How many of you vets still encounter the old binge behavior of pre sleeve?

Here I am at 13 months post op and have been maintaining now for 6 months. Yet yesterday, the old binge behavior of eating senseless until discomfort hit me. I had gone on a hike yesterday and that may have triggered a need for carb inhalation combined with some stress from another part of life. And I did carb up before the hike with Protein infused steel cut oats and a couple energy squares. Hike was a joy. I was able to hike to the top without any fatigue. No soreness or out of breath. It felt like the end up a cross fit warm up.

I ate about 12 energy squares which would be about 720 calories around dinner time. Fortunately, an energy square is not really that bad for you because it is mostly good carb and good fat. Needless to say that became my dinner. scale did not move too much this morning, but I do feel a little more bloated then usual.

I am a little concerned about this behavior because I thought it had been checked at the door even 15 months ago when I started to prepare for surgery by changing my eating habits. My nutritional plan has been really a model of excellence over the last 6 months sticking to modified Paleo, focusing heavily on large amounts of lean protein and veggies to fuel a high level of fitness. I eat healthy day in and day out without to much of a struggle. I like eating this way because of the energy it gives me to take on fitness and other activities in daily life.

Fortunately, my wife reminded me tomorrow is another day and I am human. It still depresses me a little that there is still a bridge that can be crossed to old undesirable eating behaviors. The bridge may be old, rickety and falling apart, but it can still be crossed.

That concerns me as a vet.

May I ask what a Protein square is?

Here is the energy square I enjoy called chocolate paradise:

http://www.nuts.com/snacks/energy-squares/chocolate-paradise.html

They are really good.

Here is the energy square I enjoy called chocolate paradise:

http://www.nuts.com/snacks/energy-squares/chocolate-paradise.html

They are really good.

Oh I would definitely have a problem with those!

Yum they look good though.

Oops' date=' Sorry, doesn't look too bad at all. I figured it was something decadent looking. Lol.[/quote']

They are really good with PB2 spread on them.

Yeah, those can't come to my house. Along with the Protein bars. I do eat candy, but its an occasional treat. I don't keep it in the house. I know these are much healthier than candy, but they wouldn't be in my hands.

Lynda

I am addicted to power crunch bars.

Fiddle, we all binge. Bad habits are always lurking around the corner. It's mindfulness that must be practiced constantly. it's way too easy to let these bad habits come out and in weak moments, it's easy to give in.

I am ordering some. They look yum.

I think the key is to remain mindful at all times as the others have stated above. We can not get comfortable with our success and must always stand on guard. One slip here and there may not manifest in measurable artifacts such as scale increase or softness, but repeated slips will aggregate into weight gain, and worse, feelings of disappointment and a lack of a strong foundation to stand on. Lets stay strong together and always be mindful! Happy labor lay to my American friends.

Yeah' date=' those can't come to my house. Along with the Protein bars. I do eat candy, but its an occasional treat. I don't keep it in the house. I know these are much healthier than candy, but they wouldn't be in my hands.

Lynda[/quote']

Thanks Lynda for your constant reminder that abstinence is often times the best policy. For the most part I am in agreement and do not indulge in bread, sweets or salty foods, but these energy squares and Protein Bars do help me with maintaining energy flow through the day when I do my daily workouts. For the most part, I am a good boy and am happy go lucky without having to do battle. I just need to trust myself to be mindful and remember all the work that has been done to get to this point. I am stronger then the sneak carb attacks! After all, my name "Andy" means "strong willed" in name derivation. I plan to staying strong in all things I do as a testament for others and to myself. Encouragement people! You and the other vets are a daily reminder of what it means to be strong and fight our dragons (yes, i read vet posts just as much or more than I write them). Those carb dragons are powerful yet we have power also. Remember that! We are heroes in the great literary commentary of joseph Conrad. Lets be strong together.

Fiddle, do you think the amount of energy squares you ate that day is what set off your binge? I love those squares and they are an all natural carb snack that taste like a nice treat, but by my math 12 of them is 5.5 servings which is 44 grams of sugar ......which is the same as a KING SIZE snickers bar. That's alot of sugar for someone who hasn't been eating much sugar in the past year. I think given your low sugar diet that much could easily set off a binge. It would definitely set me off.

Fiddle' date=' do you think the amount of energy squares you ate that day is what set off your binge? I love those squares and they are an all natural carb snack that taste like a nice treat, but by my math 12 of them is 5.5 servings which is 44 grams of sugar ......which is the same as a KING SIZE snickers bar. That's alot of sugar for someone who hasn't been eating much sugar in the past year. I think given your low sugar diet that much could easily set off a binge. It would definitely set me off.[/quote']

Most likely it was the sugar. You are right that I rarely eat much sugar, 2-3 g a day. The binge was the 12 energy squares so think it was just 2 that set me off to keep eating them. The exertion from the hike earlier in the day probably did not help fortify my finicky resistance late in the afternoon. It was a one time deal though. Back to normal after that day.

