Do YOU eat junk food?

[maritza104]

Ok, here is my question. Does anyone here still eat food you enjoyed before getting sleeved?

I've read some people who say, "It's a lifestyle change and you can never eat junk again or else you'll gain weight again." I get that, but we are living life and in life we encounter unhealthy foods at times, like at family gatherings. How do you all deal with it? Do you splurge every now and then?

I've also heard that if you eat junk food, like hamburgers, you don't ever feel full. Is that true?

Thanks for your input=)

[SkinnyBitchToBe]

I am only 3 weeks post op. I would eat half gallons of ice cream and I buy myself half she cakes, etc. For many months I am following a way to eat till my stomach is healed. I believe the idea of the surgery is to be able to eat normally one little bite at a time. That to me means 1/4 to 1/8 a hamburger and 3 French fries, and not want any more. 1 sliver of cake that I won't be able to finish. I believe this will be my new normal. Now I have no cravings and having trouble eating enough food.

[sally65]

I'm only three weeks out so I haven't but I can imagine in moderation and not every day you should be able to have some of the things you enjoyed before. I don't think you could eat a hamburger without being full. I would suggest trying to find healthier versions of the foods you like and remember moderation!

[Mich-D]

You may find that over time your desire for these things have lessened. I used to enjoy large orders of cheese fries several times a week and more than a few instances where it was multiple times per day. Now, I have no desire for these things. I still have pizza, York peppermint patties, ice cream, country fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, and peanut butter. Thankfully not all at once and when I do have these items there are definitely post-op differences. When I make pizza, I make it using once slice of fat free bread, with lite sauce, more seasoning, less cheese, and pepperoni.

When I made this as a meal for myself before surgery, I would use eight slices of bread, a bottle of pizza sauce, two packages of hormel pepperoni, 12 jimmy dean pre-cooked sausage links, 4oz of parmasean cheese, 8 oz of shredded cheddar, and a full pound of mozzarella.

Prior to surgery, I used to drink 10-12 twenty ounce diet dr. Peppers daily. I haven't had any since the start of my pre-op diet.

Reese peanut butter cups: prior to being sleeved, I ate six cups per day, often with a can of Pringles and diet dr. Pepper. Now, I allow myself 2-3 small York peppermint patties per week

Peanut butter: prior to surgery I seldom ate this. But when I did, I would often pass out shortly after. Now, I allow myself 2-3 teaspoons of reduced sodium peanut butter.

Country fried steak: prior to being sleeved, my wife and I would go out to dinner and I would order a country fried steak with double French fries with country gravy. I would order a Caesar salad with extra dressing. While I waited for the main course, I would go threw two baskets of rolls and 4 diet cokes without ice. After I finnished my plate, I would order a dessert of cake and/or ice cream. Followed by another diet coke. Post-op: On 5/5, the wife and I went to Logan's roadhouse where I skipped all types of beverages (as I do since being sleeved), ordered a small Caesar salad with the dressing on the side. My lovely wife and I split a half of roll between us! When my order arrived, I immediately asked for a box. I had a few bites of chicken, ate some of mashed potatoes, and I still have leftovers in the fridge.

As far as ice cream goes: prior to surgery, I would eat a pint of Haagen Daas vanilla ice cream in a single sitting. Since being sleeved, I have craved ice cream 2-3 times and I resolved this by having 4-6 teaspoons of oikos frozen Greek yogurt (vanilla).

See the difference? The keys are making healthier swaps and moderation! when we went to Fenway last August, I had a Fenway Frank, ate some nachos, and had a beer.

Good luck.

[Bombshell2Be]

I am two years post-op and am currently trying to maintain my weight. I do eat junk food on occasion and in moderation. For any of my sweet cravings, I try to satisfy those with fun flavorful (but healthy) protein shakes. I avoid soda or any kind of carbonated beverage, but love iced coffee. If I crave chips, I prefer the "Food Should Taste Good" brand, and I love the "Skinny Pop" popcorn. I just have to always remember that the sleeve is just a tool, and that I could gain the weight back if I get off track. (I have two good friends that have!) Thankfully, I enjoy eating healthy now and love working out so that inspires me to make better choices most of the time. Best wishes with your upcoming surgery!

[ACE]

I have changed my entire way of eating to "Clean Eating" which means if there are chemicals or preservatives (even "natural flavors" I refuse to eat it) I have had temptation at times and once i realized what was in the foods i thought i wanted to eat I no longer wanted them. This didnt happen for me overnight but over time i realized that if i ate these non-food items i would either get something like dumping syndrome leaving me running for a bathroom or I would get a bad attitude and be a total bitch the following day to everyone (and I felt like crap as well) So for me it was a great way to kick the junk food habits but i still make things from scratch that many would consider junk foods ( cookies cakes things like that ) but because they arent processed i find i have a STOP point i never had with processed foods.

[mtngrl]

I haven't been sleeved yet, but I stopped junk food, sodas and sugar years ago. Now if I eat those things, it makes me sick.

[Sheilawillwin]

Hey girl for me the sugar free snak pak puddings hv helped, and now i am eating reg food love it "skinnybitch' thats what i call myself lol. But in my diet plan the doc gave me allowed for burgers small. So i tried and could only eat 3-4 little bites then full! So i decided i wld start eating my burgers in lettuce wraps! All the veges still taste the same. No more late nite stops at whataburger #2 double meat chz onion rings and choc shake. Then had the nerve to eat a their apple pies! I look at it this way i hv been cheating on my diets for yrs and yrs. But im not cheating anything but myself and a chance for a longer healthier life. I dont even eat 1 choc chip cookie, my willpower has grown with every lb I hv lost. I want to get back the feeling and looking sexy and confident, instead of looking in mirror and saying not bad! For real im not playing anymore i am done . You will be fine you are already beautiful, God bless you Sheila

[tinman]

I dont even eat 1 choc chip cookie, my willpower has grown with every lb I hv lost. I want to get back the feeling and looking sexy and confident, instead of looking in mirror and saying not bad! For real im not playing anymore i am done . You will be fine you are already beautiful, God bless you Sheila

I sure am reading a lot of replies that seem like compromises with intake. I didn't get the sleeve to build barriers, I got it to break them down. If being on a modified form of a diet is what blows your skirt up, then you should do it. If you are contemplating a modified form of a low cal/low fat/low carb diet because you think you have to, well, in my opinion you're heading down the wrong path.

