Concern about Eating Junk

[NJ Mom 30]

Hi everyone!

I have my sleeve surgery tentatively scheduled for Nov 9 (pending insurance approval). What I'm worried about is that I am a total carb and sugar addict. Honestly, I could eat Cookies or ice cream for dinner right now and would be fine. I'm a grazer, eating small amounts all day and most of it is not good food. I know that after the sleeve I will have restriction, but I'm reading that after awhile those things like cookies, cake and other sugary foods can go down endlessly...this fact concerns me. I will be working with a nutritionist and obviously will have to make HUGE changes and have self control, which I obviously have not had in the past, hence the surgery. How has it been for others who previously had horrible eating habits, to suddenly have to have self control and eat healthy?

Thank you for any feedback!

[Babbs 14,681]

I dunno. I just looked at the surgery as some sort of "reset" for me. A 'do over' if you will. I was determined to make it work this time, and so far so good. So honestly, it was fairly easy to mostly stay away from that stuff the first year as I was losing, because I had a goal in mind and was determined to get there. There would be times I would endulge a little, and with the sleeve early out it's fairly easy to take a bite or 2 and be satisfied. That does get harder the further out you get.

With me, if I over do sugar or carbs, it gives me terrible cravings for more. So that makes it easy for me to stay away 90% of the time. I hate having to detox from them like a crack addict, lol. I find if I just stay away from it, there's really nothing to miss, and I get no cravings. It's just a fine line I'm always having to walk.

There really is no easy answer. What it really boils down to is how bad you want to change your life, and finding the best ways or 'hacks' it takes for you to become successful. If there is an honest goodness issue with food, professional help may be one of the ways to help you succeed, because we obviously can't expect a smaller stomach to do it for us. It really ends up being more about our mindset, not stomach capacity.

Good luck on your upcoming surgery!

[Armygalbonnie 643]

As my NUT said, a chocolate chip cookie will still smell and taste like a chocolate chip cookie. You need to detox your body of the refined sugars and carbs. I did it cold turkey. My motivation has been high so I've been very successful. I will have to work at it the rest of my life, so I don't fall back into those bad habits. I know for me, one bite is too much. Sweets are a read light food for me and I have to stay away from them. When the urge hits, find a hobby. Find several different hobbies. When I was thin for 10 years, I was an exercise junkie. I switched one addiction for another. When I got hurt in Afghanistan, where I couldn't workout like I used to, I gained the weight back. I didn't have another hobby to fall back on. Now when I want something sweet, I drink a Protein Shake, drink Crystal Light, go for a walk, play with my grandkids/dogs, read a magazine or book, or look at future clothes online. I also go to bed early. I have control right now and I want to keep it this way.

[Babbs 14,681]

Now when I want something sweet, I drink a Protein shake, drink Crystal Light, go for a walk, play with my grandkids/dogs, read a magazine or book, or look at future clothes online. I also go to bed early.

See? These are the 'hacks' I was talking about! Find whatever works for you. For instance, I find a little bit of low sugar fruit like berries go a long way when I get a hankerin' for something sweet. For a chocolate craving, I'll bring out the big guns and have a square or two of low sugar dark chocolate. Or a chocolate flavored Greek yogurt. Those things work for me.

[Pescador 1,374]

Thank goodness I never had a sugar addiction. It was bread, crackers, carbs. Now we have no bread or Snacks in our house, so the best solution to me is not to have it in your house. So many people have kids or grandkids, so I know that is harder for some. Good luck.

[KristenLe 5,979]

@@NJ Mom In addition to seeing a nutritionist - I would suggest seeing a therapist who deals with emotional eating. I found that far more helpful than the nutritionist. I would also start cutting out some of these foods now. I'm still pre-op but had 6 sessions with a psychologist about mindless / emotional eating and feel that it's helped me and will continue to help post-op. You definitely will need to change your eating habits - including the grazing - as you can easily eat around your sleeve. The sleeve is just a tool - you need to do the work (and it's more mental than physical).

I'm not a big sweet eater - but when I've wanted something (at night is usually my bad time) - I've had a sugar free popsicle or in the colder months a sugar free hot chocolate.

