5 Months Post Op and I am so far off path.. I need help. I don't know where to start?

[CrazyJaney 775]

I'm preop so take this for what it's worth. But I have gained and lost the same 40++ pounds all my adult life. I can do well for a while, but I fall off by going back to carbs. I've lost 25 preop just doing the basics. I hope the sleeve is one more extra tool for me.

Here's the things that help me:

1) get back in the pool. Change it up, do something different but keep moving.

2) start over on the basics and detox from the carbs - I had no idea of how fiercely I can and did crave carbs when I was eating them. Once you stop eating them, that craving feeling really does get better. The first days are awful but stop trigger foods until you can get better control.

3) therapy and meetings.

4) if you made a "why do I want to be sleeved list", go back and read it. My doctor said I needed to write a letter to myself preop. Read it and remember where you wanted to go.

5) come here every day and get support, and give it too.

6) be gentle and kind to yourself! You've done amazingly well in 5 months. This is not the end of the journey! Celebrate any success you can - but not with food - because food really is fuel. Food is not love. Say that a few thousand times a day.

7) almost forgot most important : track everything - including failures, including exercise. And weigh enough that you can be accountable quickly and make course corrections when needed.

Wishing you comfort. The emotional side of this journey is so much harder than I ever thought it would be. Hugs.

[mariamitani 405]

Im 1 year and 2 months post op. Make a plan to eat 800 calories a day and no more! You can make a choice to fill those calories with healthy foods or junk foods. If you choose junk eventually you will feel like crap and be forced to eat better! I ate 800 calories a day the first year and no more than that. This is how I got to goal. If I had a bad day where I ate twinkies chips chocolate I felt sick and drained when I ate well I felt good. Another MAJOR reason for eat the wrong foods is it is there! dont bring it in the house! stock up on salads Soups nuts fish Beans whole grains. If it isnt there you wont think about it! good luck you are stronger than this feeling inside you, make sure you are taking your Multi Vitamins and drinking enough water.dehydration can give a sense of false hunger. Be strong!

[Tamik78 12]

Hi Heather,

I am only 3 weeks post surgery and I can see that I will have the same challenges you are having. I want to strongly suggest that you find a therapist who is trained in counseling those with addictive tendencies. Yes, food can be an addiction--as if most of us don't already know that! It sounds like this is about what's going on in your head, not your stomach. Hang in there. Write down all the reasons you started this journey. Do you journal? If not, get a journal and start getting those thoughts out on paper. Do you have a menu plan? If not, do it. You have come this far and I am sure you an keep going. DONT GIVE UP! For most of us, this is a choice between life or death. Choose life....a healthy fun filled life! Blessings to you

Hey Vets,

So i used to weigh 315 pounds and I am now 5 months post op and lost 84 pounds. My problem: I have been off plan, off track, off everything. I have been very emotional and going through a lot and because of that, it has de-railed me. I am a recovering compulsive binge eater and I do attend OA but I haven't made it to meetings and I have been busy and I have gone off the deep end.

As i was losing weight, I began swimming every day, first to control pain and then to train to become a lifeguard. Once i became a lifeguard, I stopped going swimming , because I hit my goal of getting my lifeguarding certification and so i stopped exercising.

I used to eat really healthy, things like spinach on 1/2 whole wheat tortilla with crumbled goat cheese, Protein shakes, 3 oz of chicken breast. I could eat pretty much anything without feeling sick. That's where it all went wrong. I realized I could eat things and it would not make me feel sick or give me a stomach ache. I have never once puked from eating too much or eating the wrong foods. I started eating everything. First it was popcorn, then Cookies, then pretzels, then cupcakes and and and...on and on it went. Nothing makes me feel sick...not greasy, not fatty..not sugary..nothing..I was relying on my stomach to make me feel really ill like it made others feel..and it didnt..Then..instead of it becomming about eating everything..it became about eating more...Now i can eat...like..10 Cookies in a sitting...I can eat 1/2 bag of pretzels... I can eat 1 cupcake... I know this is way less then what i used to be able to eat..and yes.. eating chicken breast and fish and steak.. i can still only eat 3 oz..but the sliders..and Soup...i can eat lots..so ive been bingeing..to deal with the sadness I feel inside. Its been pissing my husband off. Instead of exercising, im sleeping.. Instead of not eating..im bingeing on 2 slices of pizza and snacking non stop and eating junk all the time...He sees me going back to how i used to be..no longer active..just eating and eating and eating...

I need help.. a lot of help. I don't know what to do? where to start back? I don't know how to get my restriction back? What do i eat? How do i go back to the beginning? How do i start losing weight? How do i stop bingeing? and eating junk?

Today so far... I have drank 1 Protein shake and drank 1 cup of sugar free tea. What else should i do? Do i go back to shakes for just a week? nothing else? do i eat Protein like eggs? Help please.

