Slippery slop and concerned....

I am not the best at this.  And it worries me.  Once I eat I want to continue eating and then I feel like I am eating way to much, my alternative is not that good either.  This is what I usually do everyday:

2-3 cups of coffee with soy milk.
Morning protien drink with more soy milk.
Protien bar by oh yeah for lunch.
Snacks: may be nuts or cheese.
Then I will have a dinner.
Protien shake before bed.

Am I doing wrong?  Coffee is one thing I will not give up and love to death.  I feel i should be getting more in for food.  But if I start eating then I want to continue.  I am scared to death I am going to head back down to the bad ways.  OK there I admited it!!!

Melissa     Do  you think that you are getting enough to eat every day?  One meal a day mmmmm perhaps head hunger  is taking over.    You need to be getting at least 3 meals a day....    You need this for mind and body. 

When I get busy at  work and I forget a meal and I tend to eat the next meat too fast and tend to over eat.   Also note when I miss a meal I am crankie.  I have to make time for meals.

Totally understand where you are coming from.  Take care Caroline     

I do think I am not getting enough in.  That is my problem and deals with my fear of over eating. 

Melissa,

In my opinion...NO...you are NOT getting enough to eat.  Especially protein.  We NEED protein from natural sources whenever possible.  If we do not get enough then our bodies go into starvation mode and it begins to eat itself.  It eats muscles that we can not regrow or rebuild and the most important muscle in our bodies is our heart!  I am also one that does not always eat as I should but I do try...especially now!  I prepack lunches whenever I can (I try to do it at least 4 days a week and go out one day a week) and I prepack all of my snacks in the small snack zip lock baggies.  Food journals are fabulous!  It helps me to keep track and I have records to see when I have a problem and what the problem is.  If you prepack and measure everything then you will not overeat...you should just feel satisfied!  Only pack enough for your portions and no more.  I do keep a couple of RTD protein shakes and protein bars in my desk at work for emergencies.   I also eat (and have since I progressed to foods from surgeries) six small meals a day instead of three.  It keeps my metabolism up and gives me more energy.  Coffee is Ok...just remember for every 8 ounces you drink (of coffee or ANY caffieene) you have to drink 16 ounces of water just to put down that you drank 8 ounces!  You have to flush your system out!  I do wish you luck...we have all been there and it is hard.  I struggle daily with the thought of weight gain and I am afraid that I will not get back to where I was...but then I pray and I believe that everything will be as He wants it to be in His plan!

Ok...you are perfectly normal.  We have ALL experienced what you are going through.  It's a fear that even at 3 years out, I still encounter.  The trauma of being overweight will haunt me for the rest of my life.

Here are a few things I suggest (based on what you have posted):

In my opinion, you need to get in fruit and veggies to start out with.  We all know the benefits of incorporating them into our diets.

A protein bar for lunch really isn't the best.  You should be eating your protein in its most natural form, such as salmon, chicken, turkey, etc.  It would be more satisfying.  Especially when added with steamed veggies or salad.

Based on your workouts, you aren't getting in enough complex carbs to sustain them.  You need to add some complex carbs (not sugar carbs).  This can be in the form of whole grain bread, oatmeal, bananas, brown rice, etc.  These are important in maintaining seritonin levels (low levels will cause depression).  But be careful here - many begin to include the wrong types of carbs and go down the wrong path.  Quinoa is a great complex carb as it is also high in protein.

From a health perspective - you are drinking too much coffee.  The caffine is not good for your pouch or for your body.  A minimal amount is good for the metabolism, but that's for a normal person.  We are no longer normal. 

Ok...so what tips can I offer to you - well, this is something that I have done since day 1 and has really helped me along the way. 

1.  I went and bought 8" salad plates and this is what I eat my meals from.  I am a visual person (as most of us are) and when I divide up my plate like I am suppose to, my portions end up at normal size portions and not the huge portions I am not suppose to eat.

2.  Weight and measure everything.  I am now up to 3 1/2 ounces of meat, 3 tablespoons of veggies and 2 tablespoons of brown rice.  This allows me to monitor my intake.  If, after eating what is on my plate, I feel like I am still hungry, I will allow myself more veggies.  As for snacks, I use the snack size baggies and package everything in them.  This helps me from over snacking.

