Hi All,

I am 4 months post GS and I have been falling back into old habits. Like eating out of boredom. I thought I had addressed that behavior earlier prior to surgery. But now it has reared its ugly head again.

I feel like I have a little demon in me telling me to eat that muffin, eat that cookie, try that cake. I can't seem to shake it off. I have I have been trying to drink water or tea when I get the need to eat. It works sometimes, but I have had 4 days where my little demon had full on control and I didn't loose any weight for two weeks. I guess the good part is I didn't gain any either.

I am trying to figure out where this negative eating is coming from. I am disappointed in myself with my lack of control. I am open to any idea you all have that can help.

Thank you,

Mel

Maybe try therapy? Just a thought, a lot of people do say it helps.

Or, try to go for a different healthier snack when you feel the need to snack? I notice if I keep grapes or berries washed and readily available I will grab them quicker.

Good luck.

I know everyone frames this sort of thing differently but telling yourself that the "thing" that makes you want to eat isn't you probably isn't productive. There is no little demon, there's just old habits that you had surgery to assist you in breaking. You are in charge of your decisions and choices. Empower yourself to make different ones.

Unfortunately, the surgery only effects our stomachs - not our brains.

I would suggest therapy. That's what I'm doing. I've found that chewing gum helps.

I know some people find that hobbies that keep their hands moving help. Sewing, things like that. Really, I suppose anything that can distract you would work.

Thank you to you all. I do think therapy is a great idea. Need to remind myself this isn't a journey I need to take on my own.

great you are recognizing the issue so soon!

journaling has been an important tool for me to unearth a lot of the reasoning behind my eating disorder issues.. lots of hurt, pain and uncomfortable things… writing out the emotions has helped me acknowledge and deal

you may want to try that or explore other methods to work through to the heart of your issues and create a new healthier life

Unfortunately, we never rid ourselves of those old habits & cravings. All we can do is recognise them for what they are, identify what may be behind them (stress, emotions, boredom, etc.) & learn strategies to manage them & take away some of their power. And yes, therapy can help a lot.

In the meantime look for something to distract yourself. Go for a walk, play a game, craft, read, clean out a cupboard - sort out those clothes that are starting to get too big, watch a movie/documentary/ TV program, ring a friend, check social media & this forum.

Can you physically remove the temptations? I know it’s not always easy if you live with other people who don’t follow your food requirements, but if you can, keep the demon’s food out of the house. Get rid of anything you have that you don’t want to be tempted to eat. Donate it to a food bank. Anything you can’t donate (e.g., perishable food like baked goods), it will usually disappear pretty quickly if you leave it in the break room at work.

Grocery pickup/delivery is a game-changer (I’m a big fan of Walmart Plus, but a lot of stores offer this type of service). I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve set foot in a grocery store in the past year. I have a saved list of my standard weekly grocery items (mainly fresh and frozen produce, meat, and fish), and anything else I need, I just add to my cart ad hoc throughout the week. I never have to look at the demon’s foods. I don’t have to walk through the bakery aisle and smell the cakes and donuts, I don’t have to walk through the cookie aisle and see the new Oreo flavors. I don’t have to resist temptation every time I go in the pantry because I have nothing that I shouldn’t be eating, I do have healthy(ish) treats that I eat every day so I don’t feel deprived. (Yes, I eat a lot of artificially sweetened foods. Maybe not the “healthiest” choices on earth, but the perfect is the enemy of the good.)

It's so good that you've identified this and are addressing it really quickly. I suspect most of us will have had days where we've eaten the wrong things and had all the associated guilt and negative thinking. I echo the recommendation of therapy - it has helped so many people here and it surely can't hurt. I would think of it as another tool to help us lose weight and keep it off for good. Best of luck.

I've gone trough something similar lately and this book https://www.neverbingeagain.com/free-book/ has really helped me with tools to refrain from snacking and to forgive myself if I ever do it. Hope it helps!

The thing that works for me is not having that temptation around me in the first place. I just don’t buy it and keep it near me. Also playing virtual reality games can not only help keep you active, but busy. So busy that sometimes I forget to eat.