Is it normal to realize you eat more than you believed?

 I have been on my first month of keeping track of what I eat for the dietician and I realized that I eat way more than I thought. Is this a normal part of the process. I feel a bit down and a little bit guilty all of a sudden for the amount of food I eat. Before I saw myself as a normal eater, now I clearly see that I eat two servings of everything!!! I am not sure what to make of this. I shouldn't be surprised I guess but I think I have been in complete denial! I hope that this is a normal part of the process and I hope that seeing my eating habits for what they are will help me in the long run. I just wish I could stop. It is tricky:)

Studies have shown that the vast majority of human underestimate the amount of food/calories they take in.  That's why food logging is so important.

 Thanks for that! I guess that your right the log is important. I guess that this is the first time I am really committed to changing my life, I have tried to get approved for surgery in the past and did not take this part serious, now that I am older and wiser, I am more aware of just how I have learned to use food as a way to deal with life. When I posted this I felt really shocked and sad at my habits. I guess just writing about it helped and having others perspective helps too. It has become tooo easy for me to accept who I am when I look in the mirror and  to easy to accept how I have been living my life despite the pain I feel. Yes there are many other factors too, however it hit me, with my eyes wide open, I eat so much more than I believed. It is strange to feel shocked about the obvious but this is how I feel. I have become so disconnected with my body in order to deal with my size, I have been believing a lie. I have mislead myself. I want to be stronger. I know it can't happen overnight. I love this site because of all of the inspiration and because your response helps me to remember that I am not alone. :)

JEN-well..at least if YOU are NOT "normal", then most of US aren't either!!!

The "quick" measurements of "3 oz. of meat is the size of the palm of your hand" work for awhile..but somehow I found my hand "stretching"..lol...so..every week or so I get out the food scale/cups and measure stuff..just to keep my eyes/hands/storage dishes/ziploc bags "on track"...

Another good "tool", to help you now AND later: Take some pics of your "normal meals". Nobody has to see them but you. Then..as time goes on..take more pics here and there...the "visual" will amaze you. I also use the "pic thing" when I THINK  don't have 30 sec to write something down-I take a pic, so as to log the food later..

Since you said the "disconnected with the body" thing-may I make another suggestion? Start taking pictures-of yourself-in front of the same object (door/wall hanging/china hutch/etc). As time goes by , the pics will show less and less of YOU, and more and more of the OBJECT behind you. The visual is amazing !!

You aound like you are very grounded, and very "normal". I predict you will have GREAT WLS SUCCESS !!!

Godspeed!

 We all have gained weight while telling ourselves we don't eat that much more than other people.  It can be a shock to do honest tracking.  Right now you have a stomach the size of a two liter bottle of soda.  After a sleeve, it will be about the size of a banana, or after RNY the size of an egg.  Then eating a very small amount of food will be much easer and stopping will be very easy.  For now, learn to fill out on lots of low carb vegetables and lean meats and eliminate flour, sugar, rice, potatoes, noodles, pasta, pastry, breads and other sugars and starches.

Drink a lot of water and get plenty of exercise.  This is a fantastic journey and your will do your best if you are prepared.

Even with food logging, we miss stuff. Most of us don't keep good track of things like condiments or butter added to cooking.

When you'r in a grocery lessen all the foods you will buy. So even you are hungry when you look at the fridges you will know that you are in your limit so you can stop eating to much food... I do this to stop me from eating to much..... 

In my opinion everyone who ever had a weight problem and says they never overate are in the same boat , totally in denial.  No one gets MO without overeating something, I don't care how terrible your metabolism is.  I don't eat a lot of meals, I am a snacker from hell, and usually lie to myself about how many calories those snacks add up too.  I am thankful my surgery still malabsorbs as well as it does because otherwise I would be screwed.  This is probably tmi, but I always look at the quantity going in and the quantity going back out, I guess that goes back to my eating disorder days.  My bf and his brother started a diet this week and every calorie is being counted, this is sooooo hard.  I can't cheat because it would derail them, it different because I only want to re-lose my 10lbs of regain where they have 80-100lbs to lose, so I think its okay for me to eat a few chocolate kisses or some weigh****cher ice cream bars.  I sit in bed at night (where I typically snack) and want to cry because I can't have anything.  It sucks.  So yes food calorie denial is real.  Totally.