3.  Make meals and snacks satisfying.  There are many ways in which you can do this without adding any calories or over-enduling.

4.  Write everything down.  This is what I put away and am back to doing.  It keeps me in check of what is going on, and is helping me identify the why I want to eat (when it's not time to eat).  This includes over-eating.  It helps me be more accountable and ensures that I am getting in my proper nutrition levels.

5.  Keep lots of fruits and veggies around.  This way, if you feel like you need to snack, you have something healthy to snack on.  Nuts are also a good option. 

Hope this helps......

Thanks Jill!  Great advise hear!!

1 & 2. I do use small plates.  Probably 8 inches.  I bought them before my surgery and the only thing I eat off of.  The thing is, I don't even fill it up appropriately, I think I put to little food on my plate.  I do not measure my food and I spot check it.  That may be my problem in not getting enough food.  Of course I eat until satisfied, so there has been times I just throw away food because my pouch is very restrictive that day.

4. I used to write down everything and I have gotten away from that.  I need to get back into the habit. 

5.  I do need to increase my fruit and veggie intake.  I seem to be on just protein.  Except for spinach, love it and have a cabinet stocked with it. ; )

I do need to increase my complex carbs in the fruit and grains.  I have been so fearful of breads.  We had switched to whole grain and multigrain foods long before my surgery.  I even get my pasta I feed the family whole grain and multigrain.  But I have been so hesitant in eating those foods.  I did do something different for lunch.  I sauteed some scallops in olive oil and garlic and wine seasoning, had some green beans and one slice of wheat bread.  I must say.  i have been very satisfied since 2pm.  I have not had this feeling in a long time.

Thank you so much for your response!!!

I rarely eat bread, but I do eat things like Grape Nuts cereal on my yogurt, oatmeal (Kashi has a high protein, multi grain kind), and brown rice.  But, I wanted to add that one thing that helps me is to add fruit to my protein shakes.  I add about 3 oz of banana to a chocolate shake, or about 7 frozen black cherries.

If I'm having a vanilla shake, I'll add frozen berries.

I also add blueberries or no sugar applesauce to my oatmeal before cooking it - it's like a cobbler.

It lets me add a bit without being too much.

Also, try the low carb wraps and see how those do.  I haven;'t had them (too soft for me), but that might work to give you some complete carbs.

It's all trial and error, so don't worry.

Jill    Well said all round.  

Jill gave you a great response with great suggestions.

I think your menu doesn't sound bad to me.  The only thing I would suggest to change it up, IMO, is switching up a sit down meal for lunch vs the protein bar.  And this is coming from someone who loves protein bars.  I added one one (as a snack) when they upped my protein goal during my last visit.  I find that when I have some meat for protein around lunch time I really feel satiated  and it really keeps me on target for hunger for the rest of the day.

For me I'm a creature of habit and eat a turkey, cheese and turkey pepperoni on a half of a tortilla wrap.  I eat that with 1/2 piece of fruit.  This really is both yummy and raises my protein for the day.

Nuts are great, but be careful about how much you eat.  I find two things when I eat nuts - A.  I'm thirsty afterwords and it is more challenging to wait to drink, but i hang in there and do it and B.  I have to be very careful about portion - measure out and put away the rest, never eat from a bag or anything like that.   I mainly think of nuts as  treat now, for me at least since they can be a trigger food.

For me, and maybe you are the same, I find that I pretty much eat the same thing EVERY day except for dinner.  BUT, it works for me and I just go with it.  I don't get tired of it becuase it fuels me and I feel satiated.

As for coffee, I'm with you.  I do 16oz of coffee every day and thoroughly enjoy it.   BUT i do have my nutritionists blessing to do so.  I stopped drinking coffee for 7months and finally called her hoping and praying that I could start up again.  All was well.  :)

Hugs!  :)

Thanks Lauren.  Yes we are a like, I am a creature of habit.  And like to stick with what I usually get.  My meals look very similar.  I think I need to make a more rounded meals like Jill said to help me be more satiated.  I gues my biggest fear is the bread products.  But I know it is something healthy that I need to add in with limitations.

My nutrtionist only really said not to drink caffienee for the first 6 weeks.  I am just a coffee freak and it is so relaxing for me to drink a cup.