Moooo! Let's chat about grazing!

I almost got below 200 pounds. In 3 months I will be 2 years out and I REALLY thought I would have hit goal by now. I am not a victim of my sleeve, but I am guilty of not working my sleeve all the way. Eating the wrong things, wrong volume AND grazing. Purely emotional and I tend to need a "crunch" which I can get from carrots or broccoli but I even overdo the good snacks like nuts because of cravings. This week I had bloodwork and I am getting back on vitamins. 

I am surprised I haven't seen anyone mention vitamins in this yet. SOMETIMES not always grazing and cravings can be from certain deficiencies...so we should all remember the vital role of vitamins and water too. You hit the nail on the hit with how you put it.

MY problem also tends to be more at work, but also when I can't sleep or when I am overly tired. Vitamins and sleep. Never underestimate the importance of the simple things.

Absolutely! I am obsessive about my vitamins and always have been since just prior to VSG. My labs always come back perfect (except for my copper level, but that's another story!).

Sleep, on the other hand, has been a real struggle for me, especially the past two years. There are several studies that show a direct link between lack of sleep and weight gain. It all has to do with ghrelin and leptin and insulin differences due to lack of sleep. Lack of sleep can wreak havoc on the hormones that control hunger and our reaction to sugar. When I get adequate sleep it is much easier to eat properly and function optimally.

Thank you for bringing up those very good points.

For me I was very ill over year ago which led me on my VSG journey (May 13th 2015)

First I had to have heart stabilised, whi*****luded dealing with sleep apnea, (I stopped breathing @ 40 times a minute when trying to sleep and managed about 1 hour a night. and then pre diet of liquids for three weeks!

I still use my CPAP ( over I year average 6.6 hours sleep per night no stopped breathing!!)

I am paranoid about my vits and am watching out for sneak attacks of grazing which will come and also repeating meals.

So posts like yours and this chain are VERY helpful thank you

Wonderful post kairk. Worthy of a great deal of rumination.

I was actually planning on playing about my current struggles. My problem is that I think "oh, that would taste good" and then it's in my mouth. Never once does it cross my mind that maybe I shouldn't put the thing in my mouth. 

I need to figure out how to add a step after the original thought of "sure, it would taste good, but it won't help you reach your goals and you're not hungry anyway."

But doing this is easier said than done. :/ I put a note on my fridge white board. And I've ordered a thick rubberband that I can snap on my wrist. And I already log what I eat so that's not providing enough incentive to think more. 

This will be the big topic of discussion with my therapist tomorrow I suppose. 

I'm going to guess that you have worked on ANTs (Automatic Negative Thoughts) with your therapist. I use a similar technique for my late night grazing issues. I interrupt the compulsive thought with either a question like, "What will eating __?____ accomplish or fulfill?" or a negotiation like, "If you still want it in ___?___ minutes, go ahead and eat it, IF you really, really just have to have it."

I find the question about what the food will fulfill works the best. Once I identify the feeling behind the urge to eat I'm able to recognize that food isn't the answer. It won't take the emotion/boredom/stress away.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy does not work as well for me when it comes to grazing. I do use some strategies like distracting myself with something else, drinking 8 ounces of water and the like, but getting to the root of the compulsion seems to be the best tactic for me.

My current problem is that I don't even have that moment of pausing and thinking.  It's very aggravating.  If I do have the ability to think, I can stop myself from shoving food in my face.  But.. yeah.  Ugh.

This is exactly what I'm struggling with right now.  The physical hunger isn't there.  It's the emotional need to put something in my body for comfort.  Evenings are a mental battlefield in my brain.  And now it's leaking into the weekends.

Oy.  This is a struggle and there's no quick fix.

Its so easy to forget where you came from. For me anyways. I've been buying gum like a demon and shove some of that in my mouth when I can actually mindfully choose not to graze. The mintier the better-nothing tastes good after that. Great topic!

Great post!!  Thank you! 

My vsg was in 2011.  Like you, the sleeve seemed to take care of volume and grazing for quite a while. I'd say 2 years without grazing. 

I slipped back into my grazing ways (moo, indeed!) when a series a events decreased my activity level - foot surgery, thyroid surgery, a baby.  I gained some in pregnancy but even more when my little guy was a newborn and spent a lot of times nursing him in my arms - and I always had snacks nearby. 

Im trying to get past the shame I feel for regain (50 lbs in all!)  and focus on the gratitude for still being down 100 lbs.  my sleeve still works. I have great volume control in a single sitting... But my poor sleeve cannot prevent weight gain if I have a continuous slow drip of food coming in!

i agree that if you can shake off the desire or craving or impulse, even just for a few minutes, it will pass.  It will!!! I still don't have much real hunger - it's all psychological head hunger. So getting past that implies to graze can actually be very effective. 

Keeping busy is key for me. Staying off my butt helps too. ;)  I don't eat when I'm playing with my kids, cleaning house,  or going for a walk...

So keep busy, keep moving, and stick to eating at designated mealtimes - these are the things that are going to be crucial elements in me getting these 50  lbs back off. 

Stupid Grazing!!!! ***shaking my fist in the air***