An Admission of my Guilt
Hello OH peeps. I had RNY on 12/2/14 with zero complications. Best decision EVER of my entire life. HW 315, SW 275, CW 213. I feel amazing!
That being said - I figured out a month out that sugar didn't bother me at all. I was never a sugar fiend before surgery but now I crave chocolate ALL the time. And I have been eating it, one bite size candy bar or 5 chocolate covered almonds at a time per evening. It seems like such a small amount when I compare it to my before life. But I am terrified I am on a path to self destruct. And I drink wine. Not every night and its one (large) glass when I do but I also know this is no good for me...
Other than these issues my diet is pretty spot on I think. I normally eat about 4-6 oz a food at a time and my diet consists small meals each day of: one protein shake, one turkey sausage patty, 4 oz tuna salad on 5 whole grain crackers, 2 oz carved turkey and one cheese stick a day. Sometimes I throw in a banana with some PB. And then dinner of some sort of meat and veggie.
I exercise at the gym 3-5 days a week for an hour.
I feel like I am loosing very slowly and figure it is my above indiscretions causing this. I am not asking for sympathy, the opposite actually, I need a reality check. I am screwing this whole thing up aren't I..
Some people are just slow losers. That being said, the wine and the candy are doing you no favors at all. Stop drinking any wine at all until you hit goal.
There are alternatives to candy bars if you want chocolate. I LOVE chocolate, even now. Pre-surgery, I never met a chocolate bar I didn't like. One of my favorite ways to get my chocolate on is by having Dannon Light and Fit Greek yogurt; the cherry chocolate flavor is yummy..so is the raspberry chocolate. I haven't tried to chocolate covered almonds, so I can't say one or another how bad they might be.
You sound like you know you've strayed, and that's good. You're being honest about it; another plus. Now, just implement what you know to be the right way to do this and get going!
Good luck!
I woke up in between a memory and a dream...
Tom Petty
Well, it's hard for me to say because I'm only 9 weeks post op (had RNY on Feb 9th)... but that seems like a lot of food to me. However, I'm not exercising nearly as much as you are - so good for you on that!! I'm losing about 3/4 pound EVERY day (about 5-6 pounds per week), and a typical day for me is 1 protein drink, 1 80 calorie yogurt, 2oz dark meat turkey, 1/4 cup beans. Other than fluids and supplements, that's it. If you're not losing with all that exercise, I would cut some of those things in your diet down a bit.
But I am terrified I am on a path to self destruct.
-Because you MAY be. If you have/had food addiction, you may be fixating on the chocolate. Do you NEED It? If you dont have it, do you think about it all night long?
There are many ways to fall of the wagon. Some people (Like me) will do it in BIG WAYs (i.e. carbs for breakfast, lunch, supper). Some dip their toe in, then their leg, then the trunk of their body, and the next thing one knows they are over-their heads!
Get rid of your trigger foods.
Give yourself a YEAR. ONE YEAR without these foods that DO NOT get you to your ultimate goal. You can have them again (maybe...after you have really considered it) after your year is up.
But this ONE YEAR is your honeymoon. DO not waste it! You will never get the honeymoon back again. This is your ONE shot for "easy" weight loss.
RNY Surgery: 12/31/2013;
Current weight (2/27/2015) 139lbs, ~14% body fat
Three pounds below Goal!!! Yay !
From my own personal experience....it's bad to open the door to these treats. I added low carb breads, and opened the door to the carb monster. I haven't gained weight, but my loss just about stopped. It took me several weeks to get "back on track" and losing again. I need to devote all my effort to reaching goal and for now, live without breads and pasta.
Good luck to you.
I would be very cautious about indulging in chocolate (other than rarely for a very special occasional), and I would absolutely say NO to eating them every evening, no matter how small the portion is! You ahve already seen how even a small amount is causing you to crave it on an ongoing basis.
You need to take advantage of this first 9-12 months to really develop and ingrain the new, healthy eating habits that you will need to keep the weight off long term. Adding in treats on a regular basis can very easily derail you.
Once you have finished losing, you may be able to have a small daily treat. If you can control the portions. Some people can and some people can't. Up until a couple of months ago, I was allowing myself some under 100 calorie treat each day. I am almost 8 years out and maintained my weight up until about a year ago doing that. (I had to give up the treats, though, in order to try to lose some weight I gained after my second knee replacement.)
For now, though, especially since you are losing more slowly than you would like, I would definitely recommend that you pass on the chocolate.
Lora
14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained
You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.
I second what she said. This is spot on!
And there is no shame in admitting to yourself after the year is up that you are one of those that CANT handle treats in small proportions. I fight/am in remission from food addictions and part of my recovery (just like an alcoholic) is to admit to myself that I cant have my "trigger foods" (i.e. my version of alcohol) in the house. I do not have the self control to stay out of them. If I were to give myself "treats" the portions would become bigger over time or I would eat them more frequently than once a day.
There is not shame in admitting this to yourself. It is honest. Not shame worthy.
RNY Surgery: 12/31/2013;
Current weight (2/27/2015) 139lbs, ~14% body fat
Three pounds below Goal!!! Yay !
I did not touch alcohol, sugar, flour, rice, potatoes, bread, pasta, candy, soda for the first three years. If I wanted chocolate, I made something with chocolate protein powder. I had a wine rack with bottles of different sugar-free syrups that I used to doctor up my protein shakes.
I found recipes that were sugar and flour free and managed to make things that satisfied my desire for the real things. You are getting away with this now, but that first six months will end soon and weight loss will be much harder. The only fruit I allowed myself was strawberries, blueberries and an occasional apple (once a month).
The sugar, flour and sugar sweetened chocolate are really going to slow down your progress. Whole grain crackers are as bad as white flour crackers. I ate my tuna salad on lettuce. The thing to do is to give up anything made with sugar or wheat and also replace the wine with water.
As Lora said, you are on a once in a lifetime honeymoon. Losing weight will never be this easy again. Take advantage of it and lose all of your excess weight. Build new habits that will sustain you long term.
Real life begins where your comfort zone ends