My question is what are some of your tips on being sleeved and surviving in the real world?? How do you guys resist the temptations? It's Christmas time too, so there will be Cookies and candies everywhere at work. I work at a hospital, and man do we like to eat. I just don't want to set myself up for failure. I'm planning on bringing my own lunch and keeping Snacks in my locker, but I wanted to know if there were any little tricks anyone has for keeping sane.

I was sleeved 7 weeks ago tomorrow, and I go back to work this weekend and I'm scared to flipping death!! I've lived in my little protective cocoon for the last 7 weeks with all of my good little foods in nice little proportions around me, with the ability to resist alot of the temptation just because I wasn't around the "bad" stuff. And if I was around something that I didn't need, I had my hubby there to tell me not to eat it (he's kinda like your conscience on your shoulder-subtle but still there lol).

I already had one slip up when I went black Friday shopping with my sister. I drank a million calorie hazelnut latte frappe something something coffee drink that was AMAZING but had me feeling so guilty! My sister felt pretty bad (she bought it) but I can't have someone holding my hand the whole time. Maybe it's my own fear of incompetence, but I need HELP!!

you can do it! i bought doughnuts for the family and i thought i could just have a little piece, then when it was in my mouth it felt so nasty to me. i could feel all the oil on the roof of my mouth and i wanted to vomit. i just didnt want it anymore. as for other temptations, dont tell yourself no, i cant have that ever anymore. if you do that you will fail. if there is something you just have to have, then make it 1/5th the size that you used to eat and try a little. it makes it so hard to succeed if you are always riding yourself to hard. as for those frappachino whatevers, i have had 2 since my surgery, i went with the skinny version in a small and it only has 100 calories. i didnt even finish it because it was to much for me, but they were a nice little treat. i will repeat myself, you can do it! good luck

These are the foods I have in my credenza in my office:

Crystal lite packets of assorted flavors to add to bottled Water

Hot tea and no cal sweetener to make hot tea (instead of those to die for coffee drinks)

ready made EAS Protein drinks (low carb) in chocolate and vanilla

foil packages of tuna

foil packages of salmon

small cans of green Beans with a pop top.

flatbread crisp crackers

individual packages of Jerky (costco special)

plastic fork knife and spoon

small plastic plates

small glad container with lid (to make chicken salad in)

In my fridge at work I have:

baby bell cheese

laughing cow cheese (to spread on the flatbread crisps)

sugar snap peas

baby carrots

cherry tomatoes

low cal miracle whip

shrimp sauce

dill relish

With my stash of food, I can eat lunch at my desk and not have to be tempted. I make chicken salad with 1 packet of the tuna, some dill relish and the lite miracle whip. If I can't fininsh the serving, I snap the lid on the glad container and it goes in the fridge. For veggies, I either have green beans or one of the fresh veggies. I can also take the laughing cow and spread it on the crackers for lunch. The baby bell cheese or jerky I use as protein Snacks primarily, although I have had them for lunch. If I want a veggie snack, I can take a few of the fresh veggies. If I want, I dip them in a small amount of shrimp sauce. I live a long way from my office and stay at a hotel a couple of nites a week. I take food and have it in my hotel room, if I don't want to eat in a restaurant. I use the Protein Drinks for Breakfast, although sometime if I am rushed I will use them for lunch or dinner.

I eat in restaurants a lot, but I feel better knowing I am a self-sufficient island when it comes to food. If I'm feeling tempted, I can always retreat to my island.

If I want to indulge in something that is not really good for me, I decide up-front what I will allow myself to have. (say, 1/4 of a donut, or 1 cookie). Put it on a plate, move away from the rest of the food, sit down, and eat the treat. Really focus on the food - the taste, the feel, the entire experience. It may be wonderful, or it may disgust you and you spit it out. Either way, don't wolf it down guiltily. Food is something we now consciously choose to eat.

Good Luck with all the land-mines of food during the holidays. It is a challenge for me, too. I keep reminding myself "food has no power over me, I am in control of what I choose to put in my mouth."

Sharon

You do not have to deprive yourself, that is what is great about the sleeve. Please read my blog, www.kemo46.blogspot.com , I talk about how I have handled several holidays since being sleeved. You can taste that cookie or that piece of pie, you just do not do it everyday or eat a mountain of them. I love my sleeve in the real world, I split meals, eat healthy and exercise but when I want to have a sweet treat, I have it. Just like Sharon said, surround yourself with good snacks. It is beef jerky and almonds for me. I also do the EAS Advantage carb control ready made shakes. Protein is your new friend and if you will eat the protein first, you will find you do not have enough room for too much bad stuff.

I agree with everything everyone has already said...

I am only 4 weeks post op.. but I don't even want sweets.. here at work they have brought in cookies/donuts/candy and I am very easily able to turn it down.( in fact I have a bar of chocolate in my purse that has been there for 6 weeks and I am not even tempted!!!) Even tho at Thanksgiving we had a wonderful cake that was delicious... I know... becaue I ate a tiny piece.. that totally satisfied my sweet tooth. I didn't eat any other thing sweet the whole holiday.

i have not doubt that this is the perfect surgery for me... I am not a huge sweet eater.. I am a carb/bread eater.. and a volumn eater. This sleeve is wonderful.. I can still eat a "bite" of anything I want.

