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What did you replace food with?



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What did you replace food with post-surgery?

How do you deal with stress, boredom, loneliness, etc?

I am 1.5 years out and still struggling with this, every chance I have I turn to food for comfort.

So I'm looking to know what our new and older members do in real life to replace foods place in our heart...

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I replaced food with life. And it tastes amazing!!

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I think this is my main struggle too. food addiction is hard to deal with bc it's like an alcoholic being told to have one drink a day. But I think exercise, writing, journaling, art, talking to friends. I think the main thing is recognizing your emotion when you're stressed or upset and want to eat and choosing to channel it. Just take a second when you're feeling the urge to eat and think about how ur body is feeling and how ur mind is feeling and parse out what the emotion is. If it's not actually hunger, think of alternative actions that u can take that aren't food. It takes a looong time to be able to do this consistently but keep at it

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Yes I agree with that, food addiction is very tough. It would be so much easier to be able to cast food away forever. To never eat another morsel of food. But we must play this balancing act.

Yes, maybe I should just take a minute to recognize what I am feeling, stress at work, etc and channel it elsewhere.

I think this is my main struggle too. Food addiction is hard to deal with bc it's like an alcoholic being told to have one drink a day. But I think exercise, writing, journaling, art, talking to friends. I think the main thing is recognizing your emotion when you're stressed or upset and want to eat and choosing to channel it. Just take a second when you're feeling the urge to eat and think about how ur body is feeling and how ur mind is feeling and parse out what the emotion is. If it's not actually hunger, think of alternative actions that u can take that aren't food. It takes a looong time to be able to do this consistently but keep at it


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What did you replace food with post-surgery?

How do you deal with stress, boredom, loneliness, etc?

I am 1.5 years out and still struggling with this, every chance I have I turn to food for comfort.

So I'm looking to know what our new and older members do in real life to replace foods place in our heart...

Excellent question...

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Yes I agree with that, food addiction is very tough. It would be so much easier to be able to cast food away forever. To never eat another morsel of food. But we must play this balancing act.

Yes, maybe I should just take a minute to recognize what I am feeling, stress at work, etc and channel it elsewhere.

I think this is my main struggle too. Food addiction is hard to deal with bc it's like an alcoholic being told to have one drink a day. But I think exercise, writing, journaling, art, talking to friends. I think the main thing is recognizing your emotion when you're stressed or upset and want to eat and choosing to channel it. Just take a second when you're feeling the urge to eat and think about how ur body is feeling and how ur mind is feeling and parse out what the emotion is. If it's not actually hunger, think of alternative actions that u can take that aren't food. It takes a looong time to be able to do this consistently but keep at it

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

When I started this journey back in March with my six-month pre-op diet, my first goal (even above losing weight) was to re-establish my relationship with food. Specifically, I didn't want food to be the focal point of everything in my life anymore. And that was a tall order and took some time, but it eventually happened. When I say that I replaced food with life, I meant that instead of obsessing over where and when (and what and how often) to eat, we think about what activities we are going to do on an outing. My partner and I leave Monday for a 3.5 week tour of Southeast Asia. Our planning has been much more about excursions (some even very physically active) rather than what kind of food we're going to eat. We get out and walk; we go to the movies; we go see the Christmas light displays. And more importantly, we see people; we don't avoid pictures, and we re-connect with old friends that we have been too embarrassed to face for years.

I have gotten food to the point of being fuel for me and nothing else. Sure, I want what I eat to be good. If not, I wouldn't have worked so hard to get all of my Protein from food so I could dump those heinous shakes once and for all. But every day, I remind myself that food is just food -- not a friend, not a companion, not a coping device, not a support, not a destination, not an event, not the centerpiece of life. I let food and my out-of-control obesity control my life for far too long. That is over.

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Exercise for me. Two birds, one stone so to speak ;)

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Yes I agree with that, food addiction is very tough. It would be so much easier to be able to cast food away forever. To never eat another morsel of food. But we must play this balancing act.

Yes, maybe I should just take a minute to recognize what I am feeling, stress at work, etc and channel it elsewhere.

I think this is my main struggle too. Food addiction is hard to deal with bc it's like an alcoholic being told to have one drink a day. But I think exercise, writing, journaling, art, talking to friends. I think the main thing is recognizing your emotion when you're stressed or upset and want to eat and choosing to channel it. Just take a second when you're feeling the urge to eat and think about how ur body is feeling and how ur mind is feeling and parse out what the emotion is. If it's not actually hunger, think of alternative actions that u can take that aren't food. It takes a looong time to be able to do this consistently but keep at it

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

When I started this journey back in March with my six-month pre-op diet, my first goal (even above losing weight) was to re-establish my relationship with food. Specifically, I didn't want food to be the focal point of everything in my life anymore. And that was a tall order and took some time, but it eventually happened. When I say that I replaced food with life, I meant that instead of obsessing over where and when (and what and how often) to eat, we think about what activities we are going to do on an outing. My partner and I leave Monday for a 3.5 week tour of Southeast Asia. Our planning has been much more about excursions (some even very physically active) rather than what kind of food we're going to eat. We get out and walk; we go to the movies; we go see the Christmas light displays. And more importantly, we see people; we don't avoid pictures, and we re-connect with old friends that we have been too embarrassed to face for years.

