February 2019 weight loss buds

[froufrou 678]

1 hour ago, Gottajustdoit said:

I am sure I could as well. So many people at work have "fun-sized" candy in dishes that whenever I pass by, I grab one or two. I'm sure by the end of the day I've eaten a full-sized equivalent. For me it's as if certain cravings came back around 6 or 7 months after surgery and are back big time. The difference is that I will feel "blah" if it eat too much at one time so I stop. I'm not too worried about these cheats except for the fact that they fill space that should be devoted to Proteins. We are at a strange point in the process for sure.

Yes, I think they do come back. Mine are back too to an extent and I flirted with it for a bit... a bit too much chocolate over Halloween, but I've realised it doesn't satisfy me. It just increases my craving. Instead I've been having a couple of sugar free mints or if the craving is really bad then I do have some stevia chocolate in my cupboard - you can have half a bar of it for 170 calories. The salted almond is the best in my opinion. I dunno... I'm just kind of trying to retrain my brain, which is incredibly stubborn! But sugar is a drug for me - I'll always have to be on my guard.

[AZhiker 2,251]

I keep some 80% cacoa chocolate covered almonds around, just in case it feels like a rogue craving is going to monster up. Or just to have as a treat. They seem pretty satisfying and do not seem to trigger cravings. HOWEVER, there is a candy bowl at work with little mini Herseys and I have succumbed more times that I want to admit. No ill effects like dumping, but they are empty calories. The main reason I gave up sugar was to reduce inflammation, and so I need to remind myself of that, not the fear of dumping. So two strategies for me:

1) Remind myself of the long term benefit of less inflammation,

2) Delay gratification by remembering that I can have some healthy chocolate covered almonds at home if I really feel the need.

I think this will get me through.

[Sheribear68 3,200]

So glad to see this discussion.
This last week at work was the absolute worst as far as candy, cookies,pie,cake,and brownies at work.
ALL OF THOSE THINGS AT THE SAME TIME!!!

I seriously thought I might have a nervous breakdown Thursday.

Okay, so this isn’t the most pleasant of thoughts, but one of the customers who brought the brownies is MO.
to overcome any temptation, I kept mentally comparing my size to hers, and went over my mental wish-list for a Christmas outfit and it got me past a couple of cravings.
Don’t ever want to go back to looking and feeling like that again.

[AZhiker 2,251]

One of the biggest life savers ever for me what finding out several years ago that I absolutely cannot tolerate gluten in any amount - not even a communion wafer. My joints immediately swell, and I get nausea, diarrhea, abd pain. At first this felt like a curse - no wheat, rye, or barley of any kind. Avoid all cross contamination - like oats that have been processed in contaminated machinery. No Italian restaurants, no more delicious breads, no more crackers, Bagels, pita chips, Cookies, cake, pie, donuts, brownies, coffee cake, or any variety of goodies brought into work. BUT it is actually one of the greatest blessings ever - from what it has saved me from! Tens of thousands of calories!

Same with sugar! Making sugar a forbidden food is actually a real blessing, as it saves us from most everything we shouldn't have anyway! We just have to draw the line in the sand and say, "Not for me!" Everyone else can gain weight over the holidays, but this is our time to shine! We can actually lose some pounds if we stick to our guns. We can also make some healthy alternatives for ourselves - treats we can enjoy without undermining all our fantastic progress. I think a big key is the ability to delay gratification. If we can say to ourselves, "I don't need to eat that sweet now, but I can have _________ when I get home," it can save us. Delayed gratification is a mature and healthy response to any form of temptation, and we get the chance to cultivate it bigtime during the holidays! Hang in there! We can do this!

[Recidivist 1,141]

Wow, thanks everyone for talking about your cravings as well. chocolate was a big problem for me before surgery!

Since the chocolate bar incident, I've stocked up on Jello sugar-free chocolate pudding (which I love), sugar-free popsicles, and a couple of sugar-free chocolate bars. If I feel the urge, I can grab one of those. As Gottajustdoit mentioned, I know that I'm taking up pouch space that should be used for Protein, but at least it's not as bad as the full-sugar options.

I'm beginning to think that my little slip was a good thing, because I've re-committed to making healthy choices instead of giving into temptation. Love this site!

[AZhiker 2,251]

4 hours ago, Recidivist said:

I'm beginning to think that my little slip was a good thing, because I've re-committed to making healthy choices instead of giving into temptation. Love this site!

As long as we learn from mistakes, we are doing great! I never would have explored better hydration options for exercise, had I not salt binged on french fries and gotten sick!

[Sheribear68 3,200]

Yeah, chocolate, pizza, Mexican food, etc I can use mind over matter.

My prob is cocktails.
I’m finding myself fantasizing about wine pairings with holiday food (and then having just 1 bite of, or skipping the food altogether)
I did tell myself zero alcohol between now and next Thursday, so it’s a delayed gratification on that.
I’ve already bought my wine and am allowing myself 2 glasses, and instead of dessert, I’m going to have a glass of tawny port I found this weekend.

