Do u ever wonder how people here eat such a perfect diet - all the time?

[moonlitestarbrite 902]

I don't think marfar7 has an eating disorder, unless it is the same one that all of us have that caused us to resort to WLS. After all, she is at a 25 BMI and has lost nearly 100 pounds. She must be doing something right!

I think her post was to let us know that you don't have to be perfect at measuring everything and not ever cheating in order to succeed at weight loss.

Of course...that is my opinion, and every one of us has one.

disordered eating has nothing to o with how much you weigh. (ever heard of anorexia nervosa?) its about a disordered relationship with food. that isnt my opinion, i worked for 17 years in human services, mental health and chemical dependency. i was referring to her post that pdxman posted called "why am i still obsessed with food." she listed off her behavior regarding food that troubles her and they are all symptoms of an eating disorder.

i wasnt commenting on her weight loss, i was commenting on her discomfort. there is a big difference between losing weight and being healthy emotionally. please reread what i wrote.

[Teachamy 1,042]

Personally, I need to measure my food. My eyes are always bigger than my sleeve, and if I try to "listen to my tiny sleeve" I end up eating a bit too much and I puke. That's my bottom line. Is it being a perfectionist? I guess so, if vomit is your definition of perfection.

Edited April 21, 2014 by Teachamy

[NothingUpMySleeve 244]

I basically try to follow my diet instructions but I'm less perfect with it now than I was the first 8 weeks. Everyone's got their own style. Sweets make sick, so it's not to hard to avoid them.

I am a lot better at being disciplined now with food. Partly due to reduced hunger and partly because I actually see results now. I think the sleeve has changes beyond restriction and ghrelin that they'll discover someday...

[LalaTaylor 25]

I have yet to have my surgery, but I kind of understand her original point. A girlfriend of mine had the vsg, and she immediately became a critic of everything everyone else eats. She is so focused, which is am proud of (she has lost 70 lbs. In 5 months), that she has forgotten who she was 5 short months ago. She is an inspiration to me, but I has to shut her down, and remind her that she needed the surgery, as do I, so back up a little. Everyone has to do it on the way that works. I try to live by...it you like it, I love it. No one wants to be judged, so control your own judgments and that will make everyone here welcome.

[LindafromFlorida 1,542]

I have yet to have my surgery, but I kind of understand her original point. A girlfriend of mine had the vsg, and she immediately became a critic of everything everyone else eats. She is so focused, which is am proud of (she has lost 70 lbs. In 5 months), that she has forgotten who she was 5 short months ago. She is an inspiration to me, but I has to shut her down, and remind her that she needed the surgery, as do I, so back up a little. Everyone has to do it on the way that works. I try to live by...it you like it, I love it. No one wants to be judged, so control your own judgments and that will make everyone here welcome.

Lala, good luck on your plans for surgery! I agree with you shutting down your friend.....I can visualize that happening. My husband and I do not discuss our surgery with friends, so keeps it simple for us thank God. Having been a part of this group since last year, it has been a lifesaver for me, and personally I never felt judged. Sometimes the judgemental beast in me comes out when I see someone post something like "HELP!!!!!!! I cannot stop throwing up since I ate 3 slices of pizza, has this happened to you????" I have learned to SMH and just go on with my day. I want to be totally supportive to everyone because I feel this is our lifesaver, this group. It is well moderated, and group is witty, caring and kind. Sometimes we just have to let others post answers to certain "help" calls, LOL. Wishing you the best with your surgery and the great people here, that you will be looking to for advice, Linda

[ChristyAZ 87]

I am pre op myself and this topic has hit a sore spot for me. I am not the "strict" and "diciplined" type and I worry that will cause me to fail. I plan to follow my nutritionist and surgeons advise as close to the letter as I can however I know me .... that is where I am hoping my new "tool" comes into play ..... it will hopefully keep it to a slip and not a full slide into a fat and sugar induced coma! Its hard to think of a life w/o a yummy nibble of pizza or a sweet and creamy sip or two of coffee .... and I hope it won't come to that .... <did I even make any sense? lol> ........

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,282]

@@marfar7 ROFL!! Great Post! Yes it does seem like there are some really super perfect WLS folks out there. All I know is if it was so easy to be perfect, I never would have needed WLS in the first place.

ETA: Saying that you had WLS so that you will never have to diet again you will find is a big fat lie to ourself. We will always need to remain conscious of what and how much we are eating. The "tool" is just that and will never ever keep us full on junk such as Cadbury eggs. In time, most will find this out. Every day, every month, every year is a new journey. It's better to get started on healthy eating now than to struggle later on.

Sorry if I bursted anyone's bubble but it's just the truth.

Edited April 22, 2014 by LilmissDiva Irene

[moonlitestarbrite 902]

@@marfar7 ROFL!! Great Post! Yes it does seem like there are some really super perfect WLS folks out there. All I know is if it was so easy to be perfect, I never would have needed WLS in the first place.

ETA: Saying that you had WLS so that you will never have to diet again you will find is a big fat lie to ourself. We will always need to remain conscious of what and how much we are eating. The "tool" is just that and will never ever keep us full on junk such as Cadbury eggs. In time, most will find this out. Every day, every month, every year is a new journey. It's better to get started on healthy eating now than to struggle later on.