Good luck!

[kimini 175]

For me, it is about education. I spent 2 1/2 years going to a functional nutritionist before deciding to have WLS. I learned so much about what junk foods do to our bodies that I didn't want to pollute my body in that way anymore. Do I still have cravings for them from time to time? Yes, but then I remember what I've learned and make the conscious decision to choose my health over the momentary satisfaction that comes with Cookies or chips. Have I given in on occasion? Sure, but then I pick myself up and get back on track.

I am by no means judging anyone who is obese. The problem is with big food manufacturers. They have put so much money, research and effort into making foods addictive, so that they can make money off of us that they are like giant drug pushers.

Here is a quick article I found about how they have engineered junk foods to keep us coming back for more.

https://authoritynutrition.com/junk-foods-chemical-engineers/

If you would like to learn more, just google "junk foods engineered". The more you learn, the angrier you'll get about how they have hijacked our foods to make us addicted, all so that they can make billions of dollars.

[Pescador 1,374]

I believe soft drinks is a major culprit too. Haven't read the article yet.

[Christinamo7 4,042]

one thing I do - because I tend to be a grazer also, is I pre-prep my food big time. so when I leave the house on work days - if I am the late person at work - I have all my food/drinks with me for the day so the calories and Protein are just right. if I am not the late person I have all except my dinner portion with me. I eat when I feel like I need food. because my stomach is so little I eat a bit and move on - but I never go over my calories/ and always have my Protein.

weekends are a bit more of a challenge as I get busy doing things and then with the small stomach there is no catching up if I miss a meal/snack.

when I want chocolate or a cookie I usually have a triple chocolate Protein Bar. when I want ice cream I have a sugar free popsicle. when I want a big mac I make a healthy (and appropriately sized) big mac salad. when I want nachos I make the toppings and skip the chips. There are ways to eat good whole food - scratch an itch - and not feel deprived. so far, I have absolutely no interest in large servings of anything at all.

[Armygalbonnie 643]

@@Babbs What do you mean by "hacks"?

[kimini 175]

@@Armygalbonnie, maybe you missed Babbs' second post...

Now when I want something sweet, I drink a Protein shake, drink Crystal Light, go for a walk, play with my grandkids/dogs, read a magazine or book, or look at future clothes online. I also go to bed early.

See? These are the 'hacks' I was talking about! Find whatever works for you. For instance, I find a little bit of low sugar fruit like berries go a long way when I get a hankerin' for something sweet. For a chocolate craving, I'll bring out the big guns and have a square or two of low sugar dark chocolate. Or a chocolate flavored Greek yogurt. Those things work for me.

[Armygalbonnie 643]

_{I did see her second post. Is a hack where companies take a word out of your post and try to advertise/sell their products?}

[losergrl75 277]

_{I did see her second post. Is a hack where companies take a word out of your post and try to advertise/sell their products?}

It's short for life hack which is something you do to manage your daily life, enhance it , make it more efficient, etc.

[northcountyr1 199]

I believe soft drinks is a major culprit too. Haven't read the article yet.

I'm almost 9 weeks out..sleeved July 25 th. I haven't had a diet cherry Pepsi since 2 weeks before my surgery.

trixie's line

[losergrl75 277]

I loved me some simple carbs preop. I am 8 months post op and if I have them, my body craves them like a crack head. The longer I abstain the more the cravings decrease. In terms of junk food, I try to have better alternatives in the house. For example,u hubby loved his caramel salted truffle gelato and Garrett's popcorn. He has never had to worry about weight a day in his life grrrrr. To combat that, I keep artic zero and halo top in the house on nights seeing him eat ice cream really get to me. And I keep the either smart pop or boom chicka pop when I really want to throat punch him and steal his Garret's Chicago Mix. Although, the popcorn can be a slippery slope for me. It's a slider and you can eat way more than you should. So I have to measure and stop myself from going back. On nights where I'm out of calories for the day and a snack is out of the question, I get up and clean the kitchen, get on my phone , go watch TV in another room etc. Anything to distract myself.

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