Rhonda

I know every person is different, different sleeve, different cravings... but for me....so far it has been perfect.

I am in the same situation here at my office. Every day at lunch people start heating things up. I work with a bunch of guys so they don't really care what they eat because they burn it fast. I have to smell things like lasagna, hamburgers, BBQ, pizza, etc, etc. I hear them crunching ships, popcorn, nuts. I sit here and eat my tuna or chicken and veggies (not ready for raw yet). It's not easy but I try to just think about how their insides must look eating all that junk because I have always been told that "skinny" people get fatty organs when they eat that way.

Another trick I like to use is seasoning. You can make chicken taste like just about anything with the right seasoning. Ground beef too. Try out different seasonings and see if you can get the flavors you crave without working against your sleeve.

As far as the sweets, I had three (yep, one, two, three) M&M's and was hyper for about two and a half hours. I think I started about 10 projects around the house for no reason and never even got close to finishing them. The next day I had to clean up my project messes. It's not worth it to me. Others say they don't have a taste for things anymore. So maybe you could take a bite to see if it tastes as good as you think it will. My guess is that it won't.

Shae

I am 7 months out and find that I eat what ever I want but my wants have changed. That old fashioned donut that I used to LOVE ( and wolf down) doesn't entice me like it used to . Every once in a while I still buy it and end up eating 2 bites and throwing the rest away. That little coffee treat that I got at Starbucks a few weeks ago...well I could only drink about 2 ounces of it and I was done with it. I find that if I eat what I know I should (protein first always) and then let my self have what I feel I want ( this is not a deprivation diet like all the others we tried before) I am in control and my sleeve keeps me on track. I am not afraid of the holidays because I know I will eat a bite of this and a bite of that. But that's all I will want. I love my sleeve and the way it helps me to be in control. If I step out of line and eat too fast or too much...I feel awful and that is a great reminder to not do it .

Sometimes I get frustrated that my weight is coming off so slowly. But then I remember that one of my goals was to wear a loose size 8 and I am totally rocking that these days. I have the rest of my life to lose that last 8-10 pounds....It's all good!

Living the dream,

Laura

I am a little over 5 months out and I still have a sweet tooth....yet, it's not as intense as before. I don't deprive myself of it and I've overcome the guilt I used to feel when I would indulge in some kind of junk food. I don't eat junky stuff every day but I do have it quite often. For the most part, I stick to Protein, protein, protein. I eat lots of cheese, jerky, nuts, chicken, skim milk, etc. But for some reason, when I eat any kind junky food now, I continue to lose. Don't get me wrong, when I do eat something bad, it is small and I'm satisfied after only a couple of bites or say, one cookie. Then it seems like my cravings go away.

I would love to mention the fact that we went on a vacation last week and I ate so many things that I should not have.....I'm not telling anyone to go do this....AND I felt guilty the entire time. There was just something about being on vacation and feeling as if I had the right to be bad because vacation is a time to do things you don't do on an every day basis. Oh, and I had a Starbuck's tall gingerbread latte on the way back home. Okay, so I was thinking that I had surely gained some weight over the week. When I got home, I had actually lost 3 lbs. I'm sure that if I indulged this way all the time that I would surely not lose and possibly even gain but I think the fact that my portions were small and I was doing a lot of walking during vacation that my body didn't even register the junk. I LOVE MY SLEEVE! It has changed everything for me. I feel like I can enjoy life like a naturally thin person does....of course, not over doing the bad stuff because now I have a restrictive tool built in and my appetite has changed. When I talk about my appetite, sure I still crave sweets and my mind tells me that I can still eat huge plates full of food but after a few bites of whatever, I get this warm, stuffed feeling and really have no more desire to keep eating.

The sleeve really does change your relationship with food in a way that you have never experienced before. Until you are sleeved, you can't even image it. Okay, now I'm getting off topic.

You're not on a diet but have come into a life change....you can enjoy the foods that you love again, you're sleeve will help you to control over doing it. And stick with what you know you're supposed to do, enjoy the devilish foods in moderation. You'll be just fine!

I do alot of what the others do, but... My go to item is a oh yeah protien wafer bar. If I really want that chocolate/cake/cookie/etc., I'll eat the protein bar FIRST. Then after a few minutes if I still reaallllyyy want the treat, I'll eat it without guilt. I've found that I don't register being actually hungry. I get cravings like mad and I get really crabby!! Very weird.

This is a good question. At thanksgiving, I was really worried. However, I woke up the day of festivities and simply told myself I was going to follow my eating rules: Protein first, then veggies, then starch. I stuck to that. Then, instead of getting potatoes or stuffing, I chose to use a couple bites of dessert as my starch. I was satisfied and not deprived. So when the Christmas festivities start I will be waking up and telling myself....I following the rules today. Good luck to you! You can do it!!!

