Passing For Thin - Support Thread for Those Approaching Goal

TexasBecky · July 10, 2007

<p>I'm curious, what do you think caused the skittles binge? Was yesterday a really stressful day, were you unusually tired, or was there some reason you can put your finger on? I ask because bingeing is a problem for me and I would like to be able to put it behind me forever. Do you think everybody binges on occassion? Maybe I just associate it with my out of control eating behaviors when in fact "normal" eaters also do binge every now and then without it being a sign of some big issue. I guess the fact that you can get right back to healthy eating and exercising is maybe the difference between a problem with bingeing and an occasional over indulgence. I don't mean to pry, I just so want to get this right this time. And thanks for the link to the couch potato program.</p>

JulieNYC · July 11, 2007

I'm curious, what do you think caused the skittles binge? ....Do you think everybody binges on occassion? ....I guess the fact that you can get right back to healthy eating and exercising is maybe the difference between a problem with bingeing and an occasional over indulgence.

Yeah, those are big questions. I don't know the answers, but I'll try to figure out what I think. First, I think everyone has days where they feel they overate, but I don't think many people eat 9 servings of Skittles in a day, even when they overeat -- particularly the way I did it, which was buying one or two at a time, 5 or 6 times in a row. It wasn't like I had a 9 serving bag and I munched mindlessly all day -- I opened 9 packs. I don't think that's in a person's world when they are normal with food.< /p>

Yes, the fact that I can get back to healthy eating and that it doesn't interrupt my exercise is definitely thanks to the band. I was never able to break the cycle before. Now I always break the cycle. I usually have 1-2 binges a month now that I'm banded. Much better than 1-2/day! And not stopping the exercise is so key. First, let's do the math (ugh). OK, 9 bags of skittles is 2250 calories. I probably ate 800 other calories that day. I ran, so I burned about 2800 calories during the day (as confirmed by my body bugg). So, I overate by 250 calories. That's not even 1/10 of a pound. I've already made that up today by running and getting back to my 1000 calorie diet. Of course, I might have lost a pound today, where it'll take me a few more days due to the binge, but with the extra cals burned from exercise, it's not the end of the world, given its frequency.

Now to the hard question -- why did I do it. I don't know. What I do know is that it's not one factor. I don't binge just because of work stress, or just because I'm feeling lonely, or just because I'm bored. 5 or 6 factors have to come together at once for it to happen. I know that some of the triggers yesterday were the following: (1) I was traveling for work and I'm afraid of flying, so I was running on edge. (2) I needed change to buy stamps at work (you have to have exact change in cash), and I only had a $20, so I stopped at the newstand. I didn't need anything, so I bought 2 packs of Skittles thinking I'd eat them on my long run Saturday. I bought 2 because I felt bad breaking the $20 over 85 cents and because my SIL will be running too on Sat and she might want some. (3) Since I was traveling for work, including dinner with the client, I knew I wouldn't have a "perfect" food day and I couldn't really track my calories "in." This was kind of a mental license to eat. (4) I was delayed at the airport for 3 hours and there are Skittles every 6 steps in an airport, added together with the stress to me of flying. (5) This was my first business trip at my new job and I was traveling alone with my boss, who still hasn't decided if he likes me. (6) I ate Breakfast. Inevitably when I eat breakfast, I think about food all day long.

So, what can I learn from this. I can learn not to do something stupid like buy food just to break a $20. DUH. I could have bought a magazine, a pack of sugarless gum, whatever.

The thing I'd like to learn, but I am genuinely not there yet, is to do what I have done with exercise, but with food. Meaning, I need to learn how to not be all good or all bad. I have a very strong tendency to say "screw it" (sorry for the language -- it's how I feel) once I've eaten the first unplanned thing, and eat 2,000 extra calories. If I'd have stopped at one bag, I'd have still been under my target cals for the day. But I can't stop at one bag. I haven't figured that one out.

