Okay let me first clarify that I do NOT intend to eat these foods after surgery (and really not even leading up to surgery) but it helps for my cravings to think about food. I'm very passionate about food. My moms been a cook at a steakhouse since before I was born so needless to say we were raised as cooks. The bad news is, my mom raised us on comfort food. Yes she serves fresh veggies and fruits (like dessert in our home) but she was big on stick to your ribs, make you fat food. I love to cook and I love to eat. When I travel somewhere new my way of learning the areas traditions or cultures, is by eating. Obviously that's how I got to 320 lbs, and I know I can't live that way any longer, but i also believe i can still LOVE food and love to cook food, i just need to learn to love BETTER food. I just wanted to start a food lovers discussion about our favorite cheats. The stuff that really makes us feel guilty.

Some of my moms "fat food" happens to be some guilty pleasures for me. Like tator tot hot dish, biscuits and gravy, potato Soup, ribs, lasagna, chicken pot pie, juicy Lucy's, and Desserts that should be illegal.

I also have a BAD HABIT of going out to eat a lot. My fiancé and I LOVE the dining experience. We love being in public and treating each other to date nights and spoiling each other, very unhealthy habit but it made us happy. Some of our go to places/meals were: bubba gumps, maple butter blondie at Applebee's, red lobster, hu hot Mongolian grill, artichoke dip from grizzlys steakhouse, Chinese buffets were BAAAAD for us, especially the sushi.

So lets have FUN and just open up and tell some dirty secrets!!!! It's OK to make mistakes as long as we realize how much they hurt us now. I once ate a WHOLE basket of cheddar bay biscuits, a salad, an ultimate feast, mashed potatoes, broccoli, AND a piece of cheesecake!!!!!!!

Starting weight 321- sleeve date 07/10/10. Sent from my iPhone using VST

In the "for what it's worth" column, there's nothing intrinsically wrong with eating out if you can do so mindfully. When possible, know the menu at the place you eat so you can choose appropriately without feeling rushed and making mistakes. My husband and I have started sharing plates where it makes sense, and both being aware enough of portion size to automatically take half or more home with us. Use some of the tricks of the diet trade - order your salad with dressing on the side and dip your fork in before getting a forkful of salad, or ask for balsamic vinegar. When getting meat, fowl or fish, ask for broiled, no butter, hold sauces or ask for them on the side so you can control how much you use. You get the point. Can you control even better at home? Of course, but if your life is anything close to as hectic as mine can be, it's not always realistic to eat at home, or if you do eat at home it's something out of the freezer section at the grocery store. As far as my guilty pleasures - anything cheesy is always a temptation. I'm not a huge sweets person, but I do enjoy a little bit of chocolate and caramel now and again. Oh, and super-premium ice creams call my name sometimes. What will still appeal to me post-surgery, who knows? But I know myself well enough to know I'll do better if I allow myself to indulge in a bite or two of something decadent than completely deny myself.

In the "for what it's worth" column' date=' there's nothing intrinsically wrong with eating out if you can do so mindfully. When possible, know the menu at the place you eat so you can choose appropriately without feeling rushed and making mistakes. My husband and I have started sharing plates where it makes sense, and both being aware enough of portion size to automatically take half or more home with us. Use some of the tricks of the diet trade - order your salad with dressing on the side and dip your fork in before getting a forkful of salad, or ask for balsamic vinegar. When getting meat, fowl or fish, ask for broiled, no butter, hold sauces or ask for them on the side so you can control how much you use. You get the point. Can you control even better at home? Of course, but if your life is anything close to as hectic as mine can be, it's not always realistic to eat at home, or if you do eat at home it's something out of the freezer section at the grocery store. As far as my guilty pleasures - anything cheesy is always a temptation. I'm not a huge sweets person, but I do enjoy a little bit of chocolate and caramel now and again. Oh, and super-premium ice creams call my name sometimes. What will still appeal to me post-surgery, who knows? But I know myself well enough to know I'll do better if I allow myself to indulge in a bite or two of something decadent than completely deny myself.[/quote']

Premium ice cream!!! Yum! And yes I am aware eating out will still be an option but to be honest we need to save money ha ha. I am going to avoid eating out all together until I'm at least "healed" and ok'd for regular diet. By then I should know my new body and what I can and can't tolerate. At home I can control where I eat, who I eat around, and at restaurants I'm forced to watch my fiancé order "the good stuff", he isn't the slightest interested in changing his eating habits and I am 100% that I'm not strong enough to watch him eat that stuff in front of me.

Starting weight 321- sleeve date 07/10/13 Sent from my iPhone using VST