Crazy over Grazing....

Hi all again, I was wondering if anyone had suggestions post-op for handling grazing. I am a big time grazer now and it doesn't help that I work out of my home (with access to the kitchen 24/7!) I'm never really hungry, in fact I don't even think about it, but there I am -- grazing! I've been reading things in some of the books, on-line etc. and I see that grazing can really mess with your success. And it scares me that we can "get away" with it....HELP, PLEASE?????? Kit

I battle with it too, hon. It's easy to slide into that 'appetizer' mode every hour and I've no remedy for it, other than boosting my liquids. Good luck, sweetie... (((Hugs))) -Karen

Strong will.....and lots of water! I sit in my cube at work all day and I only have "good" foods around me, but I still find myself snacking when I'm not supposed to. Ken

Hello! I work around food also now. It was difficult at first but I handle it well now. I always have water or some other light drink and constantly drink it. It keeps me full. When I do go to eat it is a piece of cheese (cheese is my weakness but it is protein!). I work 3 nights a week and 1 morning a week and I am by myself in the deli. I will usually eat my lunch when I get there and as long as I keep water on hand and drink a lot of it I don't feel hungry or even want to pick at food. I will eat a dinner around 6pm while still at work. (sometimes I take my own food). Keeping your fluids in is such a big help when working around food. I have control now and I stay focused on my weight loss. I hope this helps! Peace~~ Hope

The only way to stop the grazing function is to stick to the six meals per day the doctors and nutritionists recommend. You will have your appetite back within about six months, so you need to make sure you plan your meals everyday, and keep an honest journal. Get involved in an exercise program now! If it is outside the house, all the better, since there's no food in most gyms. Keep coming to support meetings for reinforcement. Vary your diet so it doesn't get boring. If you can, keep everything out of the house that doesn't belong there. If you have others in the house, you need to turn off the "craving" part of the brain and get outside more. Stay positive and remember why you wanted to have the surgery. Rob

That is a great idea Rob about getting everything out of the house ... I only wish my guys would think it was as good of an idea! *ornery grin* ... ummm well anyway ... since I can not get it all out of here ... I have designated a cubbord as my safe zone. I can open that cabinet and know that everything in there is safe for me. That keeps me from swinging on any doors that may hold tempting foods for me. But another thing ... I have also purchase some "goodies" that are safe and good btw and put them in that cabinet. So I have some different items to choose from in the event I am in "that" mode. Lately, I have also been baking and cooking and etc and filing away some goodies in the freezer to help when a craving hits to know that I have a safer alternative plus it is far more economical than to purchase specialty items. and it is a big help for me to know that I have ready to go protein at the touch of the microwave button. But I do also have some speciality items tucked away that I am not able to make at home. I have also taken over the "meat/cheese" drawer in the fridge ... it is stocked with those items that need refridgeration and a part of a shelf in the freezer. I have always been one to get bored and hang on doors to see what would suit my craving of the day ... this helps me to avoid that situation. Now all I have to do is open the door and go straight for my drawer. I feel anything that we can figure out to help us avoid the trigger situations can do nothing but help. Hugs, Tammy

Kit, I try to stay away from simple carbs as they seem to agravate my "need" to graze. I find that if I fill up on a solid protein, then I am not at all able to eat between meals. If I eat simple carbs, I am not only able to eat between meals, but I find that I want to choose the very foods that have no nutrition for me. I also try to remind myself daily how very important it is to my health to make good choices when it comes to food. Truly my health and ultimately my life will depend on what I put in my mouth. It is not always easy ... and I have certainly had times where I have slipped. But I just get up and dust myself off and go again. It is not like my pre-op days when I slipped and I though well ... this is it - I am a failure - I might as well go all out and then eat my way back up and beyond what I had already lost. Now I know that those times when I slipped that yes, that was a poor decision, but it does not reflect on me personally making me a failure. I also feel a little more in control knowing that I MUST suppliment with nutritional items to help ensure that I live long enough to see my babies grown and healthy. One more thing I do, like everyone else has already told you ... there is not a time of day that I do not have my water bottle right at hand. I am drinking between 100-120 oz per day. Imagine if that volume were in calories ... geesh!!! But it does go to show you how many calories you could take in if it were no****er, at just a few short months out of surgery. Hugs, Tammy