I am really struggling with cravings the last couple of weeks. I think I am likely being a little too restrictive and not getting in enough variety. My biggest fear in this journey (and has been since day 1 though feeling it more the last week or so) is gaining the weight back. Today as I make my grocery list for the week, I feel like I am still living with a "diet" mentality and I think that will eventually lead to a "breakdown" in my food choices. I just want to get my head shifted from "diet" to "healthy lifestyle" and can't seem to get there. I know the "diet" lifestyle is not sustainable for me as it hasn't been so many times in the past...So I guess my question is - how do you find balance in what you eat or maybe you don't and still choose extreme restriction? How can I become "normal"? (I know that is not possible at only 5 months post-op but I am trying to head off a "breakdown" of making some bad choices now.)

This is a great topic and until you posted it, I never real put much though in to it. I would now categorize myself as extreme restriction because most of the time, I do not eat what I prepare for my family. I am five months post op and still have a shake every morning and eat mostly cottage cheese, babybels, pb and apples and greek yogurt. I cannot tolerate most meats, so that is a huge downfall for me. But there are days (like yesterday) where I made my son and his friend chicken nuggets and tater tots and I ate two tater tots, because like you and many others I refuse to gain any of the weight I have lost back, I have put waaaay too much time and effort into this process. The two "meals" I have made and enjoyed are the ricotta bake and a cauliflower mac & cheese. Other than that, I eat the same things day after day.

My NUT and Surgeon have told me on separate occasions "deprivation is the catalyst for failure." Why have all other diets failed? For me personally it was because they all felt as if I was being punished, that I wasn't allowed something delicious.

After WLS the definition of delicious has to change but it shouldn't be eliminated. When I was given my post-op diet plan for the first six months, my NUT had wrote little hand written notes on the side. One of them was "make the little bites taste amazing by experimenting with spices, textures and cooking methods." Basically make the food you want to eat and not the food you HAVE to eat.

I am just past two months post-op and I have (with the approval of my surgeon/NUT) made some of my favorite meals pre-op more suitable for post-op. I never feel like I am cheating, I never feel like I am on a diet and I feel great about being empowered with my food choices. Creating/cooking/eating/serving is fun where as before eating was the only fun part.

If you ever want some recipes, cooking tips, menu ideas, snack ideas or just general ideas, I am always around!

Thanks to you both for the response.

@@Spiceyfrog - I am curious if you feel you can sustain that restriction though? (And please don't hear that as judgement. I truly am just trying to sort it out in my head by understanding others feelings.) I think that is my fear that I will have my rebellious (as my therapist calls it) "BREAK" and binge. To be fair, perhaps you don't have the same binge cravings I have. I just fear that what I am doing now is not fully sustainable and I will "relapse". Clearly I have a huge addiction to food (and thank goodness I have a great therapist who I happen to have an appt with on Tuesday and will definitely be discussing this.

@@Ashlegal - I appreciate your feedback and can honestly say my NUT would agree with you but what I can't seem to do is find engage in that balance. For example, what I was desperately craving this morning was a McDonalds Sausage Biscuit and a diet soda. I managed to convince myself that was head hunger craving because there is obviously nothing nutritious in that and frankly it is an old habit that I was craving more than the food. I staved it off, but I just guess I am trying to figure out if there is space in my diet for "treats" such as the sausage or pizza. (I crave salty not sweet.) I have enjoyed more since surgery the creating and cooking of food but with only cooking for one, I feel I have to eat the same meal at least 3 times before I can justify throwing it out and I think that lends to my feeling of restriction. Certainly any tips or recipes are welcome. (Luckily for me I think, I crave meat, cheese, etc and don't really like rice or Pasta. But I would kill someone for potato right now!) @@Djmohr has told me she has one of those food saver things and that helps with leftovers. I think I am going to go get one of those today.

@@Daisee68

I can hear your struggles with this in your post. After getting to know you for the last 6 to 8 months, I would bet your restriction will in fact hold you back down the road.

