thoughts please - deit option after wls

OK I used to do the old over eaters anonymous diet - 3 meals a day
breakfast  - lean protein and one fruit
lunch lean protein, one raw and one cooked veggie
dinner lean protein, 2 cups salad, 2 t lf/ls dressing one cooked veggie

I always lost on this my problem is the servings are NOW to me huge - a lean protein is 6 oz or 2 pieces of chicken - no way I can eat that - my fav breakfast on this was 1 cup cottage cheese and 1/2 a cantaloupe - ummm not working soooooooooooo

here is my thought - I eat each meal cut in half and add in a few shakes -
my shakes will have to be not low carb however b/c Rach is still nursing (lots right now with daddy just leaving) and carbs make breast milk

do I just track and eat the best I can and make sure I am getting good carbs though out the day or do I try to "diet"

much mental processing not a lot of answers - HELP PLEASE

Personally my thought is dump the "diet" idea.  Diets are what got us where we were before surgery. I know for me that type of eating and thinking about food just didn't work for me.  Dana and some others have recommended the Beck Solution (I think that's the name of the book) to help deal with eating/food now.  I haven't read it so I can't say, hopefully one of them will come on and talk about it.

I say track what you are eating and focus on the healthy foods that you know you can eat.  You did a good job with that yesterday, so just build it up one day at a time.  Also, what was that eating plan you were doing for a little while?  The one that Tim built you the form to fill in?  That seemed to really work with your busy schedule, personality and lifestyle.  Maybe go back to using that one?

Love you!  You can and will hit your mini goal, I know you can do it.

Debbi

Danni, some of the ladies I communicate with on a Yahoo board do the Atkins induction plan to get off the carb cycle.  If I recall you can find it on line.  I'm going that route after I do the shakes only for a few days.

You do have to keep some carbs up because of Rachel.  If you focus on the good carbs and ditch the craving kind then I think you'll be ok.

I know many don't like the word diet because of our past failures of trying to diet.  I, HOWEVER, use the diet mentality.  Hell, I still consider what we eat as WLS patients a diet, our metabolism requires it.  If the word bothers you, then don't use it........look at it as clean, healthy eating.

As for the Beck solution, I like the book from the part I've read already.  It's very eye opening how I think of food and WHEN I look toward the food as comfort.  I haven't done the whole plan because I keep forgetting to buy the index cards and sticky notes it recommends.  I need to make that trip to Walmart and start it again. 

This week will be a focus on regrouping and LISTENing to my signals.  Vacation begins on Saturday and we'll be out of town so I'm trying to figure out the best course of action to not allow myself to "think vacation and food" so I don't gain anymore then.

I hope the newbies are watching some of our longer-term post-op struggles and they learn to deal with food issues before they find themselves in our shoes.  I know mine isn't significant.......yet.  I do know that I can do it with the right frame of mind.  Seriously, 2 years ago I didn't suspect I'd be here because food didn't interest me so much.  Once the larger portions were eatable my mind went the other way.

For me, it's a necessity to log food; I've not done it in so long that I've been lying to myself how MUCH I've actually been eating......even when I'm not hungry.

Something I talked to a fellow WLS friend about this weekend is I really do not know what real hunger is.  It doesn't resemble pre-op hunger (ya know the growling sounds), I "think" my signal of hunger is really just an empty feeling with a slight burn.  It's crazy that I cannot identify if/when I'm hungry.  I just eat to eat, grrrrr.

Danni, I just sent you an email.  Let me know what you think.  Overall I'm with Deb, dump the "diet" mentality.  But, maybe you can work on decreasing portions and retrain that silly pouch.  I know you needs lots of calories with the nursing and exercise/activity/painting you do so eat often instead.  Go back to your 6+ mini meals a day.  Just plan them out and don't mindlessly graze. 

Danni...sometimes I'm too much of a fence rider on things...we all need to think the way that helps us stay focused on what we need to do...sometimes I think we don't need to say "diet"...it's just eating healthy, then sometimes I think that's really maintaining...that you essentially are "dieting" if you're having to take more lbs. off...do whatever works best for you.  I'd cut those portions in 1/2 like you said and try to stay away from evil carbs...good ones are fine...we have to have them in our diet and you sure need some for nursing. 

Sounds like you really know what to do...just go w/ the mental process that makes you most comfortable.  It's okay to diet if that's what works best for you, then say eat healthy the rest of the time when you are maintaining.

You'll get there.

Karla

I aiming for body for life for woman agian - that stresses balance and planning and logging plus lots of working out - Deb is right it fits best with my personality and life LOL - just gotta keep it up - I have meals planned for every 2 hours all day long today - on meal 4 (just finished) and under 700 cals and I am not hungry - just want to eat grrrr so need to find something to do to distract me - laundry seems to be calling me LOL

I have not regained  - well not strickly true - I got down to 198 once when working out 8 hours a day before I got pg but it was hard to maintain  - I have been easyly maintaining 208-217 range for months and months now - but with Tim gone I need to kick it up a notch

I just like food - so planned mini balanced meals should work for me

Danni