Having doubts -- still a food centered life?

[Kindle 8,667]

So, here's my worry: am I putting myself in the situation of having my whole life centered around food forever if I go through with the sleeve procedure?

Do you have to plan every single day's eating and think about what you're going to eat ahead of time and log everything forever? Or does it just become second nature, part of life? I would hate to devote a huge chunk of my life to thinking about food! That's one reason I want to have the surgery in the first place -- so food is not such a big part of my day and my mental landscape.

I had VSG 15 months ago and have lost 100 pounds. I reached my surgeons goal at 6 1/2 months, my personal goal at 7 1/2 months, then lost another 10 pounds and have been maintaining in the middle of normal BMI range for over 6 months. And I've done this without weighing or measuring or logging a single bite of food. I followed my surgeons postop directions to a T, ate mostly Protein and veggies until I reached surgeons goal and have simply eaten a well balanced diet of Protein, veggies, fruit and grains since then. I eat when I'm hungry, I eat until satisfied, not full, and I eat pretty much whatever I'm in the mood for....no planning or prepping whatsoever. I eat a lot of leftovers and my vacuum sealer had been awesome.

I have a 30-40g protein smoothie and a 10-20g Protein Bar everyday and try to go for protein rich foods for the most part. I also keep a mental tally of fluids to make sure I'm getting at least 64oz/day. I do eat carbs and sweets and alcohol sometimes, but in moderation. That is the extent of my "diet" routine. I don't really think about any of it. I go to the grocery store and wander around the deli and produce sections and up and down the aisle, looking for what looks tasty. I pretty much stay clear of the bakery. Like today, I was taking a friend to a doctors appointment and afterwards she wanted to go to Sizzler. I, of course, overpaid for an all you can eat salad buffet, but it was delicious, I had a little bit of many different things, sticking with more Proteins (meatballs, shrimp, taco fixings without the tortilla, broccoli bacon salad, hard boiled egg, etc) than anything and then topped it off with some cantaloupe and a bit of bread pudding and ice cream. My friend meanwhile (who is 5'2" 105#...bitch????) had 2-3x as much from the salad bar plus a steak and broiled shrimp plus a whole brownie and ice cream for dessert.

I, too have done the diet tracking/logging thing with the zillion diets in the past, and I knew I didn't want to do that after surgery. In fact, in my mind I was having surgery so I wouldn't have to ever do that again. There are many different ways of being successful with WLS, and it IS possible without focusing on every little food detail. For me, it's as simple as my sleeve restricts my portions and I make good choices (most of the time) about what I eat. Pretty simple.

Edited March 18, 2015 by Kindle

[JamieLogical 8,727]

I don't really see the point in tracking unless you aren't losing or maintaining (depending on where you are in your journey). If you are struggling to lose or you're gaining weight, then sure, track and try to figure out what the problem is. But if you are on track, then why worry about tracking anything other than maybe Protein? I find it easy enough to keep a tally of protein in my my head without writing it down. As long as I get my protein and my Water and I am losing weight, what's the point of tracking anything else?

Edited March 18, 2015 by JamieLogical

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

I food log not only to look at Protein and calories, I look at the macros as well. Because of the severity of my food allergies I need to keep track of my food. Also monitor my carbs and sodium levels. Your program may want you to food log for at least the first 6 mnths. By then most people figure what works best for them.

[Thinside 155]

Hi all, thanks for the continued thoughts. I'm very much encouraged by your experiences. I definitely will log for at least 6 months, and will probably keep track of Protein for ever, as I am a vegetarian.

(I don't know how I marked this "answered" -- I'm new on this forum and must have pushed the wrong button.) I'll keep reading every response, and following this forum. It's so enlightening and encouraging.

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

Hi all, thanks for the continued thoughts. I'm very much encouraged by your experiences. I definitely will log for at least 6 months, and will probably keep track of Protein for ever, as I am a vegetarian.

(I don't know how I marked this "answered" -- I'm new on this forum and must have pushed the wrong button.) I'll keep reading every response, and following this forum. It's so enlightening and encouraging.

I am vegetarian as well. As you can imagine being a vegetarian with severe food allergies can be a bit of a challenge on a bariatric diet. Nonetheless it can be done.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

I have used www.myfitnesspal.com since 2-1/2 months before surgery to plan my meals and track my food. It's a very easy tool to use. Doesn't take much time or effort on my part at all.