JulieNYC · July 11, 2007

Oh, and I have a NSV. I was sitting across from a mirror in the airport and I now cross my legs like a thin person. Meaning, my thighs are actually thin enough so that my legs touch all the way down. You know how when you can first cross your legs, how your leg still kind of juts out rather than laying smoothly against the other one, because your thighs are too big?

I hope yall know what I'm talking about. I can even link my foot back under the other ankle like the skinny women do! (But it's not comfortable.)

TexasBecky · July 11, 2007

First, congrats on the NSV. Your leg crossing description made perfect sense and I'm looking forward to being able to do that again. Sometimes the small things mean alot. Secondly, thanks for the analysis of the binge. You're doing some of the hard work for those of us who still have issues to deal with. It is also a realistic look at the road that lies ahead. You are a wonderful example of what can be achieved and also a wonderful reminder that just getting the weight off is not all there is to it. All our old bad habits won't just magically disappear and even banded we can still try to use food as a sedative or a distraction (i checked my spelling and saw distraction defined as mental distress or derangement - good word) from what's really bothering us. I am so encouraged though by your honesty and willingness to share the good and the bad. I think "doing the numbers" really does help to put things in perspective. Yes, you kind of went off the deep end, but it really is just a minor blip in the big picture and you recognize that and have moved on. That is the big lesson here.

KariK · July 11, 2007

Hi I want to join this thread Im loving reading it!!

Boo · July 11, 2007

Julie, I'm sorry, but I am just laughing here over the whole Skittle debacle. All the rationalizations sound like me! The flying with a new boss who you are not sure likes you is a very plausible reason. You are a people-pleaser, right? Makes perfect sense to me why you would buy nine bags of Skittles in rapid succession. The main reason I'm laughing is that they sounded good. Oh well. You'll be fine. That is the difference. We can be honest, grrrr a little, laugh it off and run along on our way again.

Hi newcomers to the thread. It is fun reading your posts!

Need more sleep so off I go.:notagree

guysis · July 11, 2007

Oh my - this thread is getting better and better!

I'm a wreck - I can eat everything (I'm trying not to) and I don't have to chew good or go slow! Having a full - unfill - is so great (woops - I mean horrible - ?????). Amazing what 2.8cc of Fluid will do - how frightening (woops - I mean great)...............I really did not believe what this band was doing for me - I do, I do, I do believe - Halleluya! Come on 16th when I have my appt to get filled back up! IT IS VERY FRIGHTENING TO SEE HOW FAST YOU CAN GO BACK!!!!!!!!!

Alan and I walked to breakfast this morning (my half of the veggie omlet that I normally eat 1/4 of almost all went down quick - I caught myself in time - out of terror).............I'm off to NIA tomorrow morning.........the scale has crept up a few lbs (lucky I was at a low point because I couldn't keep anything down before the unfil)...........how I need this band - what's a gastric sleeve Julie.............I'll have to look it up - why would you do that if you lost your band vs another kind of surgery?

guysis · July 11, 2007

Iky - Skittles - I'd do a "like it" size heath bar and pecans with coffee ice cream at Coldstone maybe 4 or 5 times in a row (ok maybe twice)!

Eficka · July 11, 2007

hello everybody,

Im back:-) I was on vacation:-)and my food habbits as well...lol... I gained two pounds but thats ok I will lose it soon.

Oh tell me something about feeling fat one day and thin the other.Oh and even when I was my highest weight I knew I was fat but didnt feel like it I felt like I was put into wrong body or something like that:-)

I went out on Saturday and guys were actually hitting on me, wow what a new feeling:-)

Eficka · July 11, 2007

I love Skittles but we dont have them here in Czech Rep. so Im safe, but there are thousands of other "bad" stuff we have here.

i was at my paretns' summer house last week and all I did was eating like everything...my dad says that I eat once a day=whole day nonstop

I didnt look like someone who has lapband it was crazy, of course the portions are smaller so I dont eat that much but still it was bad.

