EATING TOO MUCH AT FOUR MONTHS OUT!

 Well what can I say? It started with an attitude that I can eat whatever I want and still lose weight because, what ever I did eat at first I just kept losing. I started eating little no no's here and there, justifying it with the reasoning that I will lose weight anyway. It seems the more I snack and eat the things Im not supposed to, the more I crave them.  Its been about a month with little or no weight loss. I seem to allways want sweet stuff or salty crunchy stuff like chex mix. It seems to go down easy.  I am down from 350 to 285lbs. but now have stalled for the last month. I know it is my own fault that this is happening but seem to just let it continue to take its course. I know that there is a window of opportunity that is passing me by right now and seem  powerless to persue it. I still can't eat that much but the crap I keep putting in myself is defeating why I had this surgery. I am not gaining weight but If I keep this crazy stuff up( constant snacking on crap doghnuts, chex, poptarts,whole bag of popcorn one sitting, fruity pebbles, etc on top of my small meals ) I know it is a matter of time.  I feel kinda helpless!     Also since this has been going on I have felt less energy. Probable the quality of food and lack of H20 going in. 

I realy understand where you are comming from,I truly feel your pain,  salty, crunch, a little sweet. Love that stuff. But as you said THAT STUFF IS HOW WE GOT HERE!!!!!!    If you need the crunch (SOME TIMES) try some all grain tortia chps.Costco has some that my diatitian recomends they are lightly salted with sea salt. Suprisingly verry tasty with a little salsa great. As for the sweet Russll Stover and Nestle make some excelent sugar free candy, you can truly hardly tell the difference.  Not all something we should eat alot of, but it can take that edge off and maybe get you past that crave with less damage.  I know its easy to say and harder to do, but ya gotta try man.........ya faced the knife and all that pain.. The jiffy pop man and Little Debbie should be a push over. Try and put that image of that man you want to look like in your mind every time you reach for the bad stuff.  For me its gtetting into a rolercoaster seat again and not having to watch two people try to close the thing around me, after putting on the extended straps or still sleaping on the ground while using a double thick air mattres while camping. (Man its to early to try and think of food figures)

Thanks for the support tilbarr.  You know it's amazing how fast I forget how I felt four short months ago. I have had alot of positive  changes going on. One of the things I looked forward to was riding the roller coaster at Santa Cruz with my kids and ability to not sweat by just walking up the stairs. I need to sit back and remember how much this whole thing really means to me, and not just blow it.   anyway thanks     

I'm going through the same problems! Especially at night, I just love to snack, and since I dont have feeling in my stomach back yet, I can eat a whole bag of microwave popcorn! But heres my question, I chose popcorn because it's a healthier alternative than other salty foods, I wonder if I was wrong? Of course I think my main problem has been that I'm finding it hard to work out consistently. Which is really hurting me, I need to work on imagining the body I want to have and think about that every time I want to munch! Thanks man

Hey man! So you fell off the horse...damn...hate it when that happens.  You ain't the first, brother!  Now it's time to get your butt back up there.  Get back on the program, track what you eat, get in some extra walking, and the weight loss will kick back in.  65lbs is a lot of weight to lose, I am sure you feel better, but if that's not where you want to be, don't be satisfied with it. The beauty of this tool is that it gives you what you need to CONTROL your weight.  You can choose to eat healthily, exercise, and your body reacts appropriately.  It also acts appropriately when you choose to eat poorly and don't get exercise.  Sure, the Dr's skill is what got you started, but it is YOUR WILL that will take you through the rest of your life. Just being here and telling us about it is half the battle.  You know what you need to do. Take care, Bob

You'll be ok.  You are recognizing the problem, and you know what to do to change it.  Some people are oblivious to the situation.  I'm only a couple weeks out and haven't been able to snack, but I'm monitoring my "triggers" and making sure that I plan for those times, ie avoid them, find some healthy snacks, take a walk, or whatever works for you, but keep busy.  Lack of planning and boredom creates a great deal of problems. Good luck. Al

One question - are you in a support group for WLS?  I had my RNY on 1/23/07 and started at 355.  I have lost 60 lbs and am worried about falling back in to bad habits.  I had never been to a shrink or a support groupl prior to the WLS process, and furthermore I absolutely never liked to talk about anything personal, etc.  I also thought support groups were a complete waste of time. Now - I so hate to miss the weekly meetings - mad they'er 30 miles aways from me.  I find the support reassuring and it helps to keep me on target.  I never fail to leave in a "better place" than when I arrived.  We have a very strong set of 2 support groups here in Pasadena through Huntingotn Memorial Hosp.  One is for general pre and post op dealing with wieight loss and WLS, and the other is for deeper issues/relationships and is run by a psychologist.  You might want to check your local area for similar meetings.

