Good Tuesday Morning!

Good Tuesday Morning Gang! It sure is a blustery one here in the desert this early morning. Kind of like hold on to the bonnet type wind...and if you are skinny you need to put some rocks in your socks!

I have mentioned this before about the growing trend of oldies coming back to the board and not so much oldies realizing how much we need each other to stay on track.

A lot of us have experienced some sort of weight gain and a lot of us have experienced the initial denial of it all. The friend who got me to have WLS justified her weight gain and continues to that her doctor told her that all bypass people put 20-25 pounds back on after they hit their lowest. I can remember thinking okay if that is the case I am okay then.

So many thoughts ran through my head to justify so many things and when I look back the most powerful thought of all is DENIAL! This is not going to happen t me, I am not going to be a failure....remember you had wls you cannot possibly have to watch what you eat.....remember the surgery....the surgery!

Well rats, schucks, dammit....realization.....I/we have to watch nearly every morsel that goes into our mouths and the further out we get, the more critical it is to watch what we eat. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat I ask myself how can this be?

Well it is what it is gang...oldies, inbetweenies, and newbies. Nearly 6 years later, I am just really coming to the realization that yes I mus****ch what I eat, yes I must use portion control, yes I must have a schedule for eating and not grazing, yes I must weigh and measure my food for successul weight loss and continued maintance, yes I must do all the things that I never did before because I am just really getting it sunk into my head that WLS is a tool and it is not a quick fix.

Now why was that info not in my manual when I had WLS? I essentially got thrown to the wolves (my own self management) after surgery. There was no support groups out here and there really still isn't any. No ne told me how to eat, I just had it in my head that WLS did it for me. I never had a goal weight and truth be told probably never will.

What I know today is that without support of this place that we give each other on a daily basis has jerked me and a lot of others into place and the realization that we need to be compliant and get out of self denial about what we are doing to ourselves. We have to be aware constantly. Each day nearly now, I am reading about people who are gaining their weight back....asking about the 5 day pouch test to regain that control, but as I told someone last night....that after that pouch test the key to my success so far has been the willingness to weigh and measure my food, count my carb intake, cut out bad carbs, and to be prepared.

I never thought in a million years I would do something like this, but I did. The willingness to admit that I cannot do it alone and the willingness to be honest with myself is very powerful.

To me all the people who have come back to the boards and admit they need help and support is a wonderful thing even with their feelings of failure....my response to all of you....YOU ROCK!!! It takes big cajones to lay it all out there.....admitting is the first steps to getting your groove back gang!!!

Life after WLS gets hard the further you are out....don't ever forget that....that honeymoon everyone talked about when I was a youngin in the WL department was sweet, but for the long haul.....just like any relationship takes a lot of work and dedication!!!

On another note....lets celebrate one of our WLS stars 4th Surgiversay today....the one and only Scott B...now there is shinning example of a star in my eyes....this man has been a role model to countless people and have inspired a generation of runners..stop by his support page and wish him well:

http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/members/status.php? N=B1076832005

Cindy D is another person who just made her 3rd surgiversary too! Now how awesome is that? She really is a lovely person and so is her hubby Brian! Give her page a show of support too:

http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/members/status.php?N=R1113177505

Nadine...did you go out and party last night? Throw a few margis or beers down?

Don't forget Miss Jilliecats who is our new POTW!!!! Yay for JILLE  http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/members/status.php? N=H1074376351

And what about those sexy pics of Catt?  you go girl....love that kind of confidence!!!

 

Tomorrow is ShellsBells surgery...how awesome is that gang? Shells you have been one of the most supportive people around here and I surely wish you nothing but success tomorrow with your surgery and your new life ahead of you! http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/members/status.php? N=M1165423437

 

 

Before I hit submit..I just want to leave you all with one thought and something that has always carried me through even in the rough times....I only have to do this for today and as much as we all say this...we have to believe in it...and that is "nothing tastes as good as thin feels." For all of you who are nail biting it on the pouch test days....it does get better and those cravings only last about 20 seconds or so.

 

Have a great day everyone....3 days until Friday!!!!

 

PEACE OUT!!!  

 

Good morning Janine and all Wow - you said it all.  I am feeling bummed this morning cause I am up a lb and a few ozs.  Whats up with that.  I am thinking it could be I am not eating enough.  I have been so good with the carbs and healthy eating but jus tnot eating much.  Ok, so I KNOW I must eat breakfast and eat my 3 meals a day with small snacks.....ok, I admit it.  When I am not that hungry I tell myself - why eat when you are not hungry (which is a switch since I used to eat because it was time - you know Lunch time, dinner time whatever.) I have to tell myself here and now that I have to eat balanced to keep up my metabolism - right?  I guess my honeymoon period is ending - or is it - I am not quite 9 mos out - and am sitting here telling myself to listen to you Janine and get on track and .  I truly feel that I understand this is a lifelong commitment and I KNOW that WLS is just my tool...but something in my head just tells me how can you gain weight if  you don't eat.  A part of my head wants to just NOT EAT so I can get off the rest of my weight, but my sensible side says you MUST eat.....sorry I am rambling. On now for today - I am off to pick up a prescription, get the car washed and get my hair cut.  And I MUST get off my ass and exercise (something I have been slack on lately.)  Someone kick me in the butt please. Thanks for the inspirational post my friend. Have a great day

Good Morning All.......

