My dog is loving my post-surgery routine! I am learning that I have a very hard time not finishing a portion. A couple of times I was only a couple of bites away from finishing the small portion I gave myself. I try to finish it, only to regret it about 7 minutes later.

The last couple of times, I recognized that I was about to try and force the last couple of bites down and I immediately got up and put it into the dog's bowl. He is now my biggest WLS supporter!



Rob

When I eat mindfully, I am able to stop at "kind of full". When I am not paying attention, I can get to "full", but very rarely get to "too full". I am not able yet to quit at "no longer hungry"--- for some reason in my crazy brain that = dieting/deprivation. The good news is that when I am eating with awareness, I prefer to finish my meal feeling light and just satisfied instead of "gonna burst" full. Baby steps.

I had a NSV on just this the other day. I wanted a treat so I got one of those Mcdonalds Sundaes. I ate a few bites to satisfy the taste and threw the rest out. I NEVER would have thrown any out presurgery. This time the majority went in the trash. In the past I probably would have licked the bowl clean.

I so do not like that "too full" feeling that I tend to undereat out. At home I am careful to measure to insure correct portion. But either way, when I feel like I need to burp, I'm done and I either box it, ask the wait staff to take it or at home, throw it out ot put it away. IIt did take me awhile to not feel guilty for throwing out food, even just a couple of bites. And I've found that if I sit there with food in front of me I tend to pick at it, eating more than I wanted. That's one bad habit I haven't broken but have found a way to control by just boxing or throwing it out right away. Oh the things we learn when we "mindfully eat" and pay attention.

This one is so hard for me- I grew up hungry a lot and wasting food gives me a lot of anxiety. I'm learning to take less, and not give my family a hard time if something does get tossed. I have a lot of guilt over wasted food- either by eating more then I need and making less available for someone else, or by not eating and risking hunger later.

At home, my dog gets the benefit. When I'm out...I just pick off everybody else's plate. Ordering for myself is a waste of money.

Mangopickle wrote: »

My biggest NSV lately has been throwing away food or leaving food on the plate at the restaurant. Perfectly healthy food, i.e. the last 4 baked chips in a snack bag, the last bites of the ceasar side salad, half a small wendys chili. Stopping eating when i am no longer hungry and before a feeling of fullness occurs. i notice more and more that this is about 10 bites slowly consumed. i am beginning to prefer not feeling full after eating. if someone told me a year ago that i would no longer feel the urge to clean my plate or not bother with a go box, i would have laughed in their face.

Love it!!! Great NSV!!!!

Totally understand it too. I grew up in a very poor household. We were taught to eat everything on your plate because there were times we didn't know when would eat again. It's taken a lot for me to break this thought process.

Congrats!!

freedomfighter1 wrote: »

Ditto. I still have a hard time sometimes, after 1 year post op, to not empty my small portion even when I notice I'm satisfied. It's like that "kind of full feeling" gives me comfort! I hardly ever over eat, but I like feeling kind of full.. I find myself thinking I need to eat enough in order to feel fuller for longer, otherwise I may want to eat again in an hour or so. I want to get better at this! Help..

Well fear of hunger is something that can lead us to eat more than we need. Dealing with fear of hunger-- means being hungry-- feeling the feelings that come with that-- and realizing that hunger is no reason to panic. It is survivable. It is manageable-- it does not result in the world collapsing-- it also does not result in overeating. I say to myself " I can trust my body. I can trust myself. When I get hungry, I will eat something-- but there is no need for me to overeat right now because i might get hungry later." In the past i have packed food in my purse or have stuff at my desk (e.g. nuts, cheese sticks, etc) to calm any anxiety I might have about being hungry later and not having anything to eat.

For me, this fear is very young. My mom was always on a diet, so the rest of us were, too. I never could predict when I would/wouldn't get enough to eat and I had a lot of anxiety around food. Sometimes I still do, but I am getting there. Most importantly I am learning my body will not betray me. If I listen to the physical cues, I will not gain 100 pounds back. My body is not the enemy--it will not lie, and will not lead me astray. I just have to learn to listen well.

