Hi Everyone,

I'm almost ashamed of putting this post out there because I swore I would not become one of these people!

I'm 6 months out, down 60 pounds from 230 to 170. The sleeve has been the best thing I could have done for myself but I'm heading down a bad road now... The first 2-3 months I was doing everything right. Getting in my fluids, Proteins, Vitamins, etc. Lately I cannot stop eating bad food! Every time I do it I feel gross and regret it but then I do it again!

Also I am hungry almost every hour of the day! Can't stop thinking of food. I eat very small amounts but find myself grazing alll day long. I have to walk around with Snacks (almonds, grapes, string cheese) in my purse because I get hungry so often.

How can I stop this? The addiction is back and even though I'm still losing I know this is only going to get worse. Has anyone been bad like this and if so what did you do to get better? I'm feeling "lucky" that I eat whatever I want and still losing (at a very slow rate) but I know this will catch up with me eventually!

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Edited December 10, 20169 yr by LA_lady

Do you track your total calories/protein/carbs for the day? Many people have 3 meals and 2 or 3 Snacks a day and still manage to stay within their allowed calories. If your sleeve is tiny and you can't eat much at meals you may need to snack, as long as the snacks are healthy. Some people say after surgery they are never hungry but many don't.

First, I would stop using words like bad and good with respect to both yourself and food. It isn't helpful.

Next, cut out high carb foods immediately and completely. The more you eat of them, the hungrier you will get. One of the reasons you are constantly hungry is that you are eating things like grapes (and probably even higher carb foods).

Take three days and let yourself eat as much as you want -- but only lean, unprocessed meats and green vegetables. Throw away the high calorie foods like nuts and cheese. They are not helping you. Yes, they can be healthy parts of your diet, but not while you are getting back on track and trying to lose weight. Focusing on foods like lean meats and green veggies will help you re-focus on your restriction, make you less hungry, and re-establish the difference between true hunger and head hunger.

Finally, you may have to get okay with the idea of being hungry and just waiting until your next scheduled meal. Being hungry doesn't mean you have to eat. It isn't any fun to be hungry but you aren't in danger of starving to death.

If you are truly incapable of dealing with hunger in any way except eating, again, restrict yourself to lean meat and green veggies. When you get hungry, eat some green vegetables. If you don't want green vegetables or some chopped cold chicken breast, you aren't hungry, you are just experiencing cravings.

Edited December 10, 20169 yr by Bufflehead

It's all about your what's going on in your mind. Because what the mind thinks the body does... Change your mind and your life. This sleeve is a short term tool. If eating habits don't change your always gonna have a problem.

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Are you taking a PPI? Are you having acid issues? You might not really be hungry but need some help with GERD. I had issues months 6-9 when I was eating more variety then it stopped.

I'm a grazer. My restriction is SO freaking tight, I have to be. I also have to be extra mindful of WHAT I am grazing on. I will disagree with some of the advice above, but only because it is working **for me**.

I eat a shit-ton of cheese. I eat almonds. I eat beef Jerky and eggs. I eat lunch meat rolled with cheese. I can only eat a few ounces at a sitting, but I eat every two hours or so. I don't count calories or fat, I count carbs. As long as I stay under carb count, I am golden. When I introduce chips or cracker or bread, I am screwed. So I don't.

Meat, cheese, veggies = loss.

Carbs = gain.

This is my new normal and I am OK with it.

PRAYERS HELP ME WITH EVERYTHING

ALSO, TRY HARD TO CHANGE YOUR FOCUS TO SOMETHING ELSE AND/OR WHAT YOU ARE DOING WHEN THE THOUGHT CROSSES YOUR MIND, ESP IF YOUR NOT HUNGRY.

And PRAY AT THOSE TIMES FOR STRENGTH TO BE STRONG AND GET BACK ON TRACK.

You CAN DO IT, SO START RIGHT NOW

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Darl, your half way there already! What I mean is your being honest, up front and already aware of what your doing. Its OK! I love grapes and nuts so keep eating them! Just start again- and you will be back! Im sorry but most of us ( if we were honest) do one thing we shouldnt but thats life and we brush ourselves off and start again. You got this because you already know whats going on. So go for it!

