feedyoureye

I agree that sometimes tough love is in order, but name calling is not tough love.

welcome to BP, this thread really has nothing to do with your question, its for discussing Maintinance after weight loss. Let me see if I can find someplace better for your question.... http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/391-gastric-sleeve-surgeons-and-hospitals/

I would have to agree. No name calling please. If you think someone is trolling, report it to Alex. I see no certain evidence that this person is a troll. Keep it supportive, or move along on to another thread.

1 1/2 year through 2 1/2 year I was struggling, and gained 22 pounds before I got it turned around and finally got it off and got to goal just before the third year. I have been holding on to maintenance/ 3-4 pound bounce range from that time.

Sarah! Looking good and strong girl! 18%? You are an athlete!

My folks are both in their 80s... dad is 87. They are heading there fast too... mom is "going" quickest... her shorter term memory is starting to blank out... and dad really helps with all her meds and such. He needs help, but really does not want anyone else coming to the house for day care... I have looked up some places she can go to during the day so he can have a break... art /memory... programs for seniors and some live in places too...She really does not want to be in a "home" but when it comes right down to it, my place, my brothers place... they are tiny and I am gone most of the time at work, we have stairs.... only one bedroom.... I hate to even think about a home for her... but hoping to find some place with an arts program (she is an artist) to support what she loves, and close enough so I can get over there often. Sounds like my school! Hopefully your new digs will be better, but I bet more of the same. can you personalize your space at all?

welcome to Bariatric Pal Bry, may I suggest you post this question in a different place? This thread is for maintinance, for after you have lost all your weight.... how about here? POST-Operation Gastric Sleeve Surgery Questions & Answers

Shite! I just wiped out my answers to you guys... OK... Dee...Pneumonia! Goodness girlfriend, do take extra good care of yourself. When it rains it pours. Sheila, good to see you! You deserve a medal for catching up. 25 pages! Your eyes must be killing you. I am so proud of you going to that Business for Creatives class, it sounds really perfect for you. Best of luck with that! After I read the twin story that Georgia posted I went hunting for the horrizons program that they did, I found it and posted a link in the Research forum... http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/296312-low-fat-versus-low-sugar/page-2 Sheryl, Years ago I read a book that had a heavy emphasis on self talk, I put it to work and it really did help and quickly too. I will try your suggestion, I know it will make a difference. I have a couple of things Im off track about that I can think of, and probably others I am not aware of yet.... Sarah, You are an inspiration girl! Good going! I know I am not ready to change anything about my behavior (eating wise) right now... but I will, and then.... I should be able to get off of this maintenance plateau....

I have tried to go without the scale a few times without success (yes for a week or so , but after that....not so good) I did early on decide that one of the habits I really needed to get on top of was the "obsessing" on the scale. I really couldn't afford to hate or love my life depending on the scale. its just a tool now, and I don't let the numbers push me around emotionally much anymore. It just gives me a guide to where I am, and what I need to do or not do about it. I also think many women (men?) just don't see themselves in the mirror, and some stretch jeans can really let you gain 5+ without realizing it. If someone does not need the scale/tool, or it ruins their life, then develop some other way... but if it works who cares if we use it? I also use a fitbit, MFP and occasionally the tape measure and fat calpers. If there is a post apocalyptic blackout with or without zombies in the future, then good luck to me without my scale! However, I will have those good plow pulling potato eating survive the famine genes, and that might get me through that too!

Coops, sometimes planning on just curling up in a ball and feeling sorry for yourself is just the thing to do! I hope you really enjoy that curl-up, and it gives you the strength and rest you need to get on with the day with more happiness.

