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What helps me best is trying not to snack-just eating full meals. That way I’m actually too full to want to eat my cravings. I also leave aside enough calories at the end of the day to have a glass of wine or couple of pieces of my kid’s leftover fun-size chocolate candies. As another poster said, if you completely ignore what you crave, you’ll end up eating it anyway after what you ate instead and that leads to regret and bingeing.

i am also a slow eater, regardless what setting I am in. I've conditioned myself i guess to eat slowly because if i eat to fast my fullness will kick in unexpectedly and i would be at best uncomfortable, at worst pain. so i try to avoid that as much as possible. the times i do eat "fast" (which is probably regular pace for "regular" people), is when I am particularly hungry, and yep i almost always pay for it. now in terms of snacking, i am probably one of those people who basically snack all day. I don't really have set meals, i kinda just pick at "meals" over several hours, or just a whole bunch of mini (micro?)-meals, cuz i do get hungry since don't really eat much in one sitting. At the end of the day though, i am still more or less at the calorie level needed to maintain my weight right now, so its working for ME. is your snacking causing you to eat more calories over all?

avocado toast: 211 calories. ate it all less a couple bites Mr. took when I wasn't looking.

I don't really have a typical day, either, although I'm still tracking at 7.5 years out. I've been eating in the 1600-1800 calorie range for quite awhile (I do exercise most days of the week), but I'm trying to lose a few lbs now so I'm trying to keep it at or under 1600.

same as above: after weight loss phase, i don't really have a typical day of eating...it varies wildly from day to day. i do still track my calorie intake, but more so just out of habit. i generally average about 1800-2000 calories a day. some days less some days more. i do moderate exercise, and a 5'2" female. also managed to stay below goal weight this entire time with how and what i eat so im def grateful for that. oh, and i'm a little over 4 years out. what i ate today: - french bread with butter - cranberry granola - kimchi dumplings - general tso tofu - french bread with strawberry jam - grilled shrimp - garlic bread with cheese - sour cream & onion chips - almonds - espresso martinis (2) (i don't normally eat this much bread, but i made a couple loaves this morning so...) (also, im a grazer so i ate all this here and there throughout the day)

I'm not quite 3 years out yet (that'll be next month), but there isn't a 'typical' day for me. I used the weight loss phase to get into a new mindset and learn to eat in a sustainable way. Which is what I do. I eat around 1600-2000 calories depending on the day (but only count calories if my weight goes up past what I allow myself, i.e my comfortable zone). I'm 188 right now and as long as I'm still in the 180's I'm okay (if it goes into the 190's I start counting calories. I put on some weight after starting a med for my Trigeminal Neuralgia and was only able to lose about half of what I put on, but I figure that's probably the normal weight gain I heard you gain in your second year anyway so I just shrug it off or try to, anyway). What I ate today: Breakfast: Granola bar & 2 Caramel Rice Cakes Snack: No Sugar Added Mandarin Orange Fruit Cup Lunch: Leftover Chicken Fetticini Snack: Protein Shake Dinner: Turkey Potato Skillet I just had blood work done and my blood work is almost perfect (have low sodium, but that's due to my anti-anxiety meds. They told me to drink more lol).

Hey guys! I'm three weeks post- op from Gastric Sleeve. Just curious as to if anyone else has had something called water nausea? I have not been able to drink water in any form (iced, room temperature, hot, flavored, etc...) without it coming back up the second it hits by stomach. The only fluids I have been able to keep down are Gatorade zero or tea with no calorie sweetener. Recently, Gatorade zero has also become like water to the extent where it makes me sick or very nauseous. Also, I'm in the soft foods and I was told I should be eating at least a quarter of a cup of soft foods, but I can't get through one bite that's smaller than my pinky nail without having an intense pain in the center of my upper stomach below the sternum. The pain has convinced me that eating in general just isn't worth it and I have the same issue when it comes to protein shakes. Has anybody experienced this and have any helpful advice? I've had to get fluids for the two weeks and my doctor says it's all normal, but it's causing me to spiral into a pit of depression because everyone I've talked to has said they never experienced anything like this and therefore can't give me advice.

bread fresh from the oven. yummm, ate it all with about 1tsp of butter slathered on it: 108 calories, ate it all.

