Question I am 9 weeks post op and I am starting to have cravings I think mostly because I seem to keep eating same Proteins but cravings have been starting and I gave in once and felt horrible bad about it I ate popcorn please no mean response we are all human but i just want to know how people are dealing with cravings? Thanks

Sent from my iPhone

so sometimes I will satisfy that urge with various seasonings.

one example I am very happy to have half a sauteed chicken breast with spag sauce and cheese and skip the Pasta.

or ground meat (I use a mix of ground sirloin and ground turkey breast) with spag sauce and cheese. if I am craving a different kind of food I have different spices, same meats.

When I want ice cream I have a sugar free popsicle. I love the outshine ones, strawberry is my fav. some people freeze greek yogurt with some stevia for the same idea, or you could add vanilla.

When I am craving a candy bar I have a chocolate Protein bar. I like the power crunch.

I do, on occasion have a small amount of popcorn with shredded reduced fat cheese melted on top. It's not all the time, but it doesn't seem to be a slider food for me. I can only eat a little bit and then I am stuffed. I measure it out, log it and move forward. at 9 weeks you should be healed enough that this would not be a problem. I was medically cleared for any kind of food at 4 weeks.

I'm trying to avoid feeding my cravings, honestly, because those cravings and my inability to resist them are what made me fat and miserable. When I start craving food, I find something else to do. I drink Water. I go for a walk, I call a friend, I do some laundry, I clean my house....whatever it takes to get me over the hump of my brain telling me I need something that I just want. I'm being very rigid about sticking to meals and not snacking, and I've almost completely eliminated sugar from my diet. These are all changes I've tried to make before on Weight Watchers and other diets, but I'm using my limited capacity now (surgery 6/21) to try to break some bad, old habits. When I absolutely CANNOT ignore that voice, I have a sugar-free popsicle. That's my 'give in' food now, a sugar-free popsicle. 4 months ago it would have been a pint of Ben and Jerry's.

Thanks y'all

Sent from my iPhone

In terms of eating, some things I do that I think are helpful are:

1. I try to minimize carbs that don't have good Fiber - stick mainly with whole grain breads and cereals, fruits, and legumes in the carb category - sugars and simple starches can make you hungrier, in addition to being less healthy
2. I do try to eat with good variety, not just chicken breast and broccoli 24x7, I mix it up, try new things, like making my own smoothies, or trying the par-boiled farro and bulgur grains that Trader Joe's sells, a recipe for seared lemon-pepper fish filet...
3. I do allow myself some fun foods, but they are rarely "the full monty", for example I might have a frozen yogurt bar, some whole grain crackers with guacamole, a small veggie pizza with whole grain crust

Mentally speaking, if I find myself thinking of a big slab of blueberry pie with vanilla ice cream, or a large pizza with pepperoni and sausage and extra cheese... I "change the channel" mentally, quick!

So after the sleeve do your cravings subside? are they more mental cravings? I need to be prepared here and if there is anything sweet in the house I will think non stop about it. Always best to keep it out. I want to be successful and cravings or hunger is bad now. Sleeve is happening in the fall. I know I have taken Phen Phen and it curbed my cravings. Really hoping for the same results.

So after the sleeve do your cravings subside? are they more mental cravings? I need to be prepared here and if there is anything sweet in the house I will think non stop about it. Always best to keep it out. I want to be successful and cravings or hunger is bad now. Sleeve is happening in the fall. I know I have taken Phen Phen and it curbed my cravings. Really hoping for the same results.

No - it curbs your hunger (for a while - not permanently) but cravings are mental - more head hunger. That's why it's so important to get your emotional eating issues addressed before surgery. You can't just remove temptation - it'll always be around you. I encourage therapy to deal with these issues - this journey is more mental/emotional than physical. The surgery is just a tool to help you eat less - you have to do the work and change your eating habits in order to be successful.