The Rules: Do you follow them?

[MichiganChic 3,262]

By the way, I can't eat dry food without some small amount of liquid, so I drink a little with meals. It hasn't affected my weight loss or feeling hungry.

All these rules are like being Catholic, you get all the little ceremonies to keep you "holy" but we're all sinners, and a little sin ain't that bad fer ya.

As you get further out, you might find you do a little better with dry food.< /p>

But I totally had to laugh about it the rules being like being Catholic. So true! As a born and bred Catholic, that's probably why the rules and following them feel a little non-negotiable to me! I try to follow them best I can, and I feel so guilty when I don't. I guess if breaking the rules equals sinning, then the subsequent weight gain from breaking rules equals the purgatory/hell from sinning, lol! Don't know about you, but morbid obesity felt like hell on earth, to me. I really hated it.

[hamitchell 15]

I am Presbyterian, but I spend most of my Sundays at Mass, my wife being a Catholic. She is Latino, so they are more "relaxed" but still good Catholcs. We gringo's are tighter on rules generally. Me included. I sometimes lose

Patience down in Nicaragua, but usually realize later there is something to be said for being laid back. All Catholcs are impressive from the stand point of their education in their faith.

The Catholics seem to be happy with me, so that's good! Never thrown out of Mass.

[barriej9 61]

Thanks for posting this topic. We are all just human. I follow most pretty well but there are some I do not. I still eat too fast. I love sweets and I can eat them without dumping so it is making it harder to stop. I get in my Proteins but I probably eat too many carbs. I use a straw on occasion.

[Bobby46 327]

I follow the same rules 99% of the time

Protein first

64 oz of Fluid...water, coffee, tea

veggies next

fruit on occasion

low sugar

low carb

exercise at least 3x's a week

no grazing

chew slowly

take 20 mins to eat a meal

I was not given a "don't eat" list. I was given a "eat in moderation" and "try" to eliminate the white food....rice, potatoes, Pasta, bread

That being said, I have had a couple bumps in the road. I gave in to the iced sugar Cookies at Christmas. And yesterday, valentines day, I did not watch a single thing I ate all day. It was not intentional at all!

I woke up late so I skipped Breakfast. I had a French vanilla cappacino at noon on the way to my sons basketball game. I didn't eat a bite of food until 2....when I had 1/3 of a bagel with peanutbutter. Oh my was that a mistake! I did more running around and didn't get to eat dinner until 8pm. By that point in my day all rules went out the window.....I had 1/2 piece of red velvet cake for dinner.

But....I'm human. Crap happens. I cant plan everything all the time. Life goes on.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Will also comment that in all the pre- and post-surgery education / counseling / coaching I've received from my bariatric center, no one has given me a "don't eat or drink these things ever for the rest of your life" list.

Oh ... sorry ... except for carbonated beverages.

[gal friday 176]

Mostly. I am not great about my Vitamins, but that is mostly due to forgetting.

As far as actually cheating, I take sips from carbonated beverages, and I have had a few carbonated beverages where I have the whole thing, maybe 3 or 4 in total.

I also take sips of Water during meals, but that is due to an electrolyte balance/kidney disorder. I have to be careful though, because if I take too many sips the Water sits on top of the food and makes me miserable.

I was not given a list of foods I was not allowed to eat, other than to watch out for fat and sugar. That's not hard for me, I ate a healthy diet pre-surgery, I just ate way too much of everything.

[Pac-woman 325]

I eat flat prezels, crackers, and Wendy's cheeseburger without the bun. Shoot me. Lol....still losing.

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

Will also comment that in all the pre- and post-surgery education / counseling / coaching I've received from my bariatric center, no one has given me a "don't eat or drink these things ever for the rest of your life" list.

Oh ... sorry ... except for carbonated beverages.

I wasn't either. The food I avoid are either foods I am allergic to or things I know my body doesn't respond well to. These may be foods that slow my weight loss down and/or foods that are triggers to binge eating.

