Leaving dieting behind

[bellabloom 2,467]

Hey!

So I've left dieting behind. I no longer weigh myself. I don't count my calories or macros or Protein grams. I have no idea what I eat in a day, it's always different and I actually forget.

I exercise for fun and enjoyment but not for weight regulation. If I don't feel like working out, I don't.

Bariatric surgery helped me lose 100 lbs but it also caused a great deal of pain in my life. I struggle to this day with food getting stuck, vomiting, and dumping.

I have rejected dieting because after my weight loss I realized I was just as miserable and unhappy as prior to my weight loss. Living a life centered around food, dieting, weight and body imagine was taking all the joy out of my world. I didn't feel at ease- I felt the same amount of stress and anxiety around food as before weight loss- maybe more So now that I was thin and felt I had more to lose if I regained. Basically I was still stuck in an eating disorder and diet mindset and it was ruining my life.

I now eat by INTUITIVE EATING. It is a book I read and a way of eating that was presented to me when I went through eating disorder therapy. I eat by my hunger.. if I'm hungry I eat and if I'm not, I don't. Well.. sometimes I still do. Basically these days I just don't think about it that much. I just eat.

I can eat normal to large portion sizes now. I eat a wide variety of foods including sweets and fried food. I don't love processed Snacks but sometimes I still eat those too. I'd say I eat a fairly healthy diet nutrition wise- I eat my fair share of veggies and fruit but I definitely don't ponder about it- I just eat what appeals to me. I like salads as much as I like cake and protein.

I initially gained about 10lbs, but I was underweight at a BMI of 17. My weight has remained stable for about a year now, as far as I know.

If anyone wants to know more feel free to get in touch. I'm happy to talk about my experiences.

 

[1234567890 328]

Amazing job!! I was sleeved in March 2017, after 11 weeks I am down 105 lbs, combination of workout and keeping portions at 4 oz. as well we counting macros. When did you have surgery? And if you don't mind sharing about loose skin.. I am actually doing weight training to prevent that. Would like to know if you ran in to that issue. Feel free to msg, and great transformation

[hardwork&dedication 96]

You look beautiful! Good to know this intuitive way of living is posible!

[ThickGirl5683 318]

You look great! I pray to God I get to the point where I can comfortably and freely eat without having to think about it so much. Right now its soooo hard because I have to think so hard about what to eat every time I get hungry. I am going to continue to be hard on myself until I get to my goal weight.

Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

[housesparrow 1]

Hey!
So I've left dieting behind. I no longer weigh myself. I don't count my calories or macros or Protein grams. I have no idea what I eat in a day, it's always different and I actually forget.
I exercise for fun and enjoyment but not for weight regulation. If I don't feel like working out, I don't.
Bariatric surgery helped me lose 100 lbs but it also caused a great deal of pain in my life. I struggle to this day with food getting stuck, vomiting, and dumping.
I have rejected dieting because after my weight loss I realized I was just as miserable and unhappy as prior to my weight loss. Living a life centered around food, dieting, weight and body imagine was taking all the joy out of my world. I didn't feel at ease- I felt the same amount of stress and anxiety around food as before weight loss- maybe more So now that I was thin and felt I had more to lose if I regained. Basically I was still stuck in an eating disorder and diet mindset and it was ruining my life.
I now eat by INTUITIVE EATING. It is a book I read and a way of eating that was presented to me when I went through eating disorder therapy. I eat by my hunger.. if I'm hungry I eat and if I'm not, I don't. Well.. sometimes I still do. [emoji4] Basically these days I just don't think about it that much. I just eat.
I can eat normal to large portion sizes now. I eat a wide variety of foods including sweets and fried food. I don't love processed Snacks but sometimes I still eat those too. I'd say I eat a fairly healthy diet nutrition wise- I eat my fair share of veggies and fruit but I definitely don't ponder about it- I just eat what appeals to me. I like salads as much as I like cake and protein.
I initially gained about 10lbs, but I was underweight at a BMI of 17. My weight has remained stable for about a year now, as far as I know.
If anyone wants to know more feel free to get in touch. I'm happy to talk about my experiences.
 

You had dumping with sleeve surgery?

[gryffen 176]

Dumping can happen with the sleeve and if it's what I had last week I never want it again.

Sent from my HTC One M9 using BariatricPal mobile app

[bellabloom 2,467]

Yes I have dumping but my surgery was more complicated than most. It's rare to have it with the sleeve. I get it and it sucks so bad. But it's getting better.

I've been eating Intuitively for about a year now with some small relapses back into dieting and that mindset but not for more than a day or so.

The last 3 months I've REALLY let go and stopped weighing myself EVER, stopped even considering what I eat. I eat so much, always listening to my body and it's cravings. I eat all kinds of foods from fresh to processed and savory to sweet. I eat carbs all the time. I love Desserts. I drink alcohol. I enjoy whatever I want. I've not been actively dieting for a year at least but now I've really, really let go of the fear and I'm continuing to make progress. I don't worry about wether I'm eating too much, grazing, eating something fattening. I have really just LET GO.

I eat when I'm hungry and when I'm full I stop. Honestly I just don't even think about it. I follow my bodies cravings.

I have gained no weight. I'm exactly the same. If anything, I've lost. I don't know. I don't care. I don't weigh myself. BUT my clothes all still fit perfectly. But who cares anyway.

My life is finally where I want it to be and I am free.

I will never ever go back to dieting. I truly believe Intuitive Eating will keep me healthy for the rest of my life.

Picture of me and my daughter a few days ago.

