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What Has Been the Hardest Habit for You to Break?



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@@reree6898 almost 8 mths and 115 lbs is amazing-good job! I sure am hoping I have those kind of results!

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Thank you I'm sure you will do great. Just stick to your program.

Edited by reree6898

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My hardest habit to break........by far........is eating fast.

I still struggle with that aspect.

This is a huge one for me. My surgery isn't until probably August, but I'm trying to start working on good habits now. I was a paramedic, and I'm married to a former Navy guy, and we both scarf our food like it's going to disappear if we don't eat it fast enough. It's a hard one to overcome.

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I'm thinking not drinking with a straw right after surgery is going to be hard... Maybe later on I'll be able to drink with a straw again

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I don't know of this is considered a habit but I'll throw it out there anyway. Other than still eating too fast after 3 years, the hardest issue for me is seeing myself as something other than a fat girl. I go to the plus size section in the store every single time. I determine that none of it will fit so I head over to the regular size section. I look at everything on the rack and decide that these items are not supposed to fit me and walk out of the store having bought nothing.

When I look in the mirror I still see a fat girl. Yes I know that's ridiculous. Body image is a tough one for me. I don't know that I'll ever see myself as anything other than fat.

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My biggest issue is not drinking with food. And drinking slow I took a big chug last night and immediately came back out all over me.

:( I have only craved a Ruben with extra sauerkraut! Yum!

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I'm getting sleeved in july and am trying to figure out how to do my meals on a regular schedule. I'm an ER nurse and I work 3 nights a week, and I'm up during the day on my days off. It's hard as it is getting time to eat at work, I'm going to have to do some serious strategizing! Eating fast will probably be an issue, when I get a chance to eat at work I scarf it down because I don't now when I'll get another chance...

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Edited by tpasun

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Thanks for the great answers! I think this thread is a nice reminder of how hard we’ve all worked (and are still working) to get where we are today, and also how capable we are of doing what we set our minds to do. It looks like eating too fast, eating too much, and staying away from alcohol and problem foods are some of the most common challenges.

Haha, @@LipstickLady, your family is lucky! I can definitely think of worse things than being served prepared foods from Whole Foods!

@@sbg224, that’s a tough one. Have you tried any substitutes, like single-serve bags of low-carb chips or pretzels to get the salty, crunchy sensation? Or maybe even crunchy veggies if you can tolerate them?

@@VSGAnn2014, that may have been a hard habit to break, but it sounds like breaking it has multiple benefits – from weight loss to better energy! Good for you for figuring out what works for you.

@@beggingtobehealthy, separating Fluid from food was a super tough one for me, too!

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I still want to eat really fast and late night Snacks. I did good at first, but I can tell the snacks are creeping back in and I have nip it before it gets out of hand.

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For me breaking the habit of tasting food while I'm cooking. I want to make sure that I serve the best tasting food that I can, but if I taste each course as I go, by the time dinner is ready, I am over stuffed and defeated.

This has been a hard one for me, but it's a work in progress. I just haven't figured out how to serve food that I haven't "approved".

I guess I need to trust my cooking ability and past experience----maybe.

Oh, bother... :)

Valentina - I'm a huge cook. Took about 3 weeks post op to start really cooking for family and friends again and I get the tasting thing. My answer? Taste and spit. Seriously. It works!!!

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I really don't understand why y'all have to keep tasting while you're cooking. Is that really necessary to produce a good dish?

Assuming that you're lifelong cooks / chefs and that you've been cooking some of the same dishes for so long, don't you know what the ingredients and amounts are? If not, couldn't you figure that out?

I also don't understand how MFP could tell you with any accuracy what a "taste" of anything is. Surely, "tastes" range from licks to tablespoons. ???

Inquiring minds want to know. ;)

Because, with something like a sauce, or gravy, usually there is a base to it - say from drippings. Sometimes they are very strong. Other times not. You don't know unless you taste, then season accordingly. Same with making a red sauce/gravy. ( My Italian family calls it gravy lol.). The tomatoes- whether fresh or canned- can be more or less acidic than others and they need to be addressed accordingly.

I can go on and on with every single dish lol.

For inquiring minds....

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And now for my greatest challenge - eating at regular times and remembering to actually eat. I'm literally never hungry. While I will have a small meal with the family at dinner, I've taken to Quest bars and chips to fill the breakfast/ lunch needs. I keep several bars in my car or purse so when I remember to eat they are handy

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My biggest habit was smoking. I'm 6 months post op and still struggle everyday . I know if I ever cave and have just one, I will turn back into a smoker. I miss inhaling. I don't miss the smell, cost, and how it made me feel. So those things are what I tell myself to get through any cravings. I can't wait for the day that it's never a second thought!!

I also eat too fast. I found that when I sit with family and friends at a table, I was for some reason trying to keep up with them. I have recently tried waiting for everyone to finish eating then I start my meal. I seem to concentrate much better on how I'm eating.. It's weird I know.

I'm going to try that app ' time your bites'

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I am in the process....I am struggling no haven't cheated...today is rough...I keep telling myself it's not worth it!

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
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