4 month update~encouragement appreciated (xpost)

i cant believe 4 months has gone by since my surgery.  ive lost 57 lbs, which i guess is ok.. im stuck again. seems i lose a chunk of weight then plateau for a week or so... then lose another chunk, etc. aside from my stricture at 10 weeks, i've had no complications at all. i don't dump....on anything... yes, im ashamed to admit i've tested things.. the good news is a lot of sweet things i used to like are just wayyy toooo sweet tasting now and i don't like them. salty things are an entirely different story. i find myself craving salt.. pickles and olives in particular. im disappointed that i dont dump. i was counting on that as a negative reinforcement/behavior mod. nothing gets stuck now.. not bread, not eggs, not pasta (although i really dont justify eating pasta anymore because it doesnt have any protein in it)  im scared i am going to get sucked back into carb hell. it's like CRACK to me. im having  a real problem meeting the fluid requirement as i was never a big drinker. its scary that i can eat more than i used to. im afraid of stretching my pouch. i still have no sensations of hunger or fullness, although i think when i eat too fast i get a pain in the belly. i also havent been doing much exercise....  so im far from perfect.  im watching american idol and i see randy jackson has gained weight back.  scares me that i have gone through major surgery and i might not make it to goal or... i'll make it to goal and then gain weight back. i know several people who have gained up to 50 lbs back. i know... i must think positive.  its a struggle... this food thing really is an addiction. i try to be mindful of calories..  dont think im getting in more than 1000 calories per day, but according to this little machine the doctor hooked me up to i an eat up to 1300 calories for weight loss. does anyone know how much food  one should be eating at one meal? at 4 months out? 1/2 c?  i know i am satisfied with 1/4 c of old fashioned oatmeal for breakfast. ok enough rambling for me, thanks for reading!! Edit: oh yeah.. i forgot.. the hair is falling out now.. started just after christmas, so i chopped 7 inches off my hair and cut bangs.. eh.. it will grow back, i guess. i think hormonal changes are going on with me too... there are some menstrual issues and also i feel like im sliding into a depression. i guess i'll have to watch this, and if i need the happy pills, i should go to the dr. ~Lisa

Dear Lisa, Fifty-seven pounds is amazing!  Don't be so hard on yourself. I dumped early on...don't any more. Oh well...yup, I wish I still did. I'm almost 7 months out, and I just started exercising about 3 weeks ago.  I love it, but at 4 months out,  I just wasn't ready yet.  In retrospect, I wish I had, but hindsight is 20/20. Be as nice to yourself as you would be to someone else...you deserve it.  As you said, think positive, and drink tha****er--just keep it with you all the time. Keep up the great work!

big hug, 

thank you, Karen. yeah i know i have to drink tha****er.i think that will be an even bigger challenge than losing the weight! im glad to hear im not the only one who wasnt exercising. i do walk back and forth to train station from work which is probably 1/2 mile.. up and down lots of stairs at work and at train stations. so im not COMPLETELY sedentary..but i think my body is used to it and i need to up the ante thanks for your encouragement, needed that!

Lisa! 57 pounds in 4 months! You go girl! Take pride in a major accomplishment. Your body is going through radical change. Weight loss is hard on the body and occasionally, the body needs to plateau to equilibrate. Just keep doing the do. Stay away from the scale. You will start to lose again when your body's caught up with itself.

You may be craving salt for a reason. Next time you see your nutritionist, mention it. You may be sodium deficient.

I dabble with the same fear as you regarding weight regain. I am almost 2 years out, 130 pounds down, and gained 6 over the holidays this year. It freaked me out! I went on the South Beach Diet 2 days ago and have lost 2 pounds already. As you get further out, the real issues of food addiction, nutrition, and emotional eating really hit hard. The surgery is one tool to help us in a lifelong battle, but it's up to us to find other tools that will help too. Therapy, massage, exercise, music, art, vacations, biking, you name it. Whatever it takes to have food be primarily nutrition and secondarily enjoyable.

It's hard work for sure, but better than the alternative!!!

As far as how much food you should be eating, you will need to be the judge of that as long as you are following pouch rules. No eating and drinking together, protein first, chew slowly, etc. Be mindful of the sensations of fullness and you'll know when to stop.

You're doing great adressing these issues. BTW, my nutritionist gave me a good idea for water consumption which was to down a 24 oz sports bottle of water while exercising. Two-fer!

Keep up the good work!
Amy

thank you Amy! yeah i am thinking of joining dance class when i get a little smaller... always wanted to take ballet, tap, jazz as a kid! yes, i'll have to ask my nutritionist.. although my labs were good at 3 months i cant remember if they tested for sodium.

You are doing great!! 57 lbs. in four months is awesome sweetie!!

Try your best to work on getting your fluids in. It does help with weight loss and is great for your overall health. My skin feels so much better when I'm getting enough fluids. It also helps me to not feel hungry in between meals and planned snacks. Have you tried other ways to get in your fluid rather than just plain water? While I do like water, I also get my fluid from decaf tea, herbal tea, crystal lite, more decaf tea.

I understand about the exercise thing. I only started a couple of weeks ago. I just wasn't ready before then. I would start/stop/start/stop. Now I get some sort of activity in 4 days a week. I don't love it yet, but I force myself to do it.

I'm sorry you don't dump. I don't dump on fat, but I don't know if I dump on sugar. I'm too afraid to find out.

yeah... i was a lil too brave and experimented with sugar (jeez sounds like im talking about drugs!) i haven't had A LOT in one sitting, so who knows.. maybe if i have enough sugar i will dump. my skin.........my face is soooooooooooo dry. i can imagine how the fluid helps. yes i do drink other liquids.. i was just and i guess im still not much of a drinker. im  a teacher and its reallly harddd to drink during the work day. i mean i cant stand there with a drink in my hand all day. ahh i'll work it out eventually thanks for responding :-)

You'll get the excercise in when you are ready. Don't worry. I think as long as you keep trying to do better, you will do better. Each new day is a day to do better

How much fluid are you actually getting in at this point?

honestly? between 32-48 oz depending on the day ive never hit the 64 oz mark. i have soooo many differen****er flavorings that i cant stand... water sensations in every flavor, crystal light in various flavors,  i finally found a few i like... kool aid sugar free fruit punch (except my God does it turn my tongue and lips red,) 4C simply light decaf tea is good too

Congrats on the 57 lb loss, that's awesome!  I think we all fear not making it to goal, or worse yet, gaining our weight back.  But then again, I think a little fear is good for us and helps us stay on track.  Getting all your fluids in is tough but oh so important.  Try for 35 oz. of plain water and then try for another 30-40 oz. of decaf tea, crystal light, or whatever is easier for you to get down.  It's hard to remember to bring a drink with us wherever we go and I still forget when I'm shopping, but I notice it's easier to get it all in when I have something close at hand all the time. I can relate to the exercise thing, I just started a couple of weeks ago myself.  I know I should have started earlier but I just got bogged down with all the holiday stuff...  I'm hoping to do better with it as it gets easier to do. I think you're doing a great job, and again CONGRATS on the weight loss!!! Flo