Can't seem to quit eating....

I am 2 years 3 months post-op RNY. I weighed 333 got down to 208 am now back up to 248. I am very anemic and even though I take a huge iron supplement and my B-12 shot I stay tired a lot. I just can't seem to get on track and stay there. I am a total carb addict. I have tried the Atkins and the Endocrine Control diets but I am just not able to stick with them. HOW DO I BUILD UP MY WILLPOWER? I don't really know if I am hungry as much as I think but I feel like I need to eat about every 4 hours. I feel like I am eating too much too often but can't stop. I am back to my pre-surgery depression and feeling like I have totally failed at this like every other diet I tried before the surgery failed. I don't want to continue gaining weight but I feel so helpless to stop it. Thanks, Jessica

Jessica, I am only 9 months post op but I feel your pain. I feel like I have stretched my pouch back out. I can eat so much. I can't eat like I used to but I can eat more than I should. Also I eat junk food and CARBS way too much. I have lost from 312 to 191 but I gained 6 lbs back in just the last week. I am freaking out too. I wish you luck but I am absolutely no help to you. I am in the same boat. I just wanted you to know that I am here to talk to if you need to. Shannon

Thanks Shannon, It does help just knowing that there is someone else that knows what I am feeling. I hope that we can both get the control we need to make this work for us. Jessica

Jessica, I understand how you feel. I started at 334 and now I am at 219. and I only lost about 6 pounds in the last 3-4 months!!! I am thankful I am still loosing but it has been an insane just INSANE struggle. I also have the carb cravings back along with a STRONGER sweet tooth than I had before surgery. I ate a whole container of sweedish fish and felt nothing and MAN it was SO good. NEVER GIVE UP! THAT is the trick at least the trick to not gain the weight back. Every single day start over. Its alot like the vicious cycle before but theres just that little bit more control. Not much mind you but enough. Its so incredibly hard. What I find that helps me is that I go and do girly things for myself. I tan and feel more girly...I get my nails done and find something new to wear thats nice... get some jewlery and wear it...just pretty yourself up then you will feel better and want to make yourself even more prettier by sticking to your healthy eating. Let me tell you...its so hard. I am supposed to be very strict this week and yesterday I had 8 cookies!!! EIGHT!!! soooooo bad!!! I had 4 when I got home and 4 when I went to bed. They were smaller but still cookies! I just binged! So stupid... BUT today is a new day. I put a picture of my vacation house in north carolina that I am going to so I can be reminded that summer is comming and I want to loose loose loose!!! Try going on a pure liquid/puree diet for 3 days. I did it but it was incredibly hard! Just tell yourself that 3 days is NOT LONG...its only 3 little measly days compared to your monthly struggles. THe liquid diet helps your stomach shrink a little and knocks down that sugar tolerance. Hang in there sweetie!!! Start from scratch... dont give up and give in! Email me anytime! ((hugs))) ELizabeth M

I'm there to. What can we do but start fresh each day. I need to walk more. Every time I've hit a plateau I've decreased calories & increased exercise. Just having trouble fitting in the walking because my son is playing baseball. It's on the go all the time. Take him to practice, or take him to games. But I'm still trying. Hang in there. Start fresh each day. I am going to try that 3 day liquid fast. I'll let you know what happens.

I also need to do the liquid fast! I will try to do it tomorrow. I already had grits and a protein bar today SO tomorrow will be the liquid day. Its really hard to do that 1st day! But it works! I dropped 6 pounds in 3 days when I did the liquid/mush foods. I kept it off too which was good. Hang in there! Ill let you know how I do as well Elizabeth M

