RE: Digest Number 1723

[Guest guest]

Pat,

I am certainly not perfect but I've done pretty well. Here's my rules

for temptations:

1. If I really want something bad for me (almost always something sweet,

but sometimes, it's bread, which gives me terrible gas LOL), I drink a

half liter of water in 15 minutes or less and then think about whether

or not I still want it. Sometimes, this is the end of the craving.

2. If I still want the item, I remove all distractions, turn off the TV,

drop out of the conversation, get away from the computer, etc. I put the

chosen food on a nice plate, use silverware, and sit at the table (no

consuming anything straight out of the package standing in front of the

fridge/pantry... I am NOT sneaking food, I am eating in the open like a

normal person).

3. I eat three bites, very slowly, making sure to taste and enjoy the

food.

Two bites is usually enough to completely satisfy me and three is the

limit. Then I give the rest to my co-workers, friends, daughter, or the

trash can (*I* am NOT a trash can and I DO NOT have to eat everything on

my plate! -- That's my " erase the old tapes " self-reprogramming phrase).

At a restaurant, if a tempting dessert comes to the table for someone

who isn't considerate enough to skip dessert on my behalf, I allow

myself three bites with full-focus as above.

I figure three bites of darn near ANYTHING isn't enough to get me off

track calorie- and nutrition-wise. Allowing myself those three bites,

and really paying attention to them and enjoying them seems to take the

" forbidden fruit " anxiety away for me and I am able to enjoy the treat

without guilt. It's when I completely deny myself things, whether

individual items (cheesecake slice) or classes of things (Halloween

candy) that I find myself eating all sorts of inappropriate crap... In

the past, that sort of deprivation led directly to my third plate of

spaghetti in 20 minutes, and even though that's no longer physically

possible, the mental stuff is alive and well. So try not to live in a

mental culture of deprivation, which is what diets have always meant to

me. I see myself as normal now and just make sure I don't go overboard

with things that have little nutritional value.

I respect people like and others who completely swear off milk

and sugar. I've found that swearing off anything (except stuff I don't

like) makes me partially insane and tends to boost my daily caloric

intake by 500 or more EVEN though I never touch the forbidden food. So I

go for considered moderation most of the time.

But I do once in a long while have horrible days. On Halloween, I had 3

40 gram protein shakes and 800 calories of Halloween candy. That's it

(oh, except for 3 liters of water and all my normal vitamins and

minerals). Tragically, the sugar did not make me dump. But that's one

day out of almost 400 so far, and I figure that's a survivable number

long-term.

Oh, the other things I'm doing... I attend the WLS support group I

started 18 months ago every other week without fail. I'm trying to

relearn everything I know about food and I listen carefully to what

works for others. So far, that's made me calmer but has not changed my

behaviors much. I am also going to start seeing an eating disorders

counselor which hopefully long-term will help diffuse some of the

underlying issues that surround my food consumption, probably calming

down some of the cravings. This is a life-long process and I don't think

there's any magic pill. For me, that went away with Phen-Fen. :-)

Ziobro (was Moseley)

Open RNY 09/17/01 Weber

Reconstructives/plastics 07/22/02 Egrari

Medial thighplasty 01/16/03 Egrari

310/133/125 (original goal 175)

BMI 54.9 to 22.8

Jeans size 32 to 4 (original goal size 10)

http://www.ziobro.us

Re: Digest Number 1723

It has been a year since surgery. I am still wondering how to stay with

a

healthy eating plan on a regular basis and fight off tempting foods.

Yes, I

try to keep them out of the house, I try to eat healthy but the

temptations

of seeing a piece of hot apple pie at a friends house or restaurant will

eventually give in to my eating several pieces and then it takes a week

for

me to get back on plan. I can't figure out how a person sticks to a

eating

plan...how do you avoid the sweets on a regular basis and never give in

to

temptations? Every day I start out with good intentions and before the

week

is up, I will end up giving in to either a donut or a piece of cake and

go

through the guilt and feeling sad then make a new resolve to start anew

the

next day which is an endless cycle and why I can't lose a pound. This

is how

I got fat. After surgery, this did not change. How did everybody else

seem

to be able to stick to a diet, or healthy eating plan after surgery when

they

could not before surgery? What do you all do when you are tempted with

blackberry cobbler at a restaurant or whatever that food is that will

jeopardize your weight loss efforts? How do you get this willpower?

Thanks

for any help, PAt