Restriction & Under Eating Your Sleeve 2plus Years Out

I just want to add my little personal experience to undereating.

I've found ways to cheat. My fat mentality got me. Plus, in the pregnancy, WHEW that little tooter did me in. My restriction changed in pregnancy, kind of like the same thing we've seen posted by other women who are about to start their period, they are hungry, they can eat more etc etc. SO, pregnancy brought back some "fat habits'.

1) Grazing became part of my life again. I had to eat more because of the developing human I had sucking the very life out of me.

2) I found lubing food again after not doing it with the sleeve because I had to do it with my band.

3) I would stretch out my meal, chew to mushy, mushy, super disgusting consistency to fit more food in. I did this a couple of times in maintenance at social functions, but nothing like I was doing in the pregnancy. Behaviors, behaviors, behaviors, I've preached FOREVER around here, and I'm a prime example of what poor food behaviors and mentalities can do to someone. As I did have some issues that contributed to these behaviors creeping in. BUT, it's 100% on me to STOP THEM NOW. I have no other little human growing in my body, I am still never hungry, and damn it I DO NOT NEED those calories/carbs/ quantities of foods.

Reality hit me once I delivered weighing 35lbs more than I had in nearly a year. 

A couple of weeks post-delivery, my restriction was back. BUT, I was supposed to be eating even more calories due to breastfeeding. I was grazing even more. I had to find a balance between what my body could tolerate and what my body needed (as well as nursing needs). I was totally drained, worn out, and started eating empty calories. Everything went downhill from there.

I've reigned in a lot of these issues, and getting back to my old, new habits since I was out of my "norm" for nearly a year with the pregnancy/delivery/steroid therapy/post-partum. Today, I was out to lunch (as I am 2-4 times a week with my girlfriends), I scoured the menu as to what I wanted and what I needed. I ordered a chicken salad sandwich with green beans instead of fries (WIN FOR TIFFANY on the green beans). My sandwich was served on white toast (we were at a country cafe joint), with tomato and a half leaf of romaine on each half. I pulled off the bread, took the chicken salad from one half of the sandwich (about 2 oz by volume not weighted obviously ) rolled it up in the lettuce, ate it. Sat there, stared at the green beans. I did not feel full as I've practiced undereating my sleeve as well since my surgeon stressed it to me because I am a volume eater. I really wanted the green beans , so I ate 8 green beans(ANOTHER WIN FOR TIFFANY). Yep, 8, I counted them. Still not full, but satisfied. We sat and gabbed for literally 2 hours. Behind me on a 6ft long counter  sat 8 different pies and cakes. I asked one of my girlfriends, "If I get a slice of pie, will you share it with me?" Of course she obliged, I had about 1/3 of a slice(ANOTHER WIN FOR TIFFANY), I could have easily eaten that entire slice of  pie since it had been an hour and a half since I had stopped eating my "sandwich" and had drank about 8oz of water. Plus, let's be honest, chicken salad is not uber dense considering the mayo used and that it's all mushy. Anyways, the moral of the story is that I'm back. Undereating and training myself to be satisfied vs. full is what will have me win this long battle. I still ate the pie, but I didn't go back to a previous "fat habit".

I try to eat 3-4 meals per day with each meal consisting of 15gr of protein. The DV for protein for most women is 45grams. I'd like to get 80oz a day, but I want some variety, I want some laxity to eat veggies/salads. I love protein, meats, cheeses, but I also want what I consider some normalcy. I'm working on that balance again while juggling a 13yr old puberty ridden son, 3 month old daughter, my husband's hectic TDY(little trips here and there, not a full deployment) schedule, my volunteer schedule/social events. So, it's not perfect, but my restriction is, and as long as I feed me right, my restriction is not  the culprit in any of my demise. Recognizing, accepting and  changing my behaviors again is NOT easy, BUT it's totally worth it to feel like I'm still a success. I will get these last 11 stinkin pounds off, and I will be content. That's the reality of where I am today at 2.5 years out. 

You know why I adore you, Tiffany?

You are honest. 100% honest with yourself and with us. I think that's an admirable trait and I admire that in you.

I love that you had some pie and I love that you are okay with it. I worry sometimes that the vets here aren't humans *laughing*. But I love that you said "yup, I was eating badly so I have to reign that in".

Thank you :) I needed to read this today. xoxo

 
I'm jumpin on the Tiff bandwagon !!!!

