Red flags

This past weekend, I noticed that I was sloppy with food and not using all of my tools (weighing, reading/writing on the forum, writing down my food and liquids, etc.).  What I've found is that, such behavior is a red flag for me.  Unfortunately, there are times when I've ignored those flags.  It doesn't happen all at once, but the edges start getting frayed.  Over time, I find myself back into bad habits, with a weight gain.  Today, I choose to heed those red flags.  I weighed myself this morning (and was down a couple of pounds!), I'm logging my food and fluids, I'm taking short breaks at work to read and write here, and I am trying to be mindful of what I'm putting in my mouth.  

I think it is great that you were able to recognize those red flags and intervene before it became a real problem. I'm still working on learning all my red flags and how to nip them in the bud. 

Thanks!  Once I open the door, it is difficult to pull back.  I try not to open the door in the first place, but I am not perfect by any means.  An old saying from OA that I like is 'progress, not perfection'.  To me that means, even when I stumble, to keep moving forward.  

I am very similar.  I have kept a lot of doors closed for a long time (chips, popcorn, chinese food etc.)  I was so sick last week that I let myself have anything that sounded good.  I was so drained of nutrition it was ok, but now I have opened some of those doors -- I need to slam them shut!

I hear you!  I sometimes can get away with it once, twice, a few times, but, inevitably, whatever the trigger food is, starts calling my name.  Because I think I've been able to have the food without problems, I keep having it more and more often, until I'm back where I used to be.  It's just easier not to open that door in the first place. 

Thank you for posting. I am 2 weeks Post-Op, still in the honeymoon period...but I know I will come to a point somewhere along my journey where I may be tempted to be less compliant. So I, too, am going to jot down my red flags, and watch for them. :-)

Great plan!  The further out I got, the easier it was to become complacent and delude myself into thinking I had this licked - not so.  It's like anything else, the further away you get from the pain and misery, the more you forget just how terrible that all was.  Recently, I went back and read some of my early posts here, to remind myself where I came from, as well as all of the wonderful things that opened up to me after surgery.  It helped to re-energize me to stay the course.  I have to be diligent, making good choices every day, and when I don't, I have to recognize what I'm doing and immediately get back on track. 

Ohhh, I like that a lot!  I am burning that one in to my brain!  I am just starting my journey, but if I ever start to slip....go back and read where I started!   Uh-huh!  I like it!

Momsy, you have come a long way!  You have learned to maximize your tools!  Congratulations!

Thanks Abbey!  Sometimes I need to be reminded that I have come a long way, as I tend to focus more on the things I still need to do.  That doesn't mean sit back and think I've got it, but that my journey is definitely going in the right direction, one day at a time.

Good on you for recognizing the red flag before it got out of control!