We all know that WLS is only one tool in our pursuit of a healthy body and mind. To that end we must constantly educate ourselves and indeed arm ourselves with other tools to work in tandem with the WLS so that we achieve our health and wellness goals.

One of the latest buzzwords is "Intuitive Eating". "Intuitive eating teaches a philosophy of making peace with food preferences and choices, with the understanding that balance and wisdom regarding nutrition will emerge." Elyse Resch, co-author of "Intuitive Eating: A revolutionary Program that Works" was quoted in this month's "Food & Fitness Advisor" from Cornell University. She claims that many of us label certain foods "good" or "bad" in a process of deprivation, which ultimately leads to bingeing and sabotage efforts at healthful eating. She counsels to quit judging food and take an intuitive approach to eating.

"Lifting the ban on so-called "bad" foods eliminates associated feelings of deprivation and guilt. Over time, intuitive eaters taper off from eating excessive amounts of these items and become more able to enjoy them in quantities good for maintaining a normal weight and healthy lifestyle."

So how can this philosophy work with the WLS lifestyle? Certainly in the malabsorptive-restrictive procedures (gastric bypass) certain foods must be banned or illness results. In addition, as you have heard me say so often, "If you eat the foods that caused obesity before surgery, they will surely cause obesity after surgery." So in a sense we in the WLS lifestyle do assign judgment to foods: crackers = bad, lean deli-turkey = good.

What I suggest and am in personal pursuit of is "learned intuitive eating." To that end I am approaching my food selections with the question, "Will this food choice give me energy, satiate my hunger, satisfy my taste and sustain my healthy weight?" By engaging in this dialog I'm becoming more skilled at intuitive choices because I want energy, satiation, satisfaction while staying a healthy weight.

What about you - - How can you apply the concept of intuitive eating in your WLS lifestyle?

In a sense, i guess i already eat like that. I don't eat sugar, but I usually do not have any problems eating anything else - even fat. I am just starting to wake up to the fact that I cannot eat certain foods or they will actually start me on a binge. Therefore, even in moderation, I cannot have them. I am still trying to pinpoint what they are... I am cutting out the simple carbs that I have allowed to sneak back into my life... that should help.
I guess my point is, if you are a compulsive overeater, like myself, then there are certain foods that you will want to eliminate altogether. Don't even eat them in moderation.

~L

Talk about "BRILLIANT" Ms. Kaye...you get the BRILLIANT AWARD TODAY! I even wrote those words down!

Words to live by! I was just trying to figure out how to reword the last part "SUSTAIN MY HEALTHY WEIGHT" for me because I am still in the losing game. OR trying to be in the losing game!

I"m back on track with the help of Sarg...we are going to DO THIS FOR SURE!!

I heard you two have some kind of prize contest going?????

:P



and how about "Achieve my healthy weight"

I have another view of this intuitive eating, coming from that of the diabetics that I live with. We know that carbs are bad, but did youknow that pasta turns into sugar? That is one reason that I am trying to stay away from pasta. Rice is a carb, but I like wild rice, which is a grain and can be healthy for you. You can make certain tradeoffs, and still satisfy an urge. Learning to take only a bite or two of something and savor it, cuz Kaye, I love ya, but I also love fried green tomatoes and will eat a few, count them few, this summer. I am learning to do things in moderation and eat more meat and veggies. I will try them on a Foreman grill and see how they turn out. I am using low carb torts that offer more protein rather than flour torts. I still have a lot to learn, I know and there are things that will vanish from my diet, either by choice, or because it causes problems, like tater tots! But that is part of what this is all about!

THERE YA GO Ms. KAYE! I think you've GOT IT!!

Thank you! You get the BRILLIANT award today my friend!!

Tami, in response to your pasta comment, there are low carb pasta noodles - several kinds. Those are OK. When I do eat pasta, I try to buy the whole wheat or whole grain pasta (and if you can find it in organic - double bonus!). Complex carbs break down differently than the simple carbs.
If you can eat pasta, give the ww a try - it's good and, so far, no one that I have cooked the ww, or low carb, pasta for has noticed the difference taste wise.