You mentioned you were craving that sausage biscuit this morning. The funny thing is, if you just tried it, you would likely find that it tastes horrible and worse, your pouch will hate it. You likely will never crave that stupid sandwich again. I have craved bread like products over the last year and everytime I have tried them, I end up hating them. I no longer eat cheesburgers for this very reason. I cannot eat them without the bun, and I don't like a bun any longer nor does my pouch tolerate them. Same is true of all types of bread.

Now as for soda I cannot speak. I haven't had a soda since before surgery and even then I drank them so rarely. What I have heard is those of us with bypass do not fare well with the bubbles at all. That one, I won't attempt.

You are 5 months post op now and on most regular foods. Try expanding your horizons a little bit and trust yourself and your nut.

Try some cloud bread and make yourself that Breakfast sandwich, then you know what goes into it.

I suspect you will actually do great because you are so hyper aware. Give yourself a bit of a break!

Thanks so much @@Djmohr! I know you are right. I think I just had a boring food week and got distracted. (Staring at pizza and cupcakes at the nephew's birthday party yesterday definitely didn't help! ). I just got back from the grocery store and from buying a Food Saver and I am going to try out a couple of new recipes (one of the ones you sent me) and see if some changing up will help. The other recipe I am going to make is basically pizza toppings in a pan.... New recipe from Eggface (just pepper, onion, turkey pepperoni, grilled chicken, olives, cheese, etc. in a pan). I think that may fix my pizza craving for now.

And you are right, I need to just try some of the things I miss in very small quantity or find a similar substitute. I keep telling myself that I am craving a habit and not a food. Trying some new stuff tonight (and a therapist meeting on Tuesday) will hopefully get me all sorted out!

I try hard to make healthier versions of tastes I love. It takes being willing to experiment in the kitchen. For example, I went through 3 variations to make pancakes with protein powder. I don't buy diet foods so I am mostly trying to reimagine regular food. It can be little things like cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes or making a rice bowl without the rice or using quinoa instead. Tonight I made a really tasty 3 ingredient snack. I took unsweetened coconut shreds added 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder, and enough water to blend. I whizzed it in the nutra bullet to make a paste then folded into half a cup of Greek yogurt. I swear it tastes like the inside of an almond joy! Next time I may add a tsp of raw cacao powder & a few almond slivers to get the complete taste.

I think we are about the same time out. I have been feeling the exact same way that you have. Weight loss has definitely slowed down and I do think that is playing games with my brain!! I eat the same things ever week, buy the same things at the grocery store. I fret all the time that I will binge on something. I have had saltines on occasion, as they were on my ok list early on. However, I can eat many of these-more than I should and that scares me. I have told myself not to buy them, but I have a few times-usually just the one sleeve size. However, I don't eat as many as I would have presurgery and what I would binge on presurgery was a million times worse. I wake up everyday and try to think positive and work my way through a healthy day.

@@Daisee68, I feel I can sustain that restriction as far as not eating things we are not supposed to. Like @@Djmohr mentioned, most of the time when you try something that you have been craving, you don't like it anyway, tastes are just not the same. The restriction will get boring, without a doubt, which I have already run in to. That is what caused me to make the ricotta bake (which was amazing), I was just burnt out on eating the same things day after day after day. We just have to find a way to keep things interesting :-)

Feeling the same thing, and I had surgery the same week as you. Mine also just started about a week ago!

Plus all along, I've been wrestling between being super-calorie-restrictive and ultra-low-carb, potentially losing all my weight but fearful of a huge rebound (because I was being *too* restrictive), and eating a more balanced diet in a somewhat higher calorie range (800-1000 per day), which seems more like a "lifestyle" change than a diet to me, with potentially less risk of a big relapse. I've usually gone with the latter - although that means I've watched other people whiz by me with their weight loss (mine hasn't been bad, but I'm definitely a slower loser than some). Sigh. But yes - my cravings have picked up the last week as well.

I really appreciate and can relate to thia feed. I am pre surgery and I know that I am a food addict. Relapsing, binging or failing after surgery is a big concern for me. I've had my psych appointment I have one more dietian appointment and I'm reading many suggested books but I'm still concerned.