Sandy, I'm so glad to see you hanging around the boards, we need you as much as you need us girl! At three years out, I know how the old habits creep back in.(Im not sure my old habits ever really crept out in the first place!) I am hanging on by my toenails, but as "ungraceful" as that may be, at least I'm hanging on to my goal at this time. I too swore I would never "diet" again, way before WLS, but the jokes on me! Diet I must, and so I have bowed to the taskmaster, and weigh myself, log my food, keep track of my exercise every day, and do the 5:2 most weeks and a few 6:1s thrown in when I cant get it together. I eat lots of veggies most of the time, and way too much crap the rest of the time. I write it all down. This seems (so far) to keep my eyes open about the choices I make. Sometimes I have the "strength, fortitude, willpower" whatever you want to call it, to eat clean and follow all the good advice that is dished out here. Other times I really need that structure of the scale, calorie counting and such to just hang on with the sugar, fat and junk going down the pie hole. When I get a hold of that elusive will power, I throw out the junk, get back on the wagon, and go at it again. I do the best I can. Its not alway perfect. I know its harder than ever to lose those few pounds, so I REALLY try not to regain them now. This may all sound horrible to the Newbies that have no hunger now... but truly, maintenance is hard... but doable! That is the good news. You can do it. Happy, your husband and son love you wether you eat their BBQ or not, but do stay in the room with them and eat there "company".... Maybe do the 5:2 on visit days, when you can save up and eat your 550 for dinner... even if Its just once a week, that may just get you over the top of this problem. Do use MFP if you don't... it helps me so much even if I never wanted to count calories again... I want to be a success with this weight loss too... yogurt and blueberries! that sounds like a lovely desert to me! Just write it down.

I'm two months post op and have adjusted nicely. I don't have to sip my water anymore, I don't gulp it either because that's not healthy, but I can drink a pretty liberal amount with no problem. I break bread with family and friends all the time, I just order something from the kiddie menu and something healthy. If I'm thirsty while eating, I take a sip of water. As my Nut said, "it won't kill you and as long as you don't over do it, it won't wash away the nutrients from your meal...which is the whole point of not drinking and eating at the same time!" I feel more in control than I ever have with regard to food and my eating habits. This too shall pass. Remember this is for a lifetime and for your health. Maybe you should speak to a psychiatrist again, could be you need to talk it out with a professional. Anyway, good luck. I don't think a sip with dinner will kill the deal ether... but I think one of the reasons that drinking water with/after meals is not a good idea is it will wash the food into the intestine sooner (the stomach does not absorb nutrition) but the pyloris opens up faster for liquid than solids, so your "protein first "will wash out sooner and not be able to give you the full and satisfied feeling that a full stomach gives you. Its actually the pressure on the inside of the stomach that gives the full signal, so let that protein just sit there for at least 30 minutes before the water. Like I say, a sip.... not a big deal.

Fiddleman, when is the best time to to test out eating salad? Im almost 8 weeks....i love it an miss it....also, when do most people begin eating leafy greens like cooked spinach and kale? Thanks! Shel I know you werent asking me, but raw food took me longer to be able to eat, so for me after 12 weeks...Apple skins took a year(?!) I did eat lots of cooked veggies earlier... think pots of mixed veggie Soup.... I would say try a bite or two now... not hard chunks of fiberous stuff yet (raw carrot chunks and cucumbers with the skin) but nicely diced or shreaded salad. Just eat a bite or two and wait to see how it goes.

The host group is a secret group. I really like ours. Some of the anti-group talk I have heard is " someone might leave the group and blab all the secrets to others on the regular forum". Well thank you mother! I want to have the ability to take that chance, I don't need anyone banning secret groups because of what might be!

Hurray!!!!!

I so have to agree with you Cheri. Vigilance. I have to weigh, use my fitbit and MFP every day... when I start skipping a day or two, it can turn to three or four, and the weight starts going up. I would like to be able to trust myself to tell if Im doing the right things, but apparently, I can't, so I use my tools and this keeps me in line. I don't eat perfectly at all, but I do write the good the bad and the ugly down so I know what I am doing and the results from it and not end up with a big bad surprise. Including the 5:2 protocol twice a week really seems to be a tool that works for me too. Yes, the trials are so much greater in maintenance. And as a slow loser anyway, it can seem like an insurmountable challenge when I need to lose a "mere" five pounds. I have said it over and over again but it will never sink in to a newbie until they're there themselves. The real struggle is not losing the weight. It's keeping the weight off. Maintenance requires so much more diligence than loss. I forget this myself at times but the very most important thing a person can do is WEIGH. Do not avoid the scale. Weigh every single day in maintenance, or every few days at the least. If you avoid the scale, it's easy to "forget" your weight or dismiss poor eating habits until your pants get tight. And with those stretchy jeans for women nowadays, that can mean you've packed on ten pounds before you realize it! Tracking calories and planning meals comes secondary. It's that scale (or your measurements, or how your clothes fit, or whatever you use to measure yourself at goal) that tips you off to a problem immediately. I'm not saying expect to see the same number every day. But find that happy range and stay within it, and make adjustments when overdo it and step over the line. This way you catch issues immediately and don't have a ten, fifteen or twenty pound regain to tackle. ~Cheri

So true Sheryl. We can only get stronger knowing the truth.