Sorry if I bursted anyone's bubble but it's just the truth.

dieting assumes a temporary eating plan designed to reach a goal weight. despite everyones focus here on their goal weight, what will you do when you reach goal? go back to how you were eating before? well, you sorta might be able to go back to being mindless about how you eat and not exercising, but you wont ever be able to eat like you did pre surgery, even if you can eat around your sleeve. if you want to be successful, you will need to PERMANENTLY change how and what you eat. i dont see that as a diet. i see that as a lifestyle change. its not about depriving yourself for a while to eventually go back to a different way of eating, its about making life long changes... my goal isnt a number on the scale (though i might be in the minority here), my goal is to live a healthy life by making daily healthy choices.

[Carlotta1 401]

Everyone has their own path to success with usurping the sleeve as a tool to get their, I , for one, do occasionally eat dark chocolate, a dessert, a hearty meal but in small quantities. I don't call that perfect ..I call it enjoying one of the pleasures of life,

[cherrytree15 78]

I'm so happy all. I got approved today! I guess now I will truly see the struggle and know if I will be strict or some where in the middle on my journey! In any event, I will always be here looking to everyone for support and encouragement!

[Iambeautiful 100]

I don't think anyone here claims to be perfect. I am not for sure. Since I've had the surgery and I have to measure everything, I now realize just how much I used to eat before surgery. I had never measured my food before and now 1/4-1/2 cup of food is all I can handle. I wanted to make sure I measure all the food I ate because I didn't want to damage my new sleeve. Now I am able to eat and can eyeball about what 2 0z of food is or 1/2 cup etc. My stomach tells me when to stop too..... but if I'm preparing my own food, I don't want to put more on my plate than I can eat so I still measure it.

I think we are just trying to support each other here that have had the same experieces with the sleeve and to share our feelings about different aspects of the aftermath.....We are not here to judge..... We judge ourselves enough as it is....

[LipstickLady 25,682]

I'm a bit shocked at the (thankfully VERY) few who are knocking those who strive to be "perfect". Isn't that akin to the middle school kids who picked on their classmates who work hard to get straight A's?

No matter what path you choose, whether it be following your doc's orders to a T, cheating as much as you can along the way or somewhere in the middle, it's YOUR CHOICE. I don't give a flying rat's patoot what *ANYONE ELSE* thinks of me and what I'm doing. My opinion is the only one that matters about me. If I am successful, I'm successful because of ME. If I fail, I fail because of me. No one can take that away from me.

If I ask for advice, I expect to get it whether I like it or not based on the facts that I present. If I post my opinion or my thoughts, I expect feedback whether it be positive or negative. That's what happens when one posts on a public message board. Just as I am the only one responsible for my actions, I am the only one responsible for my words and more importantly, I am the only one responsible for how I respond to any feedback I get.

Take the good, leave the bad, and keep doing what makes you happy. That's the bottom line.

[Margie14 31]

Gosh LL, true that! I don't admonish anyone for their path. Mine, good some days and bad others. I wish I had the tenacity and drive of some people, but I don't. I have a cup of reg. coffee everyday and have had extra thin crust pizza with chicken chopped on top (Dr. Oedeker's I believe). Of course one small slice (oh yeah, I also add stuff like olives and sauteed asparagus on top) is not bad! I do know my weight loss has slowed and stalled on my bad days. I just broke out of a 2.5 week stall by getting back to phase 2 (all liquid). I still have hunger not related to acid (take medicine for that, the strong stuff - dexilant) and wish the surgery had killed that for me, but sadly it did not. When my sleeve gets empty I am starving! Just about every 2-3 hrs my sleeve says, "feed me Seymour" like a monster! I do know when something bad happens I tend to chew thoroughly... all day long. Emotional eating is still my problem and something I have to struggle with on my own. Plus, I never had to sip Water, I started gulping from the start and the only reason I know I'm sleeved it the amount of food I can take in is limited. liquids go down real easy for me.

One thing I did give up that was excruciatingly hard was diet Mountain Dew. Yes, prior to surgery I was addicted and had at least one two liter a day. I gave up that a couple months before surgery and weened myself off of caffeine completely. If you do it slowly you don't notice it as bad. I know the fear of those who drink it everyday as I never thought I could give up my sodas! But, I did and you can too, just focus on what you really want out of life and try to de-focus on the "bubbly". I recently had a sip of my kids just to see and found the taste disgusting. If you give up the soda, you may(like me) not crave or want it anymore. Now I'm a Decaf tea with stevia junkie. Water is still hard some days to get down plain and I cannot stand the fake tasting overly sweat flavor drops. So, my poison of choice is Iced tea.

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

I think it just hit me - depends on the program you are part of. Mine never expected perfection, but clearly informed me that a certain path was more likely to result in better weight loss and maintenance results. My BMI was over 50 when I started so I took it seriously - like how can I best "work" the sleeve.

I focused on weight loss during that phase... and then have adjusted my thinking a bit for maintenance but i am still terribly conscious of my food and activity choices. does that mean I am on a diet? I think we are all "on a diet" it is just a question of if it is a way of eating that supports your health and weight goals or not. It is a lifestyle, not a temporary thing - but, during the weight loss phase I was focused and fairly diligent.

In maintenance, part of my diet includes certain foods/drinks that were not on the program during weight loss. I follow it "perfectly" in the sense that I live a lifestyle that so far is keeping me good in maintenance.

I am currently in the low 140s; under my personal goal of 158 - starting weight was over 300.

I think people misunderstand what it means to be "perfect"...haha. Perfect is not possible, but in the big picture do you live the lifestyle that is keeping you on track for your goals is really the question.

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,282]

@@moonlitestarbrite when I say "diet" I am referring to ones way of eating, which is a diet. Not being on a diet where people starve themselves to lose weight. Eating a healthy diet permanently is a lifestyle change.