Just out of curiosity, can I have your comments on bread, diet coke and cookies?

I see what you're saying and I'm not trying to give you hard time.

However.

You've got to start somewhere. I'm sure most of us didn't wake up and impulsively decide to do this. Even starting the process is educative and helps a lot of us immensely.

I am not sure i even buy into food as an addiction, but whatever it is... we all need to know our own "sirens call". I can go to parties, restaurants etc and make really good choices. I have a much harder time during the "witching hour" around 8-9pm especially if i am alone or my boys are eating snacky food. I just can't have alot of junk in the house, or I will eat it. Maybe not a huge portion, but frankly it doesn't take much to be too much. So, I don't buy crackers, Cookies, chips and other foods that are prone to the "just one more won't hurt" type of eating. I don't need it, I don't even like it all that much.

Back to the original poster - you know, we can all eat whatever we want. I am in maintenance and i have decided I like a glass of wine, especially when I go out with friends and will give up dessert forever to have it. Maybe others choose other trade offs and I think that is fine. I do think that if you are still really focused on soda, cookies and the like it tells me it is going to be hard to get to goal and maintain. That does not mean that having one cookie is going to block your success, but it does mean that the brain's focus is on sweets and if it becomes a regular habit it will slow losses/cause regain type of situation. I have chosen to stay soda free (even diet) because there is some evidence that it can trigger over eating and sugar cravings. I am just trying to stack the deck in my favor is all. I was putting sugar free flavorings in my coffee, and have even gotten away from that - I think my palate gets to wanting that sweet taste. When I get used to NOT having it, the desire decreases too.

And as always, @@CowgirlJane said much more eloquently what I meant to say

@@Sophie74656

You've got a good point.

But I still FIRMLY believe that the 'everything in moderation' thing is a crock. If you're going to have the surgery, you COMPLETELY change your eating habits by eating a clean, non processed, very low carb, low sugar diet 95% of the time to be successful. I'm not saying to never have a cookie, but over time, 1 cookie turns into the whole box. If that wasn't the case with most of us, then why the hell did we have to have surgery?

You can't have your cake and eat it too. Figuratively speaking.

For me, I have to disagree. I relearned habits over the time I did my NUT's plan, my pre-op and then my weight loss phase. I CAN have one cookie or one tiny serving of chips and be fine. My restriction is great (despite the carbonation I drink daily), my daily nutrition is fabulous, and I have not only been maintaining for well over a year, but I am at my lowest weight since surgery.

I needed to have surgery to get myself to this point and I am so thankful I made the decision to do so. I now CAN have my cake and eat it, too. Literally.

@@LipstickLady

Well, good on you. I, on the other hand, cannot have chocolate or ice cream within a 10 foot radius without wanting to eat it until gone. No amount of restriction can stop me, either. So for now, I must abstain or gain weight. Call me weak. Call me an addict. But that's the way it is for me.

Now, where's this cake we've been speaking of?

I think I'm gonna miss movie theater popcorn popcorn is my fav! How can I go to the movies lol.

Smart pop is amazing

I'm with you @@Babbs! Chocolate, cake of any variety and sweets can't be in my house. I'm okay with chips etc around me because I don't really crave them. I had a major diet soda addiction prior to surgery (3 liters/day) and gave it up cold turkey. Now I'm 3 months out and over the last couple of weeks have had a few. While I tolerate them just fine, I'm realizing that this could be the beginning of a slippery slope that leads me back to my old habits. I've made the conscious decision not to have anymore, not because I "can't" but because it is a trigger for me.

@@LipstickLady

Well, good on you. I, on the other hand, cannot have chocolate or ice cream within a 10 foot radius without wanting to eat it until gone. No amount of restriction can stop me, either. So for now, I must abstain or gain weight. Call me weak. Call me an addict. But that's the way it is for me.

Now, where's this cake we've been speaking of?

Ugh. If I eat ice cream, I dump and it isn't pretty. (I thought sleevers weren't supposed to dump but we are talking full on sweats, poop Soup and vomiting within moments after the third bite.)

I don't call you weak at all, you know yourself and your limitations and we all have our battles to fight. We are ***all*** only experts on ourselves, IMO, and we can only do what's best for us despite the 1000's of millions of different "expert" opinions.

Cake? Sorry. :burp:

@@rnsamantha

We are 2 peas in a pod! Although I'm much further out than you, I discovered recently I could drink diet soda without it hurting anymore. Well, the floodgates were open! I was in Reno last week, and I was drinking diet soda after diet soda while I was gambling. I figured it was better than drinking alcohol....

Well, needless to say, when I got home, I bought a 6 pack of Coke Zero. Although I don't believe the old wives tale about carbonation stretching your sleeve, I just can't see any good coming from drinking too much of that crap. Like you said, slippery slope. I pride myself on eating clean most of the time. There is NOTHING clean and unprocessed about diet soda!

I ended up giving my Coke Zero to my grown kids for their house. No mas for me!

I am not sure i even buy into food as an addiction, but whatever it is... we all need to know our own "sirens call". I can go to parties, restaurants etc and make really good choices. I have a much harder time during the "witching hour" around 8-9pm especially if i am alone or my boys are eating snacky food. I just can't have alot of junk in the house, or I will eat it. Maybe not a huge portion, but frankly it doesn't take much to be too much. So, I don't buy crackers, Cookies, chips and other foods that are prone to the "just one more won't hurt" type of eating. I don't need it, I don't even like it all that much.

Back to the original poster - you know, we can all eat whatever we want. I am in maintenance and i have decided I like a glass of wine, especially when I go out with friends and will give up dessert forever to have it. Maybe others choose other trade offs and I think that is fine. I do think that if you are still really focused on soda, cookies and the like it tells me it is going to be hard to get to goal and maintain. That does not mean that having one cookie is going to block your success, but it does mean that the brain's focus is on sweets and if it becomes a regular habit it will slow losses/cause regain type of situation. I have chosen to stay soda free (even diet) because there is some evidence that it can trigger over eating and sugar cravings. I am just trying to stack the deck in my favor is all. I was putting sugar free flavorings in my coffee, and have even gotten away from that - I think my palate gets to wanting that sweet taste. When I get used to NOT having it, the desire decreases too.

THIS! Know your own siren call! Couldn't have said it better! A cookie is not my siren call. Cheez-it's better stay the heck outta my house!

@@rnsamantha

We are 2 peas in a pod! Although I'm much further out than you, I discovered recently I could drink diet soda without it hurting anymore. Well, the floodgates were open! I was in Reno last week, and I was drinking diet soda after diet soda while I was gambling. I figured it was better than drinking alcohol....

Well, needless to say, when I got home, I bought a 6 pack of Coke Zero. Although I don't believe the old wives tale about carbonation stretching your sleeve, I just can't see any good coming from drinking too much of that crap. Like you said, slippery slope. I pride myself on eating clean most of the time. There is NOTHING clean and unprocessed about diet soda!

I ended up giving my Coke Zero to my grown kids for their house. No mas for me!

Wow... I Better not try any diet soda! I might find out it doesn't hurt anymore. Not gonna even think about trying, just gonna remember how it felt when I accidentally drank some fizzy Water at a party!

I had a cherry coke zero obsession in my previous life. I got pregnant and gave up caffeine. Now after surgery I am committed to not having diet soda

• Are you joking?