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I thought this was going to be something along the lines of Lady Chatterly's Lover when I saw the title.

As has been mentioned, go back to lean Protein for a while. Also, you mentioned you were "getting your liquids". Just because you get to the goal set for you doesn't mean you have to stop, or even that it is enough. So a little more drinking might help you some - Water and other non alcoholic things of course!

@@LittleBill We could use a little D.H. Lawrence on the boards now and then.

@@LA_lady I'm not far enough along to give any advice not already mentioned. But I would like to congratulate you. Trying to change your eating patterns after you've noticed undesirable behavior in a few months is worth commending. Think of all the years it took you to change your lifestyle before and how, comparatively, little time you took this time. That's worth commending.

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I'm a grazer. My restriction is SO freaking tight, I have to be. I also have to be extra mindful of WHAT I am grazing on. I will disagree with some of the advice above, but only because it is working **for me**.

I eat a ****-ton of cheese. I eat almonds. I eat beef Jerky and eggs. I eat lunch meat rolled with cheese. I can only eat a few ounces at a sitting, but I eat every two hours or so. I don't count calories or fat, I count carbs. As long as I stay under carb count, I am golden. When I introduce chips or cracker or bread, I am screwed. So I don't.

Meat, cheese, veggies = loss.

Carbs = gain.

This is my new normal and I am OK with it.

I agree this works for a few ppl that I know too. Mainly, my Mom who is 9yrs out RNY and maintaining her loss. I've seen her go up a bit and back down. She initially had a stricture but even after has had a really tight restriction. She had to graze to eat. It worked.

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Edited December 11, 20169 yr by CantHardlyW8

One of my FB friends is about 6 weeks post sleeve and posted today that she doesn't understand how people could eat poorly after a surgery. As she is making the right choices. I hope we can all support each other on our individual journeys. Practice is far dirtier than Theory. In my opinion...

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I would suggest meeting with your bariatric psychologist. You need to get to the bottom of why you self-sabatoge. You have all kinds of tools available to you: your sleeve, dietician, psychologist...use them to keep you on the success side. Hang in there!

One of my FB friends is about 6 weeks post sleeve and posted today that she doesn't understand how people could eat poorly after a surgery. As she is making the right choices. I hope we can all support each other on our individual journeys. Practice is far dirtier than Theory. In my opinion...

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In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they're different.

I loved food before my surgery, now all food is to me is a means to survive. I dont like the taste of certain foods anymore, and when my stomache starts to feel unc9mfortable i back away...still frustrated because i gave up foods that i loved, the Pasta the ice cream and i only lost 32 lbs in 3 months. I know everyone is different but im scared the weightloss will stop fir me even uf i do everything right. Growing up i was never a potato chip person or a soda person, yet my brother and sister growing up could eat and eat those things like cake and pie (which i was never big on either), but they were always skinny growing up and i was always the chunky monkey. I want fir the first time in my entire life to just know how it feels to be skinny and fit in a size smaller than a 9. Why i say smaller than 9 you ask? Because 9 was the smallest ive ever been., and that was in high school.

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Try scheduling your meals and Snacks. I eat the same times every day so my body is in a routine. 8:00 am Breakfast, 12:00 pm lunch, 3:00 pm snack, 7:00 pm dinner. (If work is too crazy sometimes snack & lunch get swapped).

Also track that Protein and those calories. Early on I had to eat often (and eat cheese and nuts) to hit my calories. Then I hit a point (I think around 7 months) my restriction magically loosened and hunger returned. I had to adjust by eating less cheese and nuts and more meat or veggies to get that same satisfied feeling without going over on calories. Even 2+ years out now I rarely snack on cheese or nuts because I'd rather eat food that will fill me up. If I need a snack I will have an apple and almond butter, jerky or an emergency Quest Protein Bar.

Lots of good advice above! I hope you figure out what works for you.

HW 290+/SW 261/GW 160/CW 159