Hi All! Summary: I'm bored of my go to meals. What healthy options do you love? Detail: I am almost 3 years out and have put on a few pounds from my low - 155 to 170 at 5'10. I think I'm still in the normal "bounce back" gain range but I want to make sure I stop any further gain. I work out pretty heavy: 3 days of HiiT, 1 day hiking, 1 day yoga plus daily dog walks. I had stopped tracking all my food but started back up and I am around 2000 calories a day which with exercise seems to be right (when I am tracking and staying there my weight stopped moving). My challenge is I tend to eat 3 meals plus an afternoon snack and I am looking for lower calories, lean protein options. I tend to like one pot or casserole type meals v. a piece of meat and side dish but I am open to any thoughts! For those of you curious, a regular day for me may be: Breakfast: Coffee w/ half and half and Green smoothie (with protein, frozen fruit & frozen spinach) Lunch: Chicken salad Snack: Greek yogurt with keto granola Dinner: Ground chicken tacos with carb conscious tortilla's or Breakfast: Coffee w/ half and half and 2 eggs on an english muffin Lunch: Chef salad Snack: Premier protein shake Dinner: Au gratin vegetables casserole with chicken dinner sausage I may also have dessert which is usually sugar free jello/sugar free jello pudding made with Fairlife skim milk Thanks for sharing! Lori

I'm currently in maintenance and trying to accustom myself to what that means in terms of diet. Yesterday was wonky. I ate all good stuff but too much of it. Nothing ridiculous, maybe 300 calories over maintenance, but I know it can be a slippery slope. I think the culprit was too many slider foods... soup, yogurt, protein shake, etc. I stayed hungry even when I kept eating. I am concerned, however, that my cravings felt "out of control," like they did pre-op. How do you deal with cravings when you have them? Do you have any techniques?

It's the calories. Not "the carbs". Not "the fats". Not "high protein only". It's the calories. Always. Doesn't matter where they're coming from. Eat more than you burn and you're going to gain weight. There is no evil magic in "carbs".

First off, Congratulations for getting back out there in your new life. And also preparing for a marathon! That is fantastic! Now from a Man's point of view. You found a guy that is into health & fitness which is a good thing for you. He is "super encouraging" and supportative in a positive manner. You actully DID go on a "restrictive calorie" diet to achieve your superb weight loss. You just used another tool in the box called gastirc bypass to assist you. You should be very proud of yourself for doing that. Now to answer the question. Yes IF reaching that point of seriousness in your relationship. The disclosure most likely won't matter to him but will give you peace of mind to continue your relationship. Don't make it a confessional type of discussion where you sound ashamed, but rather matter-of-factly in discussing your nutritional needs. Consdering his background, he probaly will be eager to assist you in your journey. If he is serious about you, your relationship willl continue to grow. It is no big deal for a guy (even a fitness buff). Would he care if you previously had facelifts or breast implants? Would you even mention that? If he is serious, he likes you for who you are NOW. Good luck and stay postive!

Yea, I can eat a ton if I let myself, those slider foods never fill you up. haha I buy the small 100 calorie bags, or measure out a serving so I don't go over board.

OH NO! I love popcorn, it is a slider food but I still eat it regularly without issues. I count the calories, make sure it fits into my daily goals as a snack and roll with it. I guess we live and learn but I hope you feel better soon. So far nothing disagrees with me. Which, I am grateful for but yet disappointed. haha I have always been a salty person (before WLS) now after WLS I crave sweet things. It is weird, I have never been a sweet person. I manage it and it doesn't control me but still weird how things change.

I’m sorry you have been through such emotional upheaval that compromised your weight loss journey. You had other battles & issues you were dealing with which didn’t allow you to fully embrace the benefits of your surgery. Sometimes life gets in the way of all our good intentions. Glad you are seeing a therapist now to support you. Many find therapy a great benefit to their weight loss. And remember, you did lose more than 100lbs which is an achievement. The efficacy of the pouch reset is questionable. Some swear it works & others say it doesn’t. It really is just going back on the very low calories diet you followed immediately after surgery. Have you considered going to a dietician & working on eating in a way that is more like what you were doing when you were into eating solid foods with protein & fluid goals, watching portion size, lowish carbs, fats & sugar, etc. so adopting a healthy, & nutrient dense diet. If you think you have stretched your tummy out, maybe a revision surgery may be helpful. Certainly worth a conversation with your old surgeon or a new one to see if it is possible. Others here will likely have more knowledge & experience about this. What ever you decide, all the best.

