When will I ever learn?

I feel like Guy Fieri when he chops off a chunk of pizza dough and tosses it on the scale and it weighs exactly 8oz LOL LOL.

I don't weigh a lot of my foods, but I can measure by eye for volume to a Tablespoon.

 LOL !!!   

 Thanks again everyone that replied trying to help.  It really made me think about things, which is good.  It made me go get on the treadmill and walk for a mile hehe.

I am a Taurus and can be stubborn and hard headed.  The mental part of all this is the hardest part for me.  Wrapping my mind around this new life I have forced myself into has not been easy.  I want to do what is right but it is also hard for me to accept criticism sometimes too.  

Like I said before, one reason I choose this surgery over the bypass was so I could still enjoy certain things .. just in smaller amounts.  That is where my mind has been this whole time.  That after I'm healed, which I should be after 5 weeks post op, I can take a few bits of chicken tenders and still loose weight because I'm severely limiting how much I can eat now.  If I was on weigh****chers and had 3 chicken tenders I would still be way under my allowed points for the day and calories, is how I've been justifying it to myself so far.  Again, the mental part is so hard to change.  I'm tracking my calories and protein on myfitnesspal.com and I thought I was doing pretty well but always could be better.  I'm down 45 lbs now so I just have to accept what happened and move on!  I imagine everyone slips up once in a while.  I did think I was doing something OK though, getting 3 tenders instead of 10.  Get tenders instead of a greasy hamburger and fries.  It all gets so confusing sometimes when you think your doing good (or at least better then you used to) and yet you still hear that you have screwed up.  I imagine its kinda like hearing on American Idol that you were not that good and to try again next year.  That's not easy to hear but, I got on the treadmill, put it behind me, had a protein shake and am moving on.  

Thanks again!

I understand your reasoning for choosing the sleeve, BUT let's be real honest, if we don't change those food behaviors, and avoid the unhealthy stuff, just eating smaller portions isn't going to give you long term success.

I realize NOT wanting to diet for the rest of your life. BUT, you have the rest of your life to eat chicken tenders and other stuff. Focus on lean protein, greens and let your stomach heal.

You can justify eating 3 chicken tenders over the burger all you want, but let me give you preview of what happens when you do not work on food behaviors early out. It's CALLED regain, you'll be able to eat more the further out you get, you're stomach will work better (remember my previous post about how your stomach is trying to breakdown/mush that food to get it out of there) the further out you get, which means your stomach will empty faster, you'll be able to eat more food, more quickly the further out you get. Check out the "Failed Weight loss surgery" forum on here, or the Food struggles. You'll see just how many people struggle long after the first couple of months, how emotional eating and justification lands them with more than the usual 10% regain. It's not anywhere any of us want to find ourselves.

If all we had to do was eat smaller portions of the foods we love, none of us would have had 85% of our stomachs removed. I get you are early out, the mental part is hard, but you have to make the best choice of what goes in your mouth and break the justifying "only eating 3 chicken tenders instead of 10".

We, those of us further out, are simply trying to help you. Lack of changing food behaviors is  the number 1 reason for regain, ((other than mechanical failure and with the sleeve that is NOT an option, there's nothing mechanically to screw up like a band or RNY), I can still suck down a small(actually I could probably suck down a large if I wanted to) milkshake without issue, I could say "well at least it's not an Extra Large milkshake", or I could pick something that will feed my body. Believe me, I'm not perfect, far from it, I eat my fair share of junk. Big difference is I am below goal, I'm way further out, and I battled my own personal food issues long ago through my losing stage. BUT, I am NOT above regain, or slipping back into some fat habits. I've already experienced some fat habtis that have creeped back in, and have learned some new ones. It's a constant battle, it doesn't stop once we lose our weight. Regain is not impossible or difficult by any stretch of the imagination.

Something I repeat to myself from the wise Brandilynn is "Justification and masturbation is one in the same; In the END, you are JUST SCREWING YOURSELF." Bottom line is, there are better options, you either make the choice or don't, no one is going to beat you up for it, you are going to eat what you want, many have shared that it's too much too soon for your stomach, yet you're convinced otherwise. I still recommend listening to your body, and learn that you only get one chance at all this. 

This is a really great topic for general "how the sleeve changed food for me" TwoBlueCats reply is the best I've ever read.
http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/vsg/4483031/Does-the-Sleeve-Really-Change-How-You-Feel-About-Food/

 Thank you USAF Wife.  I hear ya and am trying my best to get through this.  I appreciate your posts.  They are always so helpful.  You have given me a lot to think about for sure.

Khess,

I hope your mom recovers quickly!

When you return to work, I think the key will be to have things that are easily resealable. For example, a tupperware container of chicken salad. Instead of wolfing down a meal between calls, you may have to eat a few bites on the way to one call, put it away, then eat a few more bites on the way to the next call. Next thing you know, you'll have eated a half cup of chicken salad and gotten your protein in and finished your meal. It'll take several calls, but it will just have to be your habit to grab it and eat when you can and reseal it and store it between.

 Thats a great idea.  I ordered an insulated lunch bag with cold/ice packs and some containers to put things in with lids just like your suggesting :)  I hope it works out!

Hey fella see if you can remember to do this, because THIS, I think, is going to be easier for you than slowing down.

take 1 of the tenders out on a napkin and put the other 2 in the box, in the bag, out of reach.  (I get that you already ate the tenders, but I am just saying, when you are out and realize you are going to be distracted).

Remove a much smaller amount, tear it off, bite it off.  get the WHOLE portion the hell away from you.

You can work on eating slow, but do not bet the farm on it when you are distracted.  Set yourself up for success by having much less than your blow point in front of you to wolf down, you know?

Some things we just have to adjust for because its a habit that is hard pressed to leave or going to stay, but no point in just shrugging and foaming!  :} 

 Very good idea.  I'll try to use that for sure.

I schpeak from experience :}