Weight loss surgery makes you change so many things. In fact, if you are (or were) in the position to get weight loss surgery, there’s a good chance WLS will make (or made) you change almost everything about the way you eat. There are so many things you can’t do anymore after WLS.

You need to get rid of most, if not all, of the fast food and other high-calorie Snacks and meals. You can’t eat “the whole thing” anymore. You can’t ignore the nutrition facts panel and serving size. You can’t eat a bunch of sugar or refined carbs because it’ll make you sick or lead to cravings.

There are some other habits that you might have had that just don’t fit into your new lifestyle, too. Maybe you can no longer hit the bar and go drinking on Friday nights with your friends or coworkers, or you can’t even enjoy a glass of wine every night with dinner. Or maybe you’ve had to give up late-night TV to be able to get up early enough in the morning to take a walk or pack a lunch.

For me, I did not have too much trouble giving up a lot of my bad habits because I was so ready for a change. I was sick of my ridiculous diets and weight struggles, and was pretty much ready to do anything to end the fight. I enjoy healthy foods, so didn’t mind giving up most of the junk, and I am lucky in that now I am able to recognize a craving, plan to satisfy it, and then satisfy it without much damage.

What I think was the hardest habit for me to break is a simple one: cleaning my plate. I automatically always ate everything that was in front of me without considering stopping. I now, of course, consider portion sizes and work to keep restaurant portions reasonable. I do still get a sense of satisfaction from finishing whatever is in front of me, so I just try to keep “whatever is in front of me” small – I don’t serve myself much.

So, what is the habit that has been the hardest for you to break? What are your strategies for getting over that bad habit?

I get ready to sit down for dinner and go fill up a huge glass of Water to wash it down. Every night my husband asks me what I'm doing with all of that water.

Thanks. I needed that. FYI though, 2 cups only have 12 carbs but they are unnecessary carbs, I get it. Other than that, I don't get any carbs from starch. Veggies have some but I eat more Protein than anything. I'll lay off the popcorn until my nutritionist tells me it's okay in moderation.

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My hardest habit to break is eating & drinking. Three months out the urge is always there to take a drink when I am eating, I am really hoping as I get further out it will go away.

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 have not had my surgery yet but I'm already weaning myself from Diet Coke and it's HARD!!! Lol after the gym is the hardest bc I want a ice cold Diet Coke or on a hot day.... Lol

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I have not had my surgery yet but I'm already weaning myself from Diet Coke and it's HARD!!! Lol after the gym is the hardest bc I want a ice cold Diet Coke or on a hot day.... Lol

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I was the same way with regular coke. I really enjoy an ice cold Vitamin Water zero lemonade flavor now. so please keep looking for something you will like.

@@Christinamo7

I just tried the lemonade flavor the other day and I love it!!

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For those looking for crunchy salty, sometimes a dill pickle works for me. I am also thinking of trying baked cheese chips from eggface. I haven't tried them yet, but they seem like they would be a bit salty and a bit crunchy. I struggle with tortilla chips for this reason!

pam

By far it is forgetting not to eat spicy food because i can not rinse the spicy away with liquid - I made the mistake Friday of eating broccoli out without looking closely and it had a ton of chili flakes and I gulped down a huge glass of water - BIG Mistake!

To the fast eaters - what methods have you used to slow down?

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quiet relaxing place to eat. except Breakfast during the week. I eat my scrambled egg on a slice of oat toast on the way to work. there are 6 traffic lights. I can promise I will hit at least 4 of them red. one section at each traffic light and then by the time I get clocked in and settled I can drink again.

Also if I find I am liking my food too much to eat slow I put the plate out of reach for several minutes, and then I go back to it. that is usually enough to take the edge off and help me to slow down. That happens if I wait too long to eat.

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...

For me it's not paying attn to portions as well as drinking while eating. I had a slipped band for several years and I learned to drink in order not to puke with the band. I also like spicy, salty food which NEEDS liquid! As for overeating - I haven't figured out my portions yet. I sat down tonight and ate half an avocado and some cottage cheese. WAY TOO MUCH FOOD and I ended up puking! Not good barely 2 weeks out. I need to do like others have said and push the plate away if I'm enjoying my food too much. I am so scared I'm going to fall back into my bad band habits but I keep reminding myself one mess up doesn't ruin things forever. Just need to restart tomorrow!

Well you guys have made me realize that I'm struggling with a lot of things:

First a couple things about me: I am a lifelong professional dieter. I have done every diet in the book and have lost significant weight successfully with every single one. Keeping it off however, has never worked. This time MUST be different.

I've been basically living a low carb lifestyle since 2000. Back then I lost a ton of weight on Atkins, maintained most of that loss for 4 years (longest maintenance ever), then decided to add bread, rice, and Pasta into my diet again and become very sedentary. KABOOM! That said, I really have been mainly living on Protein and veg ever since, but my portions have been enormous, my activity has been nil, and I've cheated here and there... and everywhere. But sticking to high protein, low carb is really not a challenge for me. I've been doing it, for the most part, for over a decade and a half. And I'm not a sweets eater, so no problems there.

However...

Not Drinking While Eating.
So annoying. I want something to wash my meal down with. I get thirsty when I eat and often I'm thirsty before I eat and have to choose one or the other.. then wait. This is torture but the one time I did drink right before eating, I puked my dinner into the sink so.. I don't do that anymore. But I don't like it.

Not Being Able to Chug

This is probably my biggest hurdle. Pre-surgery, a gulp for me was 16 oz. Now I've had to take to using 4 oz dixie cups to prevent myself from glugging down too much at once. I do miss chugging! And I knew I would. This almost stopped me from having surgery.

Eating Slow
This is impossible for me. I'm only about 10 weeks out and am long able to eat at my pre-surgery speed. I think this is allowing me to pack too much in too fast before the pain hits..

Eating Standing Up
Usually at the counter next to the fridge.. with the fridge door open...

Taking Small Bites
I work at this but.. it's just not as satisfying as a mouthful. Ugh.

Not Cleaning My Plate
Initially I had this down pat since I measured and portioned everything. But I'm getting a little lax and at times just guessing at portion sizes or planning to leave leftovers. Tonite I ate an entire 7 oz filet mignon plus 4 oz of sauteed mushrooms. In about 15 minutes. How the hell..!!? I could not believe I was able to eat all that! What happened to my 4-6 oz max!!? Since when is steak a slider food?! I never should have put all that food on my plate. I was VERY uncomfortable after eating. But there was a silver lining in that I was completely satiated for a full 7 hours afterwards instead of my usual 2-3 hours. So that's something at least. But I need to get a handle on this nonsense before it all goes south.

What I am doing really well at is getting off my arse. I have a boatload of energy and I can't seem to sit still for 5 minutes. I even joined a gym and have actually been going regularly.. and enjoying it. So there's that.

I wanted to end this post on a positive note

@@Valentina

I do the same.. Taste everything I prepare unless I have someone close by to do tasting for me. I do track every taste in Myfitnesspal thou. (One taste of macaroni is 4 calories ) . Even though I don't eat most of what I cook or bake now I always want to make sure it's delish !!

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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.