We all have foods that we love and just aren’t allowed to eat much of anymore. It could be that half a pizza, or a huge burrito, or a bag of chips, or a pan of brownies.

How do you handle it when you’re faced with one of your old trigger foods, or you have a craving for it? Are you one of the people who can have just a bite and be satisfied? Or does “a bite” throw you off and turn into “a binge?”

And, what are your tips for preventing binges due to cravings?

I know this is not answering the question, but I really wish I could live on coffee and homemade popcorn. ...so because I realize I am slowly increasing the amount of popcorn I'm eating ( I continue to either lose or maintain my weight ) I'm planning to just remove it from my diet all together. I really don't have a plan in place to control my addiction to popcorn. I now wish I had never started back with it post surgery.

Ice cream is a slippery slope for me. But that's about it. Half a cup turns into one cup. Two servings turn into three.

So I have ice cream only about once a month. But a little binge once a month isn't the end of the world.

On the other hand -- two small slices of thin-crust pizza are enough. As is one Godiva dark chocolate truffle. And 1 small glass of red wine.

Needless to say, I'm not trying to lose weight eating all this stuff. I've been maintaining (make that still losing 1-2 pounds a month for the last 6 months).

In other words, I'm living real life and managing my weight. Never did THIS before!

Things I still avoid like the plague: Can't think of anything right now.

Nuts. I love them so I only buy the single serving packs 1 at a time. I could literally eat a pound of pistachios, cashew or macadamia nuts. Macadamias are high in fat so even the single serving packs of those are few and far between. I've had them once since I was sleeved. The other are fine as a post workout snack.

chocolate anything. I prefer fancy dark chocolate, but really even a reese's will do in a pinch. Something else I don't keep in the house. I will take a walk to the local bodega and buy a mini for $.05.

In short my practice is anything I know I will binge on I cannot keep in the house.

The four questions?

I haven't yet, but I'll get around to posting my surgery history, progress, and backslide, which is why I signed on with BP.

For now, but not for always, honor requires me to say that my answer to each of the questions is mostly "I don't recall." There was the time that I'd have been able to answer three times before coffee.

Edited November 11, 201510 yr by WLSResources/ClothingExch

Pretzel sticks. I stalled because of them. No more pretzels for me.

Frito corn chips! Can't get enough of them. So I put what I want in a snack size Baggie & eat it reaaaaal sloooowly. I allow myself this snack once a week. I refuse to give up everything. I just have it in moderation.

Ok, ok sometimes twice a week-but I promise, no more then that.

my craving foods are pasta - mainly ramen noodles and mac and cheese, both of which are absolutely awful for you. In the past, I never could just have one bite, and then after having 5, I would feel so bad about myself that I would eat ten, and so on. I didn't eat most of the famous "junk foods" like chips, pizza, cookies, etc. But the foods I did eat, I binged on. I've had a few of my old salt/pasta cravings since surgery, but thankfully they are like quiet echoes of what I used to experience. They usually are just a passing thought of "man, that sounds/looks/smells good, I wish i could eat it" and then they are gone. If on rare occasion the craving doesn't go away, having a small amount of a healthy substitute always works for me, like chicken soup flavored protein powder, or the beef bouillon from the BP store (which has been a savior for me in terms of satisfying cravings). In retrospect, I'm really very lucky that substituting healthy things works for me. And just lucky in general during this whole journey.

Jacobs crackers.... oh how I miss you, with cheese, hummus, even jam.

They have to be hidden. I did have them once and ate four. They went down so easy I knew then I'd have to stay away so if hubby buys them, he hides them lol. Out of sight, out of mind. Maybe in time I will be okay with them being in the house but I would rather not risk it right now.

I was a finisher before surgery -- kept at it until whatever it was was gone. Not anymore. Happily I can have most anything in the house and not go after it. I allow myself a bite of anything. That said, those Trader Joe's dark chocolate peanut butter cups -- NO! Or peanut butter in general. Cannot have it in the house. Whole nuts only. And it's easier for me if my family has chips I don't like. When I'm nibbly I ask myself if I'm hungry and I usually am. Then I have some protein -- maybe an egg if I need to get something in quickly.

The only real craving I'm having is for Coke Zero. I'm abstaining, hopefully for life, because I know if I cave there will be no going back. I've wanted to break that habit for years anyway, and I'm going to stay strong.

The same is true for sweets. I chose the bypass in part to break that addiction as well. The "fear" of dumping (I haven't yet), is keeping me true. Sadly, I think I'm one of those people where it does have to be all or nothing. I'm choosing nothing. And with wls surgery, for the first time in my life - I can live with that. What I get in return is so much better!

