I can eat anything!!

 And it scares the living crap outta me. I obviously haven't tried everything but anything I do try I can handle. That scares me so much because I worry about old habits coming back. Maybe I am being to hard on myself because I feel like I do a pretty good job but I am finding since I can eat almost anything (besides dense bread) I am taking bites of this here and bites of that there. UGH. Why am I doing that? That isn't good for me. I am happy that I don't dump. BUT it still scares me so much. For months I was so sad because I couldn't handle ANYTHING. Yogurt, beans and cheese was all I ate until June. Which I think makes it even scarier. Am I being too hard on myself? Or is this something to seriously worry about. I think overall I make good food choices but....ugh scary. My husband tells me not to be too hard on  myself if I make a bad choice here and there but I guess I worry that it is going to get out of control.

OMG! I am doing the same thing as you. But I am making bad carb choices. I say I am in a stall for the last 2 weeks but in reality I think I am just eating the wrong stuff. I need to get back on the wagon, At least you are making good choices. I dont drink the protein drinks that often and hardly any water. Yikes!

I haven't found anything that I cannot eat either, but then again, there are tons of things I haven't tried.  I have my own set of "rules" that I just refuse to violate.  I am also terrified of bad habits coming back, and for me, it is easier to just say that I "don't" eat certain things.  Based on my past history with self-control, I just don't trust myself to be able to do a bite here and there.

That being said, there are lots of folks on here who do everything in moderation and are ok with that.  It is a unique thing for each individual and you have to do what works for you.  For me, the emotional stress of worrying about it all and being afraid of the bad habits is too much.  It is actually easier for me to have firm and strict rules that I refuse to violate.

Again, this is just my 2 cents......and keep in mind that I am not even 11 months out yet.  I plan to keep going this way and stay in my comfort zone of super strict rules, but I am not arrogant enough to claim to know the right answers!! 

You are doing great, and the fact that you are aware of what you are doing and reflecting on it is already progress!   I am willing to be that you NEVER worried about bites of this or that pre-op!  I know that I certainly didn't! 

Good luck on finding what works for you!

 What are your strict rules?  I have that same attitude, i stick to rules and try very hard not to break them....here are mine

1. No fried foods
2. No white carbs (bread, pasta, rice. potatoes, crackers, even sf cookies)
3. No snacking (once I eat I can not eat again for at least 2 hours) 
4. NO NO NO grazing.  I pick at nothing, not even one bite
5. No drinking for at least 30 minutes after meals.

I find these rules work for me.  I think they are what got me in trouble before.  

I wonder what other people's rules are and how strict we are with our rules.  I am pretty strict, like tonight I was out to eat and there were egg roles, not even one bite for me, they are fried.

I had to make my rules pretty simple.  I get in 100oz of fluids, 100 grams of protein a day.  I eat 3 meals a day and an optional snack at night if I need it.  No grazing or eating between meals for me, either.  The only foods I am super strict about avoiding are sugar and things with wheat.  I will eat potatos but I limit that to occasions when I go out to eat and then I have a few bites.  So far it hasn't been a problem.
That's it.  Pretty easy to live with.  Been doing it for over a year and I don't feel deprived one bit.  No harm has come from me avoiding refined carbs.  I am healthier then I have been in years.
I'm not a strict low carber but I try to make sure that my carbs come from things like fruits, vegetables, dairy and some whole grains.
Of course I take my vitamins and don't drink for 30 minutes before I eat and about 50 minutes after.

I have almost the identical rules as you, although I do have to snack sometimes between meals because I have reactive hypoglycemia..  If I get too low, I do eat something but it is always something with protein and complex carbs (I do not eat simple/white carbs....ever).  I try to make sure that all my meals and snacks are planned, so I never just grab anything.  Typically, I don't eat more often than every 2 hours anyway, so our rules are pretty much the same!

As for strict.....I am hard core!  That is where my comfort zone is.....a little leeway makes me nervous, because I feel like it is a slippery slope to being out of control.

As for what Kelly said below.....that is true.  Having all of these strict rules is not the most healthy way to have a relationship with food, but at this point, it is what I feel like I need.  Food and I do not have a healthy relelationship, but at least this way, I feel safe and in control.

I'm 11 weeks post-op, and so far, everything I have tried, I can eat. Even sirloin steak! I have been kinda scared too....I avoid stuff with sugar though, because Im scared to death of dumping....my thoughts on this though, we can only eat a fraction of what we used to be able to eat, so maybe we shouldn't worry too much? That could be a really bad way of looking at things though...but I'm still early post-op so it's still a learning experience...

I was like you and prayed that I would dump with sugary/greasy foods. Nope. I get a little dizzy and disoriented if I eat too much of it.

Now that you have recognized this stop picking at stuff! I have been in a 4 month stall from trying "new" foods. If you want to try something out make it part of your meal. Remember complex carbohydrates, low glycemic veggies/fruits and most importantly protein first.

Well, the good things about being able to eat just about everything are that you'll have no trouble getting your protein down, you'll be able to find something to eat at parties and restaurants and won't have to drag your own food along (although you can, if you think you may not find any really healthy choices) and you can have a pretty normal relationship with food.  Or maybe a better way to say it would be, a healthy relationship with food.  The relationship we all had with food before surgery was not normal, by the way.

The bad things about being able to eat just about everything is that it will be easier to make bad choices and to go back to the type of relationship you used to have with food.

I think your husband is right, it's not a big deal if you make a "bad" food choice once in a while.  But you're also right, it is easy to start doing that once in a while and it can just snowball into doing it far too often.

Are you in therapy?  That might help with the fear and help you feel more in control of your choices.

The other thing that might help is to make a "rule" for yourself that you will plan out your meals and snacks for the day and not deviate from your menu.  You can plan a treat.  If you know it's somebody's birthday, you can plan to eat five bites of cake or whatever.  But that allows you to be in control of it.  And it prevents you from making impulsive choices without thinking it through.  I realize there may be times when something unexpected comes up and you just can't stick to your menu for the day, but honestly, those kinds of things shouldn't come up very often.

Be careful saying you can eat anything.  I use to say the same thing. I went to olive garden with friends and had chicken scampy and had to stop 3 times on the way back to work and I was riding with them.  I was so embarrassed.  I initially had sever diarhea, followed by being hott and flush all over, then the vomiting came.  I can say now I think it is the combination of the high carb and grease that set me off that day.  I am 8 months out and I have been saying that I do not DUMP!!!! I can say that is not true...