need to be supported

i had surgery 12/04, was 242, now 159. i want to be about 140. have been 159 for at least six months. i dont seem to make good choices, i have no will power. i have NEVER thrown anything up, the one thing that makes me feel yucky is ice cream which makes me dump, so i dont eat it. i wont make that 18 months follow up appt with my dr cuz i am still not at goal and should be. i have never exercised because of time restraints, i am not a good planner for food the next day. i hear i should journal but dont know where to start. is there anyone that can help? Lynn

Lynn, I can understand your disappointment you think as you think you haven't succeeded. But as I looked at your profile which isn't filled out either I did see a photo of a son who is happy with his thinner mom. A goal is something to stride for but just a number. How do you feel right now? I believe you can do much better as you know you can. Just get back to the basics. As when you just received your surgery. And this will be hard because you have kid(s), which looks to be growing. Have you've sat down and discussed this with your family? I don't know your whole story, but the rest of your Journey may not just be about you but about the whole family. Go to your 18 Month Follow Up, your grown up. They're not going to punish you. Dr.Cuz and his staff are there to help you. They want you to succeed too. As your success could mean more business for them too. Are you coming to the OH Conference? One of the Speakers is going to talk about exactly what your going through. As to exercising make that also a family event every evening. And walk for at least 30 minutes. More if your enjoying it. And drink the water (zero calorie drinks such as the Walmart Brand of Crystal Light). You can do it. Mike

Lynn, I am sorry you are having these struggles. I had my surgery Nov. 21 this past year so I am not nearly as far out as you are. I do know that coming to a board such as this one will help because you have people that are going through or have gone through what you are experiencing right now. I also think finding a support group would be good for you if you can do that too. I know for myself if I have to keep in touch with others like myself it helps with questions and keeps me motivated. I have not and will not eat anything with sugar, high in fat or soda's the rest of my life. I am 100% fine with this. I am afraid that if I even try those foods I will be able to tolerate them and then there I go off on the wrong path. I do journal on my profile here and also I have a excel document that I will journal in .. I am a PC girl though and would much rather type than write. I sometimes will just type in what I am feeling and what I am eating that day and other days I have much more detailed entries. I agree with Mike you need to get your mind back in the "just had surgery" mind set and start over fresh. I realize you can eat more now but just keeping only those healthy foods around all the time will help. I eat ice cream but fat free sugar free and only 1x or 2x per week. I only have a couple of small scoops but that is all I need or want. I am totally satisfied with that. I think we all have things we could work on and do better with I am terrible about not exercising. I know you can do this and hit your goals but just focus on eating right and being healthy!

There is a website I would like you to go to. It might help you out. http://www.digitalhorsewoman.com/pouchrules.htm Also fitday.com is a wonderful place to keep a log of your calories, excersize and weight. Good luck to you.

girl....we are side by side on this... i feel as if i need someone to drag me to the gym and i have no want to go there... i KNOW i need to as i am about to start the police acadmy and need to beat up those boys LOL anyway girlfriend.... we can encoruage each other... send me a note lexa

Lynn I'm sorry to hear you are struggling. I think you already know what you need to do, and the answer to 'is there anyone that can help?' is YES- it's YOU. You never exercised? Start. Park far away from your destination and walk. Take the stairs. Go the long way. Dance around your house when you do your cleaning. Bad at meal planning? Cheat! Every day the paper shows what the senior and kids meals will be for the week. Use their ideas and adapt it to your own eating plan. Journaling is something I thought I would do but at some point. I thought I would have all these deep, meaningful feelings that I would have to write down and reflect on. Phhhhbbbbtthhh! I did this to get a chance at LIVING instead of slowly killing myself- I'm not stressing out on anything. I do the best I can every day and try harder the next day. None of this is impossible. Break it down into chunks so it's easier for you to tackle. Find a local support group. I love our monthly meetings. Even if I had NOTHING to contribute, I would still go. XOXO Lisa