@Daisee68 I've had this same fear since before surgery as well. My way of dealing with it has been to find and tweak recipes so that I can still enjoy the foods I've always loved but in a healthier bariatric way! This morning I had ham, onion and red pepper "Magic Crust" quiche for Breakfast which has been a staple in my diet since the soft food stage as I love it. I had a delicious salad with shredded taco chicken breast for lunch and dinner will be one of my faves - pizza! My snack later will be a frozen pumpkin pie Protein bar. I'm almost 7 months post-op and my NUT added limited raw veggies at 6 months and raised my calories from 800-850 to 1,000. I track everything that goes into my mouth via MyFitnessPal and average 125-135 grams of protein per day. I'm stuffed and the high protein intake has kept the cravings at bay. I'm 54 years young and I think losing 90 lbs. so far in less than 7 months isn't too shabby. Let me know if you'd like any of these recipes.

I think it is fantastic! I'm only 3 weeks out and I can't wait to be able to better choose the nutrients that go in my body. My week 2 says I can have sugar free fat free pudding. I just had a vanilla sugar free fat free pudding cup and it tasted just likea glazed donut. For some reason this is just saying WRONG in my brain. I really want to get away from those tastes that have made me this overweight and there is absolutely no nutritional value in that pudding. I might as well have eaten a donut. Except the carbs were low. Oh argh. I do believe I will make better choices in my future.

@@beachgal Do you have a blog where I can find your recipes? I'm really impressed with your protein intake!

@@Daisee68 I've had this same fear since before surgery as well. My way of dealing with it has been to find and tweak recipes so that I can still enjoy the foods I've always loved but in a healthier bariatric way! This morning I had ham, onion and red pepper "Magic Crust" quiche for breakfast which has been a staple in my diet since the soft food stage as I love it. I had a delicious salad with shredded taco chicken breast for lunch and dinner will be one of my faves - pizza! My snack later will be a frozen pumpkin pie protein bar. I'm almost 7 months post-op and my NUT added limited raw veggies at 6 months and raised my calories from 800-850 to 1,000. I track everything that goes into my mouth via MyFitnessPal and average 125-135 grams of protein per day. I'm stuffed and the high protein intake has kept the cravings at bay. I'm 54 years young and I think losing 90 lbs. so far in less than 7 months isn't too shabby. Let me know if you'd like any of these recipes.

i would love some recipies..

@@Dar200 @@Niki15 I don't have time for a blog but here are some of my favorite recipes. I've included the nutrition facts and pics:

Premier Protein pudding Cups or Pops

2 cups Premier chocolate protein shakes
1 small pkg Jello sugar-free/fat-free instant pudding (dry mix)

Prepare pudding according to package directions replacing milk with chocolate Premier Protein shake. I prefer to use my NutriBullet. If using shaker, shake for 3 minutes or until thickened slightly. Pour into ½ cup containers for pudding cups. For frozen pops, pour into Jello pudding pop or any popsicle molds. Jello molds hold 1/3 cup each. Pudding cups set in 5 minutes and freezer pops in approx. 2-3 hours. Any flavor sugar-free fat-free pudding works, so get creative and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts – Pudding

Serving size: ½ cup

Calories 93

Fat 1g

Carbs 10g

Fiber 2g

Sugars 0g

Protein 12g

Serving Size: 1 Pop

Calories 62

Fat 1g

Carbs 7g

Fiber 1g

Sugars 0g

Protein 8g

cheese Crisp Squares

2 slices - Sargento Ultra thin Colby Jack cheese

sprinkle of seasoning to taste (I like cayenne pepper)

Break each slice into 4 equal squares, place on parchment paper and lightly sprinkle with your choice of seasoning (no need for salt). Must be parchment paper - NO exceptions! Place in 350° preheated oven on a baking sheet or pizza stone and bake for approximately 3-5 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn. Slide parchment paper off to cool on counter. Place cheese crisps on paper a towel to soak up any oil. They are super thin and delightfully crispy. They'll satisfy both your chip and cracker needs.

