Lessons learned about vacation foods

Food Vacation Lessons:

*Not suggesting this type of testing or plan drop for everyone. Im a very hands on science driven person who likes to test theory.  Going off plan was a good thing for me to reaffirm several things.

So first where I've been.  I am fairly militant in my plan and do not allow for junk food except I am a Starbucks addicted person and so it's the only vice I allowed a couple times a week at ½ sugar.  I eat meat, eggs, cheese, nuts, veggies, and fruit in that order.  While it's not always counted it is weighed.  I tend to eat 4-6oz a meal depending on what it is. I had VSG in March. 

So I went on vacation for 9 days and I had made plans to go "off plan" and allow for foods I left behind post op.  I did have some of everything, whi*****luded things like: ice cream, cookies, a candy bar, some chocolate, cake, nachos, pizza, bread on a sandwich, some items from food trucks, so pretty much all the things I used to eat before I made some serious changes.  

So here are some of my observations:

At first I didn't think the sweet stuff tasted all that great.  Days 1-3 it all made me feel like I was over sugared and kinda meh.  I had wanted a Reese PB cup so bad after all the commercials so on Halloween I had a pair and I was pretty miserable for about 30 mins.  Now here's the interesting thing... by day 4-5 I was having some seriously chocolaty cake and having no issues with it.  IMO sugar is always there waiting on you to come back to it and my body didn't take long before it was ever so happy to want more.

When drinking soda IMO you will drink more and eat more.  So this was something I'd read about and believed it but tried it and I do think it tested true for me.  (There's an article about fast food eating with and without a soda reg, diet, or water, and frequently the person drinking either soda eats more food total)  If I drank soda while wondering around before eating my meal... I really think I ate well more than 6oz for sure.  Couple this with drinking during a meal and it's all true, you will eat more.  

French fries are F'ing evil.  So here's what I learned about fries.  One they come with everything!  I've not had any since post op because I've actively made choices to avoid places with them and just plain do not order them.  But this week... I decided to not buck the system and if it was part of my order I just let them come to the table.  Sure enough the first few days I didn't really even like them, but after a couple rounds of them yep ... I remembered my love affair with them.  So a few things with fries, first they are really calories laden and we know that.  But a second thing happened IMO, I think they are create a slider food situation.  They themselves are a slider food but they also mush around more solid foods and help them pass on through and this you can eat more.  

I started having cravings for bad foods towards the end of the week.  When I got home and there was no bad foods I was seriously wanting something sweet, cookies, cake, candy, anything.  But lucky for me there is none of that.  So I do expect some head games for a few days after this experiment.  It's been my experience that staying very far away from carbs and sugar has allowed me to live very happily without any, but this week I learned just how easy it is to get sucked back into that silliness.

*So why post this?  It's not for any advice, I don't have an issue.  I planned for this, I tested and experimented, and thought I'd share the results.  I didn't gain weight from this experiment for those wanting to know.  This was a very active vacation and we didn't eat often we just ate really poor choices compared to our normal plan.  I learned that my VSG stomach will eat more than 6oz if I drink, wait around talking over dinner and pick at my plate, or eat slider foods.  I knew it would but hadn't test it.  If you've chosen to stay away from sugar and junk food, it's been my experience that eating a little over a couples days is flirting with getting sucked right back into that nightmare.  For me no later than day 4 and I was right back to loving fried foods, and sugary treats.  Also I'm of course not planning on eating French fries and feel more resolute in that choice after monitoring how they changed my eating. 

So back to being on plan.  Going shopping tonight to restock.  I don't even feel bad, already bypassed cookies today at work.  

 

Thank you for sharing your experience.  My comments are meant for others no criticizing at all.  I didn't eat off the plan not one time until 18 months after reaching goal.  And it was a piece of bread LOL  Why?  Because after a life time of dieting and gaining I knew if I took one bite of anything that represented my old life I would start living my old life again. 

I would like for everyone to read YellowJT's post over and over again.  Their honestly is right on...  Feeling sick, your tool is saying WTH?  Then after a few days the body craves it.  This is a life style change FOREVER!  I am 12 years out and it never fails when I do eat something that is off my plan, it NEVER tastes as good as I remembered. I feel so bad afterwards, physically.  When I stay on track I feel so great, sleep well and have the energy of an every ready bunny.

