New weight loss journey

Hello all, I had gastric bypass surgery in 2001. It was the best decision I have ever made in my entire adult life. I lost over 150 lbs within the first year. I had a new body, new look on life and I was loving every moment of it. I had no issues with gaining the weight bac****il I got pregnant with my son in 2008 and I gained about 20 lbs at the most. After having my son I lost some of the weight I gained during my pregnancy. In the summer of 2009 the death of my father really turned my world upside down and I haven't really been able to get back on track since then. In the midst of dealing with the death of my dad I found out I was pregnant with my daughter but I didn't really gain much weight while I was pregnant with her it was mostly just her weight and water weight. While being on maternity leave with my daughter I began to develop unhealthy eating habits. I would gain weight then loose what I gained then about 4 years ago I started gaining weight and I haven't been able stop. I'm so disappointed with myself. How could I have let this happen? I'm here today because I need the support of everyone on here and I am open to any advice anyone can give me to get back on track. I want to get back to healthy eating and portion control. 

You can just jump back on track, but you know that you will fall back off in a few days. 

Get a therapist and join Overeaters Anonymous.  There is help available, but you have to decide that you are worth the time and effort.

Hey there.  Welcome!  My dad died in April and that definitely caused me to slip back into my old eating habits.  Which led me to finally get my Binge Eating Disorder diagnosed and treated.  So.. yay?  

I think there are two things you should start with first, and they're both equally important.  On the physical side of things - start measuring and tracking everything that you put into your mouth using something like MyFitnessPal.  You can't correct your eating unless you honestly know what you are eating (and drinking).  

Second, but just as important, you've got to work on sorting out your unhealthy eating habits.  The surgery is awesome for our stomachs, but does nothing for our brains.  What worked for me was, in the beginning, therapy and then getting my BED diagnosed and treated.  I had a lot of mental stuff to work through - it sounds like you probably do as well between pregnancies and grief all pilled on top of each other.  Life is challenging and sometimes it seems like too many challenges come at us at once :(  

After you get a handle on those things - tracking and mental health - I'd suggest working on getting back to your basics.  Here are mine, yours might be slightly different, but only slightly:

1. Prioritize protein and water
2. Deprioritize carbs, especially the refined and processed ones
3. Make the most of healthy fats
4. Eat three meals a day with no snacks
5. Avoid liquid calories (breakfast protein shake is the exception)
6. Weigh portions, log everything consumed
7. Eat mindfully and with no distractions aside from real live people
8. Move as much as possible
9. Weigh myself daily
10. Be kind to myself

It's not listed here, but I should amend my list to also include "do not drin****il 30 minutes after eating."  If you've started doing this, break that habit.  

You CAN do this.  I know you can, because you've done it in the past and, for me, that's a reassuring thing. I gained 10 pounds from binging after my dad died and the knowledge that I AM SOMEONE WHO HAS LOST WEIGHT was really powerful for me.  You have a history of success.  Even if it might feel all too easy right now to focus on your failures, that's not who you are.  You have a history of success and you can make your future successful as well.  

You got this.  I believe in you.

OMG!!!!!!! Thank you so much for your advice, I really needed this. Why am I just now finding this website. I'm so determined to get every aspect of my life back in order. I'm not necessarily a breakfast person so what would you recommend I have that I can eat on my way to work?