Just because you can, doesn't mean you should..

I started by journey like alot of other folks I know who have had WLS.  Thinking that I can finally relax a little bit about food/calories/intake etc. because, hey, the pouch would take care of that for me right?  WRONG.  I have heard "the surgery is a tool" 40 thousand times and it never really hit me until recently, almost 18 months out. 

In my case, I'm one of the lucky/unlucky ones, depending on your viewpoint.  I can eat almost ANYTHING and have very little negative reaction.  Ice cream, cake, cookies, etc.  all of the bad stuff that got me to 320lbs to start with.  So, when (after a few months out) I discovered I could STILL eat these things I thought "Hey, I'll eat them but because of stomach capacity and malabsorption, I'll be ok".  I was an idiot. 

I hit bottom at 195ish (goal was 200) and have bounced back and forth between that and 205.  Seeing 208 on the scale last week really gave me the virtual "slap on the back of the head" I needed.  "Hey, dumbass, you can't eat bad **** and expect to stay under 200!" 

I started severely restricting carbs, sugar, flour as of the beginning of this week and I am at 203 this morning.  I am elated, but with caution.  I still CRAVE the bad stuff and am torn as to how to incorporate a SMALL amount of it into my diet without sabotaging things.  I'm still working on that.  I feel like if I make it all "off limits" that I'll fall back into it, BIG TIME.   

The pouch works, but only with your help.  I'm just glad I have discovered that again. 

Thanks

Jason

Jason,
     I think I am one of the lucky ones; I dump on everything that has more than 5 or six grams of sugar or had too much fat. Oh, and when I dump I dump bad! It can last up to 4 hours before I feel normal again. Because of this I haven't had any sweets, or fatty foods since my RNY. I believe that I am responsible for the current recession. My no longer eating out at the fast food places caused it.

Hi Jason,
Your warning is a good one! I too can eat almost anything now at 1 year out. In the past fats and sugars bothered me - but I seem to tolerate them now pretty well. As you said, that is a BAD combination. I am still losing but VERY slowly now! While almost to goal, I am not there yet. Good post - I'm right there with ya!

JUST SAY NO!!

 I can eat pretty much anything as well. Pasta and fried foods give me fits so I just stay away from those. Also, pizza upsets me, but I never really cared for it anyway so that's alright. I never was big into sweets when I was fat so luckily I'm not craving anything sweet. What got me as fat as I was was just huge portions of good food. I like vegetables, starches, savory, high salt foods. I used to love fried chicken and fries, so I'd eat that 2 or 3 times a week, in pretty large portions. So now, having had the surgery, I feel like I have an advantage because I've trained myself not to "crave" sweets which provide little, to no, nutrition at all and I really don't crave anything except good, filling foods. Rice also makes me want to punch something, so outside of sushi I try to stay away from the vile stuff haha. 

Good luck!

Dude how are your back issues?

 Muuuuuuuuuuch better! It's almost like I never had any. I think with me being more active my back muscles have gotten stronger and just take the pressure off my spine which helps the inflammatory response and thus reduces pain. So hopefully I will continue to have good things going on with the back. Thanks for asking!

I'm with you on this one. I have recently discovered that I too, can eat just about anything I want to.  I avoided sweets for close to eleven months, but have recently been dabling in them.  Actually, I lie, I tried a little after my birthday in June, so about 9-10 months out and found that I could tolerate them.  If it wasn't for my excercising, I think I would have gained more back.  My old demons and addictions are in full force, but I am grateful that I still have my tool that helps me and a group of men for support as well.  Raining today, but plan on a nice bike ride tomorrow.

I have to also recognize that I have had a recent surgery plus the loss of my father in the past couple months and that I'm still doing pretty dang good overall.

Many thanx for your post which hit home with me exactly where and when I needed it! Unfortunately, about 10 months into my journey, I found out that I don't dump and started to eat everything I was avoiding and slowing my weight loss. I guess to a newbie this sounds crazy...but I wish I did dump on unhealthy foods so I would avoid them completely. I did make my goal...but now I have stopped losing and am fluctuating up & down 3-4 lbs. I too depended on my WLS to help me lose...but I now realize I must constantly work at my addiction to food to continue to stay at a decent weight. Your post got me thinking healthy again and will try to go back to eating sensible again!!

Just as a quick update:  Still off the carbs (of severely limiting them anyway) and down to 201 this AM!  Damn carbs are evil! 

Thanks

jason

I'm at 4 months today... and even now this is a good reminder.

They can alter our guts, but they can't re-wire our brains. We need to do that part ourselves.

I've pushed my limits a little bit. I know I can handle a few chips at the friends bbq... I know I can handle some popcorn at the movie... but I'm fighting hard on the mental side to make sure I limit it... to just some... and not very often.

I gave up pop, cold turkey, 9 months ago now. And even today, when it was really friggen hot and muggy, I think how great an ice-cold coke would be. But.... I know for one that even if I could handle it, it wouldn't taste anything like I remember. Heck, even gatorade is too sweet tasting for me these days. So... knowing that helps me live with the memory of how good Coke tasted vs how syrupy it would taste if I tried some today.

Other sweets... looking for alternatives. I'm still hesitant to try too many store-bought, sugar-free options. I don't want to depend on sweet stuff too much. But I am looking for options... and trying to continue to work on the frequency as well as quantity. One of my new found faves is an "ice cream" sandwich using a graham cracker and suger free or lite Cool Whip. Couple TBSP on half, top with the other half and freeze. I have some berry protein powder I may try mixing in the cool whip for the next batch to see if I can't get some protein while having a nice summer time dessert.

So.. yea, I rambled a bit... but bottom line is ... everyone is gonna have to find what works for them. If you can handle the substituted treats once in awhile without making you crave the real stuff and go overboard... try that.