I need help..............please......

I need help. I can't stop eating. I had surgery 11/24/03, and have lost 134 lbs, but I think that I have messed up. I eat everything, batteling head hunger is going to be the death of me. I should not be able to eat as much as I can. I need help! ! ! !

Cara, I don't know where Berkeley is, but the first thing you should do is call your doctor's office and ask when the next support meeting is. Come heck or high water you BE THERE. This next part is up to you: You have to put the fork down. Pick up a pen. Sit down and write down whatever you're feeling. Are you mad at yourself? Are there other things going on in your life? I know you feel like this is head hunger -- so you have to get your head screwed back on straight! DRINK MORE WATER. Water is a natural hunger suppressant. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. When your pouch is full - STOP. CHEW YOUR FOOD SLOWLY. Wait a few minutes between each bite. Maybe take a bite, chew and swallow, then force yourself to get up from the table (or whereever you're eating) and walk to the opposite end of your house and back. Then take another bite. Repeat as often as necessary until you can feel like what you're eating is what you NEED and not what you WANT. START A FOOD DIARY. Right this second. Ask yourself what do I want? Document what you're craving. Try to identify the properties of those foods you want. Is it soft or creamy (could you be craving nurturing)? Is it hard and crunchy (are you angry)? You've come so far, Cara. This is part of our disease -- the overwhelming control food has on us. We have to work harder to identify why we eat to conquer that control. You can do this. Now no more panicking. Go call your doctor's office or find a support group in your area that isn't affiliated.. You know what you have to do. Stef

Berkeley is in between Hillside and Elmhurst. Do you know of any support groups in the area??Thanks for the advice! !

YES! Saturday morning at Alexian Brothers Hospital in Elk Grove Village. The class is from 9am - 10:30am in auditorium A/B. It's a behavioral support group -- they have a manual they follow (which would be an extremely helpful tool for what you're going through, IMO). To get to the room it's held in, park on the west side of the hospital campus, there are doors to "Brock Medical Plaza" -- go through them and straight down the hall on your left. It's through Suburban Surgical Care Specialists. Call the office and ask about attending since you're not one of their patients. 847-255-9697. The class I attended was wonderful and I bought the manual (which you don't necessarily NEED the group to follow.. you can do it as much on your own as with them.. though I strongly recommend attending group for a while). I think they charge a co-pay of $10 for each session (which is NOTHING if you ask me). Call them as soon as you can. The class is a mixture of pre and post-ops and the lady who runs it is really nice. Please keep us posted!! Stef

Cara! I just looked at your profile and you do NOT need to call the office to go to the class. You're already a patient of New Self Bariatrics.. your dr. retired last year but you are still a patient of the group's. (My dr. is your dr's son!) Honey, just show up. Bring your $10 and do this for yourself. You're going to be alright. You have come SOOOO FARRRR... and you don't have that far to go now.. don't give up. Don't give up. DON'T GIVE UP!!! Stef

Cara: What are you eating? Are you still keeping a food diary? I still keep one at 15 months out so I know my calorie intake and protein intake. I also keep track of fat grams. Are you adding protein bars to your program or something else. We all fight head hunger each and every day so you are definately Not Alone! My regular hunger signal has not come back but I do suffer from head hunger...Usually for me it is depression or boredom that makes my head kick in and say EAT~~ In the evenings when I am craving chocolate, I have a cup of sugar free hot chocolate with NO marshmallows..It sure doe**** the spot and helps that little woodpecker in my brain thumping out EAT CHOCOLATE!!! Do not bring the demon snacks into your house and than you won't sit there thinking that bag of chips in the drawer is calling your name I hear it plain as day. I've heard the chips calling my name as well as other goodies that should not be in my snack drawer in the first place. Never do I hear the vegetables in the fridge hollering for me to come get them!!! Put a before picture of you on the fridge and on your bathroom mirror, and when the urge hits, look and say I never want to be that person ever again....I know I do not want to. My prayers are with you that you remain strong in your conviction to let the thin person escape from within. (((HUGGSS))))" Ramona

i can so relate to this i am 16 months post op and can eat almost 10 ozs have gained about 25 pounds lost 10 anf holding You can see your surgeon he might order a scope and them tell you to do a food diary if they find nothing wrong.. Mine was i wasnt eating protein so i was always hungry and i was told my stomach is the size it should be still but strange that i can eat so much Good luck to you