Can't stop "cheating"

[thinatheart13 69]

I don't know what's wrong with me. I can't stop cheating. I do so well in the day time but then around 9 o'clock bam! I'm going to taco bell, sandwich shops and etc. I feel like im losing control. I have my surgery on 2/29 and I'm deathly afraid I will have gained weight and my surgery will be canceled. Please help, I keep resorting back to my old ways.

Edited February 13, 2016 by thinatheart13

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

Get in bed at 9pm and read.

[Sajijoma 1,324]

Drink Water and lots of it when you feel hungry. A full belly can't be stuffed with food. Also, make yourself NOT go to Taco Bell or if you absolutely have to snack, get something good for you like carrots or a Protein Bar and not junk. It gets easy for awhile post op to not cheat, but there comes a time when when you get to where the cravings pop up and you have to deal with the root cause of them whether it's poor diet, mistaken thirst, emotional eating, whatever the the causes, they do pop back up. I'm 3 months out and spent a week struggling with my desire to eat pizza and want chocolate. I didn't cave into those desire, because you have to stay committed. It's hard, but you can do it. Distract yourself. Go for a walk, so whatever it takes because it's too big a thing to leave behind for a Taco Bell burrito.

[FrankyG 1,450]

There are so many points where you could stop yourself from going out to buy fast food - before you stand up and walk to your car keys, as you are gathering your wallet, stepping out the door and locking it, getting into your car... at every point, you have an opportunity to tell yourself HELL NO and go do something else.

I could even understand one time (because many of us have cheated once on a pre op diet) ... but if you are doing this over and over again, then you are definitely not ready because you are sabotaging yourself.

You have to distract yourself from this sort of eating. And you really aren't even eating real food - all that fast food crap is fat, sodium and carbs. Nothing at those places is good for you and it is hurting you every time you put it in your mouth. I'd even try picturing eating broken, dirty glass every time I craved that stuff if it was me to reframe how you think about it. It is not healthy food; you're craving it because you're addicted to fat/carbs/sodium and you use food to comfort/reward yourself.

You need to speak with your doctor/nutritionist before surgery if you can't get this stopped ASAP, because if you go into your surgery eating that crap right up until time (I'm assuming at some point they'll have put you on a pre-op diet) then your liver is going to be a very possible cause to cancel your surgery due to it being too large or fatty to perform it safely. That could mean you make it to the operating table and they cut you open and get in there and see your liver is too poor a shape to continue.

You could have serious, life threatening complications if your liver is damaged during surgery, and that is why they want you eating healthy, low fat foods (or even a liquid diet) before surgery to shrink your liver to make it easier to move around (it overlaps your stomach and they have to move it with the laproscopic tools). It is not about losing a ton of weight before surgery, it is to make sure your liver is as small as possible.

If this is scary sounding I mean it to be, because sometimes it takes scaring someone to finally get through to them - USE THAT FEAR. Every time you get up to go out the door to buy fast food... tell yourself that you may end up very sick, or have your surgery cancelled, or injure your liver if you step a foot out that door!

And I would not lie about your eating to them either, because all you'd be doing is risking your life and health to hide the fact that you have an addiction to food - which they already know since you're having this surgery.

You need to commit to doing your absolute best - this surgery will change your life and you will be so very, very happy if you can make it through successfully. It is only a few weeks and anyone can be strong for that short of time if they work hard enough.

Tell yourself that you are worth the work. You ARE going to be awesome and in control and you don't need some nasty fast food crud to make you feel better. Taco Bell and all those nasty sandwich shops are NOT your friends and you're dumping them right now. You have better things to do with your time and energy - and you deserve to have a super outcome. You can do this!!

Edited February 13, 2016 by FrankiesGirl

[Dub 10,070]

It's something that I'm guessing a lot of us sleevers can be prone to.

In the pre-sleeve days, I was a big snacker. I'd snack when I was stressed out.....work stress being the worst......marital stress.......financial stress.......etc.

Those Snacks were never anything healthy, either......just more sugary nails in my coffin.