[froufrou 678]

I really think planning and rehearsing in your mind is a good thing. I mean... sometimes I go off the rails, but most of the time if I plan and prepare and figure out what it is I'm going to allow myself, then I stick to it.

This year I've decided to have a mince pie and mulled wine evening. Haven't thought of the date yet, but I'm going to have one mince pie, some mulled wine and watch a Christmas movie (before xmas) and thoroughly enjoy it... instead of my usual which is eat ALL of the things and then find the mince pies at the end of xmas or the new year and eat all of them too! haha

[Sheribear68 3,200]

On 11/19/2019 at 17:15, froufrou said:

I really think planning and rehearsing in your mind is a good thing. I mean... sometimes I go off the rails, but most of the time if I plan and prepare and figure out what it is I'm going to allow myself, then I stick to it.

This year I've decided to have a mince pie and mulled wine evening. Haven't thought of the date yet, but I'm going to have one mince pie, some mulled wine and watch a Christmas movie (before xmas) and thoroughly enjoy it... instead of my usual which is eat ALL of the things and then find the mince pies at the end of xmas or the new year and eat all of them too! haha

Love this plan!
I find that when I pre-plan indulgences, that I don’t get as tempted at other times bc I know I’ve got “my time” scheduled in.
You know what I learned? I’ve learned that if I plan out these things, I eat and drink less than when I don’t have something planned out and life gets to me and I snap.

We are not going to be perfect all of the time, but the key is to plan our imperfect moments and if we get caught up in accidental ones to learn from them and move on.

[Rocketman 11]

Figured I’d check in. Started at 255 in Feb, Down to 169 this morning. I pretty much can eat anything these days. Life is good, had this surgery to fix GERD, and i have no more issues with GERD. The weight loss has been a solid positive side effect. I am very fortunate that I dont have any skin sagging issues. I guess being 37 helps with that. I’m wearing size med/small shirts and size 32 jeans/shorts. I’ve been fluctuating at this weight for a month, seems stable, and don't really watch what i eat, and am obviously limited on how much i can eat.

Life is good, this surgery was life changing, and all my labs are way down in the good ways.

[Gottajustdoit 220]

Such great news! I don't recall seeing a pre-surgery photo, but you look great here!

[yvetteperez 3]

Just got my gastric sleeve on November 25 ,2019 I’m feeling really lonely I even regret this I can’t seem to drink enough Water or Protein just really depressed.

[Recidivist 1,141]

12 hours ago, Rocketman said:

Figured I’d check in. Started at 255 in Feb, Down to 169 this morning. I pretty much can eat anything these days. Life is good, had this surgery to fix GERD, and i have no more issues with GERD. The weight loss has been a solid positive side effect. I am very fortunate that I dont have any skin sagging issues. I guess being 37 helps with that. I’m wearing size med/small shirts and size 32 jeans/shorts. I’ve been fluctuating at this weight for a month, seems stable, and don't really watch what i eat, and am obviously limited on how much i can eat.

Life is good, this surgery was life changing, and all my labs are way down in the good ways.

Good for you! You look great, and i always appreciate hearing from another guy who has had the surgery.

We have similar paths. I started at 250 in February and am down to 137 as of today, which is honestly a bit lower than I'd like to be. However, I've been bouncing around this weight for a month, so I guess it's where I should be. I can eat limited quantities of almost anything--and I have been in order to increase my calories. I can comfortably wear size 30 pants and small or medium shirts, depending on the style. Wonderful, isn't it?

The only thing we don't have in common is saggy skin--as in, I have lots of it. The difference is that I'm 60 and was fat for decades. Kudos to you for doing something about your weight earlier than I did!

[Gottajustdoit 220]

On 11/27/2019 at 9:58 PM, yvetteperez said:

Just got my gastric sleeve on November 25 ,2019 I’m feeling really lonely I even regret this I can’t seem to drink enough Water or Protein just really depressed.

Hi yvetteperez, I can assure you, you are experience very normal feelings. I encourage you, if you can, to find a group on bariatricpal that just went through the surgery as it is a great support to be communicating with others who are at the same stage you are in. For me, the "February 2018" group was a great avenue through which to express concerns, frustrations, etc. as we all had the same thing pretty much in common. You are brave to have this done right before the holidays, as this is a time of year focused on food so it will be especially tough to be around it all the time. Having said this, though, you probably won't have much of an appetite for a while so you might sail through the season. Drinking Water and getting in the Protein is super tough for the first few months, but do the best you can. Keep a water bottle or a protein drink/shake in your hand at all times to serve as reminder to sip throughout the day. I'm glad you posted. BariatricPal is a great resource to get through the dark times. Hang in there!

[froufrou 678]

On 11/27/2019 at 7:58 PM, yvetteperez said:

Just got my gastric sleeve on November 25 ,2019 I’m feeling really lonely I even regret this I can’t seem to drink enough Water or Protein just really depressed.

The first couple of weeks are hard, until you get into your groove, but I assure you it will get better. With Water remember just to keep sipping. The sleeve has more restriction in that respect, so just take little sips often. You'll get through this... these are just the hardest days and they will be behind you soon. Hang in there x