Thispost is mainly for accountability more than anything else. I started soft food this past thursday. Since then I have ate several things I should not have. The worst of them all and the smack to my head was when I actually ate a bite of cookie last night. I just spent what I consider to be a large sum of money, altered my body for life, and made a commitment to myself. Yet, here I sit typing. I started this morning determined to stick to my plan. If its not protein its not going in mouth. I think I need motivation.

Remember the sleeve is a tool for us to use on this weight loss journey. We may fall off the wagon but get up dust yourself off and chance the wagon and get back on it. Remember life is a journey not a sprint, you can do this, get your head in the game. I have lost 90+ lbs since surgery 4/30/13 & 120+ since September-Oct 2012. So if I can anyone can, from a former true food addict. :-)

I am 3 weeks out and already I am cheating, eating foods I know I am not supposed to have. Last night I ate 2 slices of pizza. Not quite sure if I will get through the clear liquid portion of the pre op diet when the time comes. Maybe I have bitten off more than I can chew, no pun intended.

So... What you all are saying is that in two weeks I can have a slice of pizza and a bit of cheeseburger? Because that's what I'm hearing. :-)

And no, I won't be posting in here that I "cheated". I will be happy to be alive, on the path to a healthier me, and enjoying my indulgence on rare occasion. Because life isn't worth living if you don't LIVE.

What's fantastic about acknowledging that something is unhealthy is that you KNOW that it's unhealthy. Then you can make it a once in awhile treat instead of a daily or every other day habit. (And I'm not just saying this because I'm on a diet of baby food right now lol)

I really want to stress how important it is that we address our food issues in a healthy way instead of running screaming in terror from a French fry

Sorry... I just had to get that out. I can't sleep and I have been reading wayyy too many "omg I ate a chip and I'm never going to lose weight" posts.

Love y'all!!!

The surgery you've had is not a miracle, but its the most effective tool I have ever used. There is a certain amount of work that goes into it on your own. There should be no cookies in your house to eat. I have in the past used the excuse that its not fair for my kids to not have treats, just because of me. What ends up happening is your human side and old habits make it too tempting. Dont beat yourself up, today is a new day. Now get to work and stay determined! I buy treats for my kids that do not tempt me, I have found they really don't care anyway.

Agreed. I even have stopped buying treats for the others in the house. Turns out they didn't need it either.

Something I've learned is that it IS possible to stop losing, and even gain, on the sleeve if you stop being mindful of what you eat. Yes, we can have a bit of this or a bit of that sometimes, but for me, sometimes often turns into a daily routine - which is why I needed the sleeve to begin with - and why I'm still not at goal at over a year out.

That's why this is a TOOL - not a 100% going to fix everything. Because it's not. There is still a LOT of work that we have to do daily. That's why it's so important to try to change your mentality about food completely. You have to remember you are an addict (at least I am) - you wouldn't hand an alcoholic a beer, you wouldn't give a recovering meth addict a crack pipe ... KWIM?

I'm trying really hard NOT to go back to the "it's only a cheeseburger, everyone lighten up" mentality, because that's what got me here in the first place. Maybe I won't have this resolve forever but as the OP says, we spent a considerable amount of effort and money to get here. I wouldn't put the wrong fuel in my car's gas tank, especially if I knew it might damage the engine. I think my new stomach deserves at least that much consideration. Is it trite to put it that way? Probably, but so far it is working for me.

Note: i have a very strict post-op diet and progression. So I can't speak to how I might feel about this if I was already on "regular" foods.

Other note: I don't know why my posts always come back to cheeseburgers.

I just posted my own slip. Went to a luncheon yesterday. Had 3 glasses of wine, chicken creeps, and Apple pie. I gained 2 lbs and I'm beating myself up big time! On my way to the gym! Thanks for your post. I don't feel so alone!!

I like this thread... It's a good reminder that we are human and will slip up