Diet for life??

I had the the sleeve done so that I wouldn't have to "diet" the rest of my life.. Even my NUT and my Doc says this.. But I see a lot of you guys talking about counting calories, fat, carbs, ect.. I know I need protein.. but I refuse to count calories the rest of my life.. Come to think of it, my psychologist said the same thing.. She had the sleeve done too.. She said that she does not diet, or count anything.. Am I doomed lol? Should I be counting all these numbers? or just live life without "dieting" if I could diet I wouldnt have had this done... 

You'll find very quickly (if you haven't already" that it will be very difficult to eat MUCH at a time with the sleeve...so hopefully, that will contribute to "not dieting".

Personally, I'm 13 months out, and still track everything I eat - mostly to ensure I get enough protein each day. I think during your first year or so, as you are getting used to your body's new needs, it is helpful to keep track, just to be aware of what works for you and what doesn't. That way, if you happen to gain a little, you'l be able to look back and see "o, I had more carbs than usual last week" (for example).

It is hard to explain. lol I dont want to sound like I dont care.. I do care about myself. and the food I eat.. I know I have to eat healthy and plan on it for life.. But isnt eating healthy enough? Should I could all the calories, carbs, fat, ect.? Cant I just live life diet free? I hope I am explaining myself right lol.. I track my water and try to get as much protein as possible. Just dont want to think about "dieting" :)

I get it - I cannot WAIT until food becomes less of an obsession for me. And I do think that after you hit goal, "dieting" as we mostly know it will be a thing of the past. But during the process we should do everything we can to support OURSELVES and the major choice we made to have surgery. Just my opinion, though - frankly, if not counting everything works for you, I say go for it!

Lol! Isn't this something you should have thought about and researched BEFORE you had your surgery??? I don't see your surgery being very successful with your way of thinking. Everywhere on this forum it says wls is a tool to help you lose weight and a lifestyle change is needed for it to work. So certain guiedlines are needed for success! Best of luck to you. Hope your way gets you results but I don't see it.

Well that was mean.. You are taking me totally wrong! I did do my research! I did do 6 months of supervised weight loss! Did you not read what I wrote that my doc, NUT, and psych. even said the same thing... Anyway.. Good Day, and good luck on your weight loss.. 

Everyone is different, and everyone has to figure out what works for them.  I counted calories etc during my pre op period because I needed to get into my head what portion sizes looked like and how many calories a piece of toast or piece of fish or piece of broccoli contained.  Post op, I've not really bothered.  Early on I was just eating what little I could manage; after about six months when the restriction had eased I moved to keeping an eye on portion size, and trying to stick to healthy high protein foods. 

At this point, I'm about 15 months post op and am in maintenance. My surgeon and nut are pretty happy with what I've done.  I don't consider myself on a diet; I just try to eat healthy, stick to portion sizes that keep me satisfied without overfilling my tum, and weigh myself about once a week to make sure I don't start gaining.  If I do gain (or decide to try and lose a few  more kgs) I'll probably get more stringent with what I eat and cut down on carbs, but other than that....nah, I lead a pretty normal life now and don't obsess over how much I eat or what or when or where.  I've just tried to make healthy eating my 'new norm' so that it doesn't become a fixation.

So, yeah, I know what you mean, and, yeah, if it works for you, then it works. 

Thank you :) You nailed it on how I was trying to explain myself.. I know I have to eat healthy good things.. I know I have to watch portions. I am just sick of obsessing about food lol.. I dont want to think about it anymore.. ya know :)

If you're like me, then you'll just  need to develop a system.  I've figured out (by doing the maths) what combos I can eat to make sure I get enough protein in for a day, and I've figured out (through trial and error) what foods I find filling (vs not) and what foods trigger me to eat mindlessly.  Then you just stick with the system. Since I'm the household cook, it's pretty easy to plan meals that suit my needs.

For me, breakfast = porridge (oatmeal), or very thinly sliced toast (homemade! with eggs to be high protein!) spread with peanut butter, or eggs.  Lunch = cheese with a few small crackers, or leftovers from the previous night's dinner, or salad with cold meats.  Dinner = meat of some kind, steamed veggies, and sometimes a legume mix (lentils, or beans, or whatever).  Or eggs.  Rarely do I eat potatoes or rice, and if I do it's just a spoonful.  Snacks are fruits and raw veg.  I do sometimes eat desserts but they do trigger me so I have to be careful.  In restaurants, I go for meat (alone, or on a salad), and ignore everything else.

It's all about forming habits. 

I guess it depends on your definition of "dieting". I know I will always have to be mindful about what I eat and will always have to obsess about healthy eating, watching portion size, nutritional value (yes this is counting carbs, fat, protein) etc otherwise statistics indicate that I will regain and I know well that the "it isn't going to happen to me" attitude will take me right back into obesity. So its a small price to pay in my view, but yeah, its a diet for life. Well worth it.