Healthy versus unhealthy

I must be on another planet then the rest of you???

I know myself and I know that I am unable to eat just 4 pieces of Hershey's kisses, 1/2 oz. potato chips (are you kidding) or stop into a McDonalds and not want to order the Big Mac????

I recognize that I'm a compulsive overeater and there are just some items that I don't want in my home. Personally, I'd rather keep to list "A" and know that these aren't trigger foods for me. I'm just like the alcoholic who needs to stay away from the acohol....one day at a time.

Am I all alone? I hope there are others out there who are as compulsive as I am and can relate???

Thank you for your honesty. Doctor's have fixed my stomach but I haven't had brain surgery yet.

Kathie,

Of course I can relate to what you are saying. Why? Because we all about compulsive eating. We need to control those OLD behaviors. Learning a new way to think about food and not feeling guilty and beating yourself up is just a new way to think and to change old habits.

Yes, stick to the A list and I do MOST of the time but if I fall into the B List than I know I'm still good. I don't compare myself to an alcoholic with food because that is comparing apples and oranges. We have to eat.

And yes, I do go to McDonald's and will just order the 1.00 double cheeseburger. Sometimes I can finish the whole thing and sometimes not. Now, I don't do this every day nor even once a week the thing is we have options and choices about what we eat and how much.

The key is that we need to learn moderation and to exercise. It's not a diet and it really is a lifestyle change. Diets don't work for me but lifestyle change has along with exercise. I will be doing this for the rest of my life.

The thing is look how skinny people eat. They DO eat stuff off list B. Their weight does fluctuate. Yes we do need to be aware of trigger foods but to stay in control...it is moderation. 4 Hershey kisses are not going to make you fat.

I know I'm preaching to the choir here. We are all on the same planet and we all have food issues. Learning to open our minds and think about food in different ways can be an eye opener!!

Go to McDonalds ....order a Big Mac .....because you would never never be able to eat it...thanks to THE GIFT,...our pouches will not let us.....I tried a fish sandwich once and only one piece of the bread....with extra sauce to get it down......never made it down.....wanted to  after three bites.

The danger is the Hershey kisses....and I just don't keep those around....they slip down real easy. I buy a HUGE Hershey bar and break off a couple of pieces when I am craving chocolate....my husband who does not do things in moderation...usually finishes it before I get back to it.

It's the little things.....keep them out of the house....but do understqand our pouches will help us on the big things.
Marti

Hi Debbie:

A comparison of�list A�and list B solely based on total calories doesn't tell the whole story.

The main difference between the A list and the B list is not caloric but nutritional.� Fox example, the potatoes in potato chips and McDonalds fries have been so processed that they hold�few of the original nutrients found in potatoes.� Also, soda is not only loaded with sugar, but also the other ingredients can literally�erode tooth enamel, not to mention the damage carbonated beverages�can wreak on�the pouch.

IMHO, calories do count, but so does nutritional value, and eating exclusively from list B would leave the body starved for nutrients.

Ciao y'all,

Maria

Yep, I agree but the idea to get across to people is that if they do eat stuff from List B that they didn't pig out and blow anything.

Of course we all know about nutrition and what is best for us now. We all had WLS or most of us. I don't eat that way but if I choose to have a treat I now don't beat myself up about it. Life goes on and I don't go down the guilt path anymore.

For newbies they have to stay right on track and I wouldn't recommend List B for anything. People further out that have chosen to have treats think they are "bad" and that's just not true at all.

Hi Debbie:

Sorry if I sounded like a fanatical convert, but being a newby means that I have to weigh the nutritional value of everything I eat, and still some things just come right back up.

I have seen WLS veterans in my own family pig out then discretely slip into the bathroom to 'unload'  and then go right back to the table and fill another plate.  I vowed that I would never do that to myself.  It's trading one eating disorder from another.

I really appreciate you posts because they keep me thinking and reevaluating my attitudes toward food and life in general, but the 'potato chip, McDonald fries option' really got to me.

Ciao,

Maria

Oh that's okay Maria, I have my big girl panties on! LOL
Newbie's do have to stay on track and make the best time of those 12-18 months. For us further out we will have a treat and learning how to handle the moderation and not feeling guilty is very freeing indeed. I did not take offense at all. Hugs- Debbie

WE are talking real life here aren't we??? no one is perfect.......and she is just saying forgive your self and understand that you can have anything you wish....IN MODERATION!!!!

Hi Debbijean...1st time poster here ^_^  I just wanted to say thank you for this thread as your timing was perfect!  I just returned from having lunch out with our company president and the rest of our staff...at a swanky Italian restaurant that I had never been to before.  I was really worried beforehand about what I could order and still be 'good'.  Reading your posting helped me get my mind in the right 'place'...I can have whatever I want (as dictated by my pouch LOL)...I just have to be accountable for it, adjust the rest of my meals accordingly and then sit back and enjoy!  I ordered the meatbal sandwich, bread on the side, w/pasta salad. Ate 2 of the meatballs, a couple of bites of the pasta just to see what it tasted like and the rest is either lunch (or dinner) or my hubby gets a treat tonight. 

Either way, I felt freedom after reading your viewpoint:  it's not about being 'good' or 'bad'...it's about change and enjoying this great tool I have been given :-P  I am NOT dieting...therefore, there is no 'guilt' for having 'cheated'..because I'm not cheating..especially myself!  I am learning how to live within my boundaries...and my pouch will definitely tell me when I have crossed the line LOL
Great thread!
Nancy aka Sunray

Welcome Nancy!
You have got it my friend...no guilt...no dieting...just lifestyle change and you have learned moderation. It is very freeing isn't it?
You have a tool, your pouch will keep you in line and the further out you get all those great changes you have made in your life will come second hand.

Yes indeed we have to be accountable for everything that we put in our mouths but we don't have to feel "bad" or "guilty"...that hasn't worked for us before and it won't work for us now.

You did great eating out. Way to go!!