TatorTot

Hi all,
I mentioned the benefits of mindful eating in another thread and VSGAnn suggested I start a thread. I'm far from an expert on this, and honestly don't practice it as it should be, but I think the exploration of it has really helped me, so wanted to go ahead and start this - and invite others who may practice it chime in with their input and experience. I did a workshop about mindful eating in the months before my surgery. So sharing what I learned.
So mindful eating is really just about slowing down and paying much closer attention to the whole process of eating than we normally do. We all know the problems of mindless eating - how easy it is to finish a whole pint of ice cream, large bag of chips, etc. while watching TV. But even when eating at the table in a more traditional way so much of our eating is still pretty mindless. And we let external cues, rather than our own bodies, determine what we eat and how much.
Some of the basic tenets of mindful eating (again, not an expert so may be leaving things out - all are welcome to add/correct what I'm including!):
Before eating, check in with yourself and really think about what is your body wants to eat; sometimes we're just on autopilot and reach for the usual things, but when we listen we realize that we actually are craving something different Don't judge yourself for what you're craving; trust your body to tell you what it needs This one was REALLY hard for me, and I have not perfected it, but I do think it's really important; most of us have spent years dieting or "cheating" on diets and it's all just disconnected us from listening to what we actually need This one is also hard to align with the guidelines post surgery - like focusing on Protein, but to a somewhat limited extent it can still be done Before eating a meal, pause and think about the meal you're about to eat - where did all the ingredients come from? Who prepared it? And so onFor me, this helps me feel so thankful for the abundance of foods available to me; I often marvel at the range of spices and flavors in each of my meals that come from all over the world, or the fresh ingredients that made their way from country farms to my NYC apartment; and I am more aware of the animals that gave their lives for my sake than I used to be (still a carnivore, but more conscious about not wasting meat) Eat one bite at a time, putting your fork down between bites and think about the whole sensation - how the food feels in your mouth, the flavors that hit different parts of your tongue, how the flavors change as you start to chewIn the workshop I did we did a few guided meditations with food, for example eating just one raisin at a time and contemplating each stage of eating - holding the raisin in our mouths, chewing (for a while) and then finally swallowing; then doing the same with a 2nd raisin and noticing how the experience is slightly different with the 2nd bite vs the first; I highly recommend this! It was amazing how delicious one raisin could taste when you pay attention (and I'm not someone who thought I liked raisins). Also interesting how much less intense each bite is vs the first; after the first bite we tend to go into autopilot mode and just shovel it in without thought After each bite check in with yourself and consider how your hunger, satiety and fullness has changed Satiety is probably the hardest of these; I tend to think of it as - if someone took this food away right now how would that feel? If I would feel that I needed to get something else to eat than I'm not satisfied; if that feels like it wouldn't be so bad, and that what I've eaten will keep me going for 2-3 hours than most likely I'm just about satisfied In terms of fullness, paying attention helps you recognize the early signs of fullness; especially for us WLS people it's important not to eat to point of too full. There are always signals before that; we just have to get used to recognizing them There are mindful meditations that you can do - for just 10 minutes a day; this isn't about eating, but just about learning how to listen to your body signals - there's an app called mindfullness with a good 10-15 minute meditation (I think it's 2-3 dollars) Full disclosure: I did these during the workshop I was in, but have not continued; but I think it's helpful for someone who wants to embrace this process to do the work of strengthening your mindfulness muscles Mindfullness is not easy! We're programmed to rush. It's almost ridiculous how frustrating it can be to hold a raisin in your mouth for a minute without chewing it, but again - a great thing to do for yourself to build this skill - it really feels like taking care of yourself in a deeper way, and we all deserve to give ourselves that attention and care I did this workshop in the months before my surgery and I really think it's helped me since surgery. As I mentioned above I don't practice perfectly, but having worked to be more conscious in my eating for a while, now that awareness is more innate. I am much better about checking in with myself about what i'm craving. If I start eating something that's not satisfying I stop and get something different (when possible). If I want a little more than I planned to eat I get more. If I'm satisfied before I clean my plate I stop. I track what i eat, and focus on Protein and veggies, but I don't stop myself from eating more some days when I am just hungrier - or force myself to eat more on days when I'm not too hungry. And if I crave something sweet - I eat something sweet.
Overall I think this has helped me feel satisfied with the smaller meals we eat post surgery. Even though they're small I still think about each meal and make sure that it's yummy and satisfying. I've seen people post about how eating is so much less pleasurable since surgery and I don't relate. I enjoy food as much or more, but I think the mindfullness has helped with that a lot.
Hope this is helpful to some! Look forward to hearing if anyone else has tried this approach. Feel free to ask me any questions and I'll do my best to answer.
-Susan/Suse

