Need some encouragement please

OK guys. I need some encouragement here. I'm not eating right and need to get back on the train (I hope you guys saved my seat). For example, here was Wednesday's menu: Breakfast - 2 cups of 2% milk Snack - 1 cucumber Lunch - 3.5 oz Teryaki chicken Supper - 3 oz scrambled eggs with ham and cheese 4 oz of green beans Snack - 4 oz of green beans Totals - 800 cal, 41g fat, 52g carbs, 56g protein Thursday's menu: Breakfast - 2 oz of peanuts 20 oz of 2% milk Snack - nothing Lunch - 6 oz of carrots and peas 2 oz of a baked potato Snack - 2 tablesoons of peanut butter Supper - 4 oz of hamburger with 1 slice of cheese Snack - 6 oz of water Totals - 1284 cal, 78g fat, 86g carbs, 74g protein WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING! Almost 1300 cals and 86 carbs! Have I lost my mind! Needless to say, the scales not moving and I actually feel bloated like I used to before surgery. I know that part of this is PMS munching (sorry guys, I had to say it). How do the rest of you handle this? I could really use some support right now.

Thanks for saving my seat! I'm back on board and reading to ride again!

That should have said: Thanks for saving my seat! I'm back on board and READY to ride again. Must having been having a blond moment!

Fab picture, Vicki!

One thing I found that helped with the monthly carb munchies was pork rinds. Not the ones you buy in the bag at the store, I think they're nasty. I buy mine from bariatriceating.com and they come in a little tub. You have to microwave them, sort of like popcorn, and they come out hot and fresh and crispy and very yummy. To me, these are WAY better than chips, crackers, etc. and they are full of protein. Try not to beat yourself up. Consider what you would have been eating pre-WLS. I bet it would have been more than 1300 calories and 86 carbs.

Thank you so much! I might just have to order me some of those. I really admire you. You are looking so great! Hopefully, I'll have my picture up in a couple of weeks so that you guys can put a face with a name.

I agree. Try not to beat yourself up. We're all getting used to this new lifestyle, and even skinny people don't make perfect choices ALL THE TIME. And if you think about it, your choices weren't really BAD. As a pre-op, would you really have considered 4oz of green beans a snack? This may help, though: I've found that I eat less at the end of the day if I have a high protein breakfast. I stay satisfied and in control much longer that way. For example, at 8 this morning I had 4oz of cottage cheese with 2T sugar free jelly. It tasted really good, has 11g of protein, and I'll be satisfied for a while. You're doing great, though. Take care! Tiffany S 328/313/259/???

I'm trying this today. Even though it wasn't quite time for lunch yet, at 10:30 I crammed three oz of tuna down my throat and then at 1:00 I started drinking on a protein shake (nasty though, I really can't stand these, but I'm determined to do what I have to do). Amazingly enough, I think there is something to the loading up on protein thing. I'm not nearly as tempted to "munch" right now as I have been the past few days. I think that I just lost sight of the protein thing and needed to be reminded how important it is. Thank you so much!

As a pre-op, would you really have considered 4oz of green beans a snack? Tiffany, Funny you should say that but I was never a health food junkie and green beans were yucky to me. Now I adore them and love how easily they go down the pouch. I was never a fruitty person either and now I am addicted on these hot days to cantelope, seedless watermellon and manderin oranges. Some days when its so hot I cant stand the idea of something hot, I will just mix up some canned chicken salad and toss in a few peices of fruit. It is tasty yet good for me. I grew my own green beans this year and ate the first of them yesterday. I added some ham for protein andf i had no problems. Its not to say I dont crave an ice cream cake from Dairy QUeen, I just know I want to be thinner and healthier a lot more than eating thos high fat sugary foods. I am getting sleepy again and going to try to get some read.. Love and Hugs, Laura

Heather! I say good for you for eating healthy choices! Bravo for getting all your protein in with regular foods! Thats fantastic! Although all programs vary this is what my program states as goals for us to meet. Of course we are going to be more or less in some areas, but they are just goals....guidelines. Its going to take a while for us to realize what our body needs and doesnt need. Calories: 1500-2000 Protein: 70-100 grams Fat: 20-30 grams Carbs: 100-125 These are per day! These are goals for two months post op to whenever. Ultimately we dont want to rely on protein shakes/bars for our nutrition, but because we are still learning and our tummies are so small we need to get the nutrition in somehow. I am certainly not a nutritionist/dietician but I swear I talk to mine alot and I am learning more and more about it every day. What she keeps saying is that I need to learn how to eat like a normal person with normal size portions. I was also told not to worry too much about calories because even if I ate 1200 calories my/our body will only absorb about 75% of them. So, for 1000 calories ate I only really get the nutrients from 750. Remember the posting about defining grazing from meals/snacks? Everyone is right somehow. When you arent mindful about what you are eating that is bad and those are most likely empty calories. Make the calories count now. Sorry to go on so much, but there is always so much to learn. Want to know what I did the other day? I went on to the Jan and Feb message boards and read their old posts to see if they were struggling like a few of us were. Much to my amazement there were several posts that were almost WORD FOR WORD like many of ours here. Sometimes it helps to see that we arent alone or the first ones to feel this way or to think there is something wrong with us. I suggest at some point to read some of those posts on other boards........just to keep our focus and know that in 6 months we will all be healthy and happier with ourselves, our choices and our bodies. Much love! Carrie