Greeting and help

Hello and greetings to all. I hope I greet everyone in good spirits. I am here once again in need of advice from my AMOS family. I have been really fighting with head hunger. I want to eat junk food and carbs all the time and I really need some advice on how some of you guys out there are dealing with the post-op craving. Please give me some snack tips as well, and motivation is another issue I never want to work out and I can't for the life of me get myself to do it. I have a gym memebership and workout equipment in the apartment. Any and all tips are welcome! And also at 7 1/2 months post-op what is a sample diet look like, just want to know what someone's diet looks like for the day! Thank you in advance & :kisses:

Armena, Hun I am still pre-op so I can not offer advise but I did want to send my prayers that you do find what works for you.....~hug~ I know for myself it is hard to workout with the weight on but I am sure it will be a struggle after WLS too..... Hang in there hun and I am sure someone Post-op will come along and help ya out...... Take care and I wish you the best, Debra P

Hi sweetie long time no see It is all about making choices you have to choose the right foods when you are eating....and snacks too....I never eat bread and that was the love of my eating life....I don't think about it to much wish I could say I never think about it but I can't but like I said it is all about making the right choice....do you remember why you had wls.....and do you remember the risk you took to have this surgery and the conciquence for eating the wrong food I keep all that in mind when I get lost and don't know what to eat or if I am having one of those days that I want the wrong thing.. not me I am not going that way again.... I am not 7 months out but my menu is somthing like this b- protien drink s- yougurt or string cheeseor a spoon of peanut butter l-soup s-salad or yourgut or string cheese or fruit d- fish,or chicken, with sauteed veggies s- sugar free ice pop lots of water and on my lunch break I do a power walk (2miles) to get my exercise in since I really don't want to use the tread mill anymore... please make the wise choice when it comes to eating and I wish you much success I hope this helps you. Christine

Hi Armena, I haven't been here in a while but decided to come by and see if I saw any of the faces I recognize and saw you. Congratulations on the progress you've made so far. But yes, one of the things that may begin to plague you once you're several months out and your body and hormones have re-adjusted is the desire to try certain foods that were once very much forbidden. I guess I don't need to tell you that a lot of this really is not so much following what others do but finding certain strengths within yourself. My best friend goes to the gym 3 times a week and works out with a kick-boxing instructor twice a week. She went through a few months of a plateau and lack of motivation - and then she got over it. Decided that she didn't have this surgery to only do HALF the work - she knew she had to do the other half and dug deep inside herself and found the motivation to make herself important enough to do what she had to do. I am very proud of her and I see what she has done - but I can't MIMIC her. I can only draw strength and inspiration from her to dig deep within myself and do what I need to do to progress further. I am about as far out as you are. I have lost 127 lbs. and I have basically been hanging around this weight (give or take a couple of pounds) for well over a month. I got a little discouraged about it but then I really thought about it from two perspectives. First of all, a year ago, I was 127 pounds heavier and really scared about my weight and unhealthy and unhappy. So instead of putting myself down for not wanting to exercise all the time and wanting to eat bread and cookies and stuff - I commended myself and my surgeon for the great job we've both done so far. Got give yourself props and keep your own spirits up. Secondly, and this may not be the best advice in the world, but I allow myself to be human. I know what my strengths and my weakness are and there are times that I do indulge in foods or snacks that are more "comfort" food that nutritionally sound. Fortunately this surgery has taught me something I didn't know before --- MODERATION. And it's also taught me how to be satisfied with the taste of something and getting over it - instead of feeling I have to eat every cookie in the box or a whole bucket of fried chicken. But I also know that too much indulgence will cost me. I don't gain weight, but I won't lose any either. I realize that I have lost a lot of weight very quickly due to the surgery and realize that this is not a normal way a body loses weight. Once your body starts to adjust and you incorporate more calories in your diet, your weight loss slows down. This is normal. But in order to continue to lose weight and (more importantly) build back muscle, you have to push yourself to exercise and be more active. You have to increase the water intake. You have to beef up the protein. This is something that all successful post-ops will tell you. But the first thing is that you have to tell yourself that this was not about a surgery but about a real chance at a lifestyle change that the surgery helped to "jump start" for you. The rest is up to you and you have to tell yourself that you are worth it. And when you forget, forgive yourself and remind yourself AGAIN and get back on track! Good luck to you. *sorry about the long message, but you remember how long-winded I can be*

Oh yes - and about what you're eating. Try to stick with that protein. Chicken, fish, lean beef, pork, turkey (if you can tolerate these things). Also get your calcium in - sugar free and/or fat free milk, yogurt, ice cream, cheese, etc. You may not have to totally eliminate carbs but you should keep them as low as possible. Same with sugar and sugar alcohols. You have to remember that we lost so much weight so fast, in part, because we stayed away from these things. Everyone is different - some can have certain types of foods in very small amounts and are fine. Others have to stay away from them totally for fear that once they get the taste of it back, they may be tempted to go too far. You have to be your own judge. Yes, and drink plenty of water. As much as you can. Even if you have to sip it, keep trying to get more and more in as your body re-adjusts. If all else fails, get in contact with a nutritionist!

Thanks so much for the advice, every word you said I needed to hear, I just thank God that your word**** me like a burst of light that I needed. A real wake up call. I need to remember what this surgery was all about, be glad that I was able to lose so much and start taking better care of the new me. Everyone tells me am a new person with a second chance and I have to start being more attentive to the new me. By the way I will be working out in the morning, part of my new plan. Oh, what you said about staying away from certain types of food is so true, because when I get a taste for certain types of foods, I crave them all the time and of course it's always something that's not the best choice. In the past month I just started getting in 48oz of water which is a big step for me, am proud of myself. I try to watch my carbs and fats very closely, my carbs are on the high side, which is not good because I know carbs are my weakness (the nutritionist told me that before the surgery). I have to cut some things out. My problem is am a snack person, so I have to pick out some really good and appropriate snacks to combat cravings before they hit. Am on the right track mentally NOW, but I just have to stick to it. Anyway, thanks so much for your help, and yes it all was very helpful. By the way how are things with you, good I hope? 127 lost, that's great am very happy for you, keep up the wonderful Job and stay strong. Thanks again and again! & :kisses: post-op 9/8/04-251lbs-170lbs