rdt210

I had a really bad sweet tooth prior to surgery - I guess I would say it was a sugar addiction (couldn't get enough, the more I ate it, the more I craved it. Even would get sugar "hangovers".) I had quit sugar cold-turkey in the past and went through what felt like detox around the 4th day (headaches, etc.), but after that I felt a lot better. After surgery I didn't have much sugar at all, given the liquid diet we are on - so I think that, coupled with the painkillers, got me through the "detox" period. Now, I really don't think much about it at all (I was sleeved on 3/25). I can honestly say when I see sweets and desserts, I can take it or leave it (before I would have been obsessing about it) and be satisfied with one bite. I just hope that lasts! Good luck to you. :-)

This is what's working for me - I'm not suggesting this is the best way or the only... just my way. :-) It seems to be similar to what you are doing. I stopped logging everything after about 5 weeks when I was cleared for all foods (as tolerated). I am bound and determined not to be "on a diet" the rest of my life. The crazy thing is, when I track my food, I eat more. I know I do. I am so focused on "getting all my calories in" and that's all I think about. I can't even explain the freedom I feel now. I'm aware of the calories/fat/protein in foods by reading the labels, and I will measure out a "serving" to be sure that's exactly what I'm eating. Other than that, I make good choices, eat protein at every meal (and eat it first), I stop eating when I'm satisfied (I "slimed" one time, and that was enough - I definitely listen closely to my body now), and eat when I feel hungry. This means that I eat about every three hours. Just for grins one day I entered what I ate in MFP just to see where I was at - under 1000 calories. I personally think much less than that is not good. I do some sort of exercise mostly every day for 30 - 60 minutes - a class at the gym, a walk with the dog, or use my elliptical at home. I don't feel deprived at all - I have a glass of wine every now and again and some small ice cream treat almost every night. If I've learned anything from all the dieting I've done in my life, it's that depriving yourself of everything for any length of time is a recipe for disaster. I was sleeved on 3/25/13 and am still very much in the losing phase - once I hit maintenance I may go back to tracking for a few weeks just to see "what's what" and what I need to maintain. Right now I weigh myself on Monday morning and take my measurements on the first of the month.

I can relate to the sugar thing and I feel your pain... "detoxing" from it is brutal. Headaches and super tired (at least that's how it was for me). Thank goodness it only lasted abut 5 days (days 3-4 were the worst). This was my experience prior to surgery - I had cold-turkey cut out all sugar and flour from my diet back in 2010. But once it was out, the only way to keep it out was not to take that first bite. Basically you are forced to do the same thing post-op, but I didn't have that reaction this time. Probably because there's so much other stuff going on after surgery and your body is focused on healing itself. I'm 5 weeks post-op and I can honestly say that I don't want sweets, which is amazing. It's very strange what happens after surgery... I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. I have no cravings - I get hungry, but I have a hard time figuring out what to eat. Nothing sounds good. I wish you the best of luck!!!

Yay! Happy to hear that! I've just been writing down what I eat and not logging it in MFP. Your post made me curious, so I just logged the past three days (I'm on puree/soft diet phase, surgery 3/25), and was surprised to see my calories are around 550, and protein was 52-63. I thought my calories would have been higher. That low of a number kind of freaks me out, but I eat when I'm hungry (about every 3 hours) and stop when I'm full. So I guess that's where I need to be for now.

For quite some time, I have practiced "perimeter shopping" at the grocery store. 95% of what you should be eating is found here - dairy, meat and produce. Nearly all the stuff up and down the aisles is all processed (except for canned meats like tuna and chicken - you could include some canned fruit and veg, but I prefer frozen if for some reason I can't get fresh). I am pre-sleeve, but am glad that this is a habit I started long ago.

Kaui is one of my most favorite places and I can't imagine a better place to be!! Have a great time.