Question:
What exactly is Grazing and how do I know if I do that?

I'm trying to decide which surgery is best for me. I know the RNY is best if you are a 3 meal a day eater. But I don't eat 3 meals a day, however, I don't eat 1 continous one either. I get up in the morning - NO breakfast (it always makes me sick to my stomach) I eat lunch. If I'm home on the weekends I usually don't even eat lunch - I'll eat an early dinner around 3:00 and then maybe grab a quick snack before bed - though I always drink milk (which I know I'll have to part with)Now when I'm at work, I eat lunch at 12:00, lunch again at 4:00 and then have a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich at 11:00. I have however, had a few days where I just never got satisfied( like yesterday ) I ate chicken and noodles for lunch, then chinease food for dinner, then some cereal, and potato chips. But I usually eat this way when it is close to my period time. I weigh 279 and I want to reach my goal weight of 126. So if there are any 5'2" people who had 153 pounds to loose - what are your feelings on which surgery is the best for me?    — K T. (posted on July 29, 2001)

July 29, 2001
I'm a grazer and it's the one thing if your honest about to a phychiatrist that they won't let you have surgery. It is when you like to eat things all the time. So I work hard to not do it. I do still some, but if I do I try to eat something smart, not fattening.
   — Danmark

July 29, 2001
"Grazing"is when you never seem to feel satisfied, no matter what you eat, so you continue -- little bit by little bit. Soon enough you can graze your way through a loaf of bread, a box of cookies, a pound of cherries.... pick one! Been there, done that! Don't need to anymore! Even if I am pre-op!
   — Marjorie B.

July 29, 2001
As you were describing a typical eating-pattern day for yourself, I couldn't help but think that you were describing my pre-op state exactly. For years, I never ate breakfast or lunch, but from mid-afternoon until bedtime I was eating something at least every two hours. Of course, I simply couldn't "understand" how I maintained my weight, or gained weight since I was literally "fasting" all day...until I dedicated a week to being brutally honest about journaling every single bite that went into my mouth (without changing any eating patterns or cutting back on portions or caloric content). At the end of that week, I was amazed and horrified and had no difficulty at all understanding why I had managed to creep my way up the scale to 325 lbs. Most of us "grazers" are unconsciously snacking through the day....a bite here, a bite there, mostly high calorie/high fat. Many times if we are asked to recall what we have eaten in a day, we lose track of a great deal of it....it's only when we make a conscious effort to write it down that it really hits home with us. I chose RNY surgery because I desperately wanted a surgery that would "force" me to alter my lifestyle in the most healthy way possible. The RNY requires that patients eat slowly, take small bites, chew thoroughly, and limit fats and concentrated sugars. Isn't that the way our "skinny" friends eat all the time, and the way we have always known we should eat? Eating 3 meals a day is the easiest thing in the world now, because I am never hungry. I know that there is a certain amount of protein that I need to eat each day to maintain my health and energy, and I plan those meals accordingly. It never occurs to me to snack between meals....in fact, I usually have to look at the clock to remind myself that it's time to eat something. You expressed a concern about giving up milk. In my opinion, skim milk is good protein source, and unless you develop lactose intolerance post-op, there shouldn't be any reason to give it up....statistically, about 30% of RNY patients develop some degree of lactose intolerance, but it can usually be managed very well with Lactaid tablets and lactose-free milk. I am now 16 months post-op, have lost 145 lbs., and am 10 lbs. from goal. Old habits CAN be changed when the right motivation is there....RNY just gave me the extra help that I needed to change a lifetime of negative eating behaviors. Good luck!
   — Diana T.

July 29, 2001
The others are good answers and here's my take. 6 tiny meals is some _________ on a plate. You sit, you eat, you put the plate away, you eat no more solid food for 2-3 hours. Then you sit, you eat, you put the plate away. We do 6 very tiny meals, like 1-2 oz. Still a small amount of food, but we experience full/empty. And a meal is DONE in 15-20 min. If you sit and linger to get more in, it stretches your pouch very successfully. The full/empty thing is excellent training for us who were always confused, anyway. And eventually, it produces a much more satisfying feeling than volume (my way) or grazing. GRAZING is leaving the box of crackers open on your desk and gradually eating one at a time every few minutes. OR walking by and grabbing a handful of grapes every time you pass the break room or kitchen. That prevents either full or empty and gets a LOT more food on board, so it both stretches the pouch AND prevents you from getting that "satisfaction" that has eluded us for so long. It's not like you "can't have it", it's a matter of pacing it so you can get the most mileage out of it for the least damage to you. Know what I mean?
   — vitalady