To diet or not to diet?

Dieting From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Dieting is the practice or habit of eating (and drinking) in a regulated fashion.

The word DIET means so many things. I feel if you "diet" you give up all the food that you actually think taste good. You give up the pasta, chocolate, soda, bread, fried foods and all the food that you think "TASTE" good. You can still have those things if you want. You just can't sit and EAT all that you want. I use to sit and eat a whole bag of Doritios. Now I eat 4-5 and thats all my pouch will allow me to eat at the time. Yeah I eat Doritios. I can admit that I am human. My problem was that I did not have "Portion" control. Now I have something that helps me with my portion control. Yeah I could "DIET" and lose a bunch of weight but as soon as I started eating the things that my brain thought tasted good, I would eat until I was sick. I think that now that we are looking better and feeling better. We feel better about how we look and therefore care what we eat. It's all mind play no matter how you look at it. I think you are fine Terri! What you think only should matter to you. Who care what others think. You have to LOVE YOURSELF before you can LOVE ANYONE else. A Potatoe is still a Potato no matter how you spell it, so the same thing can be said about a diet.

Thanks for the input Tami. It is not so much that I care what "people" think, it is just sometimes someone might present an issue in a light different than yours and it makes you think. I am mostly interested in how others feel about the whole diet thing. Thanks again. I do not buy doritos all that often. They are my favorite chip for sure.

Terri, I agree with you completely. While on the whole I eat healthier than I used to mostly because I realize that with so little room I need to fill up on healthy things first or I will eventually become ill. Now that doesn't mean that occasionally I don't eat french fries, mashed potatoes or those other no no's the only difference now is that I can only eat about a tablespoon of mashed and a few fries. I try to make better choices, like if I want toast I use whole wheat, pasta whole wheat. Dr. S told me from the beginning that it was okay to do this. I have been lucky since carbs wasn't a big problem for me but I do miss them some times and when I do I eat them so it doesn't become a compulsion and I eat more than I should. I have learned to listen to my body and give it what it craves whether good or bad. I have craved yogurt, cottage cheese, milk, spinach as well as macaroni and cheese. So I guess then difference now is that I try to make better food choices (not always and I'm okay with that) and I exercise. I never exercised before and I really believe that it makes all the difference. Fran

Terri, I am 8 months out now and have recently regained my appetite. I am sooo struggling with this issue. My weight loss has slowed to almost nil, 7 lbs this month and I still have 75-85 left to go. I realize that I am an addict! This surgery has helped bolster me this far, but my eating behavior lately, after a traumatic incident, has shown me that I need to be extremely aware of what goes in my mouth and why. This surgery is a "tool" as you all have said over and over and over and I think because everyone of us had a different type of surgery or different surgeon doing smaller or larger pouches, some of us could fail. I admit I am not excersizing regularly and I have committed myself to starting up a program the minute I am back from vacation next week. But I think some of us Have to look at this as a lifelong change and we do have to still be very vigilant of what we eat. I agree about having a treat once in awhile, I don't think you will die, but if you know you can't resist more than a bite or two you should avoid it if you are like me. I really appreciate this thread, I have had such a time this week! I think you are a very good role model for us lazy girls! I need to get out and move my buns more and maybe I could get the rest of this junk off of me! Wendy

Hi Terri, All I can say is.....Ditto, Ditto, Ditto......... You hit the nail on the head. ----toni

Terri Here.... Here....... Not to beat a dead horse.... but from the minute I had this surgery I vowed never to step on another scale ( unless at a doctor's office) and to never consider another diet as long as I lived!!! I have always looked at my choice as a chance to start over.... relearning to make healthier choices!!! I admit I make bad choices every now and then... I am not perfect, I will never claim to be perfect and all I ever wanted out of this is to be healthier and to feel better..... I have achieved all of that!!! Enough said.... Nikki

i totally agree with you. i eat whatever i want, but in smaller portions then i did before. there are somethings i don't tolerate( i wish one was candy and cookies). i eat in smaller portions. not as often etc. i exercise on a regular bases. if i eat a little extra i exercise a little extra. i find it not to be such a fight, to maintain when i eat what i want. i eat healthier then i ever had. i think each person will be different , but i don't have to stick to an atkins or south beach or something to maintain. i hardly count calories anymore as i can figure how much of what i can eat . etc.

You are so right!! To me, a diet has an end point. The things that I do now I can and hopefully will do for my lifetime. I am a nurse and talk to many people in my job. The advise I give is...it's all about portion control and exercise. I was reading this months handout from Barix and it talks about carbs. Apparently it has been proven that the low carb craze didn't really help people lose more fat but more water. Now how permanent is that? I do think that you have to be careful and choose carbs wisely. I do have to tell you though, I AM DONE WITH DIETING! This surgery has given me a new lease on life. Today I weigh 110 pounds less than I did one year ago and although I have about 10 more to go, I can't remember a time in my life that I was only 10 pounds overweight. We all have to do what works for us.