This is going to be fast. I need to get moving, Im riding my bike this morning. IF the weather, which I have not checked yet, is not talking rain or cold.

I didn't do much to talk about yesterday was a borning day. I went to the bath and body works, and that was my day.

Have a great day all

Luana

Good Morning Janine and Calif Friends!  Happy Tuesday! I just gotta say........Janine you are SO Awesome!!!    You are truly an Inspiration to all of us........and you make it so easy to come here for support!  I just want to say Thank You!  For everything you do. I hope every one has a great, great day! Jeni  XO

Janine, What a great message!  We all eventually struggle with some weight gain and our biggest enemy is denial.  Thanks for the reminder that it is my 4 year surgiversary - I had actually forgotten!  Thanks for continuing to be an inspiration and a wealth of information.  You're the best! Scott

Good Morning Janine and Crew, Insightful and timely post Janine. It can't be stated often enough that WLS is not a cure for obesity, a complicated personal condition, but a tool and that all the initial benefits of the surgery can fall to the wayside on your journey if you do not learn how to work with your tool and change your habits for long term success. The biggest concept is to be aware, diligent and honest with yourself. Take action when you see yourself getting outside your zone. Bravo for keeping this out there on the board. We made it through Monday, an awful day for me at work I have to say, and we ARE on our way to the weekend! WooooooooWhooooooo! Wishing you and all the Cali Crew a Terrific Tuesday! (((((BigBearHugz)))))

Morning everyone! Just got in from my run and ready to face the day - something about running makes me feel confident about facing the day - though sometimes its' just  the victory of actually getting my butt out the door to run. LOL I have grades due in the morning(Weds) so I'll be working on getting things all together today - makes for a stressful day, but once it's done it's such a great relie. I'm still working on getting my eating fine tuned... I'll be doing well and then make a stupid choice and beat myself up over it... which of course, leads to more bad choices! LOL... I just passed 3 years out and I have no intention of going back to where I was so the fight goes on! I'm so thankful for my new life since surgery! Have a killer day everyone! C h e e r s, gene

Morning! I can see why your friend got an A....you have a way with words! Great post and such a good reminder for all the newbies.  I thought I was invincible and wouldnt gain anything back, but that is far from the truth.  I chalk it up to stress a lot of times, but that isn't necessarily the truth- I just get lazy, graze all day and make poor choices on my grazing. Work in progress, right? Have a Great day everyone!

good morning jainie and cali ,  well its a bit cool here in the yosemite valley , just getting up and getting ready to go to work here soon. started fresh yesterday with getting in my protein and water and not eating the wrong things , instead of eating pizza i had a salad with a light dressing . and ice tea and water . i have to get accountable for me and what i have been doing to me over the past few years since surgery . and just to say i have learned that i dont want to die and the last time in the hospital which was march 12 for 5 days was a big wake up call for me cuse i was almost in a place i didnt want to be at .  i know i can not drink alcohol at all . and i know i must stay away from carbs which is my downfall since moving here big time . i have been here a month and i know i cant continue to eat the way i was ,i have the most beautiful place to exercise ,get out and walk and could be fit and im going to start doing that .no more denial of that i need to do what the dr told me to do at the time of surgery and afterwards.. im my own demon and i am being honest instead of not facing it like the past .  i know alot of you dont want to be my friend on here anymore and i totally understand now why , i hope that i can get you back as my friends i truly love this site and the people thats on here .  i do appologize for anything i had said or did to make you not want to be my friend, i know i asked for advice alot and never took the advice and did anything about it . i was in denial and i know that now.. i hope that you continue to give the support , cuase janine like you said we all need to have the continue support to keep going on the right track, im coming back because i do need the support to get back focused and to stay focused on my life and health . i dont want to go backwards and i see my self doing that and i want to go forward .  im writing this because i realize now that i have to change and do things differnent i cant eat like my friends and party and all that i am the only one that has control over me and what i put in my mouth and how i treat me and my body and mind. its a struggle that im not going to lie and say its not cuse it is . but when i chose to have the surgery a little over 2 years ago , i knew that my life would be diffrent but for some reason i was in denial when my health went down hil .  so agian thank you all for your kind words and encourangement and advice i do and will appreciate it for ever .  take care  and from up here in yosemite cali, everyone have a awesome day .. rebecca basra