Sugar..no judging

I am 6 months post op and I'm slowly letting sugar creep back in my diet and....it's becoming harder to let it go. I'm fearful of the self-sabotage of the years of dieting hitting me when I'm so close to goal!! Nooo! It can't be! I truly just need motivation...no judgements. I know it's a small amount in comparison to what I used to do, but it's still an issue for me. 

I'm 3 1/2 months out and I have had some sugar now and then. It is hard to just cut it out completely since I don't get the dumping thing. Don't be hard on yourself, just realize what you are doing and do your best to bring your intake down. I will have something with sugar like once a week. 

Find the best picture you have of yourself at the heaviest and make copies of them.  Post on your refrigerator, bathroom mirror, etc.. Might also post a graph of your weight loss so far and realize how far you have come... AND DON'T WANT TO GO BACK!!!!Re-examine your reasons for the surgery in the first place.. Has any of that changed?  No.  Look at yourself in the mirror several times a day and say to yourself, "nothing tastes as good as fit feels."  (I borrowed that from someone here on the OH forums).  It's all up to you what you want out of this journey.  No one can do it for you.  Your decision.  Good luck.. We are all here for you and rooting you on .   huggs  Pam

One thing that kills me is variety.  The more sugary options, the more I want a (large) sample of each.  So what I do, with a view to being realistic, is I allow myself only ONE sweet thing for an entire 6 week period.  So if I want chocolate, I allow myself a piece of chocolate but I work it into my calories and allow it no more than twice a week.  If I want cookies, then tough, I can make that my treat six weeks later.  Over time the chocolate is less interesting.  This doesn't work for all, and I'm recently post-op so this is from my pre-op world.  I found removing the variety of options really limited my interest.  Going cold and saying all sugary things were off limits never worked for me.

I just ordered some Swerve from Amazon.  Zero calories, no ingested carbs, no effect on blood sugar for those with diabetes or sugar addiction, made from chicory and it measures, bakes and even caramelizes like sugar.
OK I haven't tried it yet but I am a chocolate addict and I need a sweetener for my low carb-high protein, flourless chocolate cake.  All of the other artificial sweeteners taste like crap when baked but this stuff is supposed to taste just like sugar and (if reports can be believed) is supposed to be good for you.
If it really is all they say, then I will post a review and my chocolate cake recipe.  It's super easy and delicious.

looking forward to your review and recioes.  thanks   Pam

For me, carbs, especially sugar, cause food cravings that are hard to overcome.  While I was in weight-loss mode, I kept my carbs really low.  Now in maintenance I find I can tolerate more.  But as soon as I notice the cravings, I cut them out.  I'd suggest going low-carb - you may need to white-knuckle it for the first few days.  then it should be easier. 

I do have sugar occasionally, but I limit it to special occasions.  this works for me. 

best of luck

Carol

Very wise words.

I survived on no sugar added fudgesicles - creamy, sweet, yummy - low fat low sugar yummy

I think all of us will agree that our past weight loss failures started with allowing just a little bit of something back into our diet which then increased in volume, often without us realizing, until we were back where we started. Its a sad, choking realization when it happens. And usually far too late.

The gift you've been given is to see that this is happening now and choose to change it before it gets too strong. If you're not prepared or willing to let go of these items you are in for a difficult battle. That said, one thing to do is to journal all your food, calories and carbs and fit those items into your calorie budget. See how much of your daily calories they take up. Are you ok with that? Likely not.

My suggestion is to go cold turkey and go low carb, white knuckle it until that sugar craving  is back in control. Know that this is your weakness and can take you back into the 200's in weight. When faced with idea of a piece of chocolate or a sugary drink say this: "not today, maybe tomorrow". Think only about following plan today, just today. Tomorrow, when the craving returns say it again, " not today, maybe tomorrow". And take your power back.

You can do this. Honor your sleeve and all the work you went through to have the surgery. Don't let the candy win again.