What I hate and love about obesity!

I can relate to a lot of your post.  I could have written it a little less than two years ago. 

I am a food addict/binge eater.  It's taken a lot of work to get to where I am now -- but I can promise you that it's all been worth it.

One small thing I did was combine things I hate with things that I love.  When I was 350 pounds, movement wasn't fun at all.  I got tired and out of breath easily -- I was always hot and sweaty.  Who would like that.  It sucked!!  So, I bought a cheap treadmill desk -- and I would walk very slowly while working or playing on my computer.  That's the whole combining a good with a bad.  Anyhoo -- as I lost weight, exercise got easier and easier.  Let me tell you -- everything is a lot easier at 145 pounds than it was at 350+ pounds -- and eventually I didn't need to bribe myself to get moving.

I wish you all the luck in the world.  You are still so young -- and have a lot to look forward to.  

Use those You tube videos to your advantage! There are so many exercise ones that are only like 10 minutes long. Work up to a couple a day and you have your 30 minutes in! I was just thinking the other day how much I love pizza and used to eat it all the time. It is funny I would enjoy having it now...., but I don't miss it. I could have it if I wanted to but I chose not to. I have had it 3 times since surgery, when I was out with other people... and totally enjoyed it. Things change for the better. Stick around here, it helps...

Today I took a long look around our new dollar tree. And realized a few things. First there halloween selection sucks. And they have a awesome site. For crafting and organizing. I found a thing where someone used 3 larger sized oval bins with a wire kind of handle. And on the handle they put salty,sweet,and I can't remember the 3rd one. 

But I would use them for other things like 1 for water packets (The little flavor packets). And I would use a number rather then a title on it. Use the number as a limit to how many can be had.

I would also use one for homemade calorie packs. Like trail mix,un popped popcorn (Place the popcorn in a baggie and then zip or use cheap baggie with the twist tie). And make other one such as take a low fat granola bar and cut in half and then wrap in plastic wrap. And then put bar with trail mix. That way have a half a granola bar and trail mix all packed in same bag. But mix up the trail mix and use different kinds of bars.

Or instead of bars use fig cookies. Or other healthy snack options. 

I already no one of my main problems is with food portions and limiting myself with sweets.

So the bins with the limit written on the tags it would keep me accountable.

I would place them on a shelf above my eye level or even above my head and just do a blind grab and pull.

I think this would be fun to do. It would help plan snack attacks as well as keep the attacks healthy and give it a bit of a place to be other then all in my belly at once.

What has anyone else done with storing there healthy snacks?

I try to keep as little snack food in the house as possible becauseI will STILL eat it lol ... " to keep it from going bad " .  That said I have some go -to low cal low fat comfort foods -the  best one is air popped popcorn.  I toast the popcorn ( the whole bag) when I buy it so it has a nutty flavor and I often make a fat free cheese sauce using the envelope from a cheap box of macaroni and cheese mixed with  fat free milk and freeze dried butter ( butter buds - find it in spices REALLY makes food taste like butter without the fat ) and fat free cheese slices .  I cook this sauce and keep it in the refrigerator and put a few tablespoons over my air popped popcorn and it tastes like cheese-its  but I don't wear it the next morning .

As far as fig bars , ice milk bars go I like you go for the lowfat healthy stuff and I freeze the opened packages so i'm less tempted to eat the whole thing .  Usually honestly I forget  about the snack foods until I need serve company something ( of course I am years post surgery) 

My greatest advice to you is put this great effort you're making to saving your life - go to a free bariatric seminar and spend your money on scheduling and keeping your pre-op appointments .  The process takes MONTHS its usually very frustrating but you CAN do this and you deserve the wonderful life and great health you'll enjoy after surgery .  

Its almost impossible to keep a significant amount of weight off through lifestyle changes alone but its GREAT that you are so motivated, creative and self disciplined about lifestyle changes .  This will DEFINITELY help you get and keep the weight off after your surgery  ((()))) hugs - I really enjoy reading  your posts!