something's wrong

Ok, I KNOW I have obsessive & controlling tendencies...  I decided (finally) that I wanted WLS, and I want it now.  Trying to deal with the fact that I can't control this process and give myself something positive to do, I made a promise to myself (that I've now kept for just over a week - whoo hoo!) that I would track my food intake and begin drinking water throughout the day in sips.  I haven't had much difficulty doing either...  except that I'm eating like 5,000 calories a day!!!

I haven't even gone to the info session yet, so the thought of starting to diet is completely exhausting (I'm still recovering from last year's 8 mos on atkins...).  The reason I want/need the surgery is so I don't keep doing the yo yo dieting thing. 

Did anyone else deal with this struggle before they even really began the WLS journey???

I'm just disgusted - off to the moose tracks...

When do you attend the info session????

S-

Aug 5.  can't come soon enough! 

Had my first month appt w/my PCP - gained 5 lbs during the month.  Which, while it was a gain, wasn't as much as I can put on in a month.  I'm hoping to hold steady during this month, if not try and lose a pound or two.  That's assuming that I can keep the little voice out of my head that says, "eat this, and this, and this..."


lara

I think we ALL went through the struggle. Same song, different dancer......

Yes, we didn't get to the point of needing WLS by eating a 1500 calorie/day diet.

Don't feel as if you are the only one.

Ahh dont feel bad right now i am going thru the same struggle as you are and i am
almost to my pre op weight but have been struggling...it gets easier so i am told

awww Lara!!!!!

big ((((hugs))))  I hope your night went better.  Just come here and we will try to talk you through your difficult times.  We DO all know what you are going through honey.  Just lean on us.

Thanks everyone!  I went to bed last night so disgusted with myself, and so FULL I could barely lay down (thank god for prilosec!).  I woke up feeling much better - physically and emotionally.  At least I was honest with myself and wrote down what I was eating...  Some day I'll look back on this and wonder how I ate 10 days worth of calories in ONE day!

sheesh! 

In my opinion, it's not as important to write down what you eat but why you're eating.  This is of course pre-surgery when you're still getting yourself ready for "the change".  I know food diaries are good, but it's not going to do anything unless you figure out why eating makes you feel better.  It was so hard for me to admit my problem and why I got (am) fat.  I use food to make me feel better and there isn't anything that comes close to being a good substitute.  Go for a walk my a$$!  When I feel bad, nothing works as fast as finding just the perfect thing to eat. 

Obviously now I realize that if I do that I'm going to gain weight.  So when I do fall off the wagon and use food for comfort, I change what I eat.  I don't go get 3 value meals at McDonald's and a pan of brownies.  I eat 1/2 a brownie and try to Dr. Phil myself into figuring out what's up.

Start thinking about all of this stuff before surgery and you'll do much better after.  One more hint.....and if this doesn't apply to you then just disregard...... every day, let yourself get hungry.  Don't eat for a little while and feel what your body is like when it's telling you to eat.  A lot of times overweight people eat too often to ever even really feel hungry.  They eat on a time schedule, or eat more when a little space in the tummy clears out from the last meal.  Right now I'm having a struggle with this because for years I ate every hour or two round the clock.  If my stomach growled, it was like a timer was going off......DING!  Time to eat again!!  So now I have to tell myself that a little emptiness in the old pouch is ok. 

I think the key to making changes it first to understand where you're starting from.  Now that you are logging all your food, you know where you need to improve.  One of the most important parts of preparing for surgery is to get as healthy as you possibly can beforehand.  The healthier you are NOW, the easier our recovery will be and the less risk you'll face for complications. 

So keep logging your food.  But try really hard to get a handle on your calories now, so life will be easier later.

You know you need to decrease your calories right away.  But don't instantly drop your calories so low that you're going to starve yourself.  This week, work on keepiing your calories below 4,000/day.  Next week, shoot for 3,000/day.  And so on...

Look at the food that's in your log and find the highest calorie/fat items and try to find a replacement for those items.  Instead of having a bowl of Moose Tracks, make some Protein Ice Cream instead. Are you drinking full-sugar beverages/sodas?  Switch to diet coke or crystal light.  Making little changes, slowly and one at a time, can make these changes easier.

And if you're not already moving, get going now.  Just 10-20 minutes of a leisurely walk each day can help strengthen your heart and lungs and make you more healthy for surgery.  You're going to do a lot of walking after surgery, so you want to start this habit now.

I know that right now it's very hard to wrap your brain around all the changes you'll need to make after surgery.  Just take it one baby step at a time and remember that everything you do now will make you that much more successful after surgery. 

You CAN do it.  We have faith in you .. and we're cheering you on!

Pam