Heh those have binge written all over them for me - they are small and look exceptionally delicious I don't think I could have them in the house - I know myself too well.

I quit a 28 year/pack+ a day smoking habit prior to surgery - one of the things that really helped me get through the white knuckle moments early on was riding out the cravings, letting them pass and then noticing how long the intense craving lasts - it is actually quite short - 2-3 minutes and then it passes - of course they are constant when one first quits, but they get further and further apart the longer one goes, and now they are very rare. I do get the urge to light up here and there out of the blue - but there is no way on earth I will ever do it - because I never want to quit again EVER - never going through that hell again.

Now as we all know food is not something we can abstain from indefinitely - but rather we just have to manage it. I know for myself that I have to watch it really carefully with carbs/sugar or I turn into a ravenous, binging beast who would rip a bag of fluffy hamburger buns out of unsuspecting folks hands at the supermarket if given the opportunity I think that is part of my next experiment - to attempt to detox from any and all sugars and artificial sweeteners - which sounds about as fun as giving up smoking!

Thanks for the words of solidarity around this issue. Telling ourselves that old behaviors are eradicated seems like a nice story until they start reappearing out of the blue post op. I know - it is a common theme in the vet forum. However' date=' I do not feel like it is something that needs to be battled everyday, but when it does strike, it is time to remember why we worked so hard up until this point. Is binging really more important then losing 180 lb and becoming really fit? Hardly. I also consider myself one of the non moderation folks as one bite of the wrong food would lead to 10 bites. I have such a binary personality. on or off. black or white. there are not really any shades of gray for me. that is both an asset (strong decisions) and a liability (success or failure mentality). However, one positive I have learned about binge eating : if one can wait about 20 minutes after temptation strikes, it will lessen and finally whimper out of existence.[/quote']

I think we will all face these "emotions" throughout our "recovery" process because aren't we all in recovery? We all overage else we wouldn't be sleevers now. BUT we DID choose, we have lost the weight (or are losing it) we figure out EACH DAY that today is a new, fresh day and if we don't beat up on ourselves we can handle This Day!! I'm also a black and white person and have to really guard now because I've found out the hard way (25 lb regain relost!) that yes, I can still mindlessly eat a bag of powdered donuts. .

Unfortunately, those urges aren't going to ever go completely away. We just learn new behaviors and like you did, Fiddle, eat energy squares instead of Hershey bars! I have a friend that quit smoking 20 years ago. Some mornings she wakes up and her first thought is "boy, I need a cigarette!" Does she? No. But the urge is there.

We are human and we will slip at times. But community, faith in ourselves, and just DOING IT will keep us straight and fit and stronger!

Once in a while when I have a day off ill find myself wanting to graze. Ill make egg drop soup and drink on it all day or ill drink the liquid from soup all day and that really helps me. The saltiness is what What does the trick. But thank God I don't have many days like that!

I can totally relate to this! I find myself having a little "extra" on my weigh day, when I have lost. I do have days (like yesterday) were I wanted to just nibble all day long. It was frustrating and scary. I hadn't exercised for three days and yesterday (3rd day) I think it made a big difference in my ability to stay focused. Today I did Zumba and Body Pump and feel much more in control.

I do think some days we are just more hungry than others, and we need to listen to our bodies. But perhaps "overindulging" in good things isn't so bad, certainly not as bad as a binge on junk. But it still freaks me out when I feel I have over done it.

This week I pleased my bariatric surgeon with my weigh in and progress, I went home and did a mini binge. So today I realized I need to know how to handle my "good" feelings too without turning to food.

Sorry for the long post

Most of us have a lifetime of habits that we are dealing with. I will be 3 years post op in November and still have habits rear their ugly head, including binging behaviors. Many times it is either related to my emotions or my hormones. There are 2 difference now: 1) I know it is happening when it is happening...sometimes I stop it, sometimes I don't 2) I don't let one bad day or one bad moment send me on a downward spiral. I have fallen off the wagon more than once in this journey, but it never lasts long and I always have climbed right back on.

I think it is something that many of us will battle for a long time, maybe even a lifetime. Many times it is not only old habits we are dealing with, but just plain old human nature. I have seen my husband (who has NEVER had a weight problem) engage in the same behavior on occasion. I think the key for him is that is exactly it, on occasion, not all the time.

Just like Georgia said about her friend that still thinks about a cigarette every once in a while, even after 20 years, I don't think our habits will disappear after a year or 2 years. They might not ever disappear. But knowing ourselves, our habits, and our triggers is what will help us be successful in the long run!