Wow, Suse!
Thank you soooo much. I've read this twice and have bookmarked it. I'm going to try these exercises. All makes great sense.
The part about listening to what your body is telling you it really wants is the part I needed most to hear. I'm constantly trying to be "in charge" of what I eat -- obviously, I'm afraid to give my urges any power at all. Seems like it's time for a little more collaboration, eh?
Thank you once again. I appreciate the significant effort you went to to put this thread together.
Best regards,
Ann

Thanks for suggesting it Ann! It was good for me to think through the various aspects as well. Indeed - trusting ourselves is very challenging! For me, (before sleeve surgery) it was fascinating that once I started trusting myself and allowing myself to eat what I craved, I noticed that sometimes I actually craved healthy food! When you're not telling yourself that you must eat healthy food because it's the right thing to do you can actually hear when your body just naturally wants it. And when you tell yourself that you're a terrible person for eating sweet/fatty foods and deny your cravings, it can just make them come back with a rebellious vengeance.
Something else I want to add - when I started doing this, again pre-sleeve, I found that some of the foods that I thought I loved (like chicken chow fun from a local chinese place) were actually not that good! I think I craved them because they satisfied my cravings for fat and carbs, but when I actually paid attention to the taste it just wasn't very tasty. And I had an experience eating a burrito one night that was just amazing! I felt like I was eating food prepared for the gods - the range of flavors and spices was so intense and delicious. Since all this I use a lot more spices and hot sauces.

Good messages. Thanks!

Very good advice. Since I can't/don't eat much, I make sure what I do eat is really good tasting and of good quality. I also find that eating items I used to devour doesn't happen much since Have to be so selective. And like you, I am in NYC and privvy to some of the best food out there thank goodness. A few bites of something wonderful is a damn sight better than a plateful of something ordinary. At least, that's how I see it.

Thanks for this great post, Suse! I try to do many of the things you describe (with varying degrees of success). The closest thing I can relate to your raisin experience, believe it or not, was eating flan. I loved it so much, that I would hold it in my mouth, then swish it around so it would hit every taste bud before swallowing. It was the only food I was able to eat small bites slowly, hoping it would never end. Haven't had it since my WLS, but maybe some day... I do take small bites now, put my knife and fork down, lean back in my chair, and chew, chew, chew. I used to always be the first one finished with my meal, and now I'm always the last.
Here are a couple of AHA! moments I've had that other WLS folks may be able to related to or use:
I now recognize the "I'm getting full signs" even when my taste buds think they want more. My head wants seconds, but my stomach says it's had enough. It's a very odd feeling to push away delicious food because you're already satisfied. AHA! So this is how thin people eat. Who knew?! I used to need to finish everything on my plate or in the container, even if I was full or sick of the taste. That's no longer the case. And since our stomachs are so small, it's rarely a case of, "Oh, that's not enough for a meal, so I may as well finish it off." AHA! It may very well be enough to save. And if it's not, I don't have to be the garbage disposal for unfinished or unwanted food. I've had these two realizations in the past few weeks and it gave me some real hope for the future. If I can ingrain these types of mindful eating cues during my honeymoon period, maybe I'll be able to keep them as I transition into "normal" eating. Thanks again for the timely reminder!

WOOHOO!
I love this thread......lol.
I am in my 6th week of a mindfulness class and it is a real trip. I need alot of practice that is for sure.
Anyhow the psychologist that is giving the class had recommended several books, to me and of course I got enthralled with her. Her name is Susan Albers, psyd www.sootheyourselfwithoutfood.com
She also mentioned a free daily meditation exercise on mindfulness at Susan Pivers website.

WOOHOO!
I love this thread......lol.
I am in my 6th week of a mindfulness class and it is a real trip. I need alot of practice that is for sure.
Anyhow the psychologist that is giving the class had recommended several books, to me and of course I got enthralled with her. Her name is Susan Albers, psyd www.sootheyourselfwithoutfood.com
She also mentioned a free daily meditation exercise on mindfulness at Susan Pivers website.

ok so ill add one to this growing list. It amazes me that my hubby (who had WLS the month before me) and myself can hug each other without having to lean into each other over our bellies. and the sex just gets better and better. sorry tmi!

MissMac, I never ever thought of that, this is definitely worth mentioning at my dietician visit.........WooHoo girly!

