Does Food Rule You ???

Ok.... I have been wanting to post about this for some time now. But I haven't. I figured someone would get their drawers in their crack & say I was being ugly to them, etc etc blah blah. I'm not being ugly. But if you want to take it that way.... then go ahead. This is not directed at any one person. This is mainly about me & my life as I see it. However, I'm sure it fits others as well. So here goes. If anyone gets their lips ran out, I am sooooooo sorry. But I'm sure it isn't the first time this has happened to you & it probably won't be the last. I noticed way before surgery that everything in my life revolved around food. Get togethers, holidays, Sudays after Church, you name it..... food was going to be involved & food is what ruled the plans. Heck there was even food at wls support group meetings !!! At least it was at the ones in Meridian. If everyone would stop & think about, everything they plan has something to do around eating. Now I'm not saying that we should all stop eating. We have to eat to live. But does food have to rule our lives ? When I decided to have wls, I was commited to living by the rules after wls. I knew what they were before hand, so it isn't like someone slipped them in on me. I'm not saying that it is or was going to be easy to change. It's not easy. We have to work overtime just to stay on level ground. I knew what my favorite foods & trigger foods were & could still be. Now after wls, I avoid them like crazy. If something has sugar in it, I try to avoid it. When I'm eating at home, I will not eat anything with over 4-6 grams of sugar per 1/2 cup. When I'm out, I will not knowingly eat anything that has sugar in it. I try to go sugar free all the way. There came a point where I had to step back & look at myself. Ask yourself, like I asked myself...... Why did you have the surgery to begin with ? What got you into the position of having to have wls ? Do all your plans revolve around eating ? What can you do to improve your eating habits ? To answer those questions.... 1. I had surgery to become a healthier person. I was tired of being fat & I wanted my life back. 2. My eating all the time & making food the #1 priority in my life. 3. Yes they did.... But not any more. 4. Plan fun days & get togethers that doesn't include plans of where or what I'm going to be eating ahead of time. Stay as far away from trigger foods as I possibably can. Take control of MY LIFE away from food. Now my question to you....... Am I the only one w/issues of food still trying to rule my life & plans ?

NO hun you sure are not the only one! I have a big struggle each and every day with this! I found out by sheer accident that I dont NOT dump on sugar, and for me this is NOT a GOOD thing!!!!!! I now have a really hard struggle with my brain saying it wont hurt you to have just a bite cause it wont make you sick...I have my good days and my really bad days...where i graze all day long on little nick nacks like, crackers ham and cheese, or some baked lays *im addicted* and I am not in any way drinking the water I need to be drinking....i have discovered those new sprite zero's with no carbs, no sugar, and no calories, I pour it over ice and let most of the fizz go out of it.....and I am drinking alot of orange juice and other fruit juices *100% juices, juicy juice* I am trying to stay away from the carbs but its not working because thats the thing my grouchy pouch likes when it wont hold anything else down...when i get that way i try to eat soups or drink warm broth....or i eat a salad. but no hun your not alone, I am right there with ya. oh and I have gotten an application for the YMCA up here so I can get back in the gym and in the pool...because since the move we just havent had the money or the time for me to get to the gym...but It will get better soon because I will be starting back to school on Feb 13th so hopefully things will get better then when I have something to keep my mind from thinking about what do i have in the cabinets that i can munch on...when that happens i try to be sure i keep some SF fudgecicles in the freezer so i can munch on those instead of something that i know i shouldnt have. so i completely understand but I am getting back on track because things have been so crazy up here since the move i have gotten way way way out into left field.... love ya hun, Angie Bea

Your like me, when you see there's a problem- you work on it. That is a very big step in the right direction Since surgery, I am scared to death to try any of my old favorite foods. I will tell anyone & everyone that I can't eat them yet. I know that is lying to people, but I just don't want to admit that if I tried them... I may not stop. Saves me a lot of troubles doing it that way. When I'm invited somewhere & the first thing they mention is going out to eat, I find a reason not to go. They can live their lives around food if they want to, but I don't want to any more. That way didn't really work out for me too well the first time. So I'm pretty sure it ain't gonna work this time either. I guess I've just got my mind made up, my head on straight & ain't nobody gonna lead me astray if I can help it. Bless you on the sugar deal. That would be killer for me. I'll say a prayer for you to have better self control when I'm praying for mine too. I know as soon as your completely settled in & back in the gym things will get better for you. They have to. You know what the problems are & your addressing them. You will win this battle !!! Love ya & Miss ya !!! Tammy

Food, controlling food, food controlling me....etc...IS a big problem for me. Find myself walking throught he kitchen mindlessly looking for something to put in my mouth - grazing. The key for me though is exercise. If I put just a little effort into exercising, for some reason I do not graze as much, don't even feel like it. That has been a goal for me this week, and I've been doing it so far. Trying to put on my tennis shoes when I take kids to school and go straight to the gym a few days a week, and treadmill at home when I do not....After three days (started Saturday), I already feel lots better and did not find myself snacking as much yesterday. Got to get back to FEELING healthy....Love you guys..D.

