Question:
Sorry if its been said before- almost at goal, but my candy-eating is out of control

Sorry, I know there have been things similar, but I looked and I guess I just need support. I am 10 months post-op, and have lost 115lbs. I currently weigh 135 (want to be 130). I have done pretty good so far, I have a protein drink, protein bar and 2-3 healthy meals a day. But after a few months post-op I discoverd that "hey- I drink milk and I'm fine, so I can eat candy, too then" And I am back into some old habits. Ofcourse, it is nowhere near the amount of candy I used to eat, but I am so upset and ashamed of myself. I eat about 1200 calories a day. I had a perforated ulcer, have chronic daily headaches and some other issues to deal with, but I try as hard as I can, and for the most part hit the gym 4-5 times a week. But 200 of those calories are probably sugar. I cannot stop eating it and I don't know what to do. I know we aren't supposed to eat it, but I just can't get the addiction out of my head. Have any of you gone through this? Or have any ideas of what to do? I don't want to gain weight once I am in "maintain" mode. Thanks for any advice or comments!    — Lezlie Y. (posted on March 28, 2003)

March 28, 2003
Lezlie - congrats on your weight noss. That's great for a lightweight. I take it that the sugar-free stuff doesn't satisfy you nor do the tastier protein bars like U-Turn and Detour??? JR
   — John Rushton

March 28, 2003
I can't offer any advice, but wanted you to know that you are not the only one battling the sugar-candy demon.
   — Danmark

March 28, 2003
I understand completely. And with sugar, the more you get, the more you have to have. (fat satisfies, sugar makes you crave). Hence my stand on milk. Milk is sugar, sugar makes me crave more sugar. To break out of your habit, personally I'd skip the bar, even though they are low sugar, you're trying to get free right now. If you can go to 3-4-5 protein drinks a day (sick one in your face whenever you reach for candy), but go ahead & eat normal meals (minus sugar), I think you might start to feel yourself in control again. It's hard to go cold turkey, I know, but the protein drinks work to help you past that without defeating your purpose. You'll still need some healthy carbs (good grain breads or crackers) for your work outs & to maintain energy, but read the labels & stick wth whole grains. I've had to beat back the candy monster twice now. No, I've GAINED wt & had to beat it back. I've beaten it back MANY times. The fight will never end forever. But at least it only attacks me now & then, The last bad one was triggered by my being a little too free with fruit. I didn't weigh, but many of my jeans didn't fit! I'm guessing as much as 8 lbs! You CAN overcome, but don't be afraid to use whatever tools you can find. You don't have to be a powerhouse of willpower when you are fighting a physical disease. Use physical weapons to fight back. There is no shame in being attacked. Just in NOT fighting back. Grrrr!
   — vitalady

March 28, 2003
I like what Michelle said. The only thing that I do differently, is to go cold turkey. Maybe the first day I might have one small sugar free chocolate or something, but then for the next 2 to 3 days I eat NO carbs. This really gets those darn cravings to go away. I have a feeling this is the way it's going to be for me for the rest of my life. But, hey, I know alot of 'normies' that do the same thing.....what ever works! Your not alone, you can do it, and don't beat yourself up!
   — Stacy L.

March 28, 2003
Try this on and see if it fits: could it be you are afraid of actually achieving your goal weight? What would happen if you had to give up this conversation about bad eating habits? What would fill your time then? If eating candy is a compulsion, get to an Overeater's Anonymous meeting...stop compounding the problem by beating yourself up, which is a vicious cycle that has you feel bad about yourself and then eat more candy. Either accept that you eat 200 cals of candy and it isn't having you gain weight or do something that stops it. Either way, accept your humanity about the situation and knock off the guilt and anxiety which only makes things worse. Define your standards for your own life then make sure your actions are consistent with that stand. And if you keep undermining yourself, get thee some therapy to find out why...Good Luck!
   — merri B.

March 29, 2003
Lezlie, I admit it, i am a sweets and carb lover. With that said, after years of guilt, binge sugar eating, more guilt and so more eating to cover the guilt, or the feeling of being punished because I am "denying" myself my treats, I decided to try something different.In fact, the nutritionist suggested this. At almost 14 months post-op and just 6 pounds shy of goal (by the way, congrats on your great weight loss) I finally decided that guilt was very overrated and perhaps I needed to learn to appease and live with the demon "sugar". So, what I have done is to build that extra 200 calories (or whatever the amount is) into my daily diet. I eat the right amount of protein, tons of water, exercise 3-4 times a week, eat mostly healthy, and build snacks into the diet. What I have noticed is that I am no longer guilty (so I am happier), and the amounts of these snacks that I am eating are soooo much smaller than what I would have eaten pre-op. For example, a few minature bite size pieces of chocolate versus the whole bag or a very large candy bar or 4 or 5 mini bite size choc chip cookies from a snack pack rather than a whole sleeve of cookies. Get it? I'll have 3 or 4 of these types of snacks a day and so far (I weigh daily), I am able to continue to lose weight (very slowly- a pound or two a month). Its a trade off-if I wanted to lose faster, I could cut out the snacks altogether but I'm not willing to do that. Now, if the scale starts moving in the opposite direction, I will either have to increase the work out times or adjust the eating, but for now, I like being able to have treats without guilt and feeling "normal". It makes life so much easier.
   — Cindy R.

March 29, 2003
This is the original poster. I just wanted to thank you all for taking the time to answer my question honestly. There were some things that I didn't realize, and some tips I will definately use. Thanks alot, I apprciate it! ~Lezlie
   — Lezlie Y.