Disappointed!

[Becca 108]

I am happy that you were able to have the surgery so young. Use this opportunity to take back control. Avoid snacking. That is the main way we sabotage our sleeves. I know college life can be stressful. Enjoy the weight you have lost! 72 pounds is great. You can finish this!

[Time2Lose 16]

I will echo some of what has already been said...please find another job. I know in this economy it may seem like a Herculean task, but if it is sabotaging your progress then it has to go. It would be unfortunate to have taken this giant step only to lose the benefits. I have my surgery in about 2 weeks, and I am not disillusioned into thinking this is going to be easy, but we have to give it our best, obesity is our common enemy here. I don't know how much you've stretched your stomach by now, but hopefully it's not too much. You may want to look into stress managing techniques...maybe working out at the gym or dancing to your favorite music...versus emotional eating. If possible, engage your friends and family to help you.

Good luck!

[KellyL 173]

I think your weight loss is pretty good. While it would be wonderful to reach goal or lose at least 100 lbs within the first yr, it really depends on so many things, especially how much weight we have to lose. Don't think you can't still get to where you want to be. So you have let some bad habits slip back in, either doing the 5 day pouch test, or just a getting back to basics, the main thing is going a few days with getting the carbs out of your system, because generally it is carb cravings that make us want to eat more and the wrong things. A few days of doing without them should at least get you under control. Then if you're eating Protein first/only, you should be able to see where you are on your restriction. I bet you have a smaller sleeve than you think. The bread, crackers, fries, all go down way too easy, aren't filling, and are sliders, meaning you can eat way more of it than you could something like chicken, tuna, or steak. Keep a lot of foods around for protein snacking like almonds, pecans, pistachios, deli meat, string cheese, boiled eggs, deviled eggs, chicken, cottage cheese, ready to drink Protein Drinks, and Protein Bars. Keep your meals and Snacks planned every day and don't give yourself a moment to think "What sounds good" or "What do I want to eat". That gives our emotions time to step in and say, hey!! you have had a bad day, let's have that hot fudge cake!! Ah, come on, just one cheat won't hurt! Problem is one cheat can turn into many as we all know. Have it planned out and don't give your mind the option to consider anything else. I literally tell myself sometimes "it's not up for negotiation" haha. If something unexpected does come up, like going out to eat or a get together, I make myself choose only protein/low carb/low sugar options.

You can still do this, don't give up!! make a few meal/snack changes, get a lot of water/fluid in, and find a way to move everyday. Or even if you only exercise 3-4 times a wk, it's better than nothing at all. You have to prioritize these things, put yourself and your health FIRST above all things. And come to this forum to get the support, encouragement, and inspiration you need to work toward your goals. It's not easy by any means, but we can all work together and meet our goals. We can do it!!

[Kristalc71 1]

I highly encourage you to listen to Foxbins....they gave very sound advice to you! You can do this, I have faith in you!!

[under construction 24]

Thanks for sharing your struggles. I am a newbie and this is something I needed to hear. As everyone has already said, you can do this! Keep us posted.

[BlackBerryJuice 349]

I agree with others who said you should try finding a job that doesn't involve being around unhealthy food. I took a job at Tim Hortons once - before the sleeve - ate 5 donuts on my first day and quit the next day because I knew I'd balloon by like 20 pounds a month if I stayed there.

In the meantime, I'd make sure you eat BEFORE coming to work, so you are not tempted, and have healthy Snacks on hand so you can have them the second you start feeling hungry - that way you'll be less likely to make bad choices. I imagine you probably get a free meal at work. Things like 1 cheeseburger, a fillet-o-fish with half of the bun taken off, or snack wraps are not as bad as some of the other options. I eat at McDs on occasion and it just comes down to Portion Control and avoiding things that are awful for you and don't fill you up (e.g. fries). At least the sandwiches have Protein.