I have gotten food to the point of being fuel for me and nothing else. Sure, I want what I eat to be good. If not, I wouldn't have worked so hard to get all of my Protein from food so I could dump those heinous shakes once and for all. But every day, I remind myself that food is just food -- not a friend, not a companion, not a coping device, not a support, not a destination, not an event, not the centerpiece of life. I let food and my out-of-control obesity control my life for far too long. That is over.

Thank you for this post. You're so right. I only have 6 days till surgery. I am a food addict. Love the taste, feel, cooking.....etc.

I'm looking forward to the new me.

One day at a time.

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Santa is bringing me adult coloring books and colored pencils. A friend said whenever she is stressed or craving food she gets out her coloring book and it stops the stress and cravings.

Had lapband surgery 10/12/16

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I really admire that :)

I had that as my original goal too, but a few months post-op I took a very stressful job and 1 sugar free reeses cup turned into the beginning of the end for me. I want to get back to that place you speak of... the freedom to say... food is not my everything, it is just fuel for my body. Maybe I can harness some of your good vibes and start fresh tomorrow.

Yes I agree with that, food addiction is very tough. It would be so much easier to be able to cast food away forever. To never eat another morsel of food. But we must play this balancing act.

Yes, maybe I should just take a minute to recognize what I am feeling, stress at work, etc and channel it elsewhere.


I think this is my main struggle too. Food addiction is hard to deal with bc it's like an alcoholic being told to have one drink a day. But I think exercise, writing, journaling, art, talking to friends. I think the main thing is recognizing your emotion when you're stressed or upset and want to eat and choosing to channel it. Just take a second when you're feeling the urge to eat and think about how ur body is feeling and how ur mind is feeling and parse out what the emotion is. If it's not actually hunger, think of alternative actions that u can take that aren't food. It takes a looong time to be able to do this consistently but keep at it


Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

When I started this journey back in March with my six-month pre-op diet, my first goal (even above losing weight) was to re-establish my relationship with food. Specifically, I didn't want food to be the focal point of everything in my life anymore. And that was a tall order and took some time, but it eventually happened. When I say that I replaced food with life, I meant that instead of obsessing over where and when (and what and how often) to eat, we think about what activities we are going to do on an outing. My partner and I leave Monday for a 3.5 week tour of Southeast Asia. Our planning has been much more about excursions (some even very physically active) rather than what kind of food we're going to eat. We get out and walk; we go to the movies; we go see the Christmas light displays. And more importantly, we see people; we don't avoid pictures, and we re-connect with old friends that we have been too embarrassed to face for years.

I have gotten food to the point of being fuel for me and nothing else. Sure, I want what I eat to be good. If not, I wouldn't have worked so hard to get all of my Protein from food so I could dump those heinous shakes once and for all. But every day, I remind myself that food is just food -- not a friend, not a companion, not a coping device, not a support, not a destination, not an event, not the centerpiece of life. I let food and my out-of-control obesity control my life for far too long. That is over.

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@@SlimJill

I kind of got to a place food wasn't a comfort for me before surgery.

I would say I found a new love for the outdoors and I do so many different activities that they fill a lot of voids for me.

I mean I also play video games so if I get bored, there is always a game.

Seek a therapist to help you with this.

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Going for a walk gets my mind off food. I took up another hobby that keeps my hands and mind busy as well. If you sit around and dwell on it, it will eat you up. Find something constructive to do that requires your mind to exercise itself. That should help.

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Yes definitely a hands on hobby. Coloring, drawing, knitting, woodworking, a rubiks cube, whatever.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

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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.
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • 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💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • KimBaxleyWilson

      Three months and four days ago... I was in Costa Rica having a life changing surgery! Yesterday we had a followup visit with Dr. Esmeral via video chat and this morning my middle number changed.  I'm down 47lbs and two pants sizes. I can wear a Large tshirt for the first time in like... 14 years! Woot!! Everything is going great. I have zero regrets. I went down to the riverwalk with a friend and walked 2 miles on Monday without even getting fatigued. And no more snoring or chugging pickle juice for crazy leg cramps! I need to go to the gym more... I'm making new shirts next week so that will motivate me. LOL But I'm also just not as TIRED all the time! I have a LONG way to go...but seeing the progress on the scales and in the mirror is a huge motivator!! Thank you all for cheering me on and supporting me!!
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      1. This update has no replies.
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      https://alluniqueguide.com/java-burn-coffee-reviews/
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