I wish someone had told me...

Thank you!  I know I can do it, I just need a little help with the mind stuff.

I tell people all the time....I can eat exactly what I ate before and just as much...it just takes me longer to do it.   I can vouch for the fact that I can eat an entire box of Girl Scout cookies.  Rather than getting it down in 1 hour it would probably take me a good 12-14 hours.  But I can still get them down.  

This surgery does nothing to change the emotional triggers that make you put crappy food choices into your mouth.  You must work with a mental health professional on this.  I also go to a 12-step program for compulsive overeaters (OA).  It works for me.  

Thank you, I think I will check around and see if there is an OA group close by.

OA also has phone meetings and online meetings if you can't find one close by.

I was warned prior to surgery that unless I dealt with the emotional triggers of why I overeat, I would not be successful at WLS.  I'm sorry that no one provided the same information to you.

Now is the time to face your demons.  Have you considered therapy or a support group?  

I have been thinking about therapy or a group meeting...right now I have an 18 yr old, 10 yr old, and a 10 month old and a husband who doesn't feel it's his place to do much around the house...I work full time and am exhausted at the end of the work day and have to go home and work another "job" taking care of my family...I don't have much time to think about myself but I won't be successful if I don't start doing something about this "head hunger"...

Before I had my surgery, a friend of mine who had gastric bypass told me that the surgery is the easy part.  The success of this new life style is 90% mental.  Our surgery is on our tummies, not our brains.  I've been struggling lately and I know that I have to get my HEAD in the game to get back on track.  Good luck!  You've got the tool, now build that brick house body!

Thank you so much for the advice!  I guess I just thought with surgery all would fall into place and it hasn't...I gotta work harder, that's all:)

I know just what you mean.  I paid a lot of attention pre-op to what people said about how hard it still is after surgery and I am still surprised at how difficult it is (15 months out from surgery I am 15 pounds away from my goal, and the progress is sooooooo slow).  It's so true that this is just a tool; that said, it IS a powerful tool you have at your disposal and one that, used in combination with getting your head on straight, can get you where you want to go.  I found that exercising really lit a fire under me- helps me get and keep my head in the game and my eye on the prize.  It also helps me effectively manage the stress that typically would have me reaching for food instead.