How to you stay on track during times of stress and grief?

During my dad's cancer struggles, this is what I did:

1: I made sure to always have protein options with me.

2: I tried not to ever have suboptimal options with me - this meant that I had to make a specific trip somewhere to buy crap, and often that's something I did NOT have the energy for.

3: I kept seeing my therapist.

4: I always had a bottle of liquid with me.

5: I tried to be kind to myself.

6: I tried to keep to my exercise plan.

And, ultimately, my weight stayed pretty much stable for my entire second year post-op, and I was okay with that. I started losing weight again a few months after my dad died, which was when I was finally able to stop "trying" with all the above things and able to do them consistently again. (If it weren't for the "trying," I would have gained weight during that year.)

So that's my advice - do your best, don't beat yourself up, keep seeing your therapist and doing what you can to take care of yourself.

Gwen, thank you. I'm so sorry about your dad.

I have so much more I want to say, but I'm already running late and have to get back to the hospital. But thank you for listening and for your advice. It's appreciated.

Hang in there.

One of the things I did find, was that all of the work I'd done pre and post-op to get my brain stuff sorted out really, really helped me to weather my dad's cancer and subsequent death. While I'll never know for sure, I feel fairly certain that I would not have managed my life quite so well if I hadn't done all of that brain work thanks to WLS.

Sending love and encouragement your way.

Thanks, Sparklekitty. I appreciate it.

I'm in no position to offer any advice (being behind you), but I wanted to take a minute to send you a hug. I am sorry you're going through this, and I'm glad it seems like you're getting back on track.

I will be thinking about you.

Thanks so much, Jelsey. I hope you're feeling well, and that everything is healing up and the discomfort is settling down.

Enormous hug from me, too. You are already down what 60 lbs? Awesome. You love much. If you didn't, the cancer wouldn't bother you as it does, which means you are a good person.

Something I respond to well is, "Be kind to yourself. Be gentle with you."

You are obviously working at this very hard and have achieved a great deal. We're not perfect; no one is. You certainly have much to be proud of.

Thank you, ironhead. I'm afraid I'm sounding repetitive in this thread, but my thanks and appreciation for your kind words are heartfelt. Thank you.

Hello Kamac

I am late to this thread but you have gotten some amazing support and suggestions, so I will just send a hug!