When do you give in to the cravings?

[mykidz0818]

I am 8 weeks out and so the food choices have greatly increased. I have been craving pizza and pancakes for weeks! I asked my Diatician when I was able to eat them and she said they were breads and so if I tolerated them I could have a few bites. I worry that eating these foods will be the door to bad eating habits again. Do I allow myself to have the foods I crave or is it best to stay strictly to "the plan"? Weight loss has been slow. I think if it was faster I would be more eager not to give in!

[Honey Bee]

I'm looking forward to being able to eat regular foods again. I definitely want to be able to eat pizza. I will have whatever amount I can instead of the 3 slices I would normally eat but I don't want to deprive myself of pizza!

[malwes99]

I would have to say give into the cravings but you won't be able to eat as you did before the surgery. Have you seen if weight watchers made pizza or pancakes.

[East Coast Girl]

Try this pizza! I didn't miss the crust at all!! Search no-dough-meat-crust-pizza-for-the-low-carb-dieter or recipe# 104354 at food. com.

I also found bariatric cook books on amazon.

[Barbsm]

Think of it this way. In your pre-surgery life, eating pizza or pancakes may have meant eating a whole pizza or eating a huge stack of pancakes. It is now physically impossible for you to eat like that. I had a slice of pizza when I was about 8 weeks post op, and that one slice was delicious and satisfying and I was completely full. I don't think that deprivation is the answer here, perhaps that's why we have all failed with all the other diets we have done in the past. Moderation is now the key, and the sleeve is the tool. Making better food choices is our conscious effort to keep our weight loss on track. Everybody has their version of that, some of us are more strict with their diets than others, but my personal opinion is that I am finished with deprivation. I try to make good food choices in general, get my protein in, eat lots of lean meats and veggies and I have also found that my sleeve has significantly decreased my desire to eat breads, fried or greasy stuff and just junk food in general. However, I am not going to beat myself up over the occasional slice of pizza. If you want to eat pancakes for breakfast, balance it out by consciously eating low cal or low carb for the rest of the day. Same with having pizza for dinner. Just stay conscious of what you goes into your mouth. Your sleeve will help you control the portions. Only my personal opinion. But it's working for me!

[Delores512]

East Coast Girl - thanks for the info on the no-dough-meat-crust-pizza..

[bestnester]

I'm doing mini pizzas tonight with whole grain low carb tortillas with homemade marinara and turkey pepperoni. I know I'm making the healthiest choice for the pizza. I've also found lots of healthy low carb pancake mixes!

[5DogMa]

Good question! For me food, especially carbs, are a addiction. So it's like if I have one, then I'll want another. So like smoking, do I give in a just have one cigarette or will that start a chain reaction and I'll want another, and another? I can tell you this. Although you can only eat maybe 1 slice of pizza because of your stomach size. You CAN eat over the period of a day a whole pizza just one slice at a time spread out over the entire day. Maybe if you didn't buy a whole pizza and just one slice. For me that's a gamble. I think there are triggers to over eating and pizza is one for me. Best if I just avoid it altogether. Pizza was my favorite binge food. I do miss it.

[txgal0337]

Try this pizza! I didn't miss the crust at all!! Search no-dough-meat-crust-pizza-for-the-low-carb-dieter or recipe# 104354 at food. com.

I also found bariatric cook books on amazon.

MEATZA! I love meatza. My paleo friends hooked me on it months ago and it is easy and awesome. Another friend just told me about a pizza crust she makes from cauliflower and is sending me the recipe. I'll let you know how it goes.

I am 7 weeks out and have given into cravings. But my desire to eat is so different now, I do not feel guilty nor do I feel like I will spiral out of control. I had 1 (yes I said ONE) hershey kiss at a baby shower - and it was enough to cure the craving for chocolate. Houston is known for the Rodeo - largest in the world - and I am a volunteer. I look forward to the steak fingers every year. I absolutely gave in and ordered them Monday night. I ate two of the 8 fingers (in the past I would eat all 8 and all the fries), and then gave the rest to a friend and she finished my meal as hers.

Do be cautious and think about every bite. Keep your food journal and be honest with yourself. Note how the food makes you feel. Make it a game or a challenge to find new ways to modify your favorite foods. There are tons of options out there, you just have to have patience, creativity and of course - Google!

Good luck!

[5DogMa]

One more note. Remember the honeymoon phase with your sleeve is short lived just like most things in life. It's easier to stay focused in the beginning expecially when the weight is coming off quick. The first 6-12 months you're not hungry, you are afraid to stretch or hurt your sleeve. As time goes by, and your weight loss slows down you become less strict and take more risks with what you eat. Most start to feel hungry again. You miss the comfort foods you once used as a crutch or coping mechinism. Just like with all diets, to maintain your weight loss is a day to day, even hour to hour conscious decision. You have to change your lifestyle. Old habits die hard and we are all creatures of habit. Most of us spent years living in our way of life with food being a huge part if not the main focus of our lives. We could put back all the weight if we lose control and go back to our old ways. Long term weight loss success isn't about your stomach, it's about your head.

[silver2319]

my huge craving is Chinese chicken wings!!! I have had them post op...but instead of eating 6 - 8 whole with the skin...Im lucky to be able to eat 1 or 2 without the skin now and I am completely happy.

No I dont do it all the time...just a few times here and there...but makes me feel like Im still involved with life...just living it differently now.