Hi!!!!!

So I am 10 days shy of 2 years post op... Lately with this pandemic and quarantine I have gained approx. 8 lbs from March 13th to the present day. I know that I am eating more out of boredom and being home alongside the fact that I am a snacker always have been before and after the surgery.. My biggest concern though is cheese. Lately I have been on a cheese kick.. any type of bagged shredded cheese that I can eat a small handful of at a time. Peccorino Romano grated cheese I can eat by the small handful.. It's so weird to me.. Like I liked cheese before however never ate it like this. There are days that I can literally eat just handfuls of cheese throughout the day in replace of actual meals or other foods.. Is this normal? Am I lacking Vitamin D or salt.. What are your thoughts? Any feedback welcome..

Check out this article (mind you its from COSMOPOLITAN, so it's no definitive scientific answer, but its a start, lol)

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/health-fitness/a46327/what-food-cravings-say-about-your-health/

<< -- An excerpt from the "Cheese" section in the article above -- >>

When you crave cheese...

• You're actually craving sugar. You might think of cheese as a potent source of fat and protein. But your brain knows better: Cheese also contains natural milk sugars. (See candy cravings above.)

• You're not getting enough calcium or vitamin D. Cheese and other dairy foods serve up calcium and vitamin D, and it's not uncommon to eat insufficient amounts of these nutrients. Luckily, your body produces vitamin D when it's exposed to direct sunlight. But if you work indoors or live in a cold climate, you might still fall short on D — which means your body might crave it in the form of grilled cheese.

• You don't eat enough fat. Cheese is a good source of this essential nutrient — and it's only natural to gravitate toward the gooiest and most delicious source.

Edited May 5, 20206 yr by ms.sss

Very interesting information from article. Thanks. I’m only 7 moths out but I’ve always been a cheese eater. I remember old WW saying that cheese is rich person’s candy! I include cheese in my daily diet but mindful of how much & if it’s reduced fat.
I’m always interested in any issues of those that are year+ out.
would like to know if any of the points in article pertain to you.
please keep us posted on your success of losing the little bit you gained.

as you know, cheese is fine as long as you work it into your daily calorie budget, but snacking on it mindlessly can be dangerous (same with nuts) - both have a lot of calories. Are there other things you like that you can keep in stock for snacking if you can't control the urge? (and of course the preferred option would be to control the urge by doing something to keep your mind off it - but I know that doesn't always work!). I always have grapes and cut-up raw vegetables in my fridge (usually with something like a light ranch dip for the veggies. Carrots, especially, can irritate my stomach if I eat more than a few, so the ranch dip part of it usually isn't a problem...). If I'm feeling even more out of control, I'll eat something full of fiber, like a big bowl of naked air-popped popcorn or a bowl of bran cereal (both have more calories than grapes or cut-up veggies, but they're also very filling - esp bran!). Sometimes I just have to get out of the house and take a long walk. I'm not eating while I'm walking - and often by the time i get home, I'm feeling really healthy and don't really want to eat mindlessly to kill that feeling.

anyway, I know it's tough - I bet a lot of us are dealing with this right now ?

4 hours ago, Meadow76 said:

Very interesting information from article. Thanks. I’m only 7 moths out but I’ve always been a cheese eater. I remember old WW saying that cheese is rich person’s candy! I include cheese in my daily diet but mindful of how much & if it’s reduced fat.
I’m always interested in any issues of those that are year+ out.
would like to know if any of the points in article pertain to you.
please keep us posted on your success of losing the little bit you gained.

Im a cheese-lover too. I did stay away from it during weight loss phase, though.

In terms of cravings, I always want salty things, even during weight loss phase (which is weird because I did drink a crap ton of water during that time...). I know I probably add way to much salt to food (then AND now).

I also go through periods of wanting dessert. It usually comes after having some. I've read, and experienced, that once you eat something sweet, you will crave even more sweet stuff. So when I think I'm going too far on the dessert front, I'll cut it out for a few days and the cravings will go away. Rinse and repeat, lol.

I did gain 6 lbs from around the the end of Feb to around the beginning of April (which sort of coincided with a hiatus I took from the BP forums, and corona-quarantine...coincidence?) And according to MyFitnessPal, I was averaging around 2500 cals a day and practically ZERO EXERCISE. So yeah, weight gain. And this wasn't a fluctuation. I held onto those 6lbs for a couple weeks...

I have a personal upper weight limit I set for myself, and those 6lbs took me ONE POUND over that. I long ago made a deal with myself that if I go over my upper limit, I have to bring myself down to my lower limit. I realize this may sound extreme, but a deal is a deal.

Sooooo...I consciously reduced my calorie intake and went back to running daily and doing some strength training and am happy to report that as of last week I got back down to my lower limit.

I figure this is my life now. Will eventually have a period of gain, and if that gain takes me over what I am comfortable with, it will be followed by a period of effort to reduce that gain. I mean, I do love cheese, lol. (I realize that my comfortable weight range may change in the future, but this works, and is maintainable, for me, for now)

@Meadow76: have you considered doing some sort of alternate day fasting? Lots of folks on here have seen success with it. Simply put, you fast (or limit your cals to 500 or so) a couple days a week and loosen the reigns the rest of the week. They could be like cheese days, and no-cheese days, lol. This way, it may be easier to lay off the snacks today because you know you can have some tomorrow...

P.S. Sorry this was so long!

Edited May 6, 20206 yr by ms.sss

5 minutes ago, ms.sss said:

I figure this is my life now. Will eventually have a period of gain, and if that gain takes me over what I am comfortable with, it will be followed by a period of effort to reduce that gain. I mean, I do love cheese, lol. (I realize that my comfortable weight range may change in the future, but this works, and is maintainable, for me, for now)

that pretty much nails it. Yep - it's our life now. Grrrr. But for me it's either that, or eating my way back up to 300+ lbs again...(and unfortunately, it does happen to some of us!)

Very interesting information from article. Thanks. I’m only 7 moths out but I’ve always been a cheese eater. I remember old WW saying that cheese is rich person’s candy! I include cheese in my daily diet but mindful of how much & if it’s reduced fat.
I’m always interested in any issues of those that are year+ out.
would like to know if any of the points in article pertain to you.
please keep us posted on your success of losing the little bit you gained.

I like following someone that has more experience than me with similar issues I.e. love cheese! Thanks for feedback

I like following someone with more experience than me. Especially with similar issues I.e. loving cheese! Thanks for feedback & your advise.

On 5/5/2020 at 5:14 PM, Lu2384 said:

What are your thoughts? Any feedback welcome..

Thoughts and opinions on cheese vary. "The Cheese Trap" is an interesting read.