. or try to at least.. I think its fine as long as you are being accountable for those "snacks" even if they are more often. Just don't let those snacks become laxed and more bad carb loaded and calorie loaded then you have a real problem. Be aware and in tune with everything you do eating wise.. make it work with the cals you have and keep the focus. ;o)

Can you give me some suggestions of somethings that you eat that keep you feeling fuller longer?

Dense dense proteins... chicken breast grilled chicken cordon blue - piece of chicken, piece of ham steak with a piece of meunster or swiss cheese inbetween.. you will be surprised how much of this you CAN'T eat b/c it is so dense. grilled pork loin or filet (steak) egg and ham for breakfast atkins peanut butter granola bar does well for me Now that my stomach has "woken" up some and I can feel more "pressure" when I am full I am finding the need to go back to some bars and shakes to get in enough protein in a day.. its weird. Dryer meats stay with me longer.. many RNY's cannot tolerate a dry meat.. like I know Molly cannot we are all so different. I can eat dry, moist, it doesn't matter. If you can handle things without sauces or really moist meats you may want to give that a try. Also try fluid loading.. drink drink drink up till 15 mins beforeu eat and get those intestines nice and full of water and the best advice I can give is NO drinking for 1-2 hours after you eat.. this REALLY works for me.. might try that also!

i have had days like these.......but i think in retrospect that a "screw it" day now is a FAR FAR cry from a "screw it" day last year.......I do have days (usually Saturdays) where i tend to waiver from the plan.......or i dont have a plan at all....but if i sit down and write it out....it has never ever been more than like a 1300 calorie day....which in days of old would have been like a 5000 or more calorie day.... writing it down prevents a spiral....in the old days of dieting i would mess up on one meal ---in turn at the next meal would say ---i already messed up so i would mess up at that meal......then next day i would say i screwed up yesterday....and so forth .......by understanding the extent to which i have messed up keeps me in check and sometimes i realize that it was not so bad at all and am able to "save" the rest of the day instead of trashing the whole thing....I hope this makes sense......