I had to bake for a baskesale yesterday, then go and work at it. Talk about a struggle! I felt like the alcholic tending bar. I used to bake all of the time - and eat it. Once I had surgery, as part of my transition, I have kept trigger foods and activities out of my house. I think that has been a huge contributor to my success so far.

I guess I was just shocked at how easy it would be to slide back into old habits. I resisted the dough and the Cookies while baking, and did just fine, and was pretty proud of myself. I went to the bakesale, and couldn't believe how bad I wanted these caramel pecan brownies someone brought! Of course, it was easy to resist them because I'm a closet eater, so there was no way I was getting those, lol. But then I came home, and I ATE A COOKIE!! Uggh. It's not so bad in and of itself, it's just that I couldn't seem to control myself. I felt ashamed and disgusted while and after I ate it. I haven't lost control like that since I had surgery. Then, all evening long, all I could think about was those browniesl I didn't do bad yesterday with calories, but that was a glimpse of what could happen if I let it.

So, today is a new day and I'm back in charge, but I just wondered if anyone else has had a similar experience? Did you overcome the moment? How did you prevent an ongoing backslide? Someone please commiserate with me.

The beauty of this tool that it allows you to take pause, where in the past, you would have mindlessly eaten much much more.

This time you at least stopped, thought about it, made a decision (although it sounds like you regret it) and are now being accountable. This sounds much healthier and deserves to be celebrated - so congrats!

Guilt and shame should have been left behind in the O.R.

Love yourself enough to enjoy the cookie, track it and move on!

I feel ya...I cook for a living......The temptation is all around me...every.single.day. This has been the hardest week of work since I was sleeved. I catered the wedding reception from hell for 100 people. Think Adams Family on acid. It was truly the ass clown circus parade. I worked about 72 hours this week and have been bone tired every night when I got home. I've eaten mostly okay, but I know there are things that I have eaten this week or amounts that I have eaten that weren't good. Honestly I can't possibly even remember eating anything at all this week. At every tempting turn, I try to remember what got me to the point, that I needed surgery to fix the problem. Before I eat, I look at my food and I think about what that food is going to do to me. Is it going to make me more of a fat ass, or is it going to help make me be more healthy. Slips are going to happen, we are human and our failings are part of our fabric. But we can't let those failings and the guilt that comes with it drive us deeper into the shelter that food has provided us. We have to break that chain. So you slipped up, don't feel guilty about it. A cookie or 5 or 6 isn't going to derail you if you don't let it. Account for it, understand why you ate it, and know that next time it will be different. You got this, you know you do. You just have to play a little mental chess with yourself. One side is the fat ass, the other is the healthy happy person you want to be. You pick the side

Just remember, your sleeve is for LIFE. Yes, developing good eating habits from the start is essential but dont let one cookie discourage you. Healthy eaters eat dessert from time to time. I used to watch others eat and thought "oh poor me" but I soon left that behind after really watching them, and the hoggish amount most eat and sat back smugly saying, I dont need all that.... I can now choose a healthy path! You go girl, you are on the road to health!

Have to agree that's its not the cookie that's the issue - it's the way you felt before and after you ate it.

I still struggle with wanting more than I need -esp. junky foods. I prevent an ongoing backslide by getting back on my clean eating program. An occasional treat is OK, but they cannot be the norm. And, IMO, it's crucial to keep treats at a minimum till you get to goal.

Be kind to yourself. What would you say to a friend in your shoes? Then say that to yourself.

Yesterday, I really wanted junk after dinner. I had two cups of tea instead. And I pictured the snack isle in the store. Plenty of Snacks, and they are not going to run out. I can have some later! I do not need to have them now.

Lynda

I am a huge foodie and I love to cook. I have been exactly where you were too. I agree to having the occasional treat and for us that treat is normally a bite or two.

What I do to keep myself in check is tell myself that I can make a better version of those Cookies, brownies, pies..... Sometimes I have to tell myself what I don't like about the person who made it in order to further enforce my resistance to eating it. It can be things like she chew her nails, or he is easily distracted... and then I automatically assume that their delectable delight is terrible.

