I had stopped tracking my food initially because I was becoming more confident with my choices and routine. But I started to feel like I was letting extra Snacks slip back in and comfortably eating more at meals ... So I tracked today and was at 1500 calories! And I showed some restraint I mean I didn't stuff myself or make myself feel ill at any point.

Not shocked I guess I knew it was still an uphill battle post op. But a little disappointed that it was so easy to get that high. Gonna have to do some serious work on eating signals. Cravings and boredom eating seem to be my downfalls.

I am adding some significant cardio to my plan with a spinning class two days a week but probably not enough to overcome the extra calories.

I guess I don't have a question since I know what I need to do but any experiences or general words of wisdom are welcome!

I know where you're coming from. It's all too easy to get back into old habits, even if I can't hold as much as I used to. I catch myself wandering around the kitchen on my days off, looking to eat something just out of boredom. Then I think about it and ask myself if I'm really hungry or just bored. Most of the time, that's enough to get me out of the kitchen without eating. :-P

I know I will have to be a lifelong tracker. My calorie allotment is 1550 plus my exercise (I am tall and in maintenance). I have no problem eating that and in fact go up to 2000+ some days. If I didn't track I may be up to 2509! And even though all healthy food it's just too much and I would gain.

I also made a deal with myself that if I track it I can eat whatever I want. So I never feel guilty. I just write it down (in myfitnesspal) and move on. That also makes me stay in my calorie allotment when I overindulge one place I have to cut back another meal to stay Within my limit.

Good for you for being honest with yourself and taking a closer look at your habits. That's the biggest step. You will figure it out from here and get yourself back on track. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Yeah I feel ya. I've learned I am really going to have to track. Unfortunately the calories add up fast. For me, I'm going to HAVE to ALWAYS be a "mindful" eater.

But you recognize it, now you can move on.... this isn't easy, for sure. :-/

I am the same way. I can easily eat that much or more, and it doesn't have to be from anything too much. One bad choice, and it can be way above that. I am committed to a life of tracking. I write it down every day, even if I don't want to. I force myself to see what I'm really doing.

I used to have on my mirror the phrase "Learn from your mistakes" but just recently, after a really rough spot in the 3 month prediet, I scratched out Mistakes and replaced it with SUCCESS. Look back at successful calorie days and replicate those for a few days...you'll readjust just fine!

I know I will have to be a lifelong tracker. My calorie allotment is 1550 plus my exercise (I am tall and in maintenance). I have no problem eating that and in fact go up to 2000+ some days. If I didn't track I may be up to 2509! And even though all healthy food it's just too much and I would gain.

I also made a deal with myself that if I track it I can eat whatever I want. So I never feel guilty. I just write it down (in myfitnesspal) and move on. That also makes me stay in my calorie allotment when I overindulge one place I have to cut back another meal to stay Within my limit.

Hi I haven't been sleeved yet but I also track in Myfitnesspal.com. It's an awesome way to keep track!!

Thanks all! I feel torn about tracking. For my life of dieting (been overweight since third grade) I feel like I've been obsessed with food. Whether I'm "on track" or "off track" it's a huge part of my mind ... But not in a positive "mindful" way. So I want to not have to track. And be confident and comfortable with food. Maybe I will get there one day ...

Or maybe my mind is resisting the reality the way an addicts does lol. It may be that I can't be like other people who can have "one drink" (metaphor I'm not a drinker lol). I may need the daily accountability.

And that is good advice to track always, every bite and then let it go. Not second guessing just learning from it and staying with what works and your limits.

I do not like tracking either, but as for me, if I don't track, I lose track.

I am 5 months out and I wasn't tracking for a good bit of it but I noticed that I was feeling hungrier and the scale was stalled so I started tracking again. I noticed with my eating pattern that I have trigger foods. For instance, I love Fiber one bars but I have learned they can also make me feel hungrier (ie: carbs) so I am now only eating one as a treat and not part of my daily meals. I still have the same triggers as before but I just don't get "as hungry" and it is easier to get back on track than before the surgery. It does suck though because people think it is easy but it isn't. This is just a tool, definitely.

I do agree with the above poster who said to focus on your success. I have decided I am not going to beat myself up but just get back on the horse.

Good luck.

I got obsessed with food when on plans like weight watchers too. And I hated the idea that I had to track. But with the sleeve and the success it helps bring I can see that tracking is another tool to tell what works and what doesn't Even though I have to be mindful in my choices and log my food, the depressing obsessive feel of when I was on other plans is not there. I have been loggin for 560+ days now and it truly is just a natural part of my day. There are some very small percentage where I feel ugh got to track but that is few and far between. I know it keeps me in a size 10/12 pants so it's a small price to pay.

I totally agree with you on carbs. I am not trying to be strict low carb/ Atkins but certainly the scale stalling and being hungrier .... Carb snacks are probably playing a role. I made the same observation that carbs maybe should not be off limits for me but shoud not be a part of my daily intake. I already have low carb meals in place and that's been relatively easy. I save my cards for treats like protein bars and sweet snacks. But that's what they need to be - just occasional treats.