This weekend was Canadian Thanksgiving, and in 2 days i gained 3lbs. I grazed badly didn't have mashed potatoes or even turkey, but i snacked on crackers and cheese, chocolate. I'm afraid if i can gain so easily now when i get down to my goal i'll gain it all back. I'm finding I'm able to eat more than i should, i eat my meal get full real fast then 10mins i can eat more than another 10 mins eat more, I just cant stop grazing. I want to be able to eat and stay full. I know how to do this just old habits are popping up and it scares me. I'm 4months out and have lost 53lbs so not bad but i have 150lbs left to lose. Guess i better get back to basics I know this protein and veggies, and need to excercise, saying and doing is two different things. Get it together girl.....

Holidays are always hard. For us in america we have 2 big ones coming up. Thanksgiving and Christmas You are not a failure. Each day is a battle, some you will win and some you will lose. You only fail if you give up. Stay strong and stay positive

For me, it is all about the choices I make. If I eat 5 crackers, 10 minutes later, I can eat 5 more. Not a good choice, but I do allow myself a cracker or four now and again.

Let's take those same crackers and add a slice of deli meat and a baby belle cheese. I can eat 4 of those and NOT eat another for at least an hour.

Protein fills me up and gives me that feeling longer. It keeps me from snacking and making bad decisions.

Those #'s could also be salt intake. Drink that water!! I will also keep you full and maybe help you stop grazing.

I'm getting scared too. I'm over five months out and when I make bad choices I find myself hungry soon thereafter. I struggle with resisting temptation a lot...

Thanks all, I'm hoping salt has something to do with it too. I'm drinking drinking drinking, made hubby take all the chocolate out to his truck, mini bars. Don't want any temptations near by.

Hi Tania - I just posted something similar to this on my own thread, but: don't panic! One of the best things about the sleeve is that, even though we may not be perfectly on track all the time, it will keep us from going too far off for too long. We just don't have the capability to do what we used to. There will be hiccups, but you will move on from them.

Tania,

We all fear that we're going to fail at this, and that fear's probably a good thing. It means we remember the way life was before, and we don't want to go back there. It means we realize that it's possible to end up back there if we're not careful. (And yes, with a mature sleeve you can get pretty far off track, and with enough grazing and empty calories regain a lot of weight! I can consume a frightening amount of Peanut Butter, or chocolate, or slider foods.) But the good news is, whether you fail or not is completely up to you! You know what to do - get plenty of liquids, lots of dense Protein, protein first at meals, avoid carbs and sweets, no drinking with meals, get some exercise.

I've learned a lot about myself and what works for me in the past 15 months, and I'm sure you have too. I've learned that for me, personally, a little bit of a "treat" can restart the carb/sugar craving spiral and drag me off track for weeks, so I have to really consider whether that treat is worth it, and be vigilant for an increase in cravings and snacking for a few days afterwards. I've learned that cottage cheese and greek yogurt may be yummy, and nutritionally fine choices, but they won't keep me full like cooked chicken breast. I've learned that I'm an eat everything on my plate kind of girl, and I tend to like to have seconds, so I'm stingy with my initial serving size. I've learned that if I log it before I eat it (or even better, log it before it ends up on my plate), I'm far more likely to make a good decision, and turn down that cookie, or at least limit myself to a very small serving.

You can do this. Expect some hurdles along the way, but my advice is to take the opportunity to really learn from your struggles and mistakes, so you can develop good habits and success strategies. In my experience, this really does get harder the further out you get from surgery, but that doesn't mean you're not up to the challenge!

Tania' date='

We all fear that we're going to fail at this, and that fear's probably a good thing. It means we remember the way life was before, and we don't want to go back there. It means we realize that it's possible to end up back there if we're not careful. (And yes, with a mature sleeve you can get pretty far off track, and with enough grazing and empty calories regain a lot of weight! I can consume a frightening amount of Peanut Butter, or chocolate, or slider foods.) But the good news is, whether you fail or not is completely up to you! You know what to do - get plenty of liquids, lots of dense Protein, protein first at meals, avoid carbs and sweets, no drinking with meals, get some exercise.

I've learned a lot about myself and what works for me in the past 15 months, and I'm sure you have too. I've learned that for me, personally, a little bit of a "treat" can restart the carb/sugar craving spiral and drag me off track for weeks, so I have to really consider whether that treat is worth it, and be vigilant for an increase in cravings and snacking for a few days afterwards. I've learned that cottage cheese and greek yogurt may be yummy, and nutritionally fine choices, but they won't keep me full like cooked chicken breast. I've learned that I'm an eat everything on my plate kind of girl, and I tend to like to have seconds, so I'm stingy with my initial serving size. I've learned that if I log it before I eat it (or even better, log it before it ends up on my plate), I'm far more likely to make a good decision, and turn down that cookie, or at least limit myself to a very small serving.

You can do this. Expect some hurdles along the way, but my advice is to take the opportunity to really learn from your struggles and mistakes, so you can develop good habits and success strategies. In my experience, this really does get harder the further out you get from surgery, but that doesn't mean you're not up to the challenge![/quote']

Wow....I like this post so much. Your way of looking at things is so similar to mine. I thought I was the only one logging food on My Fitness Pal before eating it. Many times I've put something on there....seen the effect it had on my daily log....and then removed it without ever eating it. Doing this has really helped me stay on my chosen path. So many times in my previous life (and holidays only made it worse) I convinced myself that this one thing wasn't going to hurt....wasn't going to make a difference. Well, it didn't. But it was the frequency with which I made these compromises that added up.

For so many people, these holiday gatherings are centered around food. Food is like the guest of honor at my family's get togethers. This will be the first year that I'm just not that interested in it. I'm going to try to make it about the people, not the food.

When ever you gain more than 2 pounds in one day have a steak day. Nothing but steak and water. Every meal and the two pounds will come right back off. Excellent for maintaining

Steak day gets rid of fluid retention and the sodium

When ever you gain more than 2 pounds in one day have a steak day. Nothing but steak and Water. Every meal and the two pounds will come right back off. Excellent for maintaining

Good idea, did this when I was on the hcg diet and it worked wonders, Ty for the reminder.