I get similar feelings all the time. I work with a bunch of donut bringing knuckleheads. Every other day someone stops and buys 2 huge boxes of donuts that sit and stare me in the face all day. Sad part is, they will eat less than half the donuts and the rest just sit there. HOW CAN THEY NOT EAT AVAILABLE, DEFENSELESS DONUTS??? It pains me. Sometimes I remain strong, other times I give in and eat a donut or 3. Sad part is, I have absolutely no donut restriction whatsoever. My sleeve is impervious to donuts. It sucks. I just have to be stronger. I try to stay busy on those days. Stay away from the office as much as possible. But the sad fact is these temptations will always be around and we just have to learn how to deal with them without making ourselves miserable. Easier said than done, but still a goal worth fighting for.

Get them back then by bringing in gourmet cupcakes loaded with fat...LOL

The beauty of this tool that it allows you to take pause, where in the past, you would have mindlessly eaten much much more.

This time you at least stopped, thought about it, made a decision (although it sounds like you regret it) and are now being accountable. This sounds much healthier and deserves to be celebrated - so congrats!

Guilt and shame should have been left behind in the O.R.

Love yourself enough to enjoy the cookie, track it and move on!

Thanks for the kind words and good advice. I do wish the guilt and shame could have been cut out with my stomach....but years of catholic school (all the way through nursing school!) have firmly rooted guilt in my personality. If I had planned to eat the cookie, I would have enjoyed it. But since I planned not to, I felt like I was very bad!

I did track it, and that was hard to do. I think that's really the accountability part for me. I can't BS myself, but I wanted to...and how crazy is that?

Whew, I'll say three hail mary's and move on

Have to agree that's its not the cookie that's the issue - it's the way you felt before and after you ate it.

I still struggle with wanting more than I need -esp. junky foods. I prevent an ongoing backslide by getting back on my clean eating program. An occasional treat is OK, but they cannot be the norm. And, IMO, it's crucial to keep treats at a minimum till you get to goal.

Be kind to yourself. What would you say to a friend in your shoes? Then say that to yourself.

Yesterday, I really wanted junk after dinner. I had two cups of tea instead. And I pictured the snack isle in the store. Plenty of Snacks, and they are not going to run out. I can have some later! I do not need to have them now.

Lynda

Thanks for sharing your experience with me. I agree, I have kept, and plan to continue to keep treats to the minimum. That's why I'm loathing the darn bakesale, and why I'm kicking myself. I have had some treats along the way (rarely), and did fine with planning and self control. But yesterday I felt possessed, a little like I used to be before surgery. I underestimated the power of the cookie, thought I had it under control, could be exposed and resist. Sadly, it's not the case.

Great advice to just put off eating something, knowing you can have it some other time. I'm going to try that.

I feel ya...I cook for a living......The temptation is all around me...every.single.day. This has been the hardest week of work since I was sleeved. I catered the wedding reception from hell for 100 people. Think Adams Family on acid. It was truly the ass clown circus parade. I worked about 72 hours this week and have been bone tired every night when I got home. I've eaten mostly okay, but I know there are things that I have eaten this week or amounts that I have eaten that weren't good. Honestly I can't possibly even remember eating anything at all this week. At every tempting turn, I try to remember what got me to the point, that I needed surgery to fix the problem. Before I eat, I look at my food and I think about what that food is going to do to me. Is it going to make me more of a fat ass, or is it going to help make me be more healthy. Slips are going to happen, we are human and our failings are part of our fabric. But we can't let those failings and the guilt that comes with it drive us deeper into the shelter that food has provided us. We have to break that chain. So you slipped up, don't feel guilty about it. A cookie or 5 or 6 isn't going to derail you if you don't let it. Account for it, understand why you ate it, and know that next time it will be different. You got this, you know you do. You just have to play a little mental chess with yourself. One side is the fat ass, the other is the healthy happy person you want to be. You pick the side

John, I don't know how you do it. I have to give you mad props for being able to cook for a living and manage your weight. I just don't think I'd be strong enough - my poor family is eating sleeve style! I used to love to cook and bake, but now I avoid it.