It's weird to me that NOT wondering when and what I'll eat has been a weird adjustment with all this. I'll get hungry, but if food's not available, I might get grumpy, but it's not the end of the world. So that's very strange. I also find that when I get hungry, I just want food, because I have to stop the hunger, so I'll start looking for a Chipotle, or a place where I can get some jerky or something. My husband gets all happy to hear I'm hungry and starts looking for a restaurant. If we go that route and they put out a bread basket, I have a piece of bread and I don't want dinner. Why? Because I was hungry and I needed to eat something, not sit in a restaurant and wait for service. And I'm generally annoyed because eating the bread means there's protein or calcium I couldn't eat.

Yes, I've gotten so strange since this surgery. So now I keep a couple of meat sticks in my purse and pick off my husband's plate if he wants to go to a restaurant.

The tip is based on the amount of the bill. Just because I'm sitting with my husband does not obligate me to eat. I'm not ordering two meals for half the price. He's ordering one meal. I don't ask for my own plate. When I say I pick off his plate, I mean I literally take a forkful here and there. Same thing when I go out with husband and kids. Haven't been out to eat with friends yet. It's not our typical socializing with friends.

Once, I had a waitress who kept asking why I hadn't touched my food. Kept saying things like, 'Not hungry?" or "just not into it, huh?" I finally told her I'd had surgery and the bread she'd brought out while I waited (and waited) for my meal filled me up, could she please bring me a box.

No, I didn't exactly say that. Just told her I'd filled up on the blueberry bread ahead and I'd had surgery and just didn't eat much. Plus, the food was kinda gross anyway.

No, I didn't say that either. Although it was true. Who knew I'd one day find Chompie's so disgusting?

I haven't had opportunity to pull out my little card yet, the one that says I had surgery so can I order off the kids' menu. I thought about it at an all you can eat buffet, but started feeling really self-concious, so we paid full price and I ate a single pancake. Well, half a single pancake.

This is why I don't bother with restaurants.

Thaeda wrote: »

If I listen to the physical cues, I will not gain 100 pounds back. My body is not the enemy--it will not lie, and will not lead me astray. I just have to learn to listen well.

So true! A lot of times we aren't truly hungry. And everyone is different so you need to determine what your body is telling you.

I rarely get "hungry". For me it's "head hunger", that "want to eat" even if I'm still kind of full from a meal or even simply not hungry. And it can sometimes be thirst, masqurading as hunger. My tummy doesn't growl or anything physical that lets me know I'm hungry. I have to decide if it's real hunger based on when I ate last, what I ate last and when did I last drink.

But Thaeda is right. For most people our bodies will tell us when we need to eat, we just each have to find out what our "you need to eat" cue is. Kind of like finding our full cue in reverse.

I was mainly curious about how people went about eating in restaurants post-surgery!
I will be starting my 3rd week on Fri so I have yet to step back into a restaurant...maybe in a couple weeks when my food choices have expanded some...who knows

I know this is kind a side discussion, but unless the service was awful, I always tip 20% based on what the bill would have been before any coupons/discounts/shared food. Many years ago I worked as a waitress. My daughter is a waitress now. It is HARD work and you get next to nothing for an hourly rate. Also, please consider tipping more if you stay at the table a long time--- low turnover = less tips.

I always just order off of the seniors or kids menu and if the restaurant won't allow that, I'll pick off of my husband's plate. I also ask for a box as soon as my food comes.

Yeah, no kidding klcovington!
It takes me forever to get through my food(s), I feel like Im little again being left at the table while everyone else is done and has moved on...lol!
1/4 c of anything in the past would not have satisfied me at all and now I look at a small pan of soft cooked beans (or whatnot) and think "goodness, I hope that doesn't go bad."
My husband puts in his "effort" if foods start getting close to its end date and its still in the fridge...what a guy !