It was a fear of mine in having the sleeve vs bypass. I worried that the lack of dumping syndrome may find me snacking again on carb-laden garbage.

I have a battle plan that has worked really well thus far and I do not have Snacks nor want them.

Frequent exercise. Mainly it's just walking and some weight training. Frequent as in every single day.

Seeing the tiny amount of calories burned on the treadmill display or on my fitbit is enough to reinforce how damn hard it is to burn extra calories off.......so it makes the discipline to avoid eating them come very easily. Discipline is achieved and maintained. Junk food is gone from my life.

The other aspect of frequent exercise is that I can feel it improving my response to stress. It is a tangible difference....huge improvement.

Not sure what works for you.....but some time lifting......or hitting the heavy bag at the gym......or cranking the treadmill elevation up and faster while jamming to some hard driving music.......all that gets me where I need to be.

[Careysgirl 20]

Well said Frankiesgirl when I feel like cheating I use fear to stop me.

[ironpoorer 88]

_{I hate to say it but it's time to put on your big girl panties and grow a pair (mixed metaphors I know, sorry). If you think that having the surgery is the end all answer and all these urges will magically go away you're dead wrong. As has been said a million times here it is only a tool. Drink a Protein Shake, go for a walk, read a book, anything other than surrender to your cravings. It will not change after the operation, you will only be able to eat less quantity- but you still can stuff yourself every time you eat and you can eat 24 hours a day...just less at one time. In no time you will be back to the same.}

Edited February 14, 2016 by ironpoorer

[Pescador 1,374]

Get in a hot bath early evening, then eat dinner in your Jammie's. You won't want to get dressed and go back out. You are letting your mind control you with your urge to go get something. Change that pattern!!! Good luck!

[Julie norton 2,850]

Get in a hot bath early evening, then eat dinner in your Jammie's. You won't want to get dressed and go back out. You are letting your mind control you with your urge to go get something. Change that pattern!!! Good luck!

i do suspect night eating is a hard issue for many, as it is with me.

Even years out, that is my hardest time. I suspect part of it is meds, and part is I'm tired and prone to eating something when I'm fatigued.

I fight it regularly and I mostly win, but there are nights after which I wake up and begin again...

Even more determined to even out my eating.... And string together days and weeks of clean eating.

Life is a challenge, but much easier from a "normal"size ( as always, whatever that means to you and your body)

Ps. Happy Valentine's Day to all❤️

[Pescador 1,374]

Good luck Julie, and happy Valentines Day too!

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Offering some encouragement re the night eating ....

The first 6 - 9 months post-op I had trouble every few weeks with night eating. I never did much damage -- and resorted mostly to yogurt, cheese, milk (interesting, all dairy foods).

But my shrink asked me to be more mindful (meaning, to just notice WTF was going on when I felt urges to eat late at night), so I did that. And over the last year those urges have just dissipated.

I think what's mostly helped is that I'm not so stressed and sleeping more through the night. Compared to two years ago, I now sleep in the bed with my husband -- I don't stay up late at night and watch TV and wind up sleeping on the couch or in a recliner. Ugh!

My increased exercise and activity levels are helping with the sleep, too. I used to take Ambien / Melatonin / Benadryl as needed. And now I seldom need any of that.

Once again, new habits -- months and months of doing more things right than wrong -- really are helpful and powerful. Together, those habits constitute a new lifestyle.

I sound like Pollyanna.

[ACV 34]

Are you tracking your calories with an app or pen and paper? I am still waiting on approval but I have started keeping track of EVERYTHING I eat and it helps me make better choices. I have always been a night Binger. I take Serequel and I think it may have something to do with it but if all else fails I just go to bed. Good luck, you can do this!

[allyray 108]

Try to pop in a piece of gum when you have the urge to snack. Or brush your teeth.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

Chewing gum gets your stomach acid going and just makes you hungry. Do not chew gum. Simulating eating is not going to make you less hungry, just more hungry.

[Pescador 1,374]

We were cautioned not to chew gum.