You know....I don't know why i ate that cookie. I really don't. I know that stress is usually the trigger, and I can recognize it and manage it. But I wasn't stressed. Maybe just old habits...

Speaking of stress, if I had to deal with your week with Adams family, I probably would have eaten more than a cookie! Good for you for not choosing the fat ass way

I get similar feelings all the time. I work with a bunch of donut bringing knuckleheads. Every other day someone stops and buys 2 huge boxes of donuts that sit and stare me in the face all day. Sad part is, they will eat less than half the donuts and the rest just sit there. HOW CAN THEY NOT EAT AVAILABLE, DEFENSELESS DONUTS??? It pains me. Sometimes I remain strong, other times I give in and eat a donut or 3. Sad part is, I have absolutely no donut restriction whatsoever. My sleeve is impervious to donuts. It sucks. I just have to be stronger. I try to stay busy on those days. Stay away from the office as much as possible. But the sad fact is these temptations will always be around and we just have to learn how to deal with them without making ourselves miserable. Easier said than done, but still a goal worth fighting for.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I don't have a cookie restriction either. I can SMELL that fat and sugar combo that is donuts from accross the room. My only saving grace on that is the fact that I'm a closet eater, so resisting donuts at work isn't too hard....never really thought about it, but that does actually work in my favor a little!

But you are right, these temptations will be with us forever, so I guess I'll have to learn to deal with it. Thanks for sharing your story. Why do those people always have to have donuts??

I get similar feelings all the time. I work with a bunch of donut bringing knuckleheads. Every other day someone stops and buys 2 huge boxes of donuts that sit and stare me in the face all day. Sad part is, they will eat less than half the donuts and the rest just sit there. HOW CAN THEY NOT EAT AVAILABLE, DEFENSELESS DONUTS??? It pains me. Sometimes I remain strong, other times I give in and eat a donut or 3. Sad part is, I have absolutely no donut restriction whatsoever. My sleeve is impervious to donuts. It sucks. I just have to be stronger. I try to stay busy on those days. Stay away from the office as much as possible. But the sad fact is these temptations will always be around and we just have to learn how to deal with them without making ourselves miserable. Easier said than done, but still a goal worth fighting for.

why do we give food human emotions? i do the same thing like if i dont eat it, somehow the food will feel bad that is just mental!!

I went to Trophey Cupcakes, the ultimate Seattle cupcake shoppe, to get my boss a birthday cupcake and OMG.. They have piña colada cupcakes!?!? WTH...?

I had to wait for my order and I swear I kept my eye on one piña colada cupcake, and if it moved a fraction of an inch.. I would have devoured the entire section.

Sad thing is.. I wasn't hungry, I just knew the sucker had to taste heavenly!

I went to Trophey Cupcakes' date=' the ultimate Seattle cupcake shoppe, to get my boss a birthday cupcake and OMG.. They have piña colada cupcakes!?!? WTH...?

I had to wait for my order and I swear I kept my eye on one piña colada cupcake, and if it moved a fraction of an inch.. I would have devoured the entire section.

Sad thing is.. I wasn't hungry, I just knew the sucker had to taste heavenly![/quote']

In Houston it's Crave Cupcakes. My wife got me one for my birthday and I swear eating that thing was like a Chinese fire drill. I ate one bite and handed back to her and told her to dispose of it quickly before I changed my mind and ate the rest. She ran outside and dropped it in the mud, and I almost tackled her while she did it. Thank goodness she's still faster than me.

I think we have to cut ourselves some slack sometimes. Sometimes a cookie is just a cookie. I know we are all trying to be so good and not fall from the path but sometimes we just have to eat a cookie. The important thing is that we get back on the path. A slip is not the end of our journey just a bump. Sometimes I think we are so hard on ourselves that in the long run it does us more harm than good. We have to look at food as food and not the enemy. A cookie is just a cookie unless you eat the WHOLE pack, then it's a problem. I say enjoy it, savor it, make that the best cookie you have ever eaten then put it behind you and move on.