Not all people lose their hunger... usually it is less though....

Two more whats? Getting tests done? Need more info to get responses!

Congrats! That new number is powerful for us!

fIt it helps, I have been on this board for over 3 years, and almost NO ONE is sorry they got the surgery and the restrictions you end up with in the long run. In fact this is the honeymoon, and those restrictions we feel early on are the very reason we are losing weight. Later it is much easier to eat and drink what and how much you want. I can Gulp Water now, and around 6 gulps I get this little voice saying "STOP!!" I even end up having to hold the last half gulp in my mouth until I can feel the water empty out of my stomach so I can swallow! It makes me smile really, I know that tummy is still little because I could glug water until the cows came home before surgery. After letting it go down, I can gulp some more. Easy Peasy. Really, now is the time to learn about how to eat less and feel good about it, because later on it might be easy to eat alot more, and hinder weight loss or even have weight gain. It really is a learning curve, but one that can be so enjoyable, and when you start looking like and feeling like the you you want to be, those little things you give up, are just little things. I have foodie friends who were really worried I had ruined my ability to socialize with them around a good meal, but now, they are not worried at all. I do eat less, but I do still like to eat! You will be fine. I think getting into your AA contact about it is a great idea, I can see how this is overwhelming for you, but you will be fine in time. One foot in front of the other.

Nancy, you have gotten lots of good support here. We all have something that is extra hard for us to handle, but none of us want to see Coke and Pepsi win this battle! When you break a goal, it gets easier to break it the next time... so its important to really set your goal, and stick to it until you achieve it. Maybe make the goal smaller. Get your calendar out and schedule your mini goals, and cross them off as you achieve them. This brings lost of confidence as you get things done. If your goal is stop drinking carbonated drinks, then you need to prepare first. Clear out all offending drinks! Dump them out! Get your family/friends to sign a contract with you not to supply you with those drinks, or drink them in the house when your there! Another mini goal might be making up a replacement drink to take its place. Iced or hot tea will add a little caffeine in if thats what you crave. Crystal light, or just plain Water in the fridge, ready to drink. Make it easy on yourself. Drink a LOT of water or other flavored drinks. Drink it until you are ready to float away! Do not give your body any reason to drink the wrong stuff. Have a check list on the fridge... mark off the good drinks you have had. and do talk to your nutritionist if you need to. Count the hours of your success, then count the days, weeks and months. By then it will be no big deal. You can do it. Its also an expensive habit... save that money and put it to another use... a cute bracelet or something to remind you where you are at, and who's in charge!

What a story! Holy cow! Glad you made it through in one piece! I was visiting friends down from outside of Olympia... they were saying snow snow snow too. We had one of those rains where you cant see a thing, (at night) all rush hour, glare and windshield wipers and trucks throwing up greasy water! That and my back seat driver husband in a cast! How can guys even imagine that hounding your driver in a difficult situation can make the driving better at all!!? Luckily the drive home was better... less traffic. The first big rain of the season always floats all that dropped car oil collecting through the rest of the year, and makes things so slippery... Drink drink drink...This is very hard for me too... I try and get in 4 glasses before I leave the house... then its a crap shoot if I get in any more... I do log them in MFP and try to get in 8.... I buy my progesterone over the counter at a health food store... I have not been using it for around a year now... have very low grade hot flashes, and my hair quality is rotten... I probably should get back on the wagon....its supposed to help with weight loss too.... YEP! Drink that water girl!I should help with the number 2 problem....

Cheri, so glad to see your face here, come vent anytime, we are here for you. I am sorry to hear about your dad... what a shock for you and your family.... And your health problems... glad to hear they have found no lesions or tumors... but mystery pain is so scary and draining. 12 pounds from one day to the next!!!? for heavens sake, how is that even possible?, that would be enough to make me batty all by itself! Yes do be gentle with yourself, one day at a time... give that baby a hug and a kiss. You are a dear woman, a success in so many ways, allow the love you know your dad had for you to stay like a light in your heart... healing you and keeping your love of life alive.

I'm doing a bit of that too.... just watching that scale really close.... Cute Earrings S! And I will check out Cheri....