Hm, how to approach this

I had GBP in March 2017. I started at 255 lbs/ 116kg and got down to 148lbs/67kg at 1 year post op. I then gained a little the next few months and have been stable at around 156lbs/71kg for the past 1 year+.

I'm happy with where I'm at, I don't need to go down more, but I know I can. And the reason is this, and also where my problem is.

I eat too much candy. Way too much candy. Especally sour candy. I have tried to cut back and stop, but I just can't. I eat up towards 2500-3000 kcal a day.

But I also work out 5-8 times a week (1-2 days twice a day, 1 day a week is no workouts). I'm a spinning instructor 2 a week and I have been running 3 times a week up until now, last week I increased to 4 times a week. I have ran a couple of half marathons this fall, and I'm training for several for next year. I also lift weights a few times a week.

When I eat protein heavy meal, I get so full so quickly, but I also get hungry again so quickly. And somehow candy has become my snack. I'm probaly not eating enough meals throughout the day, which is part of the problem, but I'm just kind of sick of food. I meal prep, portion out, try to get 150g of protein a day (protein values are always low when I blood test), I even still drink 1 shake a day, I drink plenty of fluids. I just seem to do better with eating a little all the time.

Anyone been like this? And how did you turn it around?

I know I shouldn't eat as much candy as I do, I'm not getting any nutrition from it, it's not helping my running, and I know I'm not going to be able to keep the weight off if I continue like this.

Trust me, I have tried the just don't, just stop etc. I need suggestions and advice on how to move forward.

@FluffyChix how do you make the gummies?

2 hours ago, rs said:

@FluffyChix how do you make the gummies?

Here's one recipe using a more natural approach but google sugar free gummy bears using gelatin and you will see there are many many variations. One of them you can make extra sour by using citric acid powder.

https://lowcarbyum.com/making-homemade-sugar-free-gummy-bears-raspberry/

I am not a sweets person, but have found I actually really enjoy these (and they taste quite sweet [made with actual cane sugar]). I do not eat the 3 they say is the serving size - I just have one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008CC8XAW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They are low cal and low carb if you just have one. They last a loooonngg time. And some flavors are sour, like you said you like. These also helped me quit smoking since I, too, have an "oral habit". lol.

Edited November 15, 20196 yr by mousecat88

I think the oral fixation thing is probably a good place to focus (also talk to your dentist and find out if you clench/grind your teeth - the clenching action can sometimes be an unconscious tension reliever, though also ruins your teeth). But I’d go in a different direction with the candies - I don’t think you need to find a low-calorie candy substitute, I think you need to ration.

Portion out a reasonable allotment of one week’s worth of candy into a mason jar or other glass/transparent container, and then put a bag of grapes in the freezer. As the week goes on, every time you eat a candy, remind yourself that this is all you get this week, and eye up the jar to see if you’re cool with the pace. When your craving is low enough to be diverted, grab a grape out of the freezer (or a cherry, or something else of similar size).

I practice what I preach here, I have a candy corn fixation and filled a mason jar with corn mid-October vowing this is all I have until NEXT HALLOWEEN. I’m maybe 1/5 through it. Somehow just knowing it’s there and that I’ve already accounted for it in my diet makes it less of a guilty pleasure/cheat and I don’t need it as much.

I read a book (or finished reading it) on Nov 1st. It's 'How to stop eating bad sugar' by Allen Carr. Since I stopped I've kicked my sugar habit which was wreaking havoc in my life. Not huge weight gain, but there was a slide upwards. It was just the mental nastiness - the feeling of constantly losing a battle and it made me sick and I'd started getting really bad reactive hypoglycaemia.

So since then: no sugar, potatoes, sweeteners, honey, syrups and no processed food made with sugar. I still eat a lot of fruit but mainly apples (loads of fibre) and tangerines. Bananas are a slight problem - I note they increase sweet cravings and give me muscle cramps, but I'm recently bereaved and so allowing myself to skate that one for now. Dried fruit is also a big no.

I eat meat, fish, veggies (often oven roasted), small amounts of organic proper wholewheat bread - have only found one brand - Cranks- which doesn't have a load of other nonsense in. I snack on nuts and fruit as above. I've lost 6lbs of my slide up from my lowest, but I think I might be at what is a healthy weight for me. (Need to get back to the gym really).

I don't log or do macros but I aim to eat whole food, lots of veg and fibrous fruit. It's working in that I've only had the reactive hypoglycaemia a couple of times since Nov 1st (I think it was banana that did it!) and the cravings are generally gone. The evening hunger is fixed by eating a big apple very slowly and I sometimes have a bed time snack of a little fruit and cheese, or nuts, but the urge to do that is passing slowly.

I do occasionally use Stevia in my posh hot milk and pure cacao/ashwaganda type drinks, but I try also to not make it a regular thing.

I suppose my point will be, that having taken these steps, the obsession, and the compulsion have faded and now I'm free to deal with all my other problems!!!

Good luck to you - your exercise regime is awesome. I so want exercise to be my next addiction!!

One of my snacks is nuts, dried fruit, and a couple of chocolate chips mixed in. A portion, for me, is 1/4 cup. It seems like with your workout routine, you could add this in occasionally.

I agree on healthier swaps but another tool is to divide up the candy into separate little baggies. If you have the willpower to let yourself have 10 M &Ms or 3 pieces of sour candy a day then you can look forward to that tiny treat but stop and really enjoy that tiny portion. Honestly if you had a big portion you stop really tasting it after a few bites anyway. This could be a dangerous path for some but it works for me. NEVER eat straight from a box or bag, always put what you are going to eat into a separate dish so you can visually see how much you are eating.