Post op desserts -serving size?real sugar vs sweetener?

I woke up this morning not craving my usual dinner foods -

i was actually thinking about making brownies . I realized though pulling the box of very low fat high quality mix out ( ghiradelli 3 way fudge ) that I satisfy my very occasional dessert cravings so differently 8 years post op.

For years I would have baked the whole 13 x 9 inch pan with skim milk and defatted butter solids a bit of extra gourmet dark chocolate powder and real vanilla extract and eaten a few bites then given it to my landlord to scarf down .

Now I just make a brownie- bite - 1/8 of the mix ( about half a cup) mixed with the same ingredients and I oven bake it either in a ( solitary) muffin tin or in a heat proof bowl in the microwave.

Its still chocolatey sweet and melty - and I?m proud of myself because I?m finally able to put the brakes on cooking for a family of four just out of some atavistic fear that there won?t be enough food to satisfy my ( endless seeming.. at least pre-op ) hunger.

How has your relationship to food changed post op? What ? head hunger? issues do you still struggle with ? Do you see the beginning of a light at the end of the tunnel with head hunger or choosing too large portion sizes out of fear that you?ll stay hungry?

i hate to admit it but I still take way too much food at buffets ... and I really get angry at food waste - nuts right?

1/8 of the box of brownie mix contains 320 calories and over 50g carbs (source). I would recommend staying away from them, even if you don't eat the whole box, if you supposedly need to stay thin for the camera.

This is the honest truth, I NEVER eat dessert. No cakes, no cookies, no ice cream, no pies, no fruit

I love them, they don't love me so I don't eat them.

The closest I get to a dessert is a Greek yoghurt.

Same here,Kim. I am a sweet addict and just stay totally clear even of the artificially sweetened versions as they just make me crave the real thing. If I want something sweet I have a small apple with a measured amount of peanut butter.

9 1/2 days out of 10 my 'dessert' is whole fat plain greek yogurt, 1 TBSP of SF pudding mix and any add in's I want to put in it (I eat this as a meal though, not a dessert). Sometimes that's peanut butter, sometimes it's nuts. Sometimes it's both, depending on how many calories I have available.

If I really want to indulge in a sweet, I will do it 'publically' outside my house (out to dinner, etc) and I share with someone else. I take a couple of bites of the real thing. I've never been a proponent of trying to make bad food healthy. If I'm going to eat bad food, I'll just eat it and move on.

I make my own - keto dessert if I want one. Butter, cocoa, little vanilla, some shredded coconut, an egg., 1 tbs of coconut milk, stevia, pinch of salt. Mix it all - bake or microwave for 1-3 min. I often eat a bite and have the rest for another day. Good and healthy.

I can't have sugar in the house. I am a food addict.

My thoughts on sugar are just as bad as my alcohol addiction. Or worse.

I can eat pretty much anything that has sugar in it. I may just get tired. But that is it.

The struggle with the head is the hardest part.

I am not saying you are a food addict.

I just know for me this is true.

I'm pretty sure the majority of us didn't get to WLS-required weight by not being addicted to food.

Like other posters above me, I can say with complete honesty that I really don't eat desserts. Ever. Not for Christmas, not for my birthday, not ever --- but that isn't why I am responding.

I've noticed that a lot of your recent posts are about food -- and especially sweet ones. Is something going on in your life right now that is making food a vice/coping device for you? Are you okay?

I know that everyone is different, but for me, food -- especially ones that are sweets/carb-y -- are my drug of choice. When I am stressed, hurting emotionally, struggling, etc, my long term coping device was always to use food. I think it's great that you can control portioning as you described, because for me, that would be a slippery slope due to my Binge Eating Disorder.

Honestly I?m not sure if there?s a bit of emotional self-comforting driving my ( unusual) sudden urge to experiment with dessert .. but i did taste a few spoonfuls of desserts also on the cruise at New Years just out of simple curiosity.

I am really gratified at the change i see in my behavior though- im happy with just a spoonful or a taste and I don?t need to keep as much extra food around .

I am finally seeing a different relationship with food .. im happy to let it sustain me and no longer look to it as a source of comfort or as my last-resort unconditionally accepting friend .