Well, I had the sleeve on April 10th of this year. Immediately, I lost a ton of course being on a liquid diet and I think that my stomach itself weighed a ton! *grins*..Anyway, I can eat anything, no problem......but there it is....a problem. I started nibbling on gold fish crackers, it went from a few, to a bag..I am only 10 weeks out and other than my stomach hurting if I eat to fast or too much ( which rarely ever happens ), I can literally eat anything. I have polycystic ovarian syndrome and I know that affects things as well, but honestly I just finished my second month and I have lost 35 pounds. However, I lost 25 of that my first week. So, I am losing very slowly, and I know I'm getting too many carbs and things in.

I have been great as far as I haven't had any fast food, no chocolate, no chips...( all were a downfall of mine ) but obviously I am still eating enough to hamper the weight loss. I also over the past week especially have felt hunger for the first time since the surgery. I was never hungry before, now..I am. It worries me, as obviously I had control issues to begin with...so that doesn't go away and I'm already fighting with myself. You know the head story...you wake up and think to yourself, "no crackers today" then as you are eating the crackers you go, "well thats ok, just have a protien shake for dinner and nothing else", then as you are eating dinner you go, "Well there is always tomorrow"...

I've done all the tricks...think of where you'll be..think of how hard you've worked...I even think about how much I paid as insurance didn't cover it. I surely don't want to be the only person ever to have this not be successful for them...I mean if you cut out 80% of my stomach and I still can't make it work! WTH! right?

What have you done to help get over hurdles like this? Have any of you tried any replacement foods to maybe get that munching habit satisified without taking in the calories and carbs? Funniest thing is, everyone thinks I have amazing control.....Seriously......have they met me!?

Yes, you can eat literally anything. We all mostly can. There is no magic trick or potion. Keep the problem foods out of the house. Period. No exceptions.

If you are eating carbs and other crap, you are most likely not getting enough Protein. As you are eating the crackers, you need to say, no, it's NOT ok. Not ok at all and find something else that is healthy or some other activity to get your mind off the food.

I'm sure you are just venting but I also think you know exactly what you need to do.

Don't let this incredible tool go to waste, especially one you paid for out of pocket.

Good luck to you!

I use my fitness pal and I track everything I eat. It causes me to decide if I am going to eat something bad or not. I don't justify anything...I can't....that's why I got where I was to begin with. The best thing I did though is right after surgery I went through my pantry, freezer, and refrigerator and threw away ALL the bad stuff. I simply got it out of the house and I don't buy it anymore. That's right...no more goldfish, no more chips ahoys, no more big glass of milk with every meal, no more candy, no more chips, no more ice cream.....none of it. If it is not in the house, I can't eat it, right? To curb my sweet tooth, I plan for a Protein bar...that way at least I am getting something from a sweet fix.

I have also joined some blogs and recipe pages for bariatric patients and weight loss recipes. I focus on protein. Not very exciting most of the time, but as long as I do well 99% of the time, I can afford a treat every now and then.

Hey Sweetie!

Ok, lets flush the goldfish!! haha I also do love goldfish crackers! So I can sympathize.

The one thing that I have been doing lately is using the My fitness pal ap and recording everything that goes in my mouth! My husband has also been using it so it helps to have him trying to figure out how many calories etc are in something, plus it helps to remind me to do it as well.

I also made a pac with myself to be honest in my reporting. I ate two mini Mr Goodbar, knowing that no one in the house would miss them because they dont like them! Anyway, I went ahead and added them in even though I didnt want to admit that I ate them but I am glad that I did. No one else sees it unless you want them to, but I have found that when I make a committment to write down everything, that I behave a lot more.

Now, just realize that the goldfish are not something that you should be eating right now and stay away from that aisle at the store if you can. Dont buy them! Easier said than done.

Anyway, if you want to start the My Fitness Pal ap, I will make you my friend. I have not made anyone my friend yet so you would be the first. Anyway, maybe it can help!

Have a great day and YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!!

I'm at 7 weeks and I definitely have started facing similar problems, but I just know not to overindulge.

I had this surgery so I could still live a normal life. So I don't feel guilty if I have a small ice cream or frozen yogurt, or a 100 cal bag of popcorn. It's all in moderation. Stuff like the goldfish... You can have goldfish, but measure then out and track them! Don't start that habit of picking out of the bag all day.

I track everything. Some days it's 8PM and I'm at 70g of Protein and only 1000 calories, so I'll allow myself a little bedtime treat.

I usually hit between 1000-1200 and 60-70g of protein. I also do kickboxing and bootcamp several times a week. I've lost 27 pounds (only 40-50 more to go!) and still lose 2-3 lbs a week on average.

It's all about moderation and balance. I make sure I work out and don't exceed my calories every day.

Well, the first obvious step would be to stop buying Goldfish Crackers

It happens. You begin to "retrench" to what was comfortable before. Get determined that you can do this! You can do this! Work the plan we were taught prior to surgery---protein first, then fruits and veggies. Oh yeah, gotta have the Water.

Believe me, when you eat the Protein first there is not much room for a cracker. However, it is nice to "crunch" something.

You got this.

Thanks, strangely enough I feel better. I tossed the bag of goldfish, and grabbed my water. Not buying them is definitely the answer, of course I in my wisdom thought, "I can handle these little cute crackers!" apparently not! Grins.......but thanks all, very encouraging and your right..."I GOT THIS"

Being that you have PCOS your hormones are probably fluctuating more and I do think those fluctuations cause cravings. I'm not saying this to be mean, it's what I have to do myself: If I can handle a few bites I'll go for it. If it will make me binge or crave more I avoid it like the plague. So now you know those lil goldfish crackers are a binge food.

I found a great snack, turkey Jerky by jack link's, when I just want something to chew on. For starters, it takes forever to really mash it up so time goes by slowly just eating a little bit hehe.

Good luck!

I found myself in week 3-5 going back to old "comfortable behaviors". I never have been able to control myself around food, so when I started doing this it really scared me. I thought, there may be no hope for me and I think I might have to face the fact I will be heavy the rest of my life. To me the problem is not necessarily the weight it is how the weight makes me feel. I felt embarrased, ashamed, too big to do so many activities with my kids (this bothered me the most). So somewhere in week 5's self pity festival I was throwing myself, I said enough. I went through the cabinets and got rid of every carb there was. I have four kids and they were very upset by this but they will have to get over it and support me for a while. I started working out HARD. I joined a gym, C25K, started myfitnesspal.com track every calorie, all calories come from protien, protien shakes, and a few veggies. I quit playing around, this is about making habits that will last for the rest of my life. If I really want a sweet I have a sugar free candy. I feel AMAZING! For the first time in my life I am really taking good care of myself and I love it. Your worth the effort you know.

You acknowledged the problem, and that's the most important thing right there. Bad habits are hard to break, and there is always tomorrow! None of us are perfect. You have lost a lot of weight so far! Keep your head up and keep on losing!