I AM STRUGGLING H.E.L.P.

OK for someone who did so good for a long time to what i am at now is freaking me out . I eat all day long it seems . even though i am not hungry i tell myself that but i eat . my pouch at times sends the message you are full and i stop . but at times i dont get this signal . I have gained from 158 to 164 and i can see the diffrence beyond that i bounce from 162 to 164 daily . but the thickness i feel in my legs and belly are gross . so it is coming in inches . I am eating and am so afraid i am going back to where i began . I dont know what has happened to me . I sit here and look at myself and feel gross . i even told myself today i will make myself puke if i have to i refuse to go back .. i am really scared . I have stayed away from the boards here latley . I see something i want i eat it .. like these pockets .. moz and cheese i have 1 or 2 a day . been going to mcds and getting the grilled chicken club and some days eatr it all other i dont peanut butter ans crackers eat packs of them 2 this morning . why am i doing this to me . what can i do to click this message off help i am falling apart .TIA

Sherri, I understand exactly how you feel. It seems as though I am hungry all the time. I've been trying to get back to protein first and eliminating those evil carbs from my diet, but they are so easy to eat! I joined a gym today to try to counteract my eating. I hope that works. Just try to remember how far you've come! You have done so well. One thing that has been helping me some is getting rid of the bad foods. No one else in my family needs them, so if they aren't in the house, I can't eat them. I don't know if you are Christian or not, but for me, praying has been working some too. I'm normally not really religious, but I've had so much stress going on with family medical conditions that I've really started to pray a lot more. I've been asking for strength to follow through what I started 14 months ago so that I don't ever find myself in that situation again. Coming on here and asking for help is the best thing you could have started with. These July babies are so helpful and supportive. I wish both of us the courage to keep on staying healthy for ourselves and our families. Take care! I'll know you'll get through this rough patch. We both will! Stephany

Well it helps to know i am not alone .. I am gonna start tom w/ the protein first . i have given all that up . i am going back to it .. I do pray alot all the time . I had started the purpose driven life wonderful book i was doing so good been depressed alot this week w/ hubby working 7 days a week 14 hrs a day and 6 kiddos in school and my lil kindergardner getting bullied and crying about school everday . w/ only 1 at home i dont know what to do w/ my time so w/ the stress it has been eating . I am gonna get back into my book and focus on my protein and Girl i pray like you wouldnt believe . God is wonderful to me and my family i have been very blessed , but i strayed away this week the devil was working overtime on me this week i gave up my book and focused on my stress and food . Thank you for helping me see this as well as my friends .. I wish you the sucess and I am glad you have asked God for help as well .. And i just need to get back to giving as well .. thanks Sherri

Sherri, I am sorry that this is happening to you. It really is an awful thing, and I can imagine how miserable you are with your weight gain. Already, I see that you are coming up with a plan of attack, and that is generally a step in the right direction. I wish I could offer you advice, but as I have a couple of days every week like that, I'm really in the same situation. Dealing with food issues is never an easy task, but we have to take it one day at a time. I know that you have children, so it's difficult not to keep goodies in the house. Is there someplace you can put them where they aren't in your face all the time? I keep a lot of things in my freezer in the basement...and since I'm too lazy to go down there, I do okay I don't know if you have time to exercise (probably not), but if you are able to squeeze in a few minutes, you might be able to stabilize your weight. Richard Simmons has a couple of DVDs that are pretty short...there's one that's only 20 minutes, and a couple that are 30 minutes. Even if you can only do half of it at once, that's a good start. Hang in there! Try to remember that you're not alone. I highly doubt that most people who have had WLS lead an easy, struggleless (is that a word?) life. As we read all the time...WLS rearranges our digestive system, not our head. Pamela 352/238/150

Hello my surgery buddy Thank you for all the advice and support .This is really gettin hard again . today was a better day . I tell you what i have been so tired here latley . Well w/ school back on my kiddos tame lunches . I have all the lil packs of teddy grahms , pb crackers and all sorts of lunch packing items They are for the kids but i do get tempted and give in . I didnt think pb abd crackers would be a bad choice hubby said yes .. But today i am doing better . havent slipped yet . boy i still have been tempted though . I have a tredmill here i pd a grand for a yr ago but i tell ya what to me that is the most boring excer**** in the world .. Of coarse i have to worry the whole time about my monster 2 yr old lol getting by it and leaving the room .. Its crazy . i am gonna start walking again when i get the kiddos off to school i can pack him up and push him while i walk he will enjoy it to .. so hopefully today is a new start this far out i cant believe i am starting to slip and being tempted again .. thanks for all you advice and support

Hi Sherri, I very much agree with everything that Stephany and Pamela said, so I won't reha**** here. I have found in my diet that almost all my head hunger comes from consuming carbs. I would really urge you to get involved with a support group. Or try to find a buddy local to you. This could even be a diet minded neighbor that you go for a daily walk with - children in tow, of course, since your hubby is working so hard. I have been involved with my surgeon's support group for about 1.5 years before I had surgery. Many of the people that continue to stay involved with some sort of a support system do well. Some of those that stop coming to meetings have lots of trouble maintaining their weight. The reality is that patients that give up support as their lives get busier, very often have difficulty maintaining their weight. While some regain is normal, this is not the point at which regain would be expected/normal for us. Trying to stay involved with the wls community will keep you involved with your own program. Also, if grazing is really the biggest part of your problem and you're unable to get it under reasonable control, you might want to consider finding a therapist that can help using cognitive behavior therapy. This is a therapy technique that has been shown to be effective in helping with this problem. Stay in touch! irene

Shoot i have 3 friends whom have had this surgery but we are all so far apart . and we dont face the same issues . But i do know what you mean .. I use to come here daily 6 or 7 times a day . but havent even entered much in weeks . and i have been slipping every since . I do see a psy . i guess i need to address this w/ him maybe . i know i use food as a void to fill i see it coming but i am unable to stop it .. Hopefully he can offer me some advice .. thank you for yours and all your support

I don't have anything to add, just wanted to give you a {{{hug}}} Traci

AWWW THANK YOU I LOVE HUGS AND I CAN SURE USE IT THANKS HOPE YOU are doing well . have you talked w/ the plastic surgeon yet? found anything out ? how is the buisnessgoing? how do you feel to have your kiddos in school ? this is when my eating started when they all left but 1 . a part of me is so happy but the other is still mom

I'm doing very well!!! Nope, haven't talked with a plastic surgeon yet. I won't have any more surgery until next summer around model change. So no need to rush right now. My business is going awesome! I've got 8 web sites I'm working on right now, so that's keeping me very busy!! I'm having a problem remembering to eat, I'm that busy. Not good really. So when I feel like I'm going to pass out, that's when I remember to eat. I'm doing well with the kids in school - they love it and I'm getting some work done! LOL I still have the dogs at home, so they keep me running. Sorry you're sad. I do know how that is and I miss the kids, but then again I don't. Isn't that odd? They are doing so well in school, and learning so much, that I know for sure we did the right thing, so that makes it easier. KWIM? Anywho.... I'm off to eat now. LOL Traci