She is the real deal !!!

Always level headed....and conscientious....great wife..... great mom....the complete package !!!

I want one !!!!!

frisco

Heh, she's such a sweetheart. Both of you guys keep it real. I think that's important for people to see. I know as a newbie myself I thought it was going to be all happy and smooth sailing, but that's not the reality. It's hard work and it's having to pay attention. I'm not always 100% on plan, but I do that on purpose sometimes (and sometimes not LOL). It's nice to see others that are successful that don't always do what they are supposed to do and can move past it.

Sometimes, you just want a little pie.

*makes face a breakfast protein drink by keyboard*

 
Sleevie.....

Don't know if you ever saw my 2 year....it lists some things that arn't very textbook.......

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/vsg/4455909/Frisco-2-Years-Long-Post-Pics-and-Swagger/

frisco

I sure did and I love it. You have done amazingly well and you should be proud!

Eh, textbook can be overrated. I think we all have our strengths and weaknesses. I'm excellent about logging what I eat... some of the others, not so much. We just have to learn to play to those strengths and weaknesses.

(and I'm seriously jealous of Mythbusters - huge fan here - and my hubby a few times has been mistaken for Jamie. HILARIOUS because beyond the hat and beard, I don't think so, but he had some teeny boppers actually flag him down in his car. Yeah, because the mythbusters dude drives a convertible PT Cruiser with a teachers badge in Austin, TX - LOL)

 removed pic...was to huge   

Awesome photo! You do good work :)

Thanks bunches ! ! ! 

I was doing really great until the last couple of weeks, and I'll be honest, the grazing is the hardest habit for me to kick. I wasn't a grazer pre-VSG. I was the opposite. I'd never eat breakfast, a small lunch and then I'd pile on the calories at night with dinner and eating before going to sleep.

If I was grazing on healthy options, or eating my backup foods like I did in maintenance this would not be a problem. BUT, of course the damn cheesy poofs, crackers and pretzels are the things I was grazing on. Nothing of nutritional value, yeah, they tasted great, but I was eating completely empty calories. I wasn't eating actually. Just grabbing and going, pocketing a snack size bag of pretzels on the way out the door with my 24oz coffee mug in hand with the 3 month old on one hip. I wasn't gaining, but I wasn't losing either. Could I stay right where I am weight wise? YEP, I sure could, technically, I'm still below goal. Both my surgeon and ob would like me to stay at my current weight. My husband is begging me to not lose my extra weight.  I'm complimented daily about how "great" I look considering I just had a baby, one lady even told me to not get back down to my lowest weight because at least now I have curves. I have embraced this "body" for the time-being, but I'm not going to accept it forever. I'm a work in progress, always will be. Knowing the right things and doing the right things are vastly different. There's other "life happens" **** going on in my little world right now, but I'm not turning to food, booze, or any other vice to fix it. I'm not going to find the answers in the bottom of a cheesy poof bag.

I'm definitely human. I have my own food issues. Not the "standard" that is discussed here. I actually stop eating if I'm stressed, my stomach responds negatively to food, I shut down, and so does my body. I have not done all that great this week, but better than where I was 3 weeks ago. Last week, I went gung ho, working out, low carbing it, and then this last weekend, my world crashed. SO, I'm taking a mental health break, focusing on taking care of Tatum, finishing up some obligations that I have commited to seeing through to the end. YES, I'm allowing other things to interfere with my ultimate goal of knocking off these last few pounds. BUT, for me and my twisted little brain, I know that if I can not commit to something for a minimum of 21 days then it's NOT going to stick. Therefore, when my life settles, my husband gets home, we work crap out, I'll recommit myself. Until then, I'm not going to fool anyone, most importantly, I'm not going to lie to myself. I'll admit that this week, I just CAN NOT do it 100%.

I'm sorry you're going through a rough patch. As I tell my hubby, it seems like just when I'm ready to get things going, the whole world seems to crash out on me. It's a conspiracy! 

Oohh... cheesy poofs! My daughter is gluten sensitive, her fave snack is those darned Quakes rice snacks and white cheddar pirate booty. I have to leave them in the VERY back of the cabinet. They call my name. I totally feel ya. In my case, she has so few snacks that she can have and that she likes that I have had to learn to live in harmony with them. I win more often than not. It has to be good enough. We beat ourselves up way too much, I think.

Hang in there... xoxo