Yep, I can have just one. One small piece of cake, one cookie, one mini candy bar, one small ice cream cone...which I usually can't finish, one handful of chips, one cocktail. Heck, I even smoke 1 (actually about 2/3) cigarette after work.

My only vices are peanut putter and mixed nuts. I CANNOT stop eating them. So I don't buy them anymore. I tried the single packs but then I would just eat two (or more)! I get my nut fix via ONE Natures Valley Protein Bar once or twice/week. Crazy that nuts are harder to resist than sugar and nicotine!

I was not obese because of what I ate but when and how much. I would go all day without so much as eating a bite of anything. Nothing. Then I'd get home and raid the fridge. I'd make chicken tacos and have 3-4 with a large side of black Beans. Then I'd snack on chips, salsa, guacamole and then I'd have a few graham crackers with Nutella.

I'd never exercise, never drink enough Water and drank entirely too much caffeine. 4-5 cups of coffee, then 2-3 sugar free red bulls, 2-30 ounce black (unsweetened) ice tea and throw in a 24 ounce Coke Zero. Ridiculous.

I never had potato chips or the like in the house or convenience foods or even Pasta (I don't like noodles too much) and fast food was a maybe once a month. I don't have a "trigger" food and bing(ing) on a favorite wasn't my MO. I just had horrible eating habits, paired with PCOS and no exercise routine.

So far I have been able to just eat one of something and it not start a downward spiral.

During my weight loss phase I was super strict and only ate protein and veggies- didn't cheat once.

Now I am in maintenance I have found that I am able to occasionally indulge in almost anything and still stay on track. I log all my food and account for my unhealthy choices. I even had a week long vacation where I ate horrible (I chose to do this) and was able to get back on plan when I returned home without any problems.

I think for me the key is to weigh every day or every other day and if I see the scale go up by even a pound I start cutting back. Usually one bite or a half of serving is enough to satisfy and cravings I may have.

We are all different and the key is finding what works best for you!!

We all have foods that we love and just aren’t allowed to eat much of anymore. It could be that half a pizza, or a huge burrito, or a bag of chips, or a pan of brownies.

How do you handle it when you’re faced with one of your old trigger foods, or you have a craving for it? Are you one of the people who can have just a bite and be satisfied? Or does “a bite” throw you off and turn into “a binge?”

And, what are your tips for preventing binges due to cravings?

I was a quantity eater before WLS and I continue to be one when I don't pay attention. I can't imagine that I will ever not be able to weigh and measure my food because somewhere I lost the ability to naturally stop eating when I should be full and if left to my own devices would end every meal in pain. I think in our community some would see what I eat (on some days) as a binge. At separate times I've had half of a small thin crust pizza, 15 Wheat Thins with 2T of Peanut Butter, 1/2 of a doughnut, 2 servings of Doritos. I eat something sweet and processed every day. 1/2 of a cookie, 1/2 c ice cream or an ounce of dark chocolate. It's not where I want, or thought, I'd be but it is leaps and bounds better than an entire large pizza, most of a 10 ounce bag of Doritos dipped in a block of cream cheese and a row of Oreos for one meal. I beat myself up regularly for not being what I thought Post-Op perfection would be but when I take a step back and remember what I was eating until 2 nights before surgery I can appreciate where I am and realize this will be a life long process.

So, to answer the question I guess it depends on everyone's personal definition of binge. Some of us see eating any simple carb as a cheat, others eat them daily and are ok with it. I imagine the first group would gasp in horror at my food journal and the second would think it was completely normal.

To prevent a true binge I do not give in to instant gratification. Used to be if I saw an ad for pizza I'd order it within the hour. Now if I think I want pizza I plan for it in 1-3 days, sometimes I get it, most of the time I completely forget that I was obsessed with it a few days ago.

I do pretty good with this. I know if I abstain completely I will fail at some point.

First I track everything so if I am going to treat myself I have to be accountable to it. I know that if I stay between 900 and 1100 calories, less than 90 grams of carbs and 70 or more grams of Protein I will lose weight consistently. So I track every single day, every meal and every snack, it takes just a few seconds.

If I have a craving that I cannot seem to get past, I can have a small piece or a bite or two. I have had pizza, ice cream, and my absolute favorite, cheesecake. I also crave chocolate so I will have 1 or 2 dark chocolate dove promises with almonds. It also helps that if I eat too much of it (ice cream or cheesecake) my pouch will scream at me so I have just enough to take care of that craving.

Because I don't abstain I really feel like my cravings are fairly well under control.

I also keep a small box of ice breakers sours with me so if I crave something I simply pop 1 of those in my mouth and it usually squelches it at least for a while which will put me at meal time, and then of course my focus is on delicious protein and veggies.

Tonight, I will be sharing a filet mignon with hubby. I make the very best and will grab a couple ounces off his steak. It's great because we can share. Cheaper!