~L

I discovered somethind truly awesome last summer....speaking of pastas.
Inn on the Creek brand ( www.innonthecreekfoods.com ) makes Mac and Cheese using Dreamfields Pasta ( www.dreamfieldsFoods.com ). The taste is GREAT nice and cheesy, and so much better than Kraft. Only problem is we found it at Ocean State Job lt....a discount store, not sure if they are everywhere in the U.S. so they may be tough to find.....worth the hunt in my opinion

I know everyones personal diet is different so those of you who CAN eat this I recomend it highly.

Here are the Nutrition Facts off the package:
Serving size 1Cup-2 servings per container
Cals 390/fat cals 170
fat 19g Saturated fat10g
Cholesterol 65mg
Sodium 55mg
Carbs 43g- Dietary fiber4g- Sugars 1g
Protein 12g

Dreamfields breaks down carbs as follows
Total carbs 42
Dietary fiber -4
Protected Carbs -33
--------------------------
Total carbs 5

"Dreamfields unique fiber and protein blend protects the carbs from digestionas demonstrated in clinical testing"

Calls to prepare using 1/3C cream, 1/3Cwater, and 1T butter with cheese packet. I immagine it is much lower in fat as I use Skim milk instead of cream......teach me to read directions!!!

So.....If you are looking for an alternative for full carb pasta, try it....I hope it is as healthy as the package lets on!!! :blush:

Tami & Your fried green tomatoes! Like I told you, we all have our favorite deviant behavior. (I need my glass of red wine with Sunday dinner!)

Now about the pasta Miss L and Miss T - - what I'm hearing here (and I know you'll correct me if I'm wrong ) is that you are looking for a product you can sneak past the gastric bypass? ? ? If I were to give advice to a person still trying to lose weight it would be to avoid pasta or tortillas. They are too easily absorbed - it's like a present to your body that is proficient at making and storing fat from simple carbs. And even the "low-carb" products are still just simple cards. If you want to stall your weight loss efforts then go right ahead! :D

As a general rule, pastas should be avoided (esp if you are not at goal weight). I am not advocating eating all the pasta you want as long as it's ww or low carb. As a matter of fact I don't eat a lot of pasta - but when I do it's almost always whole wheat or multi grain. Second choice for me would be low carb.
Again... not telling anyone to eat it. It's another one of those "lesser of two evils" things.

~L

I wasn't looking for something to sneak past, just offering another reason to avoid it. Learned it with dad. That and for those in renal failure, it adds lots of water to those on limited liquids! I have a little pasta with my spaghetti, mainly the meat and sauce, I liked it meaty and saucy anyway so cutting out 98% of the pasta is no problem for me! Just giving a very extreme diabetic take on it. There are things that you can pick up from every diet and this is one that I got. It was because of dad's diabetic renal diet that I learned that cottage cheese is really good on a baked potato! You learn with a diabetic that sugar hides everywhere!

Fabulous responses ladies!!!

Intuitive Eating, to me that sounds like.....

"girl, you know that is NOT gonna get you where you want to be... just back up off and make a U-turn to the stuff that will"

That was my intuition talking to me.

the on one shoulder the on the other.


Let's face, we all know what the best thing to do for our bodies is... really we do.... WE JUST HAVE TO DO IT.

We will fail once in a while, but if more often than not we make smart choices, we will.... in the long run.... succeed.

I proved this theory to be correct. I began my first "diet" since having surgery this past January. I've dieted myself to being three pounds heavier than when I started. It has forced me to reflect on how I initially dropped 230 pounds in 22 months. Not once did I consider myself to be on a diet. I knew that I couldn't tolerate sugar, so I didn't go there, but everything else was fair game. Sorry Kaye, but it included a small amount of rice, pasta, oatmeal, toast...whatever. If I wanted it, I made sure that it was a part of my meal. No grazing. I didn't obsess over calories or carbs. I just made sure that I got my required protein in as well as my vitamins. I let my pouch be my guide to quantity consumed.