[gal friday 176]

I was told to 'avoid' carbonated beverages, just like I was told to 'avoid' high fat and high sugar foods. So basically that means I had to give up my daily soda/seltzer habit, but some indulgence here and there is okay. I have a friend who drinks a coke each day, but her sleeve was done so tightly that she could only have Water and broth for months, and lost twice the amount they wanted, leading to malnutrition. She is considered an adverse outcome. So for her, stretching her sleeve some was a good thing, but I don't want that, so I gave away my Sodastream and my husband only keeps sodas I hate in the house.

[nursmate2 40]

I follow the rules...it's my new life and I feel I need to give it my all. Not following the rules of a healthy life got me to the point of having the surgery! I do drink a little coffe at 3 months with my MD's blessing.

[hamitchell 15]

Galfriday--like you, i am not a sweets person pre surgery, but an eat too much person (loved bread). Not having a sweet tooth makes the rules a bit easier I think.

Michigangirl--interesting timing for me on your query. I have been on plateau for 10 days at 202 lbs., but lost 4 lbs the last 4 days. During which time I ate 2 slices pizza, blueberries, extra yogurt, some m and m's at val party. All in moderation. I am insulin dependent diabetic, so usually no fruit or bread.

It is nice not to feel deprived and lose weight. All things in moderation!

[gal friday 176]

Galfriday--like you, i am not a sweets person pre surgery, but an eat too much person (loved bread). Not having a sweet tooth makes the rules a bit easier I think.

I have to be careful with sweet drinks, but my downfall was like yours - bread and other complex carbs. But now, I can eat them - even a bagel, if I split into two Snacks - but I physically can't overdo it, and with the ghrelin-producing, crave and hunger-inducing hormone receptors in the trash along with the rest of my stomach, I don't WANT to overdo it! It's amazing to not want to over eat, and not just because I know I'll get sick. I'm just plain not interested. At a restaurant or a party (like my brother's wedding last night) it's hard because I want to eat as much as everyone else and serving sizes are huge, but in my day to day life I don't feel like I'm missing anything (except carbonation.)

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

I have to be careful with sweet drinks, but my downfall was like yours - bread and other complex carbs. But now, I can eat them - even a bagel, if I split into two Snacks - but I physically can't overdo it, and with the ghrelin-producing, crave and hunger-inducing hormone receptors in the trash along with the rest of my stomach, I don't WANT to overdo it! It's amazing to not want to over eat, and not just because I know I'll get sick. I'm just plain not interested. At a restaurant or a party (like my brother's wedding last night) it's hard because I want to eat as much as everyone else and serving sizes are huge, but in my day to day life I don't feel like I'm missing anything (except carbonation.)

Breads are not complex carbs. Generally speaking they are simple carbs.

[tomi71 581]

I eat some bread but not much. I have had maybe the equivalent of two Dt. Pepsi since sleeved in July. I guess you could say I follow 90%.

I am ok with that because I am 100% more healthy than prior to sleeve. If I "cheat" I no longer obsess over it. Healthy body + healthy state of mind = goal.

[Bobby46 327]

nursemate2.

I agree that not following a healthy diet is what got me here. I will make healthy choices in order to finally lose the weight and feel wonderful for the rest of my life and hopefully avoid horrible health issues. Massive amounts of unhealthy food was the way lived before. Never again.

But....for me...it is so hard and so unrealistic to live my life without ever having the foods I enjoy ever again. I have deprived my self of food since I was 9 years old and it did nothing but make me fat and frustrated. For me, if I am told "never again" when it comes to anything in life, it makes me want it all that much more.

I will eat a cheeseburger (without the bun because it gets stuck a little not because they said no) I will have a small piece of cake at a birthday party and I will drink a cup of coffee with Creamer every morning.

What I will guarantee I will do for the rest of my life is eat healthy and make wise choices 99% of the time. I will enjoy the unhealthy choices every now and again. That's a promise.

Life is short.