When will I ever learn?

I used keep a gallon jug of water in my car so I could drink water BEFORE I made a decision to eat fast-food. Also, try grilled over fried anything and everything. Hope your mom gets well soon.

Khess,

I'm sorry about your mother and hope that she recovers soon.

I was glad to hear you bring up foamies.  (Not glad you experienced them, but glad you brought them up.)  I experienced them for the first time this week.  For those that haven't, for me when I ate a little too much over a longer period of time (as opposed to eating too much at once) instead of getting the horrid nausea, my saliva began to foam up my esophagus to my mouth.

Khess, I'm finding that I'm not always remembering to eat slowly.  Sometimes I get distracted.  Sometimes I just revert to the habits of a lifetime.  Don't beat yourself up too much for what happened, but remember the lesson.

Someone else mentioned mindful eating.  I've been reading up on that and there are some good websites.  This helps me to remember to pay attention to every forkful/spoonful/sip, at every meal.  It slows me down and helps me to focus on what my stomach is saying.  It also helps me appreciate everything I'm eating more.   Honestly, the other night mindful eating transformed a simple soup.  I really tasted everything -- from the richness of the broth to the texture and flavor of the ingredients.  It was remarkable.  Hey, since we can only eat a little, we should get the maximum taste, right?

Before you go back to work, can you identify some food items that you can always have with you? Now that I'm back to work full time I know that cir****tances might delay me from always getting back to my desk and planned snack or lunch.  If I know that I might be out on the grounds longer than expected, I make sure I have a cheese stick or Laugh**g Cow wedge with me and a bottle of water.  I live in Florida and work outside a lot so I can't afford not to have water with me at all times.  Could you keep a small cooler with premixed protein drinks in your paramedic vehicle?

Hey, this might make a good separate topic on the Forum and I bet you'll get lots of great suggestions, which will be good for all of us relative newbies.  "How to Plan Eating For Unexpected Times."

Another thing that I've thought about is that most convenience stores have small containers of yogurt or cheese sticks and even skim milk in small containers.  Those are all things that could tide me over in a pinch.

Remember that you're still relatively new.  You're adjusting and you're also retraining yourself.  You can do it.  Just stay determined!

Mary

Well your mom being in the hospital is going to create stress that makes it hard to make good food choices even without the factor of being a month post op.  And that stinks - I hope she is ok.  But that said, you will always be running into situations where you are eating under less than ideal conditions and you are dealing with stress, as you acknowledge about your work situation.  Here are my thoughts, in no particular order:

- If you are making yourself sick all the time, slow down with your diet progression!!! Go back to mushies, or even to full liquids for a bit.  I think you are trying to eat too much at once (see my next point) and foods that are too advanced for a new sleeve.

- I am not a person who has a problem eating chicken post-op, BUT if I ate three chicken fingers from Hardees, it wouldn't matter how fast or slow I did it - I'd have the foamies and some serious pain.  #1, that is a lot of food for a baby sleeve and #2, the breaded fried coating is torture on my tummy. 

- If I'm out and the people I'm with want fast food, I choose a plain chicken breast (just order the grilled chicken sandwich without a bun or mayo or anything) and then top it with a bit of honey mustard.  Then I cut up a portion just under the size of a deck of cards.  Sometimes I get the grilled chicken salad, and eat a bit of lettuce and toppings too.  (Disclaimer: at the point you are at, just past one month post-op I was not allowed chicken unless it was pureed in a blender first).

- I get hunger pains too BUT only if I've been eating carbs.  If I stay low-carb, the hunger pains and cravings go away.

- My surgeon never said eat slow - in fact, he says meals aren't supposed to last any longer than 30 minutes, because after that you are just grazing and will eat more than you should.  I am a hospital RN and regularly eat my lunch in 10-15 minutes, if that.  The trick is measuring a portion that is SMALLER than what makes me feel stuffed.  I do not want the "full" feeling, so I stick with an amount that is satisfying but not beyond that...2-3 oz, depending on the protein.

- In my car, in my purse, and in my locker at work, I have a small amount of Quest protein bars that I can always turn to if I need to replace a meal quickly.  20 grams of protein, 4 non-fiber carbs, and about 160 calories.  They don't have a chocolate type coating, so they don't melt.  I like the new natural line the best.

I hope some of these thoughts help you! 

 Thats good advice, thank you and I'll try the grilled chicken next time not the tenders.  

I'm a fast, un-mindful eater -- worse when I'm stressed or hurried.  I try, but that's the one thing that I just haven't changed yet.  I have, though, learned to stop at the slightest full most of the time, even when eating fast.  I don't get foamies, but do get a "stuck" chest pain heart attack feeling that takes a while to go away. 

My ex came over today and pissed me off, so I scarfed those cocoa almonds that everyone loves way to fast.  I ended up eating too many and was miserable for an hour.  I'm getting rid of those.  I can't eat them with any semblance of control.  Live and learn.

 Gotta love the visits from the X dont ya? LOL  Thanks for your reply :)

I love those almonds! I am in control for now- unlike with the honey roasted.  The cocoa almonds (at least mine) have next to no salt.

This was my first bag of them, but I don't think I've been able to stick to a single portion one time.  I have to stick with pistachios in the shell because they take so long to eat.  No more almonds for me.  :-P

The only times that I ate too fast were when I was on the phone and caught up with what was on t.v. Basically we are supposed to practice mindful eating. Blah blah blah. I practice take a bite and walk away. I take a bite and go fold some laundry, take another bite and fold more laundry. I find a way to drag out the meal by doing things between bites, especially if I'm hungry.

Foamies suck. Your go-go-go paramedic career is a challenge. Try some strategies now for slowing down because it is going to be harder when you go back to work.

BTW, I get hungry but not like before. I feel empty and sometimes not so good if I go too long without eating.

Oh- I'm never far from cheesticks or almonds. And Wendy's chili is good for desparate measures. Tastes like water to me, but it works. Planning is a must!

 You already got some really great advice, but honestly you need to cut the fast food out of the equation, period. Spend some time looking over the menus and nutrition online, I bet you are not going to like what you see, even what you think might be healthy is horrible and full of sodium. Like I just looked at the Hardee's chicken and one serving (three tenders) is 128 grams which = almost 5 ozs!!!!!!!!!! I can't do that at seven months out, so you are really really pushing it, which is going to cost you big time in the long run. 

If you want to get to goal and you want to keep the weight off, you need to get serious about this NOW. Start tracking, measuring and THINKING. You CAN control this, and you CAN do this. We are here to help, but we can only do so much. Join us over on Myfitneespal, I guarantee it will help!