Question:
I need help on how to stop eating sweets.
My surgery date was 9/16/02 and have lost 185 pounds. However, I'm not losing because of I'm addicted to sweets. Ice cream is on my mind at all times. I can sit down and eat at least 1/2 of a contanier of ice cream. Sweets is not the only problem. It seems that I can't stay full for a long period of time. For breakfast I usually eat oatmeal,yogurt or eggs & ham. With-in 2 hours, I want to eat again. The same goes for lunch and dinner. I'm snacking a lot at night and need to stop. Please give me any suggestions you may have. Thanks June — June S. (posted on May 12, 2004)
May 11, 2004
First - congratulations on your wonderful weight loss - that is fantastic.
My surgeon recommends eating every 2-3 hours in order to control blood
sugar levels. So, why not plan on eating every 2-3 hours and plan what you
will eat so you will not be hunting for something and end up with something
you don't need. If you work, pack your "snacks" - maybe some
string cheese or an ounce or so of cubed cheese, beef jerkey or some other
high protein snack.
Don't buy the ice cream then you can't give in to it in a weak moment. Get
back to the basics - protein, protein, protein and water. Stay away from
the sugar and carbs.
Oatmeal is fine as long as it's the old fashioned oats that you have to
cook - the instant isn't good for you. Yogurt is great as long as it's no
sugar added/sugar free, Eggs and Ham isn't bad (except for the salt in the
ham - canadian bacon would be better) as long as the portions are
reasonable.
Good Luck
— Carolyn M.
May 11, 2004
You can eat so much ice cream because it's thin and just flows through your
pouch, plus it's all carbs so you digest it quickly. Get your pouch checked
to see if you don't have a mechanical problem. Stay away from the high carb
breakfasts as that will trigger cravings and hunger through the rest of the
day. Good luck to you - you've done so well so far.
— Yolanda J.
May 11, 2004
Try Blue Bunny Sugar Free ice cream. You can buy it at Walmart and its
wonderful. I love "bunny tracks". Good luck to you.
— debmi
May 11, 2004
Honestly? You need to evaluate WHY you are inflicting this destructive
behavior on yourself. Why are you trying to sabotage your success? Eating
1/2 of a container of ice cream and addictive snacking on sweets is old
behavior, obeese behavior- if you will. Please seek out a support group
and/or a behaviorl health/psych Dr. to assist you in learning WHY you are
doing this, or you will be doomed to repeat your behavior. In the mean
time, get back to basics- Protein Protein Protein will keep you full.
Also make sure you're drinking LOTS of water. Good luck to you.
— LMCLILLY
May 12, 2004
Oatmeal, ice cream have lots of carbs in them. Carbs make me ravenously
hungry. If you must have ice cream, try some of the low-carb ice creams
that are out now, but he key is portion control. Ham is pretty salty if
you're not careful and will make you hungry too. Might be time to go back
to liquids for a few days to break this snacking habit. Nobody can do it
but you.
— Cathy S.
May 12, 2004
I have been like that lately. The doc put me on an antidepressant and it
has really worked controlling my appetite.
— mrsmyranow
May 12, 2004
Hi!
Congrats on your amazing weight loss!!
Please do yourself a favor NOW and either join a group (Overeaters
Anonymous etc) or seek the help of a counselor who specializes in eating
disorders. We, the morbidly obese, suffer from the disease of addiction.
Our "drug" of choice happens to be food. It ails what hurts us
emotionally. The only way to get your head back in the game is to tackle
those demons! You can do it!! Youve already proven that!! Good luck!!!
— Barbara F.
May 12, 2004
June- If you read your own profile, you will notice that you have been
craving the wrong foods since early on. Maybe, on some level, you thought
that the surgery would allow you to eat like a "normal" person
and thought that those treats you missed were only postponed. But, it
would appear that perhaps those treats pose much more of a hazard for you
than you thought. As a result, it might be helpful for you to talk to
somebody and try to figure out when you've hit the icecream and treats--
you just might find a pattern that will help you avoid them in the future.
— SteveColarossi
May 12, 2004
One thing I know, is if you don't have it in the house, you won't eat it.
Don't torture yourself by buying foods you know you should not eat (often).
If you have a strong craving, go to Baskin Robbins, order a child's size of
whatever flavor you want and savor it. Otherwise, buy the lo-carb or low
cal stuff to have at home--or might I suggest popsicles or juice pops?
Anyhow...the other trick is keep foods that are good for you handy so you
never get so hungry that you are tempted to eat junk. Also, exercise helps
reduce cravings, water and buy yourself some delicious diet sodas and teas
to try. I hope this helps you some, I find I crave food pretty frequently
too and these little tricks seem to help. Also, are you eating in front of
the TV? Try giving yourself a busy activity such as sewing, crochet, crafts
or even baking low-cal treats.
— missmollyk
May 12, 2004
June, I also find that eating several small meals or snacks throughout the
day is better than eating "three squares" (which I have never
done since my WLS). If I'm having a Big Hunger Day, I will drink a protein
shake before every meal to help me fill up (or at least, before most
meals).<P> If processed sugar is driving you mad, then the hard
truth is you may have to cut it out entirely, including all the sugar-free
substitutes that for me simply keep the cravings alive. Sugar is a very
addictive substance for some of us, and some of us just can't handle it.
I'm one of those people.
— Suzy C.
May 12, 2004
I am not saying a gum is the right answer for you. I do think that there
may be other reasons why we reach for the wrong foods sometimes, but I do
want to share this with you. It may help you regain some control.
A few months back a woman on this Q&A board mention a gum called sugar
fighters. I have never tried the product, but I did look up the site at
www.sugarfighters.com
Anytime she had the urge to eats sweets the woman ate a piece of the gum
and then minutes later started to eat a bite of her candy bar, ice cream,
etc. She said those things tasted awful and she would spit them out
immediately. If she did that several times over a week or two one would
assume that eventually the carbs worked their way out of her system and the
cravings were suppressed eventually. She raved it. You can probably find
teh exact post in the library.
It may or maynot be the answer you are looking for, but I wanted to share
it with you.
Hope it helps,
TJ
— ToriJ
May 13, 2004
I'm not sure what your day is like, but do you work outside the home? Try
to plan your day to include a lot of activity that will keep your mind off
the food. As far as sugar goes, it'll probably be my downfall as well!
Someone told me once that if you went about three weeks with no processed
sugar (like candy, cookies, cereals, cake, etc), you would no longer crave
it...in fact, it would be hard for you to eat it if you tried. I've never
tried it, but it makes sense that if you got it out of your body for a
while, you would be used to not having it. The hard part is the three
weeks. Good luck to you! Kimberly (6 mos post op Lap-RNY; now a happy
165lbs!)
— Kimberly S.
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