Having Trouble Getting Back On Board

[mhunkin 0]

I was banded 2-1/2 years ago. My starting weight was 305 and i got down to 198. I will try to make a long story short. I had a baby 11 weeks ago, and when I found out I was pregnant they took almost all of my Fluid out. Needless to say that I was careless and gained 64 pounds. I have now lost around 25 lbs since my delivery. I saw my doctor and he put 1/2 cc in. I am still feeling hungry all the time and craving bad things . I know I need to eat a little more because I am breast feeding but I just can't get back on track and I really need to! Does anyone have any suggestions. Hopefully another fill will do it, but I'm afraid it's now mental

[auntielle 42]

Congratulations on your baby! I have not had a child but know I have always been affected by hormone changes & I'm sure you have a lot going on in your body after having a child & breast feeding. I would check with your docs to make sure you are getting what you need for you & Baby. For me it is important to log my food b/c even if I'm making good choices my head can still play tricks on me & I can "forget" all the things I've eaten. It also helps me make sure I get all my Protein in, etc. How wonderful that you will be a healthy mom for your child!

[LeighAnnW 0]

You can do it. Just remind yourself you have a tool you need to work with. I had my band 6 years ago, and lost 120 lbs, and gained it all back during a pregnancy, and added on some weight. I'm starting from square one. I had learned how to cheat my band. Now I have to learn how to un-cheat my band. I found a good post on the food and nutrition forms. How much to eat, and at what meals! It's great! I would go look at it. Plus remember, you may need to eat more but not like your eating for a second person. Because as long as you put the right nutritional food in, you will produce milk!

[losingoncemorewithsurgery 4]

Congrats on your munchkin!

Don't be so hard on yourself. We all mess up and we all fall off the wagon - you at least had a reason, you were pregnant!! Now is your chance to start fresh. You've got to look at this as a new chapter in your life and not as an uphill battle (easier said then done, I know). I know changing the way we think is probably the hardest part of this journey - at least to me it is. BUT - you did it once, so you can do it again. The first thing you should do is find a food tracking system to keep you accountable and help you see what you're taking in (you can even track your exercise). I use myfitnesspal.com, you can friend me as alanapapa and I will encourage and support you while you are doing this! I know it helps more than anything else. The other thing I would do, is get rid of all the "bad" foods you have in your cabinets and start fresh at the grocery store. Plan your meals out for the first few weeks and stick to that, it's helps a ton. The other thing you can do is the 5 day pouch test (you can find it online). It helps to sort of restart the journey for you - though you may not be able to do it while you're breastfeeding.

I hope that helps. You can definitely do this!

[KellyGram 36]

I'm 3.5 years post-op with 90# down, 90# to go. I just had a baby 3 weeks ago. I kept my band fill at 2.5cc but just had 1cc removed because I've been losing weight too fast (4# a week) mainly because I'm struggling to find room for food and drink the fluids I need to keep up my milk supply. I'm also worried that losing weight too quickly will reduce the milk supply as well.

Anyway... I've got PCOS, which makes losing weight very challenging, even when I'm eating right and exercising. I also had an emotional eating / boredom eating problem that I've developed the tools to address, and a foodie's craving problem that I've also developed tools to address. I'll share them below:

I'm not a perfect eater, but I've developed some coping mechanisms and strategies to help me stay on track. I've learned how to handle cravings, for example. I know when to re-direct and when to relent. I know when to stop indulging (most of the time) and I know when to get rid of something tasty because I can't resist the temptation to keep indulging.

Redirect: This strategy starts with a question: Am I really hungry, or am I bored/nervous/upset? If the answer is yes, I really am hungry, then I try to redirect focus from the death-by-chocolate cake I am craving to a Protein or granola bar or a piece of fresh fruit--ie, to something healthier that tastes good, too. If the answer is no, I'm not hungry, I'm bored/anxious/whatever, then I redirect to an activity that gets my mind and/or body off the comfort-food focus. Depending on the craving and the reason, I may meditate to calm myself, or take a 5-minute yoga break, or go for a walk, do some weeding/chores, take a bath, masturbate, or take a time-out to touch base with what is really going on inside me (ie administer some emotional first aid).

Relent: Relent, for me, comes after multiple attempts to redirect. If I've eaten my healthy mandarin and I've done my chores and I've finished writing an email or whatever other tasks I've put to myself to in order to get my mind off the craving and I still want that cake (especially if I've craved it for a few days), I'll go buy a single-serving cupcake or something, both as acceptance of the craving, and as reward for the work I've done to earn it. If I absolutely have to have a slice of that $20 death-by-chocolate cake and they don't sell it by the slice, I'll buy it at the bakery, ask them to slice me a piece, and then give the rest away to the people working there, or as samples for their customers. (Yes, it raises eyebrows, but no one has refused me yet.) Then I relish my $20 piece of cake, eating it slowly, savoring every bite. I don't bring home more than one serving of a craved food anymore. It's too easy to say to myself, "Oh, I'll bring this whole cake home and share it with my family" and then end up eating more than one serving because I don't want it to go to waste or because it is just that good.

I suppose I should have the self-discipline to be able to eat just one serving of something I crave and leave the rest alone for others or for another time, but I don't. And I am self-aware enough to accept that. I'm also self-loving enough to get over the whole self-sabotage / self-punishing thing for my supposed lack of will-power, no longer hating myself even as I am rewarding myself with a tasty treat. Today, I allow myself to eat that thing I really want, but just one small serving. And I give away or toss away the rest. I may feel a little foolish for eating what amounts to a $20 slice of cake -but- I figure that it's $18 worth of extra calories I'm not adding to my waistline, and given the work I have to do to take off just one pound, it's f-ing worth it.

So--this is how I've learned to deal with food cravings over the years, and how I managed not to gain weight during my pregnancy. I practice self-awareness and self-acceptance, a bit of self-discipline, and a lot of self-love. I'm as flawed, outrageous, and complex as the next person, and what works for me may not work for others. Still, it's worth sharing if even just one person benefits from it.

[anume! 5]

Hi congrats on the new baby! What's the 5 day pouch test?

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[mhunkin 0]

It seems like the 5 day pouch check is a kit that you order online to shrink your pouch down a little. I haven't tried it, just googled it

[anume! 5]

Okay thank you I'm

Going to try and start on Sunday

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