It's crazy how HARD it is to lose weight now!  When I was fat, I could lose 20-30 lbs no sweat, but now I'm fighting for every pound!  I'm back to Curves and doing the Daily Plate to track my calories.  I just want to fit back into my cute jeans again and not jiggle when I walk.  It's embarrassing to have a tummy again when I had a tummy tuck!!!

How about you ? I have been so bad ! Grazing during the day. Bad snacks at night . Not exercising the way I should ! Haven't attended a support meeting in a couple of months. I can't wait until the weather gets nicer so I can start walking my grand daughter around the neighborhood. My biggest problem is motivation ! If I get out and about I'm good I can walk till the cows come home. But this weather keeps me in  and I'm getting depressed. I have gained over 30 lbs since my lowest weight and feel like this surgery is another "quickie" diet.
Yes , you can slap me simple with that comment....
Sandy

I have been going through the same grazing issue lately...I only lost 57% of my body fat and was at a plateau for the longest time. I quit smoking 2 weeks ago and gained about 10 lbs. I am still eating less food at meals but not enough protein I gather to keep the pouch full enough for a length of time.  I have been skipping breakfast alot because I snack at midnight when I get home from work. My nut. suggested I have protein shake at least in the morning. Skipping breakfast can be a major cause of grazing.  I started yesterday protein shake for breakfast, 2-3 greek yogurts (16g protein) for snacks, lean cuisine for lunch and i slip a little carbs in for supper. One day of this and I felt a difference in my body, more energy and less cravings to graze. I really have to work on losing at least another 50lbs plus the 10lbs I gained even though I feel good when I was at 200lbs. What is stomaphyx?  I never heard of it....but I would try the protein deal and spread out the meals evenly as possible first.  We had this surgery done as a tool to help us lose weight and it is our responsiblity to try to use it properly, it's not a miracle tool that works on it's own.  We are all humans that make mistakes. I don't know about you but it's hard to change bad habits...as long as you can recognize them and try correcting them and not give up is all that matters. (Believe me I just quit smoking)

Sandy -

If you're not happy with how things are going, you'll want to shine a light on things to get a good idea of what's going on.   

Someone posted The Rules Of The Pouch on here a long time ago:  http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/09-2005/postdetail/9333.ht ml?vc=0     Are you following these? 

Some good sites to use for food tracking are www.fitday.com and www.sparkpeople.com.    It can help you see if you're eating the right balance of food, getting enough fluid in, and if there are any areas of concern.   

You might also do the "cottage cheese" test to see how large your pouch is.    Basically what you do is take a known quantity of either cottage cheese or oatmeal that is *definitely* larger than you can eat.    Eat as MUCH as you can in 10 minutes, and then measure the remaining amount to see how much you ate.    An easy way to do this is to draw a line around the top line of cottage cheese, then after you've eaten your fill, fill the cottage cheese container to that line.    Measure (by volume) how much water you needed, and that will tell you the volume of your pouch.   

Use that frustration to take action - you've already done the hard part (surgery).   Now you're just following up on it to keep it working.

--BT

   How are you? I have not been to the site for quite awhile. I just saw your post from November! I am up 10 pounds and worried... I do not want to start down tht road again.... Looking for a support grou or something to help me do what I need... keep in touch...