I want to start off by saying that the quote I have highlighted is in no way an attempt to single out a poster. If that was my intent, I would have highlighted the entire post. So, having said that, this quote is the number one pet peeve of mine. This poster has managed to accumulate this great storehouse of willpower. She now knows that she has enough will power stored up that no matter what comes along, she'll be able to handle what ever temptation she encounters.......FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE. That's right, she'll be sleeved for the rest of her life, so, there had better be enough will power stored up to last that long. Again, not to criticize, but, if that were the case, then she wouldn't have needed to be sleeved. If any of us were capable of that kind of will power we would not have needed the sleeve. We got sleeved because we suck at diets. And more importantly, because diets suck. Having to resort to will power is the very nature of dieting. It's pitting the force of your will against the temptation of foods that give you pleasure. Well guess what? That craving you are exerting all of your will power against may also be a signal your body is sending you to tell you to give it something quickly or it will stall. If you fight it, you will stall, stall often and stay stalled. That is the insidious nature of stalls. Instead of fighting the urge to eat what ever you want, why not redirect that will power to something a little easier to manage.

Don't over eat.

Solution? Eat what you want, but, never over eat. Because of the sleeve, you can't eat enough of the "bad" foods to cause yourself to gain weight if you just don't over eat. Very simple. I mean it. It really is just that simple.

It was important for me to learn how to live with my sleeve in a world of non sleeved folks. I knew that if I was going to be happy, I had to be able to eat like my friends and live like they do to. There should never have to be a compromise when it comes to quality of life. So, I purchased a tool that allows me to eat what I want, when I want, and made just the way I like it. You've purchased the same tool. Use the tool for rest of your life.


I am only 3 weeks post op. I would eat half gallons of ice cream and I buy myself half she cakes, etc. For many months I am following a way to eat till my stomach is healed. I believe the idea of the surgery is to be able to eat normally one little bite at a time. That to me means 1/4 to 1/8 a hamburger and 3 French fries, and not want any more. 1 sliver of cake that I won't be able to finish. I believe this will be my new normal. Now I have no cravings and having trouble eating enough food.

Not even a month post op and she already understands what the sleeve is for.

So, to answer the OP, yes, you can eat what ever you want, when ever you want and made just the way you like it. If you follow the 80/64 for the rest of your life and avoid overeating, you will live this part of your life normally.

[missemily516]

Of course I still eat junk food, just not as much as before. I actually found that I no longer like the taste of French fries, they just taste like paper to me now. Most of the time when we go to fast food I just get the chicken strips/nuggets, and eat a couple. I had a McDonalds cheeseburger recently, ended up eating half the burger and then finishing off the patty without the bun.

For Cinco de Mayo I went to Del Taco on the way home and bought a bunch of tacos. I ended up eating one steak flatbread taco, which tasted heavenly. I did eat it in 2 sittings, half right away and the other half about a half hour later. The people I was eating with all ate 3 or 4 tacos each.
I don't think about this as a diet, I am terrible at diets. Pre surgery I ate fast food several times a week, post op it is more like once a month. I stay away from carbonated drinks. And now I drink 64oz of water every day, no matter what. I usually drink some sort of coffee or tea each day also.

[Jburt1202]

Im with Tinman on this. I didnt pay $7100 bucks to have 85% of my stomach cut out to be on a diet afterwards. I eat whatever i want, only less now.

[Amarquez2021]

This is only my thought on this subject. I was sleeved in Aug 2014, After being sleeved some things I liked before I hate now (McDonalds) but things I didn't really care for before I love now (Pizza). Most of the time I eat lean meats and vegs but I don't deny a piece of pizza or other comfort foods every now and again when I crave it. I am NOT on a diet, I changed the way I eat and its worked for me...I don't do soda just because after quitting it, I don't want to start the cravings again...If I want something that taste different like soda i have found that about once a month I go get a slushy cola flavored...I get a small because that's all I can drink before not feeling well....but it kills the craving for another month or so....this is your life, find what works for you... and do it.... Just for the record, I have not gained any weight back from my eating lifestyle. And I continue to loose slowly....Good luck!

[Mimi4]

I do eat junk food and I have not gained back my weight. Of course, I adjust my diet when I do.

[Mimi4]

I do the same thing. I don't eat too much. I still eat the small portions and I am doing fine.

[MamaGavu]

Everything and I mean everything in moderation. I never ever deprive myself. If I want a piece of cake I eat it. Now that being said that peice of cake is as big as my pinky finger lol but it does the drink, I don't feel deprived, and the craving is gone boom. That being said this isn't an everyday occurrence, but for me it is important for me to feel normal. I don't want to always say no I can't have that. Seriously can you live the rest of your life saying that at least 20 times a day. I think you will find the ones with the most success know the 80/20, 70/30 whichever they prefer rule. That is I eat the way I am supposed to about 80% of the time, but 20% of the time I don't. Because of that I never feel like I am on a diet which this isn't. It is a way of life. I am only 3 months out so I do not know what the future holds, but right now it is working for me. Work that sleeve girl it isn't a diet it is just a new way of life.