Oh my friend, I can imagine what you're going through. I recently became single again and the thought of going through that process is a little intimidating. And I'll also have a double mastectomy to throw into the oh-by-the-ways. Whenever I get particularly stressed out about these types of questions I tell myself that outing oneself may not be necessary at first, but at some point, if the dude ends up being someone worthwhile, I'll want to come clean. I believe I have one of those bodies that hangs onto every calorie it ever consumed in case there is a sudden famine. I'm a survivor, right? Fortunately, there is no famine, and no real need to store fat the way I store fat, but my body does what it does because it has wanted to just be prepared in case. LOL.

Have you tried adding some calories? I was the same weight for a few days but once I added 50-100 calories a day, it moved Sent from my SM-G960U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

Congrats! I would like to hear more about you doing Keto. There are a lot of things "keto" we've been told not to do, like high fat/calorie. Did your surgeon recommend this? I ask because I love Keto and would much rather do that down the line.

I haven't posted in a minute - life is feeling very normal now that I'm almost a full year post op so I haven't been perusing the forums too much. I've finally reached my first goal weight which is great. I've lost 120 lbs. I still have restrictions on my eating. I don't get food stuck as much but if I take that "one bite too many" I can get nauseous for solid 1 to 2 hours but dating is feeling pretty easy in terms of eating. I know what works and what doesn't when planning meals with my partner. I have recently started seeing this guy and it's getting pretty serious with that. He's super into fitness and is a martial arts athlete. I am recently starting to train for a marathon so we've been able to bond a bit over training and stretching properly but as someone who was recently super morbidly obese, I feel super awkward still talking about exercise and nutrition with him which is a big part of his life. I told him I recently dropped a lot of weight and he's super encouraging and is always telling me I should be proud of myself because I can be quiet about it around him and others. I am terrified to tell him that I got weight loss surgery because I don't know what he thinks about it and I feel like some fitness people stigmatize it a lot. It's even as crazy as me keeping my shirt on during seggsy time or turning the lights off completely because of my incision scars and I'm also super self conscious about my loose skin which I've already told him about and he says he loves my soft tummy which is nice but it makes me kind of want to die (metaphorically lol) because I hate my body so much. But he's super kind and just wants me to be comfortable really but I am so scared to tell him about surgery and I get so awkward talking about fitness because I still feel like I'm 340 lbs. Anyone have to deal with a situation like this? I mean at some point or I guess at what point will it become obvious? How long can I really keep the lie up? I told him I lost the weight with calorie restriction. I told him I have an ibuprofen allergy and that I hate sweets (really though because of dumping lol). I feel like a horrible person though because I am really starting to care about him. I would appreciate any advice. My family says that I owe no one an explanation and there's no obligation or moral reason to tell people that I had the surgery. I kind of agree with that but there are moment where it's like - is she just being really shy around me? Why is she eating like half of a serving of food? Or getting nauseous or taking all my horse pill supplements and dealing with some vitamin deficiencies every now and then? Idk. Not sure how this usually goes for people. Thanks!

My goal of 140 lbs. was set for a normal BMI classification for someone 5'3". I began maintenance at 140 but continued to lose while trying to find the magic calorie maintenance number. As long as I don't enter the medically underweight (or overweight) category, then I will just keep doing what I am doing.

I got on the scale this morning to find I've hit goal (in fact, I'm below goal). I'm floored. There's always that doubt in the back of the mind that says "ahh, you'll never make it", leftover from a lifetime of yo-yo dieting failure and self-sabotage, so to actually get here is surreal. This is the first time in my life I've been a normal BMI. I thought it would take me months to shed the final kilogram, especially since I feel like I'm eating in a maintenance way now and not really watching calories like a hawk, but I feel like it dropped off me super quick in the last month (with an extra kilo as a bonus). For info purposes, it took 14.5 months to go from a 42 BMI to 25. Hard, hard work, but so worth it, and I despite the constant "am I eating too much" voice in my head, I feel like I do have a healthier relationship with food now, in that there's no guilt and shame anymore, even when I've had a mouthful too much. So happy, stunned and grateful that I'm actually, finally here.

Meal prepped a big batch of turkey chili for lunches this week! 270 calories, 27.5g protein! I ATE IT ALL!

salad! 302 calories for the bowl.

Everyone is different. Don't compare. You are barely getting any calories in, your body is healing. It needs time to adjust to the limited calories. It will pass and you will be feeling great before you know it!