STUFFED PIG in human clothing!

Hi Wisconsin family! I am a stuffed pig and I wonder how I will ever manage a tiny pouch. I have been approved for surgery, date is December 9th. I was told to lose 30 lbs. of which I only lost 21.5, but my surgeon was happy. He said I am NOT TO GAIN any of that back and to continue to try to lose. I thought I could do this. Why am I reverting back to old habits? Today, I went to McDonalds (I have not eaten there in 4 months) and ate a big mac meal AND a filet-o-fish. Enough for two. But that wasn't enough. I also ate a fairly large bag of popcorn from the local mini-mart. I swear....it's better than theater popcorn. My poor stomach has been upset all night. But it didn't deter me. I then ate a small strawberry sundae. Oh, and I just ate some Tums.........I wish I would puke.....put me out of my misery. Friends, any friendly advice you have for me would be very much appreciated. I have to get a grip here and get back under control. Please be kind, don't flame me. I need help!!! Marsha

Marsha, Don't be hard on yourself, many go through this. The doctor saying "don't gain any weight" sure doesn't help! It just makes you want to eat more, and until surgery you don't have the tool to fight that urge! I haven't even got a date set, so I am not speaking from experience. But I read over and over how people feel the need to have their "last meal" before surgery. The last meal at McDonalds, the last meal at Olive Garden, the last movie popcorn .... and on and on. Sounds to me like you may be going through that. I can pass on some of the advice I've read: You will be able to eat your favorite foods again, just in smaller quantities. Many don't even crave their favorite sweets after surgery. All the anxiety from the upcoming surgery is making you turn to food for comfort. Maybe you could distract yourself by getting ready for holidays or reading a book. You are taking a mighty step to improve your health and life, so be proud of that! You'll do great! Donna C

No you are not! You are a beautiful person! Make sure your environment is clean. If it's not in the house, you can't have it. It's a lot more work to go out and get something than staying in. I haven't yet placed limits on myself for what I eat out, but have really noticed that if my choices are bad, I end up feeling bad. I think maybe that's part of the addiction speaking. Start over today, and treat yourself well, take a bath with oodles and oodles of bubbles, if you can. Or do whatever makes you feel GOOD

Hi Marsha! It's so weird, but I went through the same thing as soon as my surgery date was set! It was like I was telling myself that it was ok because I wouldn't be able to eat like this again. It took some time, but I finally managed to convince myself that surgery didn't mean the end of all WONDERFUL food! Gosh, I love food. Rather than thinking about the end of my eating lifestyle I started to focus on the new life I was going to have. I started looking at magazines w/ beautiful clothes that I'll soon be able to fit in. Wow, that made me feel great. I started to get excited about the surgery and weight loss in general. I found myself eating better and by the time I knew it, I had actually lost 20lbs without even trying. I found myself eating better and walking every day. I have now had my surgery 2 weeks ago (10/25) and I'm feeling really good. I'm still on full liquids but I start puree foods next week. Woohoo! I can't wait for that. It's funny because just the smell of foods are satisfying to me so I really don't feel hungry. Keep your head up. Things will get better. Just focus on the wonderful new beginning you're going to have. It's so worth it and so are you!

Thank you all for your kind words and support! I can be my own worst enemy when it comes to my weight and body image. These are things that I will be struggling with for a long time. Hopefully, one day, I will conquer the mind-set of a fat girl. Thanks again, Marsha

Marsha Don't feel bad. I had my surgery 6 months ago and was also told to stick to a fairly strict diet for the 2 weeks before. What?!? I wanted to have a pig-out feast! I did the same as you including eating a huge portion of fried chicken the night before surgery! You'll get through this. As a previous respondee said - you don't have the tools right now to make this work. Hang in there - you'll feel great after the surgery. Just do what you can do right now. If it was so easy to stick to a weight loss diet (even for a short time) we wouldn't have needed this surgery in the first place. mc