Poll: Are your food issues behind you? Do you still struggle?

I'm just curious where everyone stands on this.  I have the exercise thing going great.  However, I still battle food issues. During the week I do really well but on the weekends I do really bad.  Am I alone?  It scares me that I will be at home alone and depressed after surgery and want to eat and will get fat again while I am recovering.

Hey, girlie, you gettin' nervous?

OK, from my "only 3 week out" presepctive. . . .
yeah, Plastics didn't perform a labotomy either, just like VSG didn't do it either.

It is a little hard in that you won't have exercise to go with it.

The first few weeks, restriction was small, so not much appetite and not much room for food when there was. The internal swelling, that's my opinion. The third week I can now eat, yet I'm not released for exercise. Do you remember my post about "how many calories to maintain". It has been a mind game for me, since the scale is all over the place with Swell Hell, and with Seroma Nirvana. Therefore, I did tons of research and here's what I found out for me:

To maintain my weight on my 41 year old 5'2" frame without any exercise, my basal metabolic rate (BMR) is approximately 1200 calories. If I walk at a slow pace, 2.5 miles per hour, for 45 minutes, I can add 200 calories to maintain. Therefore, I am doing my best that more days than not, I am tracking the calories based on my maintain needs. But, that is also keeping the vitamins WAY UP, and the protein WAY UP, and the water WAY UP, so my body has what it needs to heal.

I hope that is helpful.

I just connected why my eating is off the charts right now.  Yes! I am nervous!  Hello, no wonder I am struggling. 

I will go back to tracking my calories on daily plate and focusing on protien.  Tomorrow I get to do a 40 mile bike ride which will help work off some of the damage I did today. 

It just scared me that maybe I shouldn't be having plastics if I still battle old behavior but I guess I will battle that for the rest of my life.

We definitely have surgery on our stomach and not our brain. The best advice I can give you for post-op plastics is to really focus on protein. If you have to add protein shakes in between meals, then so be it. It will really help in your healing process and will make eating easier those first few weeks. After my tummy tuck I had severe restriction and the protein shakes were my slavation.

Renee why can't they do something on our brain?! ha!!  That is exactly what I need.  I don't do protien shakes real well, but haven't tried in a couple of years either.  I think today I might buy a few from the store and see if there is a brand I can handle the taste of.  I do have some protien hot chocolate mixes that I drink once a day for about 15 grams.

Some people fear surgery because there's a chance they might die. I feared my plastic surgery because I feared getting fat again. I know exactly what you are saying. You do have some restriction with a lbl and not much appetite for a few weeks. Your body is also burning extra calories during the healing phase.

I was cleared to start cardio at two weeks (limited) and built it up from there. I rocked every minute of cardio I had each day and walked as much as I could daily. I added more each day and built my weights back up, too. When I was able to start my running again, I wore a 20 lb weight vest to help build my strength again and to burn some extra calories.

There are some people who will disagree with my regimen, and is isn't for everyone, but it worked great for me and I had my surgeon's blessings.

You are in good shape, so don't worry. Let yourself heal and you will be working your way back into top notch shape before you know it.

Yep, I totally identify with you on this.  I'm scared to not be working out.  I'm scared I will be the only person that wants to eat constantly after surgery instead of not wanting to eat much.  Sometimes I think something is wrong with me because when I go off track, its bad, really bad like grazing all day.  I binge or I'm good.  There is no middle ground.

I will just have to work on my head between now and then and hang out on this board and the VSG board to help me keep my head on straight.

I hear you! My surgery is tuesday, and between the nerves and PMS I'm breaking every rule!! Ugh!! I'm freaking out about the same stuff you are!

This week I ran a two day session and brought treats. Instead of buying treats I don't like (my usual strategy) I bought all my favorites! And then fought ( and didn't always win!) to stay away.

And trying to up my protein to 125g?!? I'm finding that impossible!! How do you do it???

Ok -freak out over. :0)

The past few days I haven't been hitting 125 protien because I'm eating crap.  My surgeon (WLS or Plastic) doesn't require a certain number of grams just that we eat 3 protien centered meals a day.  From reaading this board it sounds like protien really helps the healing so I will be making sure I stick to that.  At least when I am at home I can control the foods going in and out.  Part of my problem this week was the office.  Yesterday was bosses day and they made me a cake.  Plus there were tons of other office snacks.  Holidays are coming up and so its time for me to get some resolve.

I was also going to mention this to you. I was given instructions after my tummy tuck to really avoid any and all foods that might normally cause me any bloat or gas. You don't want to cause any unnecessary swelling on those fresh incisions. The normal swelling is bad enough and to add more in from the wrong types of foods just complicates the issue.