Sending up the white flag, throwing in the towel. It's time to ask for help

Sweetie, I'm so glad there are so many of us with the same issues!!  Like I just said to Eileen, when I plan my food for the day, if I don't get a chance to have snacks at work, I'll play catch up in the evening. HMMMMMM, maybe I've hit on something with responding to all of my wonderful friend's suggestions??

I think I'll  restart the "what are you eating" thread. Maybe it will help more than me alone.

It's colder that a witches' you know what here....down to 8 degrees on Friday evening. I say all of us cold folks find somewhere warm and invade!

Love ya honey!

OKay...me too! yup! I've been trolling the shadows, ashamed of myself..feeling like a failure...and when I take the bull by the horns and work hard, I feel good..then along came Mother's failing health, physically & mentally, and fighting to get her placed in an assisted-living facility, packing and moving her, getting her settled into the new place and dealing with Christmas, my son's birthday and New Years...are we done yet?

I'm tired of hiding....I'm tired of feeling like a failure...I'm tired of hating how I look. I've begun my "return to the beginning" and on Wednesday, I start my swimming routine.  The hardest part of that is NOT getting up early while it's still dark (tho heavens KNOWS I'm a NIGHT-type person, it's not getting dressed and going out in the blasting bone-chilling winds and bitter cold, it's not fighting my way thru four foot drifts to get to my car, cleaning it off and driving over the snow & wind-swept SkyWays, it's being SEEN by others in a bathing suit with my flabby fat body and my over-swollen lymphodemic legs and swellings behind my knees. I love swimming..my knees can't take walking or other such exercise but I HAVE to do this...or else I will become more and more crippled.  Yes, I'm SO angry at myself..yes, I LOATHE my body and what I COULD have looked like by now....I am ashamed and hate running into people who KNOW Ive had RnY 3 years ago...sometimes I sit here and read and just fight the tears....

But...today, I did well...today I ate properly and healthfully. Wednesday I start swimming...I have begun to fight back.

Good for you, Nancy B!!!  We all need to take a stand and fight for our health.

It's easy to say not to worry about what others think, shoot, I do it myself. But, if swimming is the only exercise you can do, who cares what the others think?  You're doing this for you, no one else!

Susan,  I do believe you when you say you are following the pouch care. So, what else is different? Are you having hormone changes, decrease in exercise, a shift in your protein to carb ratio?
I think I read where you felt eating 3 meals a day was too difficult. That might be the problem. You are trying to eat it all at once and not keeping your metabolism awake the rest of the day. I guess I am saying that from what I have read it is important to feed the body several small nutritous meals with snacks spread out through the day to keep the metabolism at optimal speed. Exercise increases the metabolism. This is just a suggestion.
I hope the answer is as easy as eating 3 meals a day for the day when I have to face the same problem. Good luck to you. Please keep us informed on what you try and what finally worked.
Holly

Hi Holly,

Eating 3 meals a day isn't really my problem, it's getting in snacks, or those "mini" meals that help me keep up my calorie count. I'm a stylist, so it's hard to get a chance to eat. I can toss a few almonds in my mouth and crunch away on those, but to get much more than that in, can be tough.

I schedule time for my lunch, maybe I'll start making room for snacks during the day too.

I know jerky is salty, even homemade kind. What about the preservative? I know some people are very sensitive to MSG. . . Might try laying off of that wonderful stuff even tho it's great protein. See  if a few days without it makes a difference. Just seems like it must be something just a bit different.

Anything is worth a try right now. Maybe I'll swing a chicken. It would count as exercise, wouldn't it???

Hi Susan,

Just like you and Judy and Debbie and Jan, I'm also at three years out.  I think this is an important topic, and one that the veterans like us and the newbies need to be aware of and to discuss!  We do not have to contribute to the three years out statistic!  Let's figure out how to do this together, and lead the way for the others!

 

Evelyn, thank you!

I guess I'm a little overwhelmed by the responses to this post.  I had no idea there were so many of us veterans with the same issue. How lucky we all are to have each other.

Maybe it's time to start the daily eating thread again. Looks like we can use it!

Ok Susan, don't ever think you aren't beneficial to the rest of us.  You have successfully scared the begeebers outta me.  I'm almost 6 months out now and have found that I can eat anything I want.  Which is exactly what I didn't want.  I wanted to be restricted, greatly restricted.  I wonder if my pouch isn't working like it should.  Some things I can eat more than I think I should and other things I don't eat as much.  I can eat a whole bag of microwave popcorn without a problem.  Something must be wrong.  I don't want to gain.  Today I started using fitday again.  It's a good tool for me.  Too cold to exercise and I abhor the exercise bike we have.  I'm going to look for a treadmill on craigslist.  Can't walk outside in this crappy weather and if I go to the mall I spend money.  It's a losing battle for me (pun intended).  I have another 30 pounds to lose and I'll be at goal, so I've got to stay focused. 
Keep on posting.  I trust you.
Jan