How Did You Change Your Old Bad Habits?

Wonderful suggestions here! One thing I do is plan eating every 2-3 hours (I have 5-6 small meals a day). That way I am never starving. My last meal is when I would usually want an after dinner snack. I always carry a meal or two with me (cheese sticks are my favorite to throw in my bag - also quest protein bars).

Also, I always have water with me (meetings, traveling, etc.).

I had lowered my calories and was following the NUTs suggestions pre-op (hence the loss in my stats). Post-op I stuck strictly to my surgeons eating advancement schedule, but also started reading what successful OH vets were doing. The meal threads are great for that. Ultimately I adapted what I ate and when by trying out various foods, schedules based on that information. I think my pattern was pretty well established by 6 months (maybe a bit earlier, but I didn't even introduce steak/roasts until 4 months).

Things that helped me:

1. As much as possible, get rid of snack-type foods. Get them out of your home, ask your workplace pals to keep keep their bowls of candy and popcorn away from you. If you're on good terms with them, you can even ask them to be "watchdogs" for you and prevent you from taking a tempting morsel. This would be temporary, of course, until you develop better eating habits.
2. Keep healthy snacks on hand. For you right now, that probably means low-fat or nonfat yogurt, sugarfree popsicles, etc. Later on, after you've healed, fresh fruit (if it doesn't trigger carb cravings), raw vegs w/low-fat dips are good snacks. One snack that works especially well for me is cooked green beans, peas, or other vegetables topped with just a quarter-teaspoon of a good toasted sesame oil (Kevala is great) and a bit of salt. Delicious and filling.
3. Keep your water intake up; it helps with cravings. In addition, slowly sipping a hot cup of herbal tea with Splenda and a bit of cashew milk does wonders in suppressing cravings.

How I changed my bad habits: I got rid of all junk food from your home, including breads, cereals, popcorn, anything with sugar in it. If my husband wants something sweet and gooey, he goes out to buy it and eat it immediately. No leftovers to tempt me.

I don't know if anyone mentioned it, but excess stomach acid after surgery can mimic hunger. You're probably still on soft foods. Be kind to yourself for now until you're fully healed and can eat normal food again. The post-op period is often hard to get through.

psychoticparrot

I think it's unfortunate that people (myself included) consider good pre operative education a "hoop" they have to jump through...

Not everyone has the insight to realize they need therapy. I doubt I would have considered it if it were not required buy my surgeon.

In hindsight I understand that I my desire to have WLS surgery immediately was an example of the compulsive behavior and inability to delay gratification that got me to almost 300 pounds in the first place.

I now realize that tools and strategies I developed over those (well spent) 6 months are already helping me lose weight at least as much as the sleeve. But I have always been good a losing weight. Now, for the first time ever, I also have some tools to help me keep it off.

I remember struggling at three weeks--I wanted food so bad that it made me angry. Of course, even drinking the protein shake I was supposed to have was a struggle and didn't feel good. Actually, snacking was out of the question at three weeks. So, I realized that this was my ultimate "food funeral". I was sad/mad that I couldn't just eat whatever I wanted. I struggled for a while feeling intense cravings/desire to eat. I think it lasted around two weeks. Then I calmed down and started to feel the benefit of not being hungry. I learned to differentiate between gas, acid reflux, and the need to have some kind of nutrition. Going from the amount of food I was used to eating all my life, to not being able to eat more than 400-500 cals in a day was a shock to my brain. It takes time for the mind to catch up to reality, but eventually it does.

I've only just begun noticing what feels like hunger (I'm five+ months out) and it's a mild sensation. I agree with the others, seeing a therapist saved my life years ago and has been invaluable through this process. Concentrate on getting your protein and water in as your surgeon has prescribed. And be gentle with yourself as you adjust to this new (awesome) reality.

I credit therapy as much as the surgery for my weight loss. I was an emotional eater, and over-eater, and started working on my many food issues several months before I even decided on surgery. I knew that for me to get a handle on my weight whether I had surgery or not, I had to develop a better relationship with food. I'm not 100% there yet, but I'm so much further down the road than I would be without therapy. I don't eat to soothe my emotions anymore. I do fight cravings when I'm physically not feeling well, and with chronic illness that's a lot, but I'm developing better skills for that as well. I have learned to stop eating when I've had enough, or when I realize that what I thought I wanted, I really didn't.

I can't recommend therapy highly enough, if you have access. Unfortunately, a lot of people don't. :(

I still sometimes mourn the ability to "eat my emotions". But that's just missing something because it was a pattern for me. I'm still building the replacements, so it feels empty. :)

So my specific solutions for your examples:

Work: I keep a cup (with a straw, because it works better for me, adjust per your instructions and situation) with ice water (you may not like ice) and drink when I feel the need to snack. Early on, I had protein drinks (I liked Syntrax Roadside Lemonade) or flavored water. If I truly am feeling "snacky" and it's not time for a meal, this far out I keep some turkey jerky and nuts handy and will eat an ounce or two.

Tired: I have chronic illness, so I've learned if I'm so tired that all I want is to eat carbs, I likely need a nap. If I can't nap for whatever reason, I find the closest thing to it I can... sit and meditate, watch TV, knit, read. I try to honor the fact that I'm tired and need to rest. If I have no choice but to power through something, I get some coffee. Since I quit drinking caffeine for the surgery and several months after, it actually works again (I had become completely tolerant in the years prior to surgery).

Stopping eating: I have had to learn the hard way to stop when full. I have suffered through the "one bite too many" pains enough that I'm learning to eat slowly and pay attention to my prissy sleeve when she says that's it.

Beyond that, I give myself permission to throw the food away when I get something out that I thought I wanted, but I realize I really didn't. Just because I opened it or poured it or bought it at the snack machine doesn't mean I have to eat it. Just because I ate one bite doesn't mean I have to eat the whole thing. It's never to late to decide differently. I may have bought the Snickers bar in a weak moment, but in this moment I can decide I'm not eating it after all and throw it away. The 85c isn't worth whatever guilt I'll feel. If I've already eaten one bite, eating the rest isn't going to help, it will only hurt, and the starving kids in Africa aren't getting it regardless. Throw the damned thing out, already. Can you see I've struggled with this one alot?? ;)

Wanting a late night snack: This is usually related to tired, so I usually just get something protein-y like protein milk or greek yogurt to satisfy any real hungries and keep me overnight and then go to bed.

And here's a bonus... take up knitting. It's hard to snack when you're doing a hobby that involves both hands. :D