stomlin75

Drink H2O - constantly. This will help more than you can imagine.

I just found myself wandering into the 3rd floor kitchen to see what kind of yumminess abounds. I came upon a basket of left over Panera cookies and had instant mouth water. So, of course, I grabbed one and moved toward the stairway to head back to my office. But then, I stopped and thought to myself - is this really worth the cravings you are going to feel for the rest of the day? So, I went back, grabbed another one and took them to a couple of guys that share an office who love anything baked good. They were happy and I felt so good for making that mental transition. It's interesting how those conversations occur in the head and how many times I find it too easy to give in to the big voice that says, "it's just one cookie". I had to dig deep to hear that little voice reminding me of the longer term impact. I wonder how many other people deal with this same internal dialogue and how they overcome these difficult decisions.

I felt the exact same way going into it and I have kids too. You may get mixed responses on this one because there are some who regret it but I would say that the vast majority here are so very glad they did it. Best piece of advice is to follow exactly what your doctor tells you to do if you go through with it. The hard part is more mental than physical. At the end of the day here, you have to weigh the benefits/risks of getting this surgery vs. staying the way you are. Let the data/evidence provide you with what you need to make a decision and if you aren't ready to make such a big decision yet, that is ok too. All the best to you.

Yep, good example of another way food has a way of filling that void of unpleasantness.

Awww, you guys are sweet. I had a great birthday and stayed very conscious of eating good foods throughout the day and then for dinner, I enjoyed an awesome drink (earl grey infused vodka with lemonade), prime rib, horseradish sauce, veggies, and a slice of vanilla cake. Today, I am back on plan after weighing in and having dropped another pound. It's good to be back.

Yes, yes, yes, today is my birthday and I made it!!! I started my first post on here at 23.6 and weighed in today at 226.8. My goal was to get to my birthday with no sugar/low carbs and I did it! Today, I am sticking to the plan except for a piece of birthday cake that intend to eat this evening with my family and then right back to business tomorrow! I feel fantasticly back in control of things. It's an awesome feeling.

First, make sure you are getting all the Water in. I broke my stalls everytime at that stage with just making sure I drank all the water. Second, no potatoes. There is nothing about that potato that is giving you anything you need right now. Protein and veggies are your friends. The sooner you throw in stuff like potatoes, the easier it will be for you to eat slider foods that are high in carbs and your weight loss will stop. Take it from someone who did exactly what you are doing. You know why you are stalling out (beside it being a normal phenomenon), so get back on plan. It's a lot easier now than dealing with it later when your stomach can handle much more. Wishing you all the best!!

Day 3 is so much better than day 2 - cravings are diminishing a bit and I am getting into the groove. Checked the sale after a lengthy hiatus and I am even down a tiny bit. Good motivation. I am taking the advice of someone who responded on here about 10 pounds at a time and I was 231 a few days ago when I sent my first SOS message - so, here's to 220!

I'm 9 months post op and actually going through a diet cleanse of clean eating right now to get the sugar/carbs back out. We are essentially going through the same thing - cravings galore. What I can tell you is this...after about 3 days, the cravings will stop as you will go into ketosis. You want to stay in ketosis because it is in this state you will feel the least hunger and the most energy. Get used to sipping water all day now. I wish I had done that as it is still a struggle for me. You are embarking on a big deal mentally - much more than physical. Getting yourself into that place before surgery is key. You can do it!!! Good luck with your surgery.

Hey there - yep, eating clean is super hard. I am definitely struggling through the worst tonight with cravings as I type this but coming on here helps. Just reading through the posts and knowing I'm not alone provides the reassurance that I can do it. Hope everyone is having a great day today!

Made it 24 hours with no sugar and low carbs (just veggies and a fruit). No sliders people, no sliders!! It may seem trivial but it was all I could do to force myself into bed last night and turn off the cravings. It probably seems silly that this is where I am at right now but hey, going back to the basics is actually hard when you've totally derailed! On my way to another successful day today - hope everyone else here has a good one as well. Thanks again for the support.

Oh, and I don't know if anyone else uses fitbit but here is my profile in case you do. I would love to connect with others that way too. http://www.fitbit.com/user/23QKKM

I forgot what an awesome forum this is and how helpful it can be. Laura, you look fabulous and your words are so kind and helpful - ringing so true. CowgirlJane - Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a well thought out and inspiring response. Georgia - it is so good to be validated as normal. So, yes, back to the drawing board here - proteins, veggies, water. I am not looking forward to the headaches, the cravings, the frustration, etc... but I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel. So, here is the deal. My birthday is Thursday (38 going on 25) and I am shooting to be over that initial 3 day no sugar hell by then as a present to myself. It's a short goal but doable. I am planning to stay much more active in here. You guys are awesome.

I used to be on here all the time - back when I first had my surgery and a few months post op. I've slowly started coming back due to the realization that I haven't lost anything for at least 5 months and it's because I haven't been in the game at all. I am seeing posts from people that had surgery around the same time as me or much later, that weighed more than me at date of surgery, and they have reached far and beyond my wildest expectations for myself. I just wanted to get below 200 and if I had stayed on plan, I would've accomplished this. The thing is, I can eat almost exactly like I used to and I do feel hunger and I am addicted to sugar/carbs. It is nothing for me to put away a donut and not have a single feeling of fullness. This has been the case for a while now and I know that the same obstacles that prevented weight loss for me prior to surgery still exist post surgery - mostly head hunger and telling myself that I will "get back on it" tomorrow. It's a terrible cycle that perpetuates itself over and over as I give in to a craving or deceive myself into thinking that it's ok because I did lose "some of the weight". I just realized that the only goal I set for myself was to get below 200 but maybe breaking it down might make things a little more doable and I will feel less like a failure. To those who have accomplished their goals, great work and let me know if you have any tricks or tips that you could share. For those who might be in the same boat as me, I feel your pain and maybe it's time today to do something about it. Yesterday was yesterday and tomorrow is a long way off so for now, I am focusing on my actions today.

I am coming into this super late in the game but very interested in this. I've done crossfit and am familiar with HIIT but my gym charges a lot for crossfit. So, I bought a timer watch so I can do it myself. I am sort of starting at the beginning here after having been in a very long stall resulting from my not really being on plan. I think doing the 12 day bootcamp with the 3 day per week HIIT makes the most sense to get started? Thoughts? Thanks Fiddleman for starting this.