(null)

Ya know, each of us handles eating post op differently. For me, I refuse to say no to a craving or special treat. If I want a piece of candy, well I am going to eat it. The difference now is I eat a bite and I am satisfied, before I would eat a king size candy bar.

I make sure to major on Protein daily, I refuse to count carbs, protein, calories, etc., I just kind of eye ball it and mentally take note of if I've had enough. I only do this for energy issues. But seriously, I did this surgery to get my weight and portions under control not to restrict the kind of foods I eat. I wanted to be a normal sized girl eating normally just much smaller portions and that is exactly what has happened. I refuse to feel guilty over special treats and I won't even admit how often I indulge in frappuccinos

I'm pretty lucky that my sleeve doesn't really tolerate sweets or a lot of foods people tend to think of as "treat" foods.... Pre-surgery, my diet consisted of things like croissants, large sweet coffee drinks, fried foods, pizza, hamburgers, etc..... it pains me to admit that I put myself into the situation where I needed the sleeve in the first place!! (STILL frustrated about that, even though I absolutely love and am 100% grateful for my sleeve!!)

Post-surgery, it's like a switch has clicked off--I know that my sleeve doesn't like flour products like Pasta or bread from experience (ick), and it doesn't like high-sugar products (double ick), and I just can't handle the taste, texture, or mouth-coating effects of fried food now (ick), so.... in order not to get sick or feel horrid, I just avoid those things. I tried some of my old favorites a couple of times after being sleeved, and they made me sick. They somehow don't even tempt me now--I seriously can't explain my almost total lack of desire for these same foods I used to eat daily, unless it's some kind of self-brain-washing that happened without my really thinking about it. I do get a kind of dumping syndrome from certain high-sugar foods (nausea, chills, overall ickiness), so I have to be kind of careful.

I do have treats occasionally, like half of a not-too-sweet cookie, but I can't eat them on an empty stomach or I get sick, and when I've already eaten my "good" food, there's not a lot of room for that kind of "treat." And they don't FEEL good--they may taste good, but they tend to make me feel physically bad, and that's the key for me. I'm a wimp!! I don't like to feel physically ill.

One of my new favorite "treat" foods is a couple of Jordan almonds--they have a kind of crunchy candy shell around an almond; one or two of those is pretty much my limit. I also enjoy some pumpkin spice flavored almonds that I got at the grocery store--they're yummy and satisfy my urge for a sweet, crunchy snack, but there's plenty of good nutrition in there, too. My husband and I have become quite the cheese snobs--we have a Whole Foods market nearby that has a "try it for $4 or less" bin in which they put odds and ends from the cheese department, and we both snack on thin slices of excellent cheese--we've enjoyed comparing and learning and finding new favorites.

Other people's treat foods don't really do it for me any more. Again, if you had told me that my sleeve would change the way my brain works, I'd have laughed at you, but it just really seems to have done just that--I absolutely do not crave the things I used to pre-sleeve, and I know it's because I know they make me sick when I eat them, so why go there? Don't know if this helps at all, but I would say try to think of all of it in terms of choices you're making--not things you "have" to do or "can't" do, but things you choose to eat or not eat. Takes some of the pressure off. Choice feels better than rules, somehow.

I am exactly like you penpen. I eat what I want but the amount is so small it is ridiculous. I have decided that I am going to live my life without guilt or regrets because those things sure didn't keep me from getting fat to start with and they certainly didn't help me lose the weight. I notice my thin friends foods and I eat even less than them! I eat a lot of chicken, steak, nuts and whatever else the family is having. I also have to eat about every 2-3 hrs. If I want something sweet I eat it, but one cookie satisfies me instead of the whole bag. I love this life and my sleeve more and more every day.

The weekend at work went really good, but the best part was when I weighed myself this morning and realized my stall was over!! I took alot of different things with me to eat and snack on, but I didn't eat hardly any of it. At least it's there and I can have something when I need it, I was in surgery for almost 5 hours, and that's the first time since my surgery that I actually felt hungry. I was dying of thirst too... I survived, and thanks for all the tips!

i am a pre-sleever and HOPE so much that my cravings for sweets or the tastes for sweets leaves along with most of my stomach!!

Just to echo what a lot of other posters have said ...

How do I resist the temptation? I don't. I don't deprive myself of all those terrible things. As long as I am getting my Protein and liquids in, I partake. But nowhere near on the scale that I used to. I will have one piece of Almond Rocca ... a small sliver of pie ... one piece of peanut brittle ... things like that. The sleeve allows me to do so, because after eating one of these items, I really don't want another. I know it sounds crazy to those pre-op or newly sleeved, but it is true. I am full and sated with that one piece. Cravings are no longer the 1,000 pound gorilla on my shoulder yelling in my ear, "Grab another handful!!" Nope. It is amazing.

Now, can you do this a week after being sleeved? No way. Don't even try. You have to be at the stage where you can try anything. Even then, you may be suprised when that piece of divinity you used to love makes you want to hurl.