Finding balance / sustainability with food

[Daisee68 2,493]

I am really struggling with cravings the last couple of weeks. I think I am likely being a little too restrictive and not getting in enough variety. My biggest fear in this journey (and has been since day 1 though feeling it more the last week or so) is gaining the weight back. Today as I make my grocery list for the week, I feel like I am still living with a "diet" mentality and I think that will eventually lead to a "breakdown" in my food choices. I just want to get my head shifted from "diet" to "healthy lifestyle" and can't seem to get there. I know the "diet" lifestyle is not sustainable for me as it hasn't been so many times in the past...So I guess my question is - how do you find balance in what you eat or maybe you don't and still choose extreme restriction? How can I become "normal"? (I know that is not possible at only 5 months post-op but I am trying to head off a "breakdown" of making some bad choices now.)

[Spiceyfrog 269]

This is a great topic and until you posted it, I never real put much though in to it. I would now categorize myself as extreme restriction because most of the time, I do not eat what I prepare for my family. I am five months post op and still have a shake every morning and eat mostly cottage cheese, babybels, pb and apples and greek yogurt. I cannot tolerate most meats, so that is a huge downfall for me. But there are days (like yesterday) where I made my son and his friend chicken nuggets and tater tots and I ate two tater tots, because like you and many others I refuse to gain any of the weight I have lost back, I have put waaaay too much time and effort into this process. The two "meals" I have made and enjoyed are the ricotta bake and a cauliflower mac & cheese. Other than that, I eat the same things day after day.

[Ashlegal 525]

My NUT and Surgeon have told me on separate occasions "deprivation is the catalyst for failure." Why have all other diets failed? For me personally it was because they all felt as if I was being punished, that I wasn't allowed something delicious.

After WLS the definition of delicious has to change but it shouldn't be eliminated. When I was given my post-op diet plan for the first six months, my NUT had wrote little hand written notes on the side. One of them was "make the little bites taste amazing by experimenting with spices, textures and cooking methods." Basically make the food you want to eat and not the food you HAVE to eat.

I am just past two months post-op and I have (with the approval of my surgeon/NUT) made some of my favorite meals pre-op more suitable for post-op. I never feel like I am cheating, I never feel like I am on a diet and I feel great about being empowered with my food choices. Creating/cooking/eating/serving is fun where as before eating was the only fun part.

If you ever want some recipes, cooking tips, menu ideas, snack ideas or just general ideas, I am always around!

[Daisee68 2,493]

Thanks to you both for the response.

@@Spiceyfrog - I am curious if you feel you can sustain that restriction though? (And please don't hear that as judgement. I truly am just trying to sort it out in my head by understanding others feelings.) I think that is my fear that I will have my rebellious (as my therapist calls it) "BREAK" and binge. To be fair, perhaps you don't have the same binge cravings I have. I just fear that what I am doing now is not fully sustainable and I will "relapse". Clearly I have a huge addiction to food (and thank goodness I have a great therapist who I happen to have an appt with on Tuesday and will definitely be discussing this.

@@Ashlegal - I appreciate your feedback and can honestly say my NUT would agree with you but what I can't seem to do is find engage in that balance. For example, what I was desperately craving this morning was a McDonalds Sausage Biscuit and a diet soda. I managed to convince myself that was head hunger craving because there is obviously nothing nutritious in that and frankly it is an old habit that I was craving more than the food. I staved it off, but I just guess I am trying to figure out if there is space in my diet for "treats" such as the sausage or pizza. (I crave salty not sweet.) I have enjoyed more since surgery the creating and cooking of food but with only cooking for one, I feel I have to eat the same meal at least 3 times before I can justify throwing it out and I think that lends to my feeling of restriction. Certainly any tips or recipes are welcome. (Luckily for me I think, I crave meat, cheese, etc and don't really like rice or Pasta. But I would kill someone for potato right now!) @@Djmohr has told me she has one of those food saver things and that helps with leftovers. I think I am going to go get one of those today.

[Djmohr 6,965]

@@Daisee68

I can hear your struggles with this in your post. After getting to know you for the last 6 to 8 months, I would bet your restriction will in fact hold you back down the road.

You mentioned you were craving that sausage biscuit this morning. The funny thing is, if you just tried it, you would likely find that it tastes horrible and worse, your pouch will hate it. You likely will never crave that stupid sandwich again. I have craved bread like products over the last year and everytime I have tried them, I end up hating them. I no longer eat cheesburgers for this very reason. I cannot eat them without the bun, and I don't like a bun any longer nor does my pouch tolerate them. Same is true of all types of bread.

Now as for soda I cannot speak. I haven't had a soda since before surgery and even then I drank them so rarely. What I have heard is those of us with bypass do not fare well with the bubbles at all. That one, I won't attempt.

You are 5 months post op now and on most regular foods. Try expanding your horizons a little bit and trust yourself and your nut.

Try some cloud bread and make yourself that Breakfast sandwich, then you know what goes into it.

I suspect you will actually do great because you are so hyper aware. Give yourself a bit of a break!

[Daisee68 2,493]

Thanks so much @@Djmohr! I know you are right. I think I just had a boring food week and got distracted. (Staring at pizza and cupcakes at the nephew's birthday party yesterday definitely didn't help! ). I just got back from the grocery store and from buying a food Saver and I am going to try out a couple of new recipes (one of the ones you sent me) and see if some changing up will help. The other recipe I am going to make is basically pizza toppings in a pan.... New recipe from Eggface (just pepper, onion, turkey pepperoni, grilled chicken, olives, cheese, etc. in a pan). I think that may fix my pizza craving for now.

