Please help- I have fallen off the wagon and need to get back on

I was doing so well and then fell off the wagon. I am eating everything and anything. I will be 6 months out on Sept 23. I still have a long way to go. I am sabatoging myself by saying it is only a couple of bites. I am eating carbs and sugar. That is what got me here in the first place. How do I pick myself up and get back on the wagon? This is important becaUSE I just got engaged on friday. I want to be able to wear the wedding dress of my dreams. Any suggestions would help.

Hi Sharon: You need to be accountable. So I suggest you come here each day and post exactly what you've eaten for the day. Write down your goals for the next day. I'm sure that there will be plenty of support here. Then post your weights at the bottom. I have found that eating carbs just makes me hungry sooner. You might also find that following the South Beach diet will help a whole lot. I feel that I am on the diet to end all diets and that as soon as I reach my goal I will have to learn how to maintain. Good luck. Love, Louise 5'8" 231/153/150 -78, only 3 more to lose to goal.

Rather than thinking of this as a diet, I am trying to realize that I have a new effective tool. If I will just use the tool (my new pouch) correctly, it will work for me. No need to feel guilty about what has already happened. Just start doing the right things NOW. Protein first. No drinking with meals. Cut out the sugar and fat. We can do this! Also, CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Joy -63 lbs

Hey Joy!! Sorry for hijacking, but I saw your post and just wanted to say hi. I haven't been posting as much since school started back. I'm taking 6 classes -- I am also doing my 34 hours of classroom observation this semester, as well as teaching -- get this -- P.E. to headstart and 2nd graders in Beebe. I have to teach the P.E. class eight times this semester. It amazes me that they asked me to teach P.E. of all subjects! LOL!! So anyway, as you can see, I am swamped right now! Hope you're doing great!!! Tammy -92 lbs.

Sharon, Don't dwell on the past!!! That's how we get depressed and then just eat more!! Start now and get back on track! You can do it!! You were strong enough to have surgery, and that's no easy feat!!! You were strong enough to lose the weight you've lost so far, and you can keep it going!! I know you can do it!!! We're all supporting you, Sharon!! Tammy

Look, you are human, tomorrow is another day. Start the day off right with the knowledge you can control your eating habits and what you put in your pouch. No one is 100 percent perfect in their eating habits. Don't condemn yourself, just pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and do what you gotta do to get where you want to be. Remember the basics, drink your water, get your protein in, exercise and pray to your higher power (the man upstairs) for strength. No one can do it for you, but then again, doing it benefits YOU. Remember everything you went thru to get WLS and how many people would give their eye teeth to be where you are. You can do it! Susan

Sharon, Dont get stressed, a few weeks ago I posted the 5 month itch post about eating everything in site and knowing it was wrong. I think we are all going through this. I just got back on the wagon and still I struggle. I did start adding a protein drink in the morning and if I do have to snack I am trying to find protein snacks. I agree with the other post that said dont dwell on the past! you ate it and there is no turning back. And I also told myself hey I am almost 6 months out the honeymoon will be over soon so I have to try my hardest these next 6 months to get off the rest of my weight. Good Luck and keep posting, trust me it helps! Rhen

The suggestion to come here and post what you eat is a good one. We won't yell at you -- you're already yelling at yourself. You need something else to hold on to, something positive. You might want to go to a bookstore and Amazon and buy one of the books that has been written about this experience, some of them even have exercises you can do to help with emotional eating or wrong thinking (the bargaining you describe, which we ALL do, and it's just an awful experience "it's only a couple of bites") Since you can hear what you're saying to yourself -- some people have a lot of trouble tuning in to that -- you're already on your way to conquering it. I can't stand Dr. Phil but I will say his book has some good chapters for this, also for behavioral control. Make a list of the things you are going to do differently this week, NOT just food, but the whole environment that supports you. Start small, with maye three things on your checklist, so that you can do them and build confidence. Literally check them off on that piece of paper as you do them, there's something about that. Look at environmental control. If there's food you shouldn't have in your house, throw it out no matter what it cost. If others eat that stuff, either give them their own shelf till you get back in control or ask them to help you for a limited period of time by getting rid of it or eating it elsewhere. Food cues sound critical for you. If you're thinking "I should be able to handle this", then just know *there is no should.* Does your hospital have a support group? Does your surgeon have support people he recommends, such as a therapist. I'll share that I see one. I knew I had a lot of emotional eating issues and was also scared of how big a change this would be. If you just got engaged, you're in danger of a lot of celebrations that could further derail you. Ask friends and family to support your upcoming marriage and new life by celebrating with you in non-food environments. We can do this and we're ALL going to have setbacks. Gano

Hi Sharon! Do you have a dietitian available to you through your surgeon's office or bariatric support group? The program at the hospital where I had my surgery has a meeting once a month called 'Getting Back on Track', as well as a team of dietitians that we see whenever we see our surgeon or we can pop in, call, or e-mail whenever we need them. I sure hope you have the invaluable resources available to you, as they are so important in changing the way we look at food, as well as motivating us to stay active! HTH, and have a good day! Hugs, -Marcie 281/205/150 BMI: 49.8/36.3

Sharon, I am 6 months out as well, and just reached the 100lbs. gone mark, but let me tell you something the last several weeks have been VERY VERY hard. I was told that your appetite comes back aroung 6 months, and boy did it. You have to fight it and make the right decisions for yourself. Don't keep kicking your self, just get back up off that ground & keep truckin the way you have thus far. You will win!! I no you will. Start tomorrow by writing down everything you eat for a couple of days, this not only helps in waking you up, It makes you think do I really want this and am I really hungry. Start fresh & stay away from the sugar if at all possible, that will kill ya quicker than the carbs well. Good luck, It goes away just like before, you won't be hungr & you get through this just like the rest of the 6 months. Its part of the new You. We just have to deal with the bad changes as we go along. Lots of Love, Marilyn, the bearlady