Hi team

I am just home from a brief pacific island holiday (scuba pics coming later!) and the holiday showed me an interesting thing about my eating.

I am 3.5 months post op, and I gotta tell ya, it has been a dream run. Surgery, recovery, weight loss - all smooth and damned near effortless. I don’t really get hungry (a few days of that early but not since). I can eat pretty much most stuff I want, but have had a couple of dumping episodes from sugar and luckily I really don’t want it! I am on strictly three meals a day - I start with protein and am loving finding delicious protein treats - like the 6 thin slices of tuna carpaccio in the islands! Yum! Then I finish with greens, veggies, salad. Very happy, no serious temptations. I sort of miss my nemesis - potato crisps - but have discovered baked veggie crisps, and two or three beetroot crisps makes me crunch-satisfied on the odd occasion when I want crisps.

So - off on this holiday, imagine my surprise to suddenly get real cravings. First - the airline club lounge - really wanted my old staple, chocolate coated shortbread with my coffee. Just noticed it and resisted. Then, had a hotel overnight before international flight - minibar yelled at me all bloody evening. Chocolate, crisps, chocolate almonds, cider, coke! And then, onto the flight, and the seat screen just kept shouting “Snack bar! Ooh, pringles. M&Ms. Do it, do it”. 3 hours of resisting - had a beerstick lunch - low carb, good protein...

Anyway, I was just surprised at the “location” triggers for those old eating habits. Resisting was ok, but I realised that I will need willpower on an ongoing basis - I had sorta assumed I was in a more secure place re food temptations.

The only answer, obviously: very very regular pacific island scuba diving holidays...

Well done you for resisting