And here's how I feel about "normal."

F**k normal.

Eating "normally" led me to obesity, back pain, near immobility, agoraphobia, and misery. If I were normal I could eat normally. But a lifetime of yo-yo dieting and being overweight and obese was sufficient proof that I'm not one of the lucky normal ones. I will have to continue to focus on what I eat, how much I eat, when I eat, etc. if I have a hope in hell of maintaining my weight loss.

Others' mileage may vary.

Edited March 19, 2015 by VSGAnn2014

[Veronica Page 488]

All I'm going to say is that I pre-make all my lunches not my dinners and Breakfast foods and log everything. This way if I don't lose weight I'm the one held accountable for my mistakes. Its a lil time consuming at first but you then learn to do it so fast that you don't notice the whole 3 minutes it took you to do it. I will give you advice my Nut told me when I first whined about the food logging. If you have time to complain about it you have time to log it. Kinda makes sense. Good luck to you!

[samuelsmom 670]

I think this is a topic that is very much dependent on our individual personalities. I did keep a food log pre-op because it was required. I hated doing it and made sure my diet was very boring and repetitive so I could easily plunk in the numbers.

If someone told me to do that now, I would go stark,raving mad! An exaggeration of course, but you get the point.

So what do I do?

--- Remember the cardinal rule to eat Protein first and chew well (one of my few non-negotiable rules)

--- Be aware of what I am eating but not obsessed by it

--- Stick with the 3 meals and 3 Snacks routine which prevents grazing

--- Have small bars of dark chocolate (70%) in the house-- they are good for me, 1 is a great snack and I don't want more

Here is a sample of one day's food plan for me:

Breakfast: 1 egg scrambled with a cheese stick in it

Mid morning snack: Greek yogurt

Lunch: 1-2 oz cheese

Mid afternoon snack: Protein Bar

Dinner: 3 oz fish and a vegetable

Evening snack: dark chocolate

Approximate calories= 900 Approximate Protein: 60-70 Gm

[alwaysvegas 702]

This is such a great topic! Everyone has stated just what I was thinking as I read the original post. But my summary is:

• Becoming familiar with all phases of your surgeon's eating plan is essential for knowing which foods will be healthiest for each of us down the road.
• Learn to cook/prepare your own meals.
• Log food if it helps with your weight loss or keeps you on track. Otherwise, consider logging if you start gaining.

Long winded response:

I've read many posts on here from people who come out of surgery and don't have a clue what their eating plan should be. Of course, I can't know if their surgeon/nutritionist didn't provide enough information or the people just ignored it. There's so much good information on the internet that I find it really hard to believe that people couldn't find any information.

I read through each phase (pre-op/post-op/purees/semi-solids, etc.) of my surgeon's plan so many times that I pretty much had it memorized. I understood the foods that were allowed on each phase and I was able to look up great meal ideas in advance.

Also, if people don't know how to cook that's a huge problem. Most prepackaged food isn't going to be nearly as nutritious as from-scratch food. Most pre-packaged foods are loaded with carbs, fat, preservatives, and other chemicals I can't pronounce. Eating out...well...same problems...most carbs, fat, and sodium.

The sleeve is a fantastic tool. I love that my hunger cravings are so much less than before and I love the feeling of fullness after about 4-4.5 oz of food. Everything else is on me, though. I knew that going into surgery. I knew what I had to do and did my best to plan for it.

Many people may not need to plan as extensively as I did, but it seems that those who complain about not knowing what they should eat might invest some time in learning how to prepare healthy foods. That was true before surgery and it's true after.

Edited March 19, 2015 by AlwaysVegas

[Julie norton 2,850]

Great post Vegas!

You seem to have the basics outlined well.

Seems to me the Protein, Water, exercise, and to some, logging leads to a successful outcome for most WLS.

In response to a food centered life, I believe the freedom from food prison

Was a great outcome for me. No constant thinking of shopping. prepping, weight loss etc. Just enjoying life and after 8+ years the pattern for a "normal " size life is just a lifestyle.

I find it so much easier to go thru life at my current size. Not perfect, just truly enjoyable????

Wishing all of us peace for our mind/ body connection.