My heart goes out to all of you posting on here. But think about this. The surgery isn't a QUICK FIX solution. It's a TOOL to help you loose the weight that other things hadn't worked at! ALL of us are to be commended for the weight we've lost. I started at 374 and got down to 216 at one point. For the past 2.5 years I've sat at 235 and go up or down only a bit from that! And it bothers me too! And it IS insane because it's still as hard as ever to drop off the rest of the weight. And I too love carbs and sweets. My only suggestion is to try the other weight loss programs again. One of the problems I had initially with them is that I could eat far more than they'd serve. Now with my pouch (even though I KNOW I've stretched it!), I don't eat nearly that much, and find that the Curves Diet (which I've been doing for about 3 months now and it's not too bad!) is easier for me to handle. I'm grateful that I panic when I gain 5 lbs. Because it shows we're CONCIOUS of what we've done, and how SERIOUS we are about keeping it off. But don't panic TOO MUCH. Your period, weather, your health, mood... all of these can affect your weight. Keep these in mind before becoming dismayed and feeling like a failure. Remember that the TRUE success to weight loss is eating right and exercising. For me, this bypass was a tool to help me on the track to being healthy and able to eat right and exercise. The problem with ALL diets (or life changes, whatever you want to call them! ;)) is that people get to feeling bad if they have some carbs, or some sweets or whatnot. Think of this... You can eat ANYTHING you want. ANYTHING. As long as you eat it in.. **************MODERATION************** So find a plan that works for you, maybe keep a food diary (it's helped me I assure you!), find some exercise you like, and go with it! There's some type of "diet" for everyone out there, but what works for me won't necessarily work for you and so on. And whatever you do... keep your chin up. You're a looser and you should be VERY, VERY, VERY proud of what you've lost. It takes courage, strength and commitment to do what we've done. Don't EVER let someone take that from you! God bless and (((HUGS)))!!

Hi Jessica,8 I'm sort of in the same boat. I'm almost a year out. I lost 78 lbs. at 7 months and stayed there and then I gained almost 10 pounds. I started at 264. That seems like such a failure compared to what others have done. My 1st anniversary is May 4th. I've decided to go on a liquid fast for several days and up my exercise. I want to get the sugar out of my system and shrink my pouch. I'm not really hungry, I just desire to eat. Unfortunately, I don't dump on sugar. In our pre-surgery life when we overdid, we really overdid. Now when we overdo, it's in a much smaller way. We need to see the changes we have made. And our tool will work for us. We can do it!!! Cindy

Jessica, I have been there too. I have been seeing a therapist for over a year now. All I can tell you is hang in there. The real answer is to really control what you eat (no dieting). Pledge to do it for 22 days. Take small steps, day-by-day. You can change any habit in 21 days. While you are controlling your diet, try the dreaded E (exercise). No matter what diet you go on, none of them work without exercise. Pledge to walk 30 minutes a day the first week and work up to 1 hour a day the 2nd week and keep it up for the full 22 days. See if you can change your habits. If there are people in your life that are negative, avoid them like the plague during your challenge. Keep smiling and if someone asks how you are, say "WONDERFUL." Positive affirmations really work. Print out some, like, "I am having an AWESOME DAY!", "I AM A SPECIAL PERSON!" "I AM A HAPPY PERSON", "I LOVE TO SMILE" "I LOVE MY BODY AND WILL TAKE GOOD CARE OF IT" (or any other wonderful thing that you can think of. )Tape them all over your house. Say them outloud a lot. Remember! What you think about, you bring about! Take care, Love to you, Barbara

Hi Everyone, I am almost 3years post-op.2 yrs. 10mo. to be exact. I have for the first time since my surgery begun to gain weight and it is really freaking me out. I came from 356 to 145. That was my lowest. I stabled out at 150 and really liked they way that felt. I am up to 165. I have put those 15 on over the course of 2months. It scares me to no end to think I could get fat again. I think I have forgotten that my surgery was not a cure all and that it was a precious tool given to me not to abuse which I must admitt I have done by no****ching what I ate and not exercising which I have never done.Over the last year I began to be able to eat much more and have probably streched my pouch out considerably. I am now able to consume about 8-10oz comfortably .It used to be that when i ate alot I would feel the uncomfortable strech of my pouch, it would physically hurt. It does not so much any more unless I really overeat. I have also stopped dumping. I have made a comittment to lose this 15lbs by starting pilates and going back to basics. Watching my carb and sugar intake as well as calories. I must admit I tend to binge eat and have fallen back into the same bad eating habits as before surgery. I love sugar and ice cream. I used to never feel that awful hungry feeling now I am feeling it agian. I can only hope and believe that my commit to never be heavy again is strong enough to fight the battle over the food and not let the food win. Why do we have to struggle like this?????? Wish me luck, Dede C. of Colorado