Help!!!! Please....

Dear Friends, I am like all you guys and girls, 4 months out of surgery. Have lost about 75 pounds and feel like a new person physically. Thats the only good news I have ..... The bad (horrible) news is that the little demon in my head (my compulsive overeating monster ) is alive and well and keeps poking me to eat. I have found that I can eat loads of carbs very easily BUT little amounts of protein at a time. I have become very frightened that all this good stuff I have done for myself will be undone and then I will have failed. I can eat chips, nuts, corn, breadsticks, heavy creamed soups. Is anyone else experiencing this? Its only 4 months and was told by my Doctor that I have a 12 to 18 month window where I will be able to lose weight......can this be that MY window is only 4 months? Please friends, any and all feedback will be very greatly appreciated. I am desperately seeking answers. Many thanks Helene 7/20/2004 267.5/192/???

Hi Helene, I can tell you what my experience has been. The week prior to my period, I was having all sorts of cravings and eating amounts which I would not normally eat. I had no idea what was going on. This was the first time since surgery that I had ever had that feel ing and I was scared. The week I got my period the cravings stopped and I was able to regain my composure and get back on track, boy was that scary. It didn't occur to me that it was PMS because that's the first time I felt that way. My advice is to just try to work through this tough time and if you have a craving have a taste of the food that you are craving but no more. I hope that this has helped.

I was beginning to think I was the only one. I am not craving anything in particular. ..carbs are actually something I eat but do not actually crave. I am going through the "I just crave fooood" phase. I am told that it is not permenant. It is just part of our 3/4 month mark. Overcoming that evil little trick our mind is playing on us we will survive. It is not easy thing. Lisa 7/26/2004 343.9/278

I went through a similar experience this weekend. I was home alone, lonely and started snacking, I even ate popcorn I ate protein stuff too, but I snacked on it all day long! I gained a pound and a half. Then I reminded myself that this surgery is no magic bullet...it's a tool..and it's up to me to stop those old habits of snacking when I'm feeling lonely or down and I got up off my duff and went for a walk. I didn't walk as frequently as I had been doing last week. This week I'm making myself get out there...even though it snowed. I'm just taking a different route (that's safer) and it feels good to be up and moving again. I think we all have these moments...we just need to make sure that they stay "MOMENTS" and not days/weeks/years...that's how we got to where we were in the first place...and I, for one, don't ever want to go to that place again! Ann 79lbs GONE!

Glad I'm not the only one. I finally threw out all tempting carbs and cleaned up my act too. I then decided to try the Water Loading technique from Pouch Rules for Dummies and I have achieved some success and the carb monster is back in his cage. I've resumed the downward direction on the scales and must remind myself that I just cannot allow myself to eat carbs other than those in protein meals. I keep my carbs below 35g/day with my nutritionist's blessings. She doesn't want me to go below that because it is dangerous to our brain function. When I keep my carbs around 35g/day I lose the cravings for more which is what gets me into trouble. With the water loading I find that I can use decaff tea, not jus****er so I imagine crystal lite and other such fluids work just as well. I'm sort of formulating my own personal program for using fluids. When I have had my protein and find I am hungry 2-3 hours later I drink at least 10 ozs fluids as rapidly as is comfortable and now I have no problem doing it in under 10 minutes. My pouch says "nevermind" to hunger and aparently if it is head hunger the message goes there too. It buys me about 2 hours of no hunger which is very helpful. I take that opportunity to be sure that there is protein at the end of that period so I can grab it before becoming distracted by anything less wholesome. Hope this helps. Cathy Open RNY 7/26/04 302/238/145

Thank you Cathy for your honest sharing. AT least I know Im not the only one struggling. You seem to have found a good way to distract you from eating. I will definitely try the water loading. If I can only remember that "CARBS ARE MY ENEMY" I would be alot better off. Thank you again for your response. I'll let you know how it goes. Have a great night and a great day tomorrow! Helene 7/20/04 267.5/192/????

Cathy....where can I find this Pouch Rules for Dummies. I'd love to read a little more on the water loading technique... Hugs, Nancy -71

Hi Nancy, Here is the url: http://www.wlsfriends.com/pouchrules.html For future reference anyone can find it by Googling it in that search engine. There are lots of references in their results. You can also go to this AMOS "Main Entrance" and in the middle of the top of that page is this sites search engine and you can search within AMOS there. Cathy