Need help supporting co-worker

Afternoon everyone,

I had RNY on 6/6/07, I have been successful and lost 117 pounds,  I am not down to where I want to be, but I am getting there slowly.

My co-worker had realize band done on 8/26/08.  She lost 13 pounds in the first 10 days of having the band.  She doesn't go for a fill until 9/24.  She is eating way too much.  She is drinking with all her meals, she is not following her diet plan.  She has gained back in the past week almost everything that she lost.

How do I help her?  I have restrictions that keep me from eating the pan of browines that were dropped off today.   So far she has had 2.  This past weekend she went to a party and had 9 mixed drinks.  Yesterday for lunch it was an entire oven baked Dominos sandwich (about 900 calories and 45 grams of fat).

Any help is appreicated.

Thanks

How do you help her?  Carefully and with lots of tact and love.

Specifics?  You can only do so much, she has to make the decision to buckle down and abide by the diets.  Unfortunately ( and fortunately as well) the Realize band is fairly forgiving as far as overeating and eating the wrong thing.  Unlike RNY and VSG you dont get the immediate dumping and pain to teach you not to do that again.

How close to this person are you?  Are you good enough friends that you can set her down and administer some 'tough love'?  Or will you have to work kind of at an angle and gently remind her that she went thru all the insurance hoops and the pain of the surgery because she wanted to lose weight.  Remind her that the band is ONLY a tool, not a magic bullet, you have to use the tool, work with it or else it does no good.

Maybe she is thinking that she doesnt have to start working at it until the first fill?   I had my Realization on 8/26 also and have been trying very hard to stick to the post op diet, it would kill me at this point to see all my hard work wiped out. 

I tried talking to her this morning, as she wa****ting the brownies at 8:30.   She had fried motz sticks, potato skins and onion rings for supper last night. 

She has stress in her life, but she always had.  I went through counceling to help with my stresses.  I suggested my councel, and offered to go to support groups with her.  She thinks when she gets her fill on Thursday she will be fine.  She is using the realize band website, so that is a step in the right direction.  I have tried to get her on this one, but she won't. 

I will just try to do what I can.

Thanks

Yup, you can support, you can nudge, you can offer to help, but until she wants to do it herself there really is not a lot you can do.  I am very lucky in that my wife and 2 daughters are all 100% behind me.  My wife did the 2 week preop all liquid diet with me, she did the post op diet with me ( even though I did catch her doing some pretty good munching one morning when she thought I was still asleep ).  My daughters are constantly wanting me to go walk or play on the Wii, they try their best to make sure I never get a minute to sneak some extra or just sit on my butt.

As far as your coworker, it sounds like you have done what you can, just let her know you are there if/when she decides that she wants to get back on track