Thinking about how I ate before surgery

Not to be a buzz kill just keep in mind that the feeling to eat like it was going out of style can still stay with you in despite of your smaller stomach size. It's very easy to forget the mental stuff that needs attending to as well as the physical stuff.

Enjoy your honeymoon period, just tend to any emotional issues you may have with food so that it doesn't come around to bite you in the ass after your honeymoon is over. 

I was thinking the very same thing.

It's shocking that when the honeymoon period is over, you may return to the same feelings.  It's important to prepare for that possibility to avoid re-gain.

Hi T,

Can you tell me how you'd deal with the mental stuff that needs attending to? I'm 8 months out (revision to RNY) and seem to have stopped losing.  I've been at the same place for months and want to eat all the time.  I give in and eat way too frequently, though I've stayed away from chips, sweets, etc.  Nuts are my downfall.  Anyway, I do go to therapy but am not sure that I'm dealing with what I need to.  

Thanks for any help or advise,

Lisa

I try to keep some sayings in my head that I've heard some of the vets mention. Stuff like I'm not a trash can, hunger is not an emergency, or I'll think yeah I can eat that just not right now & I'll distract myself by doing something else. I keep in mind what I'm feeling when I want to munch or eat food that I shouldn't be eating or wasn't in my plan for that day.

I know I'm an emotional eater & I keep that in mind whenever I just go to the fridge & stare at stuff I want to eat even though I'm not hungry. I log what I eat & sometimes how I'm feeling at that moment, I write down or remember what my triggers are & figure out ways to deal with them that aren't food related.

There are a few apps that I keep on my phone that helps from time to time, & coming on here to talk with online people who have gone thru or going thru similar problems really help.

The apps are for my iPhone but there are probably android versions also. The apps are: Recovery Road

pocket cbt

stigma

happier

breathe

talkspace

companion

Dbt

There are probably a ton of apps out there you'd have to look around & see which ones you'd like.

As far as being stalled out, I log everything I eat in my fitness pal, but I had to play with my protein, calories & carb numbers to get the scale moving again. I also up my water intake. Usually as you work your way down you have to cut back on the calories, eating a lot of nuts has a lot of carbs & won't fill you up, plus the body will digest the carbs & use that for energy rather than turn to your fat to use instead. Plus if they're salty you'll probably be holding onto extra water too.

I'd advise cutting out the nuts & stay with a more protein forward lifestyle. If you're looking for salty crunchy snacks check out Shelley's The world according to egg face for ideas.

Also check out the what are you eating threads on the rny board for ideas on what everyone else is eating. It's pretty active. There's also the 5 day meat test link in my signature. Julie created the site & it has helped plenty  of people, myself included.

Good Luck to you, hope this helps. Sorry for the long post. I never do seem to keep it short & sweet.

What a great post.  Thank you VERY much for sharing it and for the suggested apps.

Thank you!

I know the big thing I do is I don't buy any junk and bring it into my house.  That makes it a lot easier.  I make the dinners, so I can make them healthier and I am able to make just enough so there is not much left over.  So no second helpings.  As a volume eater I used to do that before. 

I am a boredom eater.  So I'm good as long I keep myself busy.  The weekends can be the worst for me. 

Since I am in maintenance now I don't have to be as strict.  But it is a slippery slide.  Allowing your self a little something can lead to something else....then it's a domino effect.  Before you know it you are eating crap all of the time.  So when I do feel the urge to cheat I have my go to treats that let me satisfy my "hunger" but not put on the weight.  But even with these if I abuse them I can gain weight (you can never win...LOL).  

It will be life long struggle.  One part of my head will constantly be telling me to eat the candy bars, cup cakes and ice cream...the other half will say no...no...no.  It's like those cartoons with the devil on one side and the angel on the other side.  It's just being able to say "no" to the devil 9 out of the 10 times   

I recently bought the book "End Emotional Eating" by Jenifer Taitz.  It has very helpful to me to look at how and why I eat.  I would really recommend it to anyone struggling with emotional eating.  I am preparing to have WLS, hopefully within the next couple of months.  I'm trying to loose weight as requested by my surgeon and it is a struggle.  I have found that as I work through the book's mental behavioral exercises that I am able to think differently about food.  I really want to make sure I am successful after the surgery and can continue to improve my health.  Good luck!

It is hard to think about the volume of food I used to eat and the choices I made - but it also important for me to not judge my past self as 'bad' and my current self as 'good'.

Pre-op I used the tools available to me at the time to get through the day and get through life. Now I have other tools. My past self did the best she could, and I love her for that.

I have to admit though I sometimes miss just eating with total abandon.  Not worrying about calories or carbs.  Just eating for the pure enjoyment.  And I ate what I wanted whenever I wanted....but there is always a consequence to that life style and I do not want to go back that.  So I continue to eat healthy and worry about my calories and carbs.