Nutrition Facts

Serving size 8 crackers

Calories 80

Fat 7g

Carbs 1g

Fiber 0g

Sugar 0g

Protein 5g

Magic Crust Quiche - Ham

Ingredients

2 cups 1% Lowfat Milk

1/2 cup All-purpose flour

5 large eggs

1/2 cup 2% Reduced Fat Pepper Jack Cheese shredded

1/2 cup 2% Reduced Fat Swiss Cheese shredded

1/2 cup 2% Reduced Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese shredded

7 oz Ham diced small

1/4 cup Cooked red bell pepper diced small

1/4 cup Cooked Vidalia or sweet onion diced small

Preheat oven to 350˚. In a blender or NutriBullet, mix eggs, milk and flour until blended, season with salt, pepper, garlic powder or whatever you’d like. In a bowl combine all cheeses, cooked meat and cooked veggies (optional). Now add blended mixture and stir to combine. Pour into an 8”x8” or 9”x9” square glass dish. Bake for 50-55 minutes. Let stand 5-10 before serving. You can add whatever cheeses, veggies or meats suit your taste. I steer clear of chicken as it seems to dry to me. The small amount of flour firms up the sides and bottom making the “magic crust” while saving tons of calories. The Nutrition Facts are based on recipe above. FYI - the heavier meats, like ground beef, tend to fall to the bottom. Serving size is approximately 2”x2 1/2”

Nutrition Facts

Servings 12

Per serving:

Calories 120

Protein 12g

Fat 5g

Cholesterol 94 mg

Sodium 253 mg

Potassium 59 mg

Total Carbohydrate 7 g

Sugars 2 g

PIZZA CRUST – (Chicken)

Ingredients

• One pound ground (raw) chicken breast
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan
• ¼ cup Reduced fat 4 cheese Italian shredded cheese – ¼ cup shredded cheese is 1 oz. by weight
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black or cayenne pepper (I used cayenne)

Tools

• Mixing bowl (stand mixer - easiest combining method)
• Baking sheet, pizza pan or pizza stone (crispiest crust)
• Parchment paper
• Wax paper
• Rolling pin
• Pam or any vegetable non-stick cooking spray

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.

1. In a medium bowl combine all of the above ingredients.

1. Place a wet paper towel on a flat surface then place your parchment paper on it. Spray it with Pam and then put your chicken mixture on top. Mixture makes 1 large or I like to make 6 – 3 oz. portions, so 6 individual crusts. Lightly spray a sheet of wax paper with non-stick cooking spray (makes for easy removal). Place wax paper, sprayed side down and evenly press using a rolling pin to get it as thin as you’d like. Remove the wax paper and place parchment paper on pan bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes (depending on thickness).

1. Put the crust between two paper towels and pat to absorb any grease. It is chicken after all. Then place it on a new sheet of parchment before topping it. Top baked crust with sauce, cheese and you favorite healthy toppings.

1. Place back in oven on baking sheet or preheated pizza stone and cook until melted and bubbly 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from oven and enjoy! If you bake it on a pizza stone it will get crispier.

Crust Only:

Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving:

Servings 6.0

Calories 114

Total Fat 3g

Carbohydrate 1g

Dietary Fiber 0g

Sugars 0g

Protein 19g

As Prepared :

1 Tbsp Prego pizza sauce

2 Tbsp Sargento reduced fat 4 cheese Italian shreds

1 tsp sautéed Vidalia onion

1 tsp sautéed red bell pepper

½ oz. cooked 90/10 lean ground beef

Nutrition Facts

Servings 1.0

Calories 238

Total Fat 10g

Carbohydrate 5g

Dietary Fiber 1g

Sugars 2g

Protein 31g

Crustless Protein Pumpkin Pie

15 oz. can 100% pumpkin (not pie filling)
½ cup Egg whites or Egg beaters
1 ½ cup Premier Protein vanilla shake
¾ cup Splenda
½ tsp. Salt
2 Tbsp. Pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven 400°. Spray pie pan with non-stick cooking spray. Beat all ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Pour into prepared pie pan. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes, then turn down to 375° and bake for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. It is best served cold and can even be frozen. Serving size is 1/6 slice of pie. I used a Tbsp. of fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt as a topping (pic) but you could use Reddi-Wip fat-free whipped cream for an additional 5 calories & only 1 carb per 2 Tbsp. serving.

Nutrition Facts

Servings: 6

Calories 77

Fat 1g

Carbs 10g

Fiber 4g

Sugars 6g

Protein 9g