Jewels

[smile121 66]

I love the variety of responses on this topic! It makes me glad that I commented early on to see them all.. haha.

it seems like some people are very passionate about logging, and definitely annoyed at the thought of it being a frustration to others.

To me, logging my food was equal to the obsession with losing weight. I personally don't think that it takes long at all to log food, I am used to the weight watchers mentality of you bite it, you write it. I love the accountability of it, but sometimes it felt like it turned into obsession for me.

I do understand the flip side, and saying that you have to be accountable no matter what, and if that is the way that works for you, do it, and don't complain about it.

I will definitely be logging my protein/calories, before surgery and after... then I am hoping i will get to a point where i can just log Protein and know what to eat.. if not, the logging will continue.

either way, this is a great thread... lots of great responses!

[JamieLogical 8,727]

I have logged food religiously in the past and I did NOT want to be logging food for the rest of my life post-sleeve. Logging is easy for normal days. Most sites let you set up favorite foods and meal groupings that you eat regularly. So it's a very quick task to go in and pre-log your food in the morning, then just make adjustments throughout the day as needed. The actual task of logging is not what deterred me from logging forever.

For me, the unpleasant part of logging was when any non-normal eating came up. Going out to dinner at a place that doesn't have their nutritional info online. Not knowing all the ingredients used in a meal when I went to my in-law's or my sister's or my parents'. Not knowing the exact weight of the things I might eat at a party or cookout.

When I do something, I am like OCD about it. So guestimating or approximating was not an option for me. I would sit through an entire party and not eat a single bite of anything rather than try to figure out the nutritional content of anything I might eat there. I would refuse to go out. I would ask my mother-in-law for not only the ingredients she used in her dinner, but the BRANDS of those ingredients. It was ridiculous and NOT the way I want to live the rest of my life. While I was able to do that for a few months, or even over a year, pre-sleeve, I don't want to be doing it for the next 60 years of my life and I really see no point in it.

If I lose the weight and maintain it by putting Protein first and eating on a schedule, then why do I need to track? I see the value in tracking when there is information to be gleaned when figuring out what might be slowing your loss or causing you to gain. But I see no value in it for living a normal life and maintaining a normal relationship with food (unless you do have food allergies or deficiencies and need to be concerned with more than just protein).

Edited March 20, 2015 by JamieLogical

[Donmecca357 15]

I have been feeling the same way. food has been the center of my life for as long as I can remember and it's very hard redirecting myself away from eating and focusing on other activities

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

To me, logging my food was equal to the obsession with losing weight. I personally don't think that it takes long at all to log food, I am used to the weight watchers mentality of you bite it, you write it. I love the accountability of it, but sometimes it felt like it turned into obsession for me.

I think this a is a good point. For me logging was never about my weight, it was about watching my health. I needed to keep track of those micros and needed to have a food diary for my allergist. It's not a burden because I know I don't have to follow it 100% and other than the 5 mins I take in the morning, I don't worry about logging it.

If it feel like work or drudgery, once you're done with the 6 mths or year that your doctor requires don't do it. However, if you feel yourself backsliding, it can be a helpful tool.

[Kindle 8,667]

I had to chuckle to myself reading @@JamieLogical ’s post about being TOO OCD to log her food. It was eerily familiar. Of course I've gone through the tracking/measuring thing in the past with many different diets. And I was really good at it.... Even made computer spreadsheets for data analysis. But like I said before, I had surgery so I wouldn't have to do that anymore. I know it wouldn't seem like I'm OCD to most of you who have read my apparent cavalier posts about not tracking, not weighing, etc, but it's actually the opposite. I am insanely meticulous when it comes to details. Downright obsessed about them in fact. That's why I was able to follow my preop and postop diet instructions so easily.... Detailed rules to abide by with no real variables.

But like @@JamieLogical said, trying to log on days when there are unknowns would make me crazy. Basically, if I can't do it perfectly, I'm not going to do it at all. How in the hell can I log what I eat at a potluck or at the Sizzler buffet I just went to and had a bite or two or three of 8 different things? I know I would obsess over the inaccuracies because I have a Fitbit One and I've forgotten to clip it on sometimes. Knowing my steps for the day are not right stresses me out.

I'm not knocking anyone who does do the logging and tracking... Good for you. Do whatever you need to to stay motivated and on track. I'm just wired a bit differently.