And you are right, I need to just try some of the things I miss in very small quantity or find a similar substitute. I keep telling myself that I am craving a habit and not a food. Trying some new stuff tonight (and a therapist meeting on Tuesday) will hopefully get me all sorted out!

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

I try hard to make healthier versions of tastes I love. It takes being willing to experiment in the kitchen. For example, I went through 3 variations to make pancakes with Protein Powder. I don't buy diet foods so I am mostly trying to reimagine regular food. It can be little things like cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes or making a rice bowl without the rice or using quinoa instead. Tonight I made a really tasty 3 ingredient snack. I took unsweetened coconut shreds added 1 scoop of vanilla Protein powder, and enough Water to blend. I whizzed it in the nutra bullet to make a paste then folded into half a cup of Greek yogurt. I swear it tastes like the inside of an almond joy! Next time I may add a tsp of raw cacao powder & a few almond slivers to get the complete taste.

[red37 116]

I think we are about the same time out. I have been feeling the exact same way that you have. Weight loss has definitely slowed down and I do think that is playing games with my brain!! I eat the same things ever week, buy the same things at the grocery store. I fret all the time that I will binge on something. I have had saltines on occasion, as they were on my ok list early on. However, I can eat many of these-more than I should and that scares me. I have told myself not to buy them, but I have a few times-usually just the one sleeve size. However, I don't eat as many as I would have presurgery and what I would binge on presurgery was a million times worse. I wake up everyday and try to think positive and work my way through a healthy day.

[Spiceyfrog 269]

@@Daisee68, I feel I can sustain that restriction as far as not eating things we are not supposed to. Like @@Djmohr mentioned, most of the time when you try something that you have been craving, you don't like it anyway, tastes are just not the same. The restriction will get boring, without a doubt, which I have already run in to. That is what caused me to make the ricotta bake (which was amazing), I was just burnt out on eating the same things day after day after day. We just have to find a way to keep things interesting :-)

[catwoman7 11,212]

Feeling the same thing, and I had surgery the same week as you. Mine also just started about a week ago!

Plus all along, I've been wrestling between being super-calorie-restrictive and ultra-low-carb, potentially losing all my weight but fearful of a huge rebound (because I was being *too* restrictive), and eating a more balanced diet in a somewhat higher calorie range (800-1000 per day), which seems more like a "lifestyle" change than a diet to me, with potentially less risk of a big relapse. I've usually gone with the latter - although that means I've watched other people whiz by me with their weight loss (mine hasn't been bad, but I'm definitely a slower loser than some). Sigh. But yes - my cravings have picked up the last week as well.

[peglynmc 15]

I really appreciate and can relate to thia feed. I am pre surgery and I know that I am a food addict. Relapsing, binging or failing after surgery is a big concern for me. I've had my psych appointment I have one more dietian appointment and I'm reading many suggested books but I'm still concerned.

[beachgal2935 596]

@Daisee68 I've had this same fear since before surgery as well. My way of dealing with it has been to find and tweak recipes so that I can still enjoy the foods I've always loved but in a healthier bariatric way! This morning I had ham, onion and red pepper "Magic Crust" quiche for Breakfast which has been a staple in my diet since the soft food stage as I love it. I had a delicious salad with shredded taco chicken breast for lunch and dinner will be one of my faves - pizza! My snack later will be a frozen pumpkin pie Protein bar. I'm almost 7 months post-op and my NUT added limited raw veggies at 6 months and raised my calories from 800-850 to 1,000. I track everything that goes into my mouth via MyFitnessPal and average 125-135 grams of Protein per day. I'm stuffed and the high protein intake has kept the cravings at bay. I'm 54 years young and I think losing 90 lbs. so far in less than 7 months isn't too shabby. Let me know if you'd like any of these recipes.< /p>

[Dar200 285]

I think it is fantastic! I'm only 3 weeks out and I can't wait to be able to better choose the nutrients that go in my body. My week 2 says I can have sugar free fat free pudding. I just had a vanilla sugar free fat free pudding cup and it tasted just likea glazed donut. For some reason this is just saying WRONG in my brain. I really want to get away from those tastes that have made me this overweight and there is absolutely no nutritional value in that pudding. I might as well have eaten a donut. Except the carbs were low. Oh argh. I do believe I will make better choices in my future.

[Dar200 285]

@@beachgal Do you have a blog where I can find your recipes? I'm really impressed with your Protein intake!

[Niki15 198]

@@Daisee68 I've had this same fear since before surgery as well. My way of dealing with it has been to find and tweak recipes so that I can still enjoy the foods I've always loved but in a healthier bariatric way! This morning I had ham, onion and red pepper "Magic Crust" quiche for Breakfast which has been a staple in my diet since the soft food stage as I love it. I had a delicious salad with shredded taco chicken breast for lunch and dinner will be one of my faves - pizza! My snack later will be a frozen pumpkin pie Protein Bar. I'm almost 7 months post-op and my NUT added limited raw veggies at 6 months and raised my calories from 800-850 to 1,000. I track everything that goes into my mouth via MyFitnessPal and average 125-135 grams of Protein per day. I'm stuffed and the high protein intake has kept the cravings at bay. I'm 54 years young and I think losing 90 lbs. so far in less than 7 months isn't too shabby. Let me know if you'd like any of these recipes.

i would love some recipies..