Dealing with food addiction

I did so good when I was pregnant with my 2yo. I only gained 20 lbs (mostly in the last month) and ate healthy. But she was born 6lbs (at 42 weeks!) and I worried that it was my fault because I didn't eat enough.

So when I was pregnant with my 3.5 month old, I wasn't so mindful of what I ate. My band was pretty much empty both pregnancies. I gave into cravings, ate more than I should have etc. I gained about 45 lbs.

I'm back in the gym, ready to get the weight off. I'm going for a fill on 8/1 but I'm still pretty much empty right now. I'm eating healthy meals and good portion sizes but I have two habits that I am struggling REALLY hard with.

Soda and sweets!!!

I'm a stay at home mom of a 2yo, the baby and homeschooling my 8yo. Sweets are my comfort food. When I'm stressed (which is pretty often - I mean hello, I have a toddler lol), I crave sweets to make me feel better. And because I'm nursing, I don't want to eat things with artificial sweeteners... plus I'm just not a fan of really processed foods that have a lot of ingredients I can't pronounce.

The soda isn't as big of a problem because once I get my fill I won't be able to drink it anymore (and yes, I can drink soda freely with no problems - my band has less than 3cc right now, I could probably eat a horse - and I don't recommend people try drinking soda, it's evil and once you let yourself have one you'll want more and more!).

How can I kick the sweets habit?? I've told myself at least three times, "Okay, on suchinsuch day I'm going to stop eating junk food except for once on Saturday," but it lasts for maybe two or three days and I am so irritable and *****y that I go buy something. Like today, the kids wanted something sweet (I rarely bring sweets into the house) and I let them get a big cupcake to share. Well, I had some too. One of those with the big mountain of icing on top. And what did I wa**** down with? A 20 oz. Coke. Because if I'm going to have a cupcake, I may as well have soda too, right? (sarcasm)

I started going to the gym on 6/20 and haven't lost a single pound because I can't stop eating junk. I mean, we have healthy home cooked dinners almost every night and I usually have a SmartOnes for lunch and cold cereal for breakfast (I realize my diet could use some work but calories in vs. calories out is my problem and the excess is in sweets). I have never had such a hard time kicking ANY habit before. I mean, I quit SMOKING before getting banded and it was easier than this! 

It doesn't help that I'm super hungry because I'm breastfeeding. My boy eats like a little piggy (he's 95th percentile in weight and length!).  

It was so much easier when I worked because I wasn't nearly as stressed and I was always involved in weight loss challenges with coworkers where whoever won got $$.

Ok...let me throw in one suggestions...peanut butter.  When you want something sweet, grab a spoonful of peanut butter.  The extra calories won't hurt you if you're BFing and it might just help you wean yourself from the sugar cravings.  It was one of my BIG fixes when I was nursing!

You can do this...you are worth it!

 Peanut butter is a great suggestion.

I thought of something else -- what about sugar free gum when you really want something sweet?  You're not ingesting a whole bunch of artificial sweetener (re breastfeeding), but your tastebuds are getting that kick.  

First, some tough love ..... You control what you buy and what you eat. Stop it!

Nest, when I have gotten to where I have too many processed carbs around I do these 3 things

First......clean it out .. All of it .toss it in the trash or down the disposal
Second, buy some things that are tasty and comforting but not sweet .. For me, that is cheese and nuts. A little bit of these go a long way to making me feel satisfied and like I had a treat

Third I brush, floss and gargle a lot. When my mouth is clean I am less likely to snack.

Make sure that you are weighing and measuring, even if it is not a normal bandster portion. You are breastfeeding, after all. Log your food. Try something high protein for breakfast, it carries you through the rest of the day better. Even Quaker weight control oatmeal helps because of the added protein. Be very sure that you are getting in the minimum 60 grams of protein each day, make it as solid as possible. Be sure to get at least 64 oz. of water since not getting enough is a big cause of weight loss stalls and even gains. Your body says it is hungry but may well be thirsty. If you wait until you are thirsty it is too late. Plan snacks for every 2-3 hours. Make them always protein at first. It will help you control the cravings, prevent huge hunger, etc.

Some times I just have to ride out the decarbing thing. I feel like dog doo for a day to 7 days but if I allow a few good carbs it is'nt as bad. That is where the oatmeal helps. Limit fruit for just a week to 10 days to allow your body to adjust then add them one at a time. If you find one that makes you crave, eliminate it. I cannot go truly low carb, but for the first several days it does help to try to do that.

I like to suck on Edy's Fruit Bars that are no sugar added. They have 25 calories and 6 grams of carbs but they really help with the cravings. Around here they are fairly expensive but the grandchildren know those are Grandma's and hands off.

You can do this! It is hard, very,very hard but it is worth the relief. I feel better physically as well as boosted self esteem. I don't like myself and am not proud of myself when I am bingeing.

Good luck, Sue

 I'm a sweets addict as well.  Here's how I stopped cold turkey and started losing weight again.  It WAS NOT EASY, but I needed to do it and you can too when you're ready.

1.  Thew out all of the **** food in the house.  This included things I don't even like, but who knew if I would grab them if I got deserate...all sweets, pastas, rice, flours, fake sugars, cereals...you name it it went buh bye (gave most to my parents).

2.  Filled the fridge with low fat cottage cheese, unsweetened almond milk (for protein shakes), lean protein meats, lunch meats for the first week, green veggies for salads, low sugar ketchup from heintz, no car/fat salad dressings from walden farms.

3.  Bought a few bags of my favorite protein shake, bariatric advantage chocolate and a PB2 for my shakes

4.  The first week I ate whenever I wanted...mentally speaking I was grazing.  It was on proteins.  I ate a ton the first few days.  when I craved sweets I made an awesome protein shake with USWeet almond milk, protein powder and PB2.  It cut the craving down instantly.

5.  I drank more water than my pool holds each day LOL

6.  I went to sleep early and tried to sleep as much as possible.

around the day 5 mark I felt more in control.  I WAS NOT CRAVING FOOD and I forgot to eat a few times!  I'm on prednisone so losing is just slower for me, but after a year of going up and down with the same 10 pounds I managed to lose 27 pounds in 3 months.  I even went on a cruise during that time and yes, I had a dessert a night, but when I came home I went on my decarb routine again.  The first month I didn't diversify my food options.  I just had the same thing over and over.  The minute I started to change things up I noticed I wasn't as strict. 

I hope this helps.  You can do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As sort of already said, I would cut out the carbs for now. Even good carbs, like oatmeal or a healthy cereal may be adding to your cravings. Your blood sugar spikes, then with the help of insulin, it lowers. Sometimes inulin works too well and your blood sugar gets low, and sets you up for craving more carbs (ie sweets. Hope this helps.

I'm right there with you! My DD will be 4 months on August 3rd. I've got 12 pounds left to get to pre baby weight. I've got pretty good restriction most days. The hardest part is dealing with stress and not going back to pre band habits. I think one of my major problems is coffee. I'm drinking so much coffee that my band is relaxed way too much, but I also use coffee as my treat. I love splenda and coffee mate creamer. Best of luck and keep us posted!!!!!