I have returned to this way of thinking and now feel a sense of calmness about my food intake. Kaye, you actually brought this self-reflection on for me. You had asked me if I was possibly over "tweaking" and obsessing over my food. I read your email and thought, "hmmm...could be." The scale is moving and I haven't used Fitday! Go figure.

Julie and I have teamed up to drop these last pounds. It helps to have a friend to partner up with!

I guess how I would classify "my" intuitive eating is really simple. I have found a WOE that I can stick with for the long haul. After all this is a life long change.

As for the carb debate--that will rage on for eons. I have tried alot of the so-called LC foods. But I have since returned to a more natural WOE. It is more in the line of Paleolithic than Atkins. I don't use prepackaged/convenience foods. Most everything is made by me, down to my condiments.

Another reason I chose this--I'm scared to death of carbs. You wouldn't tell an alcoholic it was okay to have a drink every now and then. That's the way I am about carbs. Pre surgery I hardly ate meat at all. I lived for pasta,rice, beans, sweets, and BREAD.Around my house I made a batch of sour dough bread every other day.

As for the spaghetti debate--someone beat me to the punch in the cookbook--spaghetti squash--super alternative.

But that's just my 2 cents worth.

I took this book out of the library but unfortunately never got much of it read, took it out for a few more weeks and still did not get it read and ended up paying an overdue fee. So I am glad that you brought it up as I do want to buy it and read at my leisure. It was used in a Penn State study as well as a book on volumetrics which I do not recall the name of, just a diet type book that showed you how to use foods high in water content to lose weight. Both books had weight loss in the groups that used the techniques versus little weight loss in the group that didn't.

I found a great book that uses several psychological approaches including (for the therapists out there) cognitive behavioral theapy, neurolinguistic programming, compliance theory, gestalt therapy, transactional analysis, positive psychology and naikan and conscious living therapy. It is called Think Thin, Be Thin - 101 Psychological Ways to Lose Weight by Doris Wild Helmering and Dianne Hales. Each tip is two or three pages. The idea behind the book is that out of the 101 tips you will find several ideas that will help you. It is $12.95 and in my huge diet book library it has helped me the most which reminds me to get it out again and start reading again. Chapter 20 is Reach Out for Support which is what this Neighborhood is all about.



Diamond Girl

I like this because thats what I want to so I put the question on a psot-it to remind me.

Nicely said, Reggie!




Nicely tweeked Kim! :P



Thank you Diane. This Way Of Eating is for the long haul. WE have just got to do it.

I have been reviewing my 2nd quarter Personal Self-Assessment and this is something I will be focused on in June. I've become a bit sloppy with my intuitive eating and want to refocus on the food choices that will give me energy, satiate my hunger, satisfy my taste adn sustain my healthy weight.

Perhaps some of you are working on this too?

I don't even remember this thread! It was around this time that I had my "buttlift" and I lost a few weeks worth of memory during recovery.

Very good to read it again. Thanks for bringing it forward!

Believe it or not, I have this saying TAPED TO THE FRONT OF MY COMPUTER here at work! I also have it on the fridge at home.

I dont always follow it but it is a great rule of thumb to go by. I will try harder!

Thanks for bringing it back up to the forefront Kaye!

We ALL needed this!

You know, I have always believed one of the reasons diets don't work is sooner or later you feel deprived. I have to say that I like the idea of knowing that at some point you can indulge in a bit of something as long as you are aware of your limits. Perhaps that first year is more the setting of those limits? And, the people that are the most successful are the ones that don't 'force' themselves to eat something they know they shouldn't anyway?

I have a notebook that I am printing replies in and this thread will certainly be in it!