Having a hard time

Thanks Ginger
I was working with a group called BANA (they deal with eaing disorders, bulimia, anorexia, binging)before the holidays and they haven't started back up yet. I do really need that therapeutic part.
Thank you for the support, I really need it!!

Hi Jennifer,

If i can give you any advice it would be to stay away from those carbs, I am post op 5 years and have a very hard time with my surgery and weight loss.

I never got to goal i started out at 305 and got down to 190 but it took me 3 years to get there and now i have gained 55 pounds back, i have other issues but the carbs didn't help at all.

I have never been so depressed in my life, i am trying so hard to lose this weight but it is really taking its toll on me.

Please please please, don't make the same mistakes i did.

Your still so fresh out, trust me you don't want to be in my shoes.

Dutchy

Thanks for sharing that, do you have any strategies in place to head back toward your goal?

I started out at 306. I was hoping I would be at least below 250 by now. When I got on a scale at the gym it said 235, I was amazed. I tried another scale after my workout and that scale said 248  - not as food as the first scale that needed to be reset but at least below 250. Last night I went to my doctor's office which is the official scale I have been going by and it said 256 : ( . I don't think I would have been as traumatized if I hadn't thought the first scale was right.

I don't want to sabotage this second chance, I am going to make a concerted effort to get back on track.

Do you keep a food diary? I use one on my smart phone and It has been the biggest help to me. I see exactly what I am putting in and what I burn for exercise. It's really surprising when you record everything.

Thanks! I am using myfitnesspal but to be honest, I know I am doing so horribly that I avoid it. I am sure if I got back to it, it would be beneficial and possibly motivating. I am going to have to try to face my fears...

I use mynetdiary. The point is that I really believe using something, anything, really helps.

I love that it's on my smartphone and I can use the barcode scanner.  I actually got the smartphone just for that reason. Very helpful when I'm not home. I've also found that I can save some money on protein shakes because at this point (almost 10 months out) the reporting shows me that I am easily reaching my protein goals.

For what it's worth - 50 lbs in 5 months is really good. I really don't think you should beat yourself up. Just monitor your intake, exercise and make use of your new tools.

Hi Dutchy,

It would be beneficial to me to know your story as a fresh post-op (about 6 weeks out)--you warn us to not do what you did but it would be helpful to know what happened...if you dont mind sharing? I'm sorry you're struggling and wish I had some advice for you--but I'm still failing to get my vites, protein and water in every day!

Hi there,

Well early on with my DS i felt there was something different for me, i just didn't feel like i malabsorbed, maybe it was a sign of things to come, my weight came off very slow, and i was and still am incredibly constipated, I can litterly eat 5 slices of bacon with eggs and butter and it won'tdo a thing for me in that department, for me fat is not my friend, nor are the carbs.

Carbs were and still are very easy for me to eat, i have a hard time getting in protein but the carbs go down like there is no tomorrow, and i have no side effects no gas no oil slicks nothing.

I was very good in the beginning about getting in my vitamins, but in the last year i have not taken any, and all my blood work is normal.

I have had many tests and my colon is good, everything looks good, but i have not had the forgiveness this surgery has allowed many people, I wish i could turn the clock back and not have taken that first potato chip or slice of bread, now all i eat is veggies and meat, the odd fruit and tons of water, and the scale does nothing but go up.

My cholesterol also went up and i am not on lipitor and now my blood pressure is up so i am monitoring that, it is a never ending battle.

The first 6 months you don't eat much, you don't want to eat much i never did protein shakes but i should have i really missed the mark on that one.

My downfall has been night grazing, big huge trouble for me, those bad habits just crept back in and i fell for them hard, maybe if i had the bad gas or crazy pain i would of not eaten them, even though i have huge restriction it doesn't matter i still get all the calories in.

I have to change the way i feel about food and no surgery will do that for me, it has to come from within me, my brain needed the operation too.

The surgery was the hardest thing i went through physically but post op has been the most mentally difficult thing in my life.

You do the most drastic radical thing like have wls, the gold standard of all surgeries, and i have failed.

But i am trying to get back on track and for the last 6 weeks i have given up pop, carbs, and all things with sugar, no bread, no chips, no candy, no nothing... it has been tough but i am not giving up, i refuse to let this tool go to waste, i know it is there somewhere.

All the best.

Dutchy

Try alternate foods to "wrap" the protein in. I get the feeling that part of why you're craving carbs with your protein is food boredom.

Try making a chicken stir-fry and put them into lettuce leaves for a wrap

use cucumber rounds to make mini-sandwiches with tunay salad and chicken salad in the middle.

make a batch of cheese crips to you have something crunchy at the ready to eat with soups and salads.

If you crave salty/crispy buy pickles as long as they're not the sweet bread and butter types. Pickles are great for eating with fatty things like a rich cut of meat or tuna/chicken salads with mayo.

Use slices of apple to spread soft cheeses on.

Try to have little condiments without sugar to go with some of your food: olives, mustards, horseradish sauce (horseradish + creme fraiche) , hummus, baba ganoush, etc...

Wow, thanks for all of the good tips. I will definitely add those to my shopping list for this weekend.