You know what you said just may help me some. When I get up I do the bathroom ritual & then to the kitchen to get something to drink. All in my gown. Maybe if I started getting dressed when my feet hit the floor (including shoes), that would be more encouraging for me to walk more. Instead of just those planned times. Because I really need to walk more than just 30 mins a day. I still haven't started grazing yet. Right now food is still looking repulsive. I just need to keep my good foods in check & exercise a lot more. But grazing would be so easy to get into. Everybody & their brother offers me something to eat !!! Tammy

This is a post we ALL needed!!! If we didn't have food issues, we wouldn't be on this board or have had this surgery! Personally, food was (and still sometimes is) THE love of my life. I hate the phrase "food was my best friend" because food was MORE than my best friend...it was (and still sometimes is) the love of my life, the god I paid the most homage to, my recreation, my hobby, my comforter, - in short MY EVERYTHING!!! And yep, I struggle...but it seems like it is a tad easier to get back on track now....I don't want to waste that $40 I spent on WLS!!!! I don't touch sugar!! I am terrified of it! Sugar is something that I could not pass up! It used to amaze me that if someone offered a piece of chocolate cake (EVEN the LAST piece) to one of my kids and they were full, they'd say no, they didn't want it. Even if I had already eaten until my tummy was killing me, I wouldn't pass it up. It thoroughly amazed me that they could. They have the best attitude about food than anyone I've ever known...and I don't know how....after all I raised them! But one thing I have started preaching to them is..."NO DIETS"....just make better choices...ie if you want something sweet, a banana will satisfy that sweet craving....and if you want a candy bar, don't deny yourself...eat just one. (Now, I don't follow that rule!!!) And the thing Em hates most in life is eating until her tum hurts - I never knew you could stop before it hurt!!! As for the get togethers and the food....you know, this is the deep south and food is love....It's a cultural thing and hard to break! But I tell you the reason I go for these get-togethers anyhow is the people! I always come back so thrilled and ready to take on the world! And I guess people feel more comfortable in crowds if they have something to do with their hands and mouths! And food is about the only thing you can do in public that covers both!!! And unfortunately, we CAN'T avoid food! We gotta have some! Maybe when you are invited out to eat, you can suggest some other activity - even if it's no activity other than visiting! I loves to visit!!! I think it would be simpler if we could just never eat again and always avoid food....if I were an alcoholic, I'd be avoiding alcohol and not having it again....if I were a smoker, I'd be avoiding cigarettes and not having them again (Yeah, I know it's really NOT that simple, but when your adiction is a have-to-have-to-live and you don't have the other two vices, it surely SEEMS like it!!!) Have I preached enough??? One more thing....I just betcha most of us have a seasonal disorder...and it is a wet, cold, gloomy time of the year - and as my psycho-doc in North Dakota once told me...we were made to hibernate during the winter. When the weather is depressing, it makes everything harder....and again food is a comfort! What else is there to do in with the weather like this? Eat with whatever activity - watch TV and eat- read a book and eat- eat, eat, eat, eat!!! So can we blame all our probs on the weather??? werks fer me..... Now I have preached enough!!! Smoochies ARlies BTW, folks we are human and need to ease up on ourselves...we make mistakes...pick yourself up and start over! It's a new day!!!!

I used to go to OA (overeaters anonomous), I remeber them sayin' that eating was a worse addiction than alcohol to overcome...with alcohol you have to put the LION in the cage, with overeaters - you have to LET the LION out of the cage at least three times a day......hard hard to do and put him back in - some (most) days he stays out all day!!!....D.

Hey I know where you are coming from. Alex can turn down food in a heart beat. Food has been made the center of our world here in the south. Plus when your "home bound" food fits in very nicely. EVERYWHERE. But these things make me ask bigger questions... Are there more fat people in the south? Why do we eat more in the south? There are other ways to show love. Should we look to the weather for when it is time to eat? I like to visit with people, but I already know that if everyone else is eating then I'm gonna want something to eat also. Out of habit. No other reason. My bad habit is what got me fat in the first place. You must have a lot more self control that I do to be able to go in a restuarant to just sit & talk. And to never eat anything while there, that is GOOD. I'm not gonna blame the weather. I know I did this all to myself right by myself. I ate no matter what the weather was & most of my good eating, was done in the summer months. You know with home-made ice creams, cook outs, pool parties, etc. So I really can't say that it is all winter's fault. You right though.... It is a new day. I'm gonna pick myself up for the 5983489 time & pray that I get it right this time. Cause Lord know it hasn't worked in the past & my back hurts from picking up all this extra weight that I've aquired over the years Tammy BTW.... Step away from the cigs & beer !!!

HOLD YORE HORSES!!! I never said I didn't eat when we go out to eat with a group!!! I may be GOOD (heh...heh..heh..) but I ain't THAT good!!! I just do MORE talking than eating!!! And you KNOW how I can talk!!!! But the first thing I did at the MLK luncheon (and I almost always do this) is cut my food into a portion I feel is reasonable for me and give the rest away IMMEDIATELY!!!! (Have you seen Jim's spare tire lately????) But the weather affects your attitude and your attitude affects what you eat....When it's hot and summery, I like to stay in and eat cool things like ice cream!!!! So each set of weather patterns has it's own hazards!!! And hey, I am sticking by my story....it ain't my fault, it's all the weatherman's fault!!! Smoochies Arlies OH, NO, no ciggies and beer??? What's a Queen to do???? Oh, and does this include cigars????

Arlies....... Don't tell me that crap !!! As much as you get out & go visiting there is no way that your eating at all of them. You can't be. If you were, you wouldn't be losing any weight. Did you go eat when you met ReeRee & Jason? Do you eat when you go meet people at the UMC? If you didn't in those social gatherings, your doing good !!! True your like me "A Talker" that never meets a stranger And I probably know them or their family. And if I don't, I'm sure that I know somebody who does In my little world.... people think all trips are reasons to eat. No, I haven't seen Jim's spare tire. But I'd be willing to bet that it's just like Johnnys !!! I don't think my cold weather foods were too bad. Home-made soups & Chili. But I didn't add a lot of crackers or cornbread in them either. You blame the weather man. I'll blame that dad-burn Easter Bunny !!! Had he of left me alone & stopped bringing all that chocolate No Smokes or Alcohol !!! Get a new habit.... Gamble or Play Poker Deal me in !!! Tammy