Hot Dogs?

[Beck90 189]

I got to 264 pounds "treating" myself with food and being "adventurous" on diets. Not the best decision for me, and a choice I won't make again!

I think a big part of success is -absolutely- figuring out your issues and what's a slider for you and so on.

In my particular case (can't speak for others) treating myself and being adventurous wasn't my problem, nor was emotional eating.. my problem was Portion Control. I didn't have the self control to shrink my stomach the normal way, and even though I could stop when I was full, it took a sickening amount of food to -get- me full. Endless cycle. I knew the sleeve would help me after researching it because not only did it give me a small new stomach to start over with (as the problem of a stretched out stomach I had already acquired by age 7 before I knew better) and helped take out some of the ghrellin so I don't feel ravenously hungry all the time.

My real battle will likely be when my restriction is less as my body adjusts - a year or so down the road. But I'm hoping it wont' actually be a battle because I'll have learned to be satisfied with small portions and learned some healthier habits - and the ghrellin will still be gone.

Either way.. there are certain choices I would never make - like you not treating yourself or being adventurous - because I know they would cause me problems. This just wasn't one of them. I try to stay aware of what issues led me to where I was.. and what to do to avoid them

Ahhh... But there is a BIG difference between a treat once you've hit goal and maintenance vs. during your soft foods phase.

You gotta learn those healthy habits before you use them automatically.

I think it just depends on the person.. I am enjoying learning a new way to eat and I find that I'm more successful at it and dedicated to it if I treat myself every once in a while than if I don't (at least that's what I've found out in the last.. 8 weeks of changed dieting? ) If I don't then I start thinking about how long it'll be until I get to maintenance and I just want to give up. So for me personally it seems to go better if I allow for the occasional treat along the way because it gives me focus to do what I need to do without getting sidetracked by "omg how many months will it be before I can have ______ " but that's just me.. the same approach might not work for others at all. I'm only an expert on me lol.