This is for the rest of your life!  Live it, learn it, love it   

 

Maybe you or someone can confirm an odd speculation... I also had some serious mental/emotional ups and downs.  Like I'd get all weepy for NO reason, I was at times super happy, and other times sad or slightly argumentative about something I'd never care about.  I tried to blame hormones, but that's not the right time.  I tried to blame a pill I take for anxiety but even when I'm off on that I'm not weepy, I'm sometimes quickly verbally combative but not weepy.

So a new speculation is that the food change may have contributed to the emotional roller coaster.  Any thoughts?

 

This is so true, at least for me!  Remember you are still very new from surgery.  Your body is adjusting to the surgery and the intake change.  When you hit your body with the junk food it has a negative affect on the chemical balance in your brain.  Did you see the article where brain scans show a brain of someone on cocaine is the same as someone eating sugar?

I am 12 years out and I still feel the difference.  Do me a favor, not that you want to eat like you did a vacation again.  But if you start feeling that way, make a note of what you just ate?  You may find even "allowed" foods have that affect on you and want to stay away for at least until you hit goal and then try again.

Good Luck

Thanks for the info.  I just did a search online about food and it's effects specifically on serotonin levels.  Sugar of course promote serotonin levels and having that going up and down all day probably didn't help me out.  Also I was reading that vitamin D also helps with serotonin levels which is one of my vitamins that I forgot to pack so I was without it.  

Science.... LOL 

It's not necessarily the food change.  Rapid weight loss floods us with hormones.  Fat stores estrogen and xenoestrogens, as well as vitamins, hormones, and drugs.  When we use up the fat cells' stores, these get released and we are flooded and can have horrible mood swings.  

Absolutely. Not everyone - but some people who's body reacts to sugars and carbs - can produce an excess of insulin. Insulin is a hormon and works with all other hormons. Once you disturb the balance- everything will be different. I call it the sugar high and low... Sugar affects the same centers in the brain as cocaine does. 

Tangent first: speaking as a Starbucks addict myself, it's very possible to have Starbucks be low carb/no sugar/still good.

I have cravings for bad foods all the time. I think many of us (not you) pre-op feel it will fix this, but it does not.  I have binge eating disorder and one of the top 5 most stressful jobs.  It happens.  I am thankful that Harvey does not tolerate french fries post-op.  Anything deep fried is not very digestible any longer.

You are absolutely right.  Sugar is addictive.  There are many documentaries about this now.  It can trigger the reward response in the brain like any drugs.  Sadly, I am one of these people who can never go back to eating the way I had, either.  Moderation doesn't work well for me.

Agree and agree.  I'm a sugar monster, I cannot go back.  I allowed for it this past week based on several personal things that I knew would make my militant food plan an unnecessary stressor for my vacation.  I'm glad I tested the theory that I would easily want those items back.  I'm happy because when I got home, it made saying no to them feel very real and the best choice for me.

I also agree about Starbucks.  I worked hard to reduced my pre-op Vinte fraps, lattes and so on.  I've been ordering smaller sizes, and removed fraps.  However I've found that asking for 1-2 pumps of flavoring has worked well for me.  The total pump counts and calories per pump is easy data to find and I made adjustments to my drinks that work for me.  I tried not to have Starbucks however due to personal choice based on social love for the place and work related social time, I decided to include it in my plan.  As it is the majority of my carbs for the day comes from my drink I have some mixed feelings about the choice.  But so far it's a calculated choice that's working for me as my only "junk food" that I like to call a "mood stabilizer".  :-)

i don't know what I do on vacation...but I tend to lose 5 to 10 lbs every time I go on vacation-even when I'm eating crap.

Just to confirm what you say...eating sugar, and drinking soda really does make you more hungry. I cut out most of my sugar about a month ago when I came to these boards and dropped 20 lbs very quickly. I just can't not have food though...i have to have replacements- fruit, and low carb options.

Soda is one of my vices. I gave it up for 5 years but went right back to drinking it after having it once. So it's on my "to do list" of things to give up. Last time I replaced it with unsweetened tea with splenda. I will probably have to do that again, because I do not like coffee but need caffeine.

Scott