[Apple1 2,572]

I seriously doubt this would work for everyone. If I ate anything I wanted whenever I wanted it I would weigh more than I did before I got WLS.

i don't consider choosing healthy foods and portions dieting. It is a lifestyle and is simply how eat now.

[Newme17 3,444]

On 5/29/2017 at 8:03 AM, bellabloom said:

I now eat by INTUITIVE EATING.

This is what my docs office goes by. Eat when hungry only. We don't count calories, macros, Protein, carbs. We make the conscious decision to choose the right foods and stop when content. I'm so with you. Wls is for a lifestyle, not another diet for me. The last thing I wanted to have to do is count anything after wls, what's the point? I could have done all of that before wls and obviously I wasn't successful as I have tried many times. Like you, I don't want to have be centered around food as I was before either. I need freedom and I will stay in it.

[blizair09 3,250]

@bellabloom -- if this approach to living is working for you, then that's fantastic. The issue is that for probably 90% of the people posting on this forum, that won't work. It is more or less how they have always lived their life and ended up morbidly obese for it. The problem is, people will read what you write, take it to heart, and then watch everything fall apart. It is like the people that talk about needing carbs for intense exercise. That's true, but what happens on the days that the exercise, for one reason or another, doesn't happen, and you eat the carbs anyway? Pretty soon, you're just eating a bunch of carbs again like you did before and the weight starts coming on.

To each his own. Anyone who engages with this forum often knows the beliefs of certain people because they say the same thing all the time. (I count myself in that camp. People who have read my posts know exactly what I have done to be successful.) The problem is that people read and hear what they want to read and hear.

I remember an old Roseanne episode where Dan and Roseanne were trying to lose weight. Some of her co-workers commented that if she would just walk every morning, she could eat anything that she wants. All she heard was "eat anything that she wants." The walks happened for about a week, then they stopped, but the "eat anything that she wants" never did...

Edited June 6, 2017 by blizair09
typo

[Apple1 2,572]

55 minutes ago, Newme17 said:

This is what my docs office goes by. Eat when hungry only. We don't count calories, macros, Protein, carbs. We make the conscious decision to choose the right foods and stop when content. I'm so with you. Wls is for a lifestyle, not another diet for me. The last thing I wanted to have to do is count anything after wls, what's the point? I could have done all of that before wls and obviously I wasn't successful as I have tried many times. Like you, I don't want to have be centered around food as I was before either. I need freedom and I will stay in it.

I would say if you are making a conscious decision to eat healthy or choose the right foods then you are not exactly eating in the way the op was explaining intuitive eating to be.

to be honest I know nothing about intuitive eating. I haven't researched it or really heard of this style before. However, the way the op explained it just seems like a recipe for disaster for many of the people here working on food addiction.

If it works well for some people then that is great. I definitely don't think one plan fits all.

But I don't think if you monitor your macros or portions you are being excessive or remaining on a diet. I think it helps me to remain aware so that i don't mindlessly over eat or choose the wrong foods. I don't feel like this is a diet. I am treating this as a lifestyle change.

[Sosewsue61 3,185]

Intuitive eating IS mindful eating. Geneen Roth is a proponent of this style and she has workshops for disordered eating. She conquered disordered eating herself.

The OP is trying to eat normal. Normal people don't endlessly think about food. They eat when hungry, stop when full, and go on about their day forgetting about food. It's when you give up the anxiety about food because you no longer USE food the same way that you did, when you used it to fulfill an unmet need, quell anxiety/grief rejection, worthiness love hate fear etc. It just becomes food, you learn to trust yourself.

I am working on this prior to surgery.

Edited June 6, 2017 by Sosewsue61

[BigUtahMan 207]

I am surprised reading the many comments in direct conflict with this post. It is my experience it is what we should all be working towards. Eating "what your want, when you want" does not mean binge without consequence, rather it means listening to your body and trust it to tell you what you need or want when and how much. Our bodies have amazing and complex feedback loops, but all of us spent years ignoring them and eating for emotional reasons, not physical ones. Relearning to listen and to trust your feedback loops is the ideal state of being. A constant diet mentality with or without surgery is not healthy or ideal, and statistically speaking won't work. I also realize learning to listen to your feedback loops and not your emotions is a difficult transition that should not be attempted when in the weight loss phase, but to maintain that phase I think it is essential.

[BigUtahMan 207]

I am surprised reading the many comments in direct conflict with this post. It is my experience it is what we should all be working towards. Eating "what your want, when you want" does not mean binge without consequence, rather it means listening to your body and trust it to tell you what you need or want when and how much. Our bodies have amazing and complex feedback loops, but all of us spent years ignoring them and eating for emotional reasons, not physical ones. Relearning to listen and to trust your feedback loops is the ideal state of being. A constant diet mentality with or without surgery is not healthy or ideal, and statistically speaking won't work. I also realize learning to listen to your feedback loops and not your emotions is a difficult transition that should not be attempted when in the weight loss phase, but to maintain that phase I think it is essential.

[BigUtahMan 207]

I am surprised reading the many comments in direct conflict with this post. It is my experience it is what we should all be working towards. Eating "what your want, when you want" does not mean binge without consequence, rather it means listening to your body and trust it to tell you what you need or want when and how much. Our bodies have amazing and complex feedback loops, but all of us spent years ignoring them and eating for emotional reasons, not physical ones. Relearning to listen and to trust your feedback loops is the ideal state of being. A constant diet mentality with or without surgery is not healthy or ideal, and statistically speaking won't work. I also realize learning to listen to your feedback loops and not your emotions is a difficult transition that should not be attempted when in the weight loss phase, but to maintain that phase I think it is essential.