Glad the support groups work for you. I found them to be a complete waste of my time. Haven't attended one for 2+1/2 years, but then again, I have been stable weight-wise for 2 years. I found them to be like skimming the main board, very superficial and not much use to me. Alot of "I gain 10 pounds around my period" or "my husband won't support me". Buh bye! The Men's board is awesome, so I stay here, but not many 3 year peeps here anymore though. Could be the "computer glitches" though.

My Dr. also recomended the Jello Sugar Free Puddings. I am 7 weeks out and everyonce in a while I have a craving for chocolate too. I asked the Dr. and she said, " If that is something you want to taste, then have some once in a while". The suagr free Russell Sauffers candy is not too bad. 190 calories for a serving. The big question is are we psycologically dependant to that comfort food. I think I have a propensity to be that way. At night is when my brain still tells me I need some comfort food when I am not hungry. To celebrate something like a birthday or a closing on a new home with food. Myself, I am and always have been motivated by results. The tool of RnY has made it easier but I am still working hard in the gym, trying hard to choose good foods. Even when I am famished and I know I need to eat, in an emergency situation I may whip into McDonalds, get a small hamburger and toss the top of the bun away and trim the bottom bun and eat that sucker. It fixes my sugar drop,  fills me up and I feel better. I don't feel like it's a cheat persay but I recognize that it's a temporary fix. The moral to the story is, 90% of the time I choose wholesome good foods that are bettering my health. 4 months before surgery I could slam a sleve of Chips Ahoy and a quart of milk in a sitting or go to McD's and get a 1/4 lb Supersize meal w/ a 4 piece nuggets, go  to dinner and have a huge chickem fried steak /w gravy mashed potato, green beans, salad, 3 glasses of tea and big ass desert. I read from Dx that the new RnY stomach holds at worst case 9 oz. The old stomach could hold up to 64 oz. That's two 2 liter bottles of soda. WOW.  Ask yourself Can you think rationally? Can you set a goal for a week to exersize everyday? Can you set a goal for a week to eat wholesome food? Sure you can. GO FOR IT and GOOD luck. P.S. When I reach a point like this, ya'll remind me what I just wrote. LOL T Bone

I started at the same weight as you. After checking my spreadsheet, I found that at 4 months I weighed 267 pounds. That doesn't mean that your cheating has altered your progress. Could be that you would not have lost any more than you have to this point regardless. I followed the rules, for the most part, and only lost about 15 more pounds than you during the same amount of time.  GREAT NEWS!!! All is not lost!!! There is STILL a  HUGE ray of hope. Your WLS is still available to you even though you've fallen off the wagon. You're only 4 months post and your WLS will probably keep working up until you're about 18 months out, give or take. That leaves you a window of 14 months to lose your excess weight. You're just getting started.  You need to have a serious talk with yourself about the weight you would like to be, at the end of that 14 months. At goal weight, ideal weight, whatever. You also need to bring up all these bad foods you've been eating and figure out what role they play in achieving that end goal. You will find that constant snacking on these items will not figure in very well at all.  Hey, NONE of us are perfect. If we were perfect, then we would not be writing posts on a website called obesityhelp.com and we surely would not have had gastric bypass surgery.  Possible solution: eat 6 small meals per day that include foods that will help you succeed. If you want something sweet or crunchy, or both, then try protein bars. They are very satisfying and are loaded with vitamins. I like SouthBeach the best, they have 20 grams of protein in each bar. You could eat breakfast, two hours later eat a protein bar, two hours later eat lunch, two hours later eat a protein bar, two hours later eat dinner, two hours later eat another protein bar. Eventually, you will be at a point to where you will have to force yourself to eat something. And your protein levels will be much higher than they are right now. The best part; your weight loss will kick back in and you'll be on your way to your goal.  Ronnie