Too bad this can't be a sticky

I have been seeing a dietician for a year and a half and through all this she has seen all the struggles I have had and I finally discussed weight loss surgery with her. I had decided years ago off and on to get it, but always thought I could lose it myself. Of course I did but you know how that rolls.
Anyhow she was very skeptical at first but she decided to do some studies on it and to my surprise she decided to support me on my decision.
This dietician works for the VA whom I am going thru for all this so we decided to get the ball rolling. She clearly has 1 1/2 yrs of records for my weight loss and weight gains. I wanted to learn how to eat healthy and not go on the all or nothing plan. I lost 32lbs which clearly wasn't fast enough for me but then again I was not dieting like I was use to doing and I really learned to live on a healthy plan.
I went thru all the rig a moral with the drs, psy, therapists everything I had to do to clear me for surgery. My dietician told me she talked to the bariatric coordinator and she was going to call me. Well she did and everything sounded real good and all I had to do was wait for the hospital surgeons nurse to call and set everything up. Supposedly when it got as far as the hospital it was stopped, and I was told that they wanted 3 more months of record keeping and counselling before she would approve it.
When I heard this I was livid, here I was waiting on my surgery date and then I was told a year and a half was not enough. I felt so much anger that I started eating like a crazy woman and gained all the weight back. I am trying so hard to get my head back in the game but I just don't know how and now my dietician and I are really struggling. I told her I cannot trust that if we do this another 3 mos that it will be enough for them. And can't they see how hard I worked to lose 32lbs in a year and a half? If I could have kept it off I would have?
Now here I sit with a nontrusting bad attitude and can't wrap my head around the fact that I have to do this again. To me it is very much like losing it and gaining it back yo yo syndrome that I have been through all of my life.
I know that I can't let this beat me because I want to get this done, but yet I can't get my frame of mind to do this again. I have waited all my 57yrs to be skinny and it just doesn't seem like it will ever happen. It pretty much destroyed my will to keep trying!
So, I need help to get my head back in the game and get back on my eating plan. I know I am mad and distrusting of the VA but I am not doing this for them, I am doing this for me. How do I get myself to do this? any ideas?
I just needed to get this out and I couldn't think of a better place than here! So thank you!

I love this thread, PLEASE keep them coming

Thank you for responding Beagle, I am currently reading that book, along with the groups and classes I have been attending. Haven't gotten real far yet but seems like a keeper!

I love this thread, PLEASE keep them coming

I love this thread, PLEASE keep them coming

I think she is asking you these things because she cares. Le me tell you...my precious Mama died 10 years ago this coming October from ALS otherwise known as Lou Gehrigs disease. You really should be thanful that you still have your Mom and ha she cares. Nobody in he world cares about you like your Mom. I would give ANYTHNG to be able to have a conversation with my Mama. Be patient with you. she just simply loves you. I wish I had my Mama (or Daddy, he has passed away as well) alive to care about me.

So I stopped riding a bike when I was in 9th grade and the weight kept increasing so I refused 2 ride bc I would look "dumb" well my husband bought me a bike and a ride along for my baby for his bike so we can do it together well last night I did it I rode the bike was a little shakey but I did it.

i have had pretty much no regrets either. going to my uncle's pizza place last night, and not being able to order his famous stromboli was HARD, but i know that maybe eventually down the road it will be possible. i got baked cod instead, and this morning weighed in 1 lb down. this journey is hard, but you decide. having bariatric is HARD. being fat and unhealthy is HARD. pick your hard...

I wanted to mention that Carnie Wilson was on the show "chopped", she was playing for charity and her choice of charity was for the more unfortunate people that needed surgery and couldn't afford to. She didn't win though!

I wanted to mention that Carnie Wilson was on the show "chopped", she was playing for charity and her choice of charity was for the more unfortunate people that needed surgery and couldn't afford to. She didn't win though!

Thank you for all your replies they got the wheels turning in my head. You guys are great!!

Thank you for all your replies they got the wheels turning in my head. You guys are great!!

How do I set my mind that I am never going to be able to eat pizza, and chocolate, cheetos and all my favorite foods ever again? Did anyone go into mourning not being able to have it? I am aware I can have a taste of it but does that satisfy your cravings? and if you get sick you can never even try it again.
Plus how disciplined are u in your diets? Sounds like everyone is just really really careful, and are u afraid of messing up?
Pretty scarry stuff!!!

Pions I am from WI, I didn't know there were any on here either but I did start a group called "Wisconsinites" to see if they would come out of the closet so to speak.............LOL