[Wags 549]

Hi Heather, I feel for you and I can eat all those things you can, too. And I LOVE them.

Simple trick, when you feel like eating the carbs, eat 3 oz of chicken breast and then if you're still hungry eat a small amount of the carb. If you're like me, the fact that you are "denied" the carb just makes you want it more. Use the fullness you get from a really dense Protein to limit the amount of carbs you can take in.

Protein shakes and liquids will not give you the feeling of fullness that you desire. EAT your Protein :-)

[ElyQuint 446]

Congratulations! You've managed to succeed at losing a HUGE amount of weight despite your willingness to sabotage your success. Everyone has a different motive for self abuse. Mine is shame. Having the surgery is a massive step toward self love and if it were easy to love oneself we wouldn't be here now. Be brave. Take another massive step toward self-love. Commit to a lifetime of radical self care. The minute you begin to negotiate that self love you decrease your value. That's your signal! Soak your feet in an oil bath, paint your nails, do some yoga, homemade facial; indulge in a behavior which nourishes your mind and body. But before you set your toes in that decadent hot oil, make a plate of apple slices and almond butter, some cheese and olives, almonds with salt and rosemary or avocado, cheddar and salted cuke slices to nibble on while you soak! Nourishing food can be an act of self love too!

[TanyaB 25]

Thank you for sharing. You have no idea how much I needed to find this today. Struggling with my inner demons along with a child recently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Don't know how to stop myself at this point. Will try to keep my chin up.

[birdmadgirl 154]

I was seriously going to start a thread about this very exact thing!!! Its like I wrote this myself! I had my surgery september 23rd and I have lost a little over 50lbs. I started at 262. lately, I drink pop (soda), eat Cookies, dont excercise, and sleep as much as I can. I have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety and take meds for it. I have a job where I sit for 10+ hours a day. I feel so lost that I really dont know what to do. This winter has sucked the life out of me and my depression has gotten the best of me. I am self sabotaging myself right out of success. It take a lot to admit that I am failing but I dont know where else to turn to. I live in a smaller town so I dont think there will be any psyches that specialize in eating disorders but I am willing to try to talk to a therapist if I can get through a session without crying my eyes out. I have been eating healthier the last few days but I need to get back on the shakes and Water. I just feel like its too late and the honeymoon is over. is it?

[sunkissed 20]

Maybe try going back to the gym, even if it's for a 30 min cardio session, will help you balance out your eating habits and you won't feel so guilty. Make that your new goal, simply 30 mins of exercise daily good luck to you!

[ElyQuint 446]

I'm finding that the life I was willing to live 85 pounds ago is boring the hell out of me now. So I tend to eat crap more often than I should to kill the boredom. I'm looking for a new job and a life which more accurately reflects who I am. Something interesting better happen soon.

[feedyoureye 3,087]

<p>The honeymoon is not over. Things may be slowing down, but with a kick in the Assticle you can get back on track. Do start using MFP if you are not. Eat a good Breakfast, then go through the kitchen and get brutal. If you have family that eats crap, then lock it in a cabinet and give them the key. Make a safe cabinet of stuff for you, safe Snacks and what you need to make safe meals. Same for the fridge. I find if I have the right stuff to eat, I will eat it. If you go off track, log that too. Start really looking at what you are doing daily. I find this helps me so much. Just "living life" and not paying attention gets me into trouble. I would like to think I have gotten past this at three years, but I have not. I have two forms of exercise I do every week. I use a fitbit. I wish I could just listen to my body, but my body always want to eat and sit on the couch! If I cook lots of veggies and food that I like that is healthy, then I tend to feel full and not want junk as much. You can do it. I used the 5:2 method to finally get the regain off and get to goal. THe Vets that use this do not recommend it to those under a year... still in the honeymoon... follow your docs plan untill then.</p>

Edited March 14, 2014 by feedyoureye

[missyhogan 0]

Iam 4 months out and have hit a stall I only lost 30 lb and iam so depressed about the slow weight loss how do I start the weight loss going again

[feedyoureye 3,087]

Follow your Docs plan... are you tracking everything still? Stalls are normal for most... if you follow your plan, it will come off when your body is ready! If you list your normal day, we can take a look at it for you...

[missyhogan 0]

Ok one myoplex proten shake 42 gram Protein 300 cal and 2 gram sugar 2 26 oz bottels Water lunch another Protein Shake dinner 4 to 6 oz of meat grilled and I try to get in a green veggie snack and apple with one tablespoon of natural peanutbutter and two more bottles of water

[missyhogan 0]

Oh and a cup of coffee with crean no sugar

[feedyoureye 3,087]

So around 1200 cals, lots of Protein very low carbs. That looks good, but maybe add in some low glycemic index veggies... salad, low fat dairy?