Am I depressed? Am I stressed?

I had my surgery a little over four months ago. Overall Im doing really well. Ive lost almost 70 pounds since surgery and a total of 88 pounds from my highest weight. Ive noticed that when I am stressed I will eat more, sometimes a lot more. This isnt as much of a problem now but I can still overeat. I dont really think my life is stressful now as I really put a lot of effort in avoiding stress.  Whats going on? Two days ago I ate like a bird. I ate all I wanted and ended up eating 722 calories. Yesterday I was hungry all day and it seemed every other thought was about food. Today I was back to almost normal.  Whats going on? Any constructive advice would be greatly appreciated.

I have learned the surgery is just a tool, you still have to fight the ol belly calling out.  You are eating because you are bored most likely , you need to take your mind off food--- get moving --- drink water trying new flavors of Crystal Light, maybe make yourself some slushies for a change-- when you do eat,  DO NOT drink, when we drink it flushes our food down if you do not drink your pouch will fill fast.  I personally think you should weigh yourself everyday keep a diary of  how much you weigh and watch it , I know for me when I did not see a decrease I would step up to more exercise and notice what I was eating on the weeks I lost the least. This is your honeymoon time, it is very important to lose as much as possible.  The surgery is really like any other diet plan you must stick with a new life style by eating smart, low fat lots of veggies and drink water.  Do not allow yourself to get back in the old habits , you can really do this if you are not careful and on top of it. Find support groups and exercise buddies... Hope these suggestions help, do not give up this can work for you if you allow your body to adjust. Take Care, Allison

Allison is so right....The doctor told me from day 1 - surgery is just a tool. It's over coming the head work that is the most work. This is where most of us, well I know it was for me, to overcome. Someone suggested to me to make a list of "non-food" related activities. I made that list a year and half ago....it stays on my fridge. I can't tell you how many times I have called my sister and mom just to talk. They know what I am doing and sometimes it takes 15 mins and sometimes it takes 45 mins. But it works....You should try to come up w/ 8 - 10 activities and you will see how much coping w/ stress will change from food to walking, talking, chatting...etc... Good Luck!!!!!

I wanted to comment on one day eating like a bird then being hungry all day... I find that if I do not eat enough one day... I will wake up wanting to eat... I notice it most when I do not eat enough for dinner or just had a "snack" for dinner because I was not wanting to eat... just something to think about :-) Were you a stress eater pre-op? Or did this just start post-op? If you were one pre-op then its something you need to work on... identifying the behavior and work on changing it... there are a lot of books out about exchanging/changing habits etc that could help. If it just started post-op... what did you do pre-op to manage stress? If you had little or no stress pre-op and this just came up... then you basically need to find a different way of dealing with the stress.  I was a bored/stressed eater pre-op so I worked (and still working) hard on finding better ways to manage... sometimes occupying myself for about 5 minutes will get my mind of wanting to use food to fix an issue... read a few lines of a book/magazine, take a short walk, make a phone call, listen to a favorite song... clean.. whatever will keep me occupied. I also find reaching for water first before food can sometimes help :-) 

Yes I was one of "those" stress eaters.  I used to get so very stressed when I had to take my kids to their mother for her visitation. I would go and buy food on the way home and jut buy buy buy. I would buy more food than I could possibly eat, literally 50 dollars worth of Subway, McDonalds, etc. It would take me three freaking days to eat it all.  My kids are a very calming influence on me. I love them very much and I just feel better when they are home, even if all they are doing is sticking their head in the TV or their Xbox video games.  Nowadays this "stress eating" is nothing like it used to be, but I can still overeat if I don****ch for it.