At least we took a hiking trip to the highest mountin of our mountains, my butt and legs hurted for 3 days and Im training and walking a lot normally so I should be used to it:-)

Again my trainer told me yesterday that I look thinner, Im starting to wonder if she says it to motivate me or if she really means it (again during the last week I gained like two pounds)

JulieNYC · July 11, 2007

Betty, I haven't done a lot of research on the vertical sleeve (so others please jump in if you know more), but it's sort of akin to half of a bypass. Meaning, they don't take out the section of the intestine, so you don't have malabsorption, but they cut the stomach to make it smaller. As I understand it, they don't cut in the same way as the bypass -- supposedly it's much more effective at not being able to be stretched out, the way they cut it. Some people call it surgical banding, because it's restriction only (you feel banded), just not adjustable. Also, there's evidence that removing part of the stomach reduces the amount of ghrelin produced, which is linked to hunger and obesity. Hopefully I'll never need to know more about this, as the only reason I would would be if I were having serious problems with my band....

Eficka, of course all the boys were hitting on you. You're hot!

Boo, I can't believe you're LAUGHING at my Skittles debacle! OK, you convinced me. I'll laugh at it too.

TexasBecky, thanks for your post. You made me feel better.

Today is a new day and I have packed nutritious, delicious foods to take to work. No need for Skittles! And my 5 mile run yesterday was a delight. I'm looking forward to running 3 more tonight.

Yall have a good day, Julie

Banannie · July 11, 2007

Julie (and others) - thank you so much for your honesty and sharing your story. I was always a binge eater, too, and it REALLY helps to hear of others, their struggles, what may have caused them, etc. It really helps me think through my head issues when I'm tempted to binge. So, again, THANKS!

WASaBubbleButt · July 11, 2007

Not sure if anyone is interested in this but I just received an email from Dr. Arturo Rodriguez in Mexico yesterday. I was asking about the VSG. Here is the part of his email about that procedure. It is quite different from what I hear from patients, not sure what to think now. Keep in mind, English is not his primary language.

>>One thing you have to consider regardless the sleeve is that is also a

pure restrictive procedure so at some point the remaining stomach will grow and is not way to adjusted...I was the first one doing sleeves in Mexico and my partner in Brazil started 8 months before me and we both agreed that the patient should know that the sleeve works very well for "metabolic desease" as diabetes, HBP and hypercolesterolemia..Do not work as well as we wish for obesity after couple years because stomach elasticity that permits more food intake and patients regaing some of the weight...In short, I do sleeves in sick patients that wont tolerate the bypass procedure or they have a uncontrolled metabolic desease...<<

Also, Dr. Currie wrote on LBT that the nerve that produces ghrelin is not cut or removed as it would mess with gastric emptying.

Again, both of these comments are not what I hear from patients at all. I don't know what to think of the procedure.

Weight-Loss Surgeries Compared

WASaBubbleButt · July 11, 2007

Whoops, I mean Dr. C wrote on OH about the nerve in the stomach.

Jachut · July 11, 2007

I just made a pretty interesting discovery about the effect of weight loss on your calorie needs.

I foudn a great site, mapmyrun.com when I was lookign for new routes to run (as per your advice Julie) so that I can train for a half marathon. I tracked out my longest run, which turned out to only be 9.15kms (and I'd measured it in the car as 11) and when I plugged in my states and did the analyse your workout big it was only 567calories burned! I was shocked, I'd thought for sure I'd burn closer to 1000 running that far.

Just goes to show that you really do have to remember your calorie needs drop substantially with less body weight, if you want to keep losing right down to goal. Its really little wonder I've stuck at the high end of my healthy range for so many months.

But I did hit 77kg this morning!! That's less than I weighed when I conceived my first bub at 28. Not bad for a crusty old 40 year old!