I just went through our pantry and pulled out all the types of junk food that are triggers for me. I put them on the counter and told my husband and kids I cannot have them around, that they need to throw them away, lock them up, or hide them from me.

I am one year post sleeve surgery. I'm pretty close to being at goal. I'm very proud of how far I've come and I actually like what I see in the mirror now.

However, over the past few weeks my old bad habits have returned, like eating junk food when bored or for any number of reasons. I'm still logging everything, even the junk food, so I've watched my calorie intake go from an average of 1100 up to between 1500-2100. No surprise that my pants are starting to feel tight! I know the honeymoon period is over for me and I'm so scared of regain!

I scoured a lot of posts here on BaristricPal and was reminded of how common regain is. But I also read a lot of successful stories. Some things that jumped out were (1) keep logging food (2) keep focusing on protein and water (3) get rid of the junk food in the house! I've been doing the first two but this morning I got out of bed, went straight to the pantry and started pulling out all the crap. I told my husband I have a food addiction and he and the kids need to keep that stuff away from me!!

Hopefully I can right this ship. Right now. Thanks for listening.

You can do this, you recognized what was happening partly due to keeping a log. I know that is something I’m going to have to do forever.

I have cherries and grapes in my fridge so I can grab something sweet, I have Good Thins crackers (the corn one) in my cabinet for when I really crave something salty and crunchy, 20 of them are only 88 calories. I also always try to have a protein ready to go in the fridge. Deli meat or even 96% lean burger taco meat that I made. I live by the rule; In 30 minutes you won’t care what you ate.

It is so easy to slide into old habits, being aware and having options helps me a lot.

Congratulations ! Good for you- approaching your family and requesting the support you need ?

You recognized your issue early, and are taking the steps to get it under control. That is HUGE! Congrats!

Congratulations ! Good for you- approaching your family and requesting the support you need [emoji471]

That's. Well it wasn't quite "requesting", more like "demanding"

You recognized your issue early, and are taking the steps to get it under control. That is HUGE! Congrats!

Thank you.

You can do this, you recognized what was happening partly due to keeping a log. I know that is something I’m going to have to do forever.
I have cherries and grapes in my fridge so I can grab something sweet, I have Good Thins crackers (the corn one) in my cabinet for when I really crave something salty and crunchy, 20 of them are only 88 calories. I also always try to have a protein ready to go in the fridge. Deli meat or even 96% lean burger taco meat that I made. I live by the rule; In 30 minutes you won’t care what you ate.
It is so easy to slide into old habits, being aware and having options helps me a lot.

Thank you. The struggle is so real.

The logging food is so key. Even when you know you are going to be over. ESPECIALLY when you go over. You see patterns. If I look back on the days I am over I see I make the same mistakes. Today I had lunch with a friend, and there were two landmines. One was match stick fries cooked in truffle oil and seasoned with garlic and herbs. I shared a serving. My portion was 200 calories. At the end of the day, what do I see? I am 175 cal over my goal of 1200. If I can learn to not snack, or just have ONE fry instead of 20, I would never be over.

Oh, the other land mine was that she had a brownie with ice cream for dessert and kept offering me a bite. I told her that, for me, one bite could trigger are carb bender. I told her its as if I am a recovering crack addict and she just offered me a little bit of something narcotic. She got it, and promised not to do it again. We have to ask our friends and family for support.

Yay for you! I cleaned out my pantry prior to surgery so I wouldn’t be tempted..and I’m glad I did. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve wandered in there looking for something.

You’re taking the right steps. Wishing you continued success.

Yay for you! I cleaned out my pantry prior to surgery so I wouldn’t be tempted..and I’m glad I did. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve wandered in there looking for something.
You’re taking the right steps. Wishing you continued success.

Thank you. Wishing you all the best on your journey!

The logging food is so key. Even when you know you are going to be over. ESPECIALLY when you go over. You see patterns. If I look back on the days I am over I see I make the same mistakes. Today I had lunch with a friend, and there were two landmines. One was match stick fries cooked in truffle oil and seasoned with garlic and herbs. I shared a serving. My portion was 200 calories. At the end of the day, what do I see? I am 175 cal over my goal of 1200. If I can learn to not snack, or just have ONE fry instead of 20, I would never be over.
Oh, the other land mine was that she had a brownie with ice cream for dessert and kept offering me a bite. I told her that, for me, one bite could trigger are carb bender. I told her its as if I am a recovering crack addict and she just offered me a little bit of something narcotic. She got it, and promised not to do it again. We have to ask our friends and family for support.

Thank you. Yes I agree about the importance of logging food. I just keep trying to use all these tools. But I still have such a tough time with the mental anguish of it all. I keep working with my therapist on it. Those old habits and food coping mechanisms have been stuck with me for over 50 years. It's hard to shake off.