I had my first big test and I feel like I failed.

On Saturday we had a big cookout with lots of friends and lots of FOOD!!  I did really well at lunch.  I ate a grilled hamburger patty with cheese - no bun.  I was full after that.  After company left my hubby and son were outside cleaning up and I was in charge of putting things away inside.  There was a bean dip that was left over.  I stood there with pita crisps mindlessly eating the dip.  By the amount I ate, I feel like I should have been full, but I wasn't.  I didn't get a stomach ache or have a bad reaction to the crisps.  

Then yesterday we dropped my son off for camp and my daughter is out of town with my mom.  Hubby and I were watching a movie and I got BBQ potato chips out for a snack.  I measured out one serving and that's all I ate, but I'm not supposed to be having this stuff at all.  I told hubby that I think the chips are going to need to be thrown out.  I obviously can't be trusted with them.  

I got on the scale and had gained a pound.  I had really been hoping for a loss before I got out of control with the cookout food.  

I thought I had my head game wrapped around this, but I can see how easy it is to fall off the wagon.  I'm back after it this Monday morning, but the thought keeps creeping into my head - hey, you can eat chips and you didn't have side effects from them.  

How do you remotivate yourself after not doing what you know you're supposed to?

What I noticed here, at least the first time is you were mindlessly eating. Sometimes I do this, I'm so focused on doing something that I'm not even focusing on the fact that I'm eating, I'm just putting food in while something else is going on. It's a hard habit to break, but a lot of people don't do anything else while eating.

As for chips, there's nothing wrong with chips here or there...and you only at a serving. I myself trying to find other type of chips so I still get that crunch, like a Lentil chip. My biggest suggestion on that is I don't buy large bags, I try to buy a bag that's a single serving..so when it's done, I'm done.

Don't beat yourself up, we all slip, we all gain a pain, it's not if you sli*****t, it's how you recover.

Are you working with a therapist?  This is your honeymoon period where you really want to get your head in the game.  This is your learning period of how you will eat for the rest of your life.  If you're struggling this early on it only gets harder at 6 months, 9 months, 1 year, etc.  Let this be a learning experience and try to buckle down and make this most of this precious time.  Best of luck to you.

I can empathize. I found myself eating 1/2 cup of Chocolate Chips that I found in my cupboard. I didn't even think beforehand "Should I eat this or throw it out". It was only as I was finishing it that I realized that I fell off the wagon! I begrudgingly added the chocolate to my food diary and threw the rest away.

Unfortunately, I don't have much advice to you on tried-and-true tips that helped me through my food addiction, only that throwing away the bad foods is akin to flushing drugs down the toilet for a drug addict... it's hard, but at some point has to be necessary. 

Your situation may not be as easy since you have more people in your household that AREN'T weight loss focused... but would it be possible to eliminate those foods from your house? Can't hurt to have carrot sticks on-hand for kid/DH snacks instead of potato chips?

This is a good way of looking at it.  Most of us are addicts.  You wouldn't expect a heroin addict or coke addict to live with drugs around them all the time and expect 100% compliance to staying clean.  If you keep bad foods around that you are addicted to you cannot expect to be 100% compliant on staying on program.  

Your family can live without crap in the house.  You can live without eating crap while losing weight.  Chips are NOT ok in the stage you are in if you are serious about losing weight.  You can take those risks when you are in maintenance where falling off the wagon means you just deal with a pound or two you have to re-lose.  But not now when you have so far to go to get to goal.  Going backwards right now just because it is in the house is silly.  

Some snack foods I keep in the house that are on plan are pickles (bread and butter spears from mt. olive with no sugar added are great!), dehydrated green beans (I make them myself), jerky (again, homemade but you can get store bought that do not have sugar added), and cheese wedges.

 You really can't compare food with heavy duty drugs.  I had WLS surgery - not my family. I don't expect them to give up foods and snacks they like.  IMO- it is unreasonable to expect family to give up snacks just because I can't have them. 

First year or 2 is a learning curve - what we can and can't do. Initially - I could not have have some foods at home, but long term - I have no problem with most things. 

There are some foods that are a serious trigger for me- but they still can be in the house - just out of sight. 

 It is reasonable, IMO - to ask family or friends not to leave snacks or trigger food all over the house. Kepe them in one cabinet - take out -, eat as much as you want and put it back.  That may be critical in the first year.  But..the idea is for us to learn how to live with all the food around us.  

I keep chips and cake and chocolate n the house.  by now - I am not tempted by most of it.   
I do keep snacks for me - nuts, pork rinds, make my own cookies and cakes, even ice cream. ... (v.low carbs, ) 

I get what you mean, but I sort of disagree.  I don't expect my family to not eat these things ever.  And this is why my husband and I still take the kids to places where they can get stuff as treats sometimes like chips, fast food burgers, etc.  However, while i don't expect my extended family or friends to change for me, I do expect my immediate family to work with me in making sure the environment is safe for me.  Again, they can still have stuff.  They just can't have it in the house.  And there is no reason why we want to keep that crap in the house.  But I have a 12 year old boy who is full on in puberty and will devour anything craptastic that is in the pantry.  

As to comparing it to hard drugs, no.  Its not like hard drugs.  Its worse.  This is coming from an addict of hard drugs.  You can find places away from things like heroin, coke, pot.  You can't from food.  Its advertised everywhere.  Its in everyone's homes and on every corner.  You can't abstain from eating so you can't make the choice of eating or not eating, you have to make the choice of what to eat.  You HAVE to satisfy yourself, just to what level is correct?  Its a lot worse.  Giving up coke and heroin was WAS easier than this.  So yeah, this is not like hard drugs.  Its worse.  But the same principals can be applied.

I'm gonna need that very low carb ice cream recipe, btw.  :)  And I forgot about pork rinds.  That is a GREAT alternative to chips!!  salty, crunchy, and lots of flavor.  Good call.

check eggface blog... she has so many soo good recipes in there... 

Now - I just make a yummy tasting protein shake (not fat free) - any protein shake - then use that to make popsicles or ice cream...

Popsicles are easier - they are portioned and it's so east to have just 1.  This is my dessert on many many night... I try to make sure it is low carbs - but have some fat in it.   you name it - I made it... 

as for other decadent desserts - baking unsweetened chocolate - I melt that - add some SF sweeteners., plus flavoring.... mix well.. and use that as coating for strawberries...  and just make enough to share .... any leftover in the pan - I mix with nuts - put on parchment paper -and let set in a fridge...break up and have emergency real SF - low carb chocolate with nuts... 

there is a whole new world in low carb cooking... I can eat chips if I want to - but ....most of the time - I rather have my own "snacks" - after all - our space in the pouch is so limited.. 

instant chocolate pudding? mix 1/2 ripe avocado + 2 Tbs of unsweetened coconut of almond milk, 1-2 Tbs of cocoa, plus sweetener + pinch of salt, mix well.. eat as is or let it set for 1-3 hrs . It gets thick.  not a low calorie food  but it is the good fat -a dn it will satisfy any most cravings...  top that with a splash of whipped cream and raspberry.. you will not want a chocolate mousse ...or a cake..

Since my surgery we haven't kept chips in the house.  These were leftovers from the party. I should have handed them out to my guests as they were leaving and gotten them out of the house.  I'm going to text my hubby and ask him to take them out to the garbage in the garage before I get home from work.