Milkshakes and "cheating"

I worked all day in the hot sun up on scaffolding and was hungry and thirsty and tired. There was a Dairy Queen across the street from the job site.

I had a cooler with me all day with water and ice and healthy Protien foods, but it was empty by nightfall after 11 hours on the job, so I decided I deserved a little treat.

Before surgery that treat would have been a large milkshake and a footlong hot dog, but after surgery, I just ordered a small shake.

YUCK!

After about 3 sips it made me sick as a dog!

I drove to a store, bought a cold bottled water and felt much more refreshed.

I know we have some purists on the boards who might think of that milkshake as "cheating", but IMO, the decision to have a small treat like a shake, once or twice during the course of the summer, is not cheating. It's about balance and portion control. Before surgery, my choice to have a large shake might happen once a week, but not now.

Now, any "treat" that falls outside the VSG guidelines norm is an ounce or two maybe once every 3 or 4 months.

And really, now that I allowed myself that experiment, and felt so yucky from it, I feel free in a way.

I don't feel deprived in any way. I just plain don't want it.

For me, that's the beauty of the surgery: it seems to have put me more in tune with what my body really needs.

Milkshakes don't feel like a "treat" anymore because they make me sick, but an ice cold bottle of water: OH MAN, THAT'S HEAVEN!

There are some who think you are doomed to fail because of that "slip".  But I disagree.  I got VSG so that I could eat like a normal person....which means an occasional treat, then back to "program".  Even during the losing stages, I did this occasionally and continued to lose at the same pace.  I didn't do it often - maybe once every 2-3 months, but I did it and didn't beat myself up over it. 

This past weekend was a blow out for me, though.  Back on program today.  The scales show I'm up 2 pounds, although I know that at least 1.5 of that is excess water weight.  I didn't drink enough water, nor did I get in enough protein.  Ate plenty ( TOO MUCH!) junk too (that annual funnel cake I shared with 2 granddaughters instead of eating the whole thing myself and threw away some of it).  But I'm not upset with myself.  My skinny friends did the same thing, but in my observation of them over time, they don't do that on a regular basis either.  They just go back to their normal eating and exercise program and don't sweat it. 

I know that my brain is wired differently than my skinny friends, but I also feel strong enough to handle it.  I know that it will take me 2-3 days to detox from the sugar.  I'm prepared with fruit and nuts to satisfy those urges. 

I'm with you, I got the VSG so that I could eat like a normie, just much less!  I think that if you don't indulge in the occasional treat, you are more likely to really overdo it sometime.  Just my humble opinion!  That being said, I tried the 45 cal sf fudgesicle at Dairy Queen last night and am in love!

 
Maintenance is all about finding a baseline.....stabilized weight..... It's a moving target and you find out your tolerances. 

For some reason I can eat dark chocolate....but I can't eat rice, bread or pasta.....the jury is still out on potatoes....I sometimes eat some fries.....and don't seem to do bad with them.....will see....

frisco

Amen, my friends!!!  I'm sitting here now, drinking a cup of my favorite tea, with real sugar in it.  I know I probably "shouldn't" because it may cause me to crave more sugar later today.  But I don't want to spend the rest of my life eating fake food ... and never having a few sips of a milkshake (even if it makes me sick, ha ha).  So I have chosen to live with the consequence of being about 20 pounds over the weight at which I really would probably feel better, but hey, I'm 58 years old.  Some day, if it means enough to me, I may try to clean up my eating and shift those 20 pounds, and my sleeve will let me do it pretty easily, but right now I'll eat little bits of what I want and not feel deprived.

And I'm with you on the ice water.  I must have drunk four or five glasses last night, crunching away on the ice, and they were better than any junk drink I ever had before!!  Man, I love my sleeve!
--Dorothy

Congrats on finding your balance.  I love treats too!

I personally think it's harder to close the door on treats, once it's opened.  Having a treat generally adds a pound or more to my body and the problem is that it takes a week to get it back off.  While I'm all in favor of treats, I have to remember that I may be unhappy for the next week of stepping on the scale.  Last night I had a couple of ribs with BBQ sauce (sugar) on them.  This morning, up 1.4 pounds.  My body reacts very quickly so it's a matter of choice.  4th of July = BBQ.  I'm happy that's all I could eat.  No sides or anything else because the ribs made me full and quite happy.   I won't be going back to meat with bbq sauce anytime soon.  As my Weigh****chers leader reminds me, it's all about choice.   I was happy with my choice last night, not quite as happy this morning because I'm fighting the last five pounds to goal and this is a setback.

Exactly what you said happens to me Lee and how I feel.  Even just the sugar in BBQ sauce can trigger me and I had some recently.  It also gave me heartburn as do other tomato products.. drat!  So yes I won't do BBQ sauce again unless it's my own.  The setbacks to me are not worth it because psychologically right now the number on the scale and the lack of cravings are very important to me, more important than any treat.  But I totally get that not everyone works the same way. :)

Sublimate, from everything that I read of yours, I think we're very much alike.  I'm so glad you're on this journey with me!

In the end this is all about our personal balance.  What works for one person and at one particular time in this journey doesn't work for others.  It is so very individual.  I would not chose to drink milkshakes because they were my drug of choice before surgery and I have promised myself that I would not drink my calories in maintenance.  I do indulge in other treats however.  Yesterday I had two bites of a key lime pie and it was great.  I was still very careful all day long.  I dran**** tea without sugar at the county fair and ordered salad with tri tip and dressing on the side for my meal.  Woke up this morning still at 104.6.  It works for me. 

I also got the VSG so that I could eat more normally, and that includes having desserts in small quantities now that I am in maintenence.
That is exactly what I do..... and it is working out just fine.
I log my intake just like usual. The calories from my dessert are counted in with everything else, and that way I can be sure that my carbs and calorie count are staying within bounds. It has not been hard to stop after just a small amount. Also that my taste for dessert is for something much much lighter than before the sleeve. A small fruit smoothie as opposed to a milkshake, or a small amount of sorbet as opposed to ice cream before. Heavy desserts no longer appeal. That is the beauty of the VSG for me.
Love my sleeve!!!