Eireanne

Yesterday I came home after two full days of very stressful meetings (actually, one long two-day meeting!!) at work. I stopped at KFC on my way home because I felt too tired to cook (and haven't shopped for my standbys this week). I just got chicken strips with no sauce. I felt good about my choice because I really, really wanted a McDonald's cheeseburger. That's the first fast food craving I've really had since surgery.

I ate a little of the chicken, and a few bites of the biscuit that came with it (it was included, I didn't ask for it). I knew I should have left the biscuit alone, but.... After that, I wasn't hungry, but decided to have some candy. Before you all kill me, it's SF Hershey bars. I keep those and SF Reese's peanut butter cups in my fridge. I think there's 10 in a bag, and I've had the same bags for 2 1/2 months. I really just seldom want them (which is a huuuuuge change from when I'd eat 2-3 bags of regular candy at one sitting). I ate two pieces.

What bothers me is that I felt I needed/wanted two pieces of candy instead of one. And after that, I had 1 1/2 SF popsicles. I never realized that I dealt with stress like this (I was eating crap so often, I didn't realize it spiked during stressful times). Granted, I hardly ate anything from a calorie perspective, but I still felt like an absolute pig!

Grrr, I guess it takes the mind a while to catch up with the body.

Ok, confession over.

__________________

~Eireanne~
Southern California
Dr. Troy Lamar
Surgery date: 8/6/09
Highest/day of surgery/current/goal: 245/232/144/135

Hippy Shake

Yeah, obviously not the most nutritious choices, and definitely using food as a coping/soothing/stimulating experience, which isn't good. BUT, of course those challenging days and experiences are going to come up on this journey. The disordered thinking will have you feeling like you've blown it and feel mass guilt. That only leads to more disordered coping.

The healthy and healing reaction is to notice that it has happened, and realize that the behaviour doesn't fit with what you value. By uncovering what led to it - the triggers and danger spots - you can make a plan for dealing with it differently next time. Days like this are learning opportunities.

It sounds like you are already starting to do this. Good for you.

KaySouth

I guess I was one of the ones that thought that having surgery would cure me of the stress eating habit. I was like you, really surprised the first time after surgery it happened to me. It started happening more frequently the farther out I have become so i decided t go see a pyschologist and try to get some help with the emotional/stress eating. Like you said it is not the calorie intake that is bad becasue i too stick to SF candy and fudgecicles, but it's the habit of it all. Unfortunantly I cant deal with it on my own, I convince myself that its ok because I am chosing healthy choices...but it will lead to the same thing that got me into this situation.

__________________

Katrina Kay
418/365/199/160
Highest weight/Day of Surgery/My Goal/Dr's Goal
Surgery 5/19/2009
Ready to lose the extra 238 PDS!!
Over 50 BMI Member #4 - KaySouth
Official Gym Rat #154
Made it to twoterville on 9/20/09!

cinwa

Life is always going to throw obsticles in our way and the short answer is to plan ahead.

Bulk cook and freeze so that you've always got something handy for the times when you've had a busy day because those are the times when you're going to fall off the wagon.

A slow cooker and Gladware/Ziploc type containers are my best friend.

Sparks have some great slow cooker/crockpot recipes: Slow Cooker Recipes Crockpot Recipes

And there's some great ideas in our Recipes Forum too Recipes - ThinnerTimes - Gastric Bypass Forum, Lap Band Forum, and Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Forum

And get rid of the candy in the house. If it isn't there, you can't eat it. Stock up with some fruit and raw veggies to nibble on instead.

__________________
.....

~~~~~~~~24 Sept. 2007 - Lap. RNY & umbilical hernia repair
27 Oct. 2008 - Emergency Surgery - omental mass,
gallbladder, adhesions & appendix

260 / 224.7 / 111♥
highest/surg/now...5'5"

Hippy Shake

It sounds like you have been balanced with eating the candy - having those bags that long shows that you aren't going hog wild with them. However, I just want to point out that SF chocolates are by no means "safe". They have nearly as many calories as the regular types, maybe 15 - 20% less. Still lots of fat and refined carbs. And although they do not contain regular sugar, our bodies interpret the fake stuff the same way they do the real sugar - same insulin spikes, etc. just don't be lulled into thinking the SF stuff is a freebie.

Bliss149

You recognized that it wasn't what you ate or how much that was the issue.

It was the fact that when faced with some feelings you didn't know what to do with, you did what most of us have done our whole life which is APPLY FOOD UNTIL PAIN SUBSIDES.

With the surgery, it's pretty easy to say, "oh well, it was just a few bites and even though I did it, I'll still lose weight."

But I think if we don't learn these lessons as they come along of how to DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT, we're probably still going to always be struggling with food and the compulsion to overeat. I want less off that struggle and compulsion. I want more mastery of myself and my life.

Everything you've learned so far helped you do this better this than you used to. You know you did. So how do you take it to the next level and do better still the next time?

My suggestion is make a plan. "Next time I want to eat because of stress, I will take care of myself by doing the following things first." Write down 3 or 5 things or whatever and put it in your billfold where your paper money is to remind you it's there. Look at it frequently and visualize yourself carrying it out. See yourself having a sh*tty day at work. See yourself in the car on the way home from work with your brain steadily working on you going, "McDonalds! YAY! No? Ok, how about Wendy's - you can get a SALAD!(yeah, right, like I haven't heard that one before.) Hey, here's KFC! That sounds good. Turn here! Turn! Turn!.."

Get your plan ready. You'll handle it even better next time.

Love,
Bliss149
Owner of sneaky brain that oh-so-helpfully suggests Wendy's salad but who always suddenly decides on NOT salad once the drive-thru lady comes on speaker

Hippy Shake

LOL! Oh yeah! I know that on well!