Struggling

Struggling the past few weeks with grazing and getting into sweets.........I'm only 4 months out and NO dumping at all!   And since my last dialation procedure, I'm able to eat much more than I think I should be albe to....Does any of this make sense?  I'm very diappointed and a bit worried that my little honeymoon period is done already. And now I have to rely on my willpower???  Very frustrated and disallusioned. and frankly disappointed in myself.... 

Hi Lori,

Don't yourself up too much!  Your honeymoon period is not over, you just need to get back to focusing on the basics of protein first, and getting in all of your fluids and vitamins. 

When you say you are able to eat more than what you think you should, how much are you eating?  I know for me, during my losing phase, there were different times along the way that I could noticeably eat more.  and then other times, where I coudn't.   

This definitely isn't an easy journey and although I'm done losing, I can totally relate to your grazing.   I seem to do that all of the time now and my downfall has been snacky foods lke chips, pretzels, crackers.....basically carbs! 

Hang in there, you CAN DO IT!!  But don't be too hard on yourself. 

Nan

Lori,

You are by no means done with your honeymoon period.  You may just be at a stall. 

I would recommend getting back to the basics, not only with protein first but measure your food, it's amazing how big our servings get w/o thinking about it. 

Stick with it, your pouch will still work, you just have to work it.

Good luck,

Edie

A couple things:

** How much are you eating per meal? 1/2c? 1 cup? more? 

** How many calories are you eating per day? How much of that is protein?

** How many meals or snacks are you eating throughout the day? Do you have a schedule?

** What do your meals look like? Dense protein? slider foods? 

** How long after meals are you waiting before you start to drink? 30min? 60min? 90min?

** Are there specific times during the day when you tend to graze or reach for a snack? 

** Why are you reaching for sweets? What emotion are you trying to fill? Why are you allowing your emotions to sabatoge your success? Are you journaling? Are you using your Toolkit? 

Willpower?  I don't believe in it. It's all about momentum and making the right decisions often enough until it becomes habit. Have you heard this song by Jason Gray? It talks about having a relationship with God that's based in "falling in love" rather than following rules. I think that's what we need with WLS -- we need to fall in love with ourselves so that we have the desire within our hearts to do what's right for our body.

Frustration is fine. But you can't let the frustration turn to negative self talk and disappointment.... which will lead to self-sabatoge. This whole process is all about learning to LOVE YOURSELF enough to make the healthy choices with your food and activity. It's a long and difficult process - you can't expect it all to be fixed right away... give yourself the time you need to learn these steps. You ARE worth the effort it's going to take to have a healthy relationship with food.

 

Thank you so much for the great replies.
I am using the sweets to fill a need. I guess.  I've been more stressed the past couple weeks since my husband was burned, taking care of him has been the top priority. I'm very tired, not getting sleep. I've been VERY compulsive with my decision making.  Not thinking things through....
On the positive side I have been getting exercise everyday and my protein (avg. 80g+), just gotten into the sweets and grazing in the evenings mostly. 

Pam, I believe you are right about the learning that I am worth taking care of.  I sometimes feel like I'm punishing myself when I'm eating unhealthy junk.   Not sure what I feel I need punishing for exactly, haven't dug into it.....I will though...

Again, Thanks for the suggestions and support! 

Why does this stuff have to be so dang hard!?  I know you're struggling and I wish I could just come over and make it all better. But we're here for you when you need to lean on us as you work through all this crap. We're all working through it. At least we can rest assured that we're not in this alone, right?