Still Overeating
on 2/5/09 8:44 pm - IN
Hello Everyone
I am just wondering if anyone found themselves able to eat almost as much as they did before surgery or at least way too much for a Bariatric surgery patient? And if you did were you able to get back on track with the food and maintain your weight loss?
I really cannot say for sure that I can eat as much but I can definitely say it's headed that way for myself. I still work out and try to get my water in but the food is just not coming along. I have tried to do the 5 day pouch test and I ended up feeling way too down about myself when I could not make it through by early afternoon. I just got way too discouraged to keep trying know what I mean? But I did join back on track and like I said i still work but the food I cannot seem to get back on track with the food. Of course every day I give it my best and make a new resolve to do better and sometimes I do but most days I go way off and eat way out of control. It's a little hard to share my struggles on here because it seems like most people are doing pretty good but mostly they seem like their still able to be satisfied with small amounts of food. So, if anyone out there found a way to really stop that compulsive eating and get back on track I could use some encouragement. Thanks Susan T.
When I want to control snacking, I only eat at meal time. There is a black and white line between eating at a meal and not eating at a meal. Then you only need to struggle with staying on the right side of the line.
Starting weight 326
Lowest weight 145
Current weight 175
Goal weight 145
The taste of the bait isn't worth the pain of the hook
You are not alone, sometimes I feel I can eat so much more than I should but then when I look at what I am eating I notice that it is because I am taking in "bad carbs" and not eating dense protien FIRST! When I eat protien first I get full faster and stay satisfied longer. Those carbs just make you want them more......... I can't do that 5 day plan either. Don't give up, keep trying, make one goal for yourself each week, like cutting out simple carbs and each week make another food or exercise goal. Find a non food way to reward yourself along your journey. We are all in this for life, we need to make it a lifestyle and changing habits we have had for so many years is not easy.
Hang in there, you can get back on track!
Sher
on 2/10/09 8:54 pm - IN
Thanks to everyone *****sponded to my post on " Still Overeating". I read a lot of helpful things. One reason I have not posted my food on back on Track either is because I think I am feeling some shame and embarrassment. but unless I write my food down I really dont know what I am eating or really how much. That was brought to my attention and I want to thank the person who wrote it but I am not sure who right now. I must not be eating like I used to but i do realize it is too much for someone who had WLS. I am writing my food down and I will see and then I will have an accurate picture of what is really going in my mouth. I am still working out and watching what I eat. thanks again for the support Susan T
Good luck to you.
The only thing I can think of that may make a difference is to keep foods out of the house that really tempt you. If they're not in the kitchen, you'll have to eat what IS in the kitchen. Make sure to have good choices that you enjoy eating. Then go ahead and have some.
I'm not sure what that is for you, but for me it's things like SF jello, puddings, a variety of cheese and whole wheat crackers, low carb wraps with turkey and cheese in the microwave to melt, tuna, thin sliced chicken breast strips that I quick fry with onions and green peppers in olive oil and splash on some wochestershire sauce and wrap in the low carb wrap, Progresso soups, they're low in calories and have decent protein, yogurt in different flavors, frozen shrimp that I can stir fry with garlic in about 2 minutes and eat with coctail sauce, chicken broth that I can heat up in a mug in the micro for a quick treat, hot tea in different flavors, SF hot chocolate, any cut up raw veggies with ranch dressing for a dip, all kinds of lettuces and greens for salads.
When I shop, I really think about what I want to allow in my house, and which foods call to me at night when I'm more likely to over-eat. I make my choices at the grocery store to buy the good stuff. Eating more after a few years is expected, but it's up to you what choices you make. I eat more now at 3 yrs and 7 months out. Some days it's as high as 1800-200 calories. But many times it's around 1000. I think having some high calorie days keeps your body from adjusting your motabolism too low. Just make sure the high calorie days are protein first, and account for about 2 days a week.
Do you over-eat at home or work? If at work is it possible to bring your snacks and lunch? Then promise yourself you will eat what you bring before considering anything else. Having a big salad with packaged chicken and a dressing you really like will slow down your cravings. And making a big wrap with lots of deli meat and a little cheese in a low carb wrap will help fill you up because of the protein.
I look at it as making sure I have things on hand that I like, not so much telling myself what I can't have. There are so many tasty things that are good for us, and fit a healthy lifestyle, maybe it won't seem like you're missing anything.
I wish you a lot of luck with this. Maybe posting what you have eaten everyday on the accountability thread will help you realize exactly what and how much you're eating of both the good and not so good foods.
I still eat when I am not hungry. And I graze - which is easier to do than overeat at a single meal. I gained some weight with my second pregnancy and never lost it because I went back to my bad habits. I also got to where I was eating fast food every day. Needless to say, my weight kept creeping back up.
I did the pouch test, tried to go low carb, and other ways of controlling myself. But I continued to overeat. I joined Weigh****chers in January and so far have lost 7 pounds. Let me say that I never did WW in my pre-op life... so for me at this point in my life, it is enough of a "game" for me, that it is working. Not as fast as I'd like, but it's working. It forces me to read labels and make better choices. When I tried to follow the rules of our surgery, I was eating WAY too much fat. The main thing I've given up on WW is the fat.
There is no magic answer - everyone is different. But I hope that this will get me back to my goal weight over time. You are not alone. I believe this will be a lifelong struggle for me. But I'm still so much better off than I was before my surgery and I don't know that I'd be satisfied on WW if I hadn't had my surgery.
One thing that I've noticed, the more I eat, the more I can eat, and want to eat. The less I eat, the less it takes to fill me up and the less I want to eat. It's strange but true.
Good luck!
Laina
Lap RNY 9/9/03
