Dancing around onederland

I would like to start by saying thank you to this site.  For the people that post.  For the encouragement and support it offers. I am 14 months Post Op.  I am past my surgeon's goals by 40 lbs.  I want to lose 25 more lbs.  I have been dancing around one-der-land for months.  Here is my problem.

About 8 months ago I started adding a few nuts to my Dannon fit and light greek yogurt.  It was all accounted for and logged into MFP.  As time went on I added a few more nuts, then started making my own nut/seed mix.  Then I looked at the calories I was taking in for a meal and completely replaced my meals with nuts and yogurt.  I thought this was just an eating phase.  My weight loss was still coming off so no worries. Right?  Next I narrowed my yogurt flavor to 1, caramel macchiato.  My nut / seed mix include 11 ingredients and evolved to include some dried fruit . I was eating 1600 cal day (mostly nuts and yogurt).  I have eaten nuts and yogurt 4 times a day for the past 6 months.  By eating nuts and yogurt this often I have put myself into maintenance.  I discussed this with my psychiatrist and he said there were worse problems to have and worse things to crave.  I agree.  But I feel this is a real problem on so many levels.  When it comes to food, nuts and yogurt is truly all I think about.  I reluctantly eat whatever my wife eats for supper but no matter how tasty it is I am thinking "nuts and yogurt would be better"  or "I can have nuts and yogurt when I wake up for breakfast"  or "it will be so many hours till I can have my nuts and yogurt again". It is obsessive and intrusive thinking almost compulsive in action.  This feels like a transfer addiction of Nuts and Yogurt.

Action I have taken:  I reduced the amount of nuts in each yogurt serving for a week.  Then for another week I reduced the nuts again.  The remainder cold turkey.  No caramel macchiato in the house. I then started eating like I was when I was six months out.  I eat 3-4 oz of meat with 1 oz of veggies.  I have 2 snacks a day.  I had 930 calories day before yesterday.  And 724 calories yesterday.  I have almost an aversion to meat.  But I eat it to keep my protein up and carbs controlled.  

I had my eyes on one-der-land so long that I lost site of goal.  So about 3 weeks ago, when the scales had no victory and the graph charts started to climb, I was shocked back into mental weight loss mode. Get this little remaining off while I can.  Remove any obstacle between me and goal including caramel macchiato mixed with nuts.

LOL, I have been thinking a little too much about nuts and yogurt, too!  You know when you find yourself randomly thinking about a food that there is gonna be a problem!

I rationalize why I NEED the nuts and find myself glossing over their caloric load. ("Just another 1/8 oz....."  

Anyway, so far it hasn't ruined my daily macro targets, but I can see its load increasing over time.  It is a bad time of year to have any extra load.

So, I'm standing with you!  I'm going to do something about it before becomes a problem.  I'll move the holiday nuts out of the house and not replace.  I'm very good at just having a partial portion of the yogurt as long as nuts aren't involved so I can keep my precious greek yogurt that is made locally.  (Too bad locally doesn't mean that it has fewer calories.) 

I love your re-commitment!!!!  You are going to get the job done!  What about the dried fruit????  Did you get rid of that, too?  

 Most of the time, having any goal so close makes me double down and helps me make good choices.  But I feel so great at this lower weight that my brain justifies nuts. (Are crackers next?)  I know better than that.  Thanks for helping me see that this morning! 

For now, I am not eating the nut/seed mix or dried fruit (except prunes). I will have an oz of almonds as a snack on occasion doesn't trigger the obsession with when I can eat it again.  

A lot of people have something similar happen. There have been a couple of times when I was so busy and tired that I defaulted to Quest bars. It was too easy. Next thing you know, you start robbing liquor stores looking for more Quest bar money.

As long as you stay in your caloric and macro goals, it's not a huge deal nutritionally. The mental part is the bigger issue. I didn't want food to have control over me, I wanted to maintain my control over food I had worked so hard for. For me, I just couldn't have those kinds of trigger foods around.

I think it's great you recognized the problem and took action. We'll be making adjustments all our lives.

You often make me laugh with your posts.  Sad thing is I know the store has a shelf pilled high with my greek yogurt because I quit buying it a week ago. And before I was cleaning out 2 stores just to supply my habit.  Quest bars should have a warning label on them "These can be habit forming".  Don't buy them very often either. 

Hey, when I had surgery, the potato chip companies had to file for federal stimulus money.

I truly understand the nuts/trail mix obsession!  I read the labels looking for one with the most "protein" and fewest calories. LOL...that didn't work!

Sadly, I had to leave the nuts in the store. It's a trigger food and I cannot eat it in moderation.

 I've got 9 pounds to my first goal and I will not let any thing stop me!