Borrowed thoughts that helped me

I was gone for a while and am now back in my usual low-key way. I found something I saved from over a year ago that might help someone else. I saved it because it helped me a lot back then. I still had not reached "normal" and was not a happy camper. I have been "normal" for a while now and hope I get to goal as I keep trying to learn the Lessons of The Sleeve.

from Elina OH: "when someone is depressed, clinicians are told to give them meds, work with their thought process and make sure that they sleep, eat and move enough.  The funny thing is that you start anywhere, everything else gets better too.  You can start with meds, and the thought process and healty behaviors improve, or you can start with the behaviors and the thought process improves, or you can work on the thoughts and the behaviors imrpove.  It is the act of mindfully working toward a goal that improves everything else.  It is all connected. ...

1) Check to see if you are eating for physical hunger or if this is mental hunger.  I try the chicken breast test.  If I would not be happy eating three ounces of chicken, than I am not really hungry.  If this is mental hunger, drink water or tea, distract yourself, or tell yourself to wait 20 min. before eating.  These strategies can be combined for best effect.

2) Eat off of small plates using small utensils.

3) Don't eat while standing, watching TV or playing on the computer.

4) Take small bites and put your utensil down in between bites.

5) Eat each bite as if it was your last piece of something delicious.  What I mean is that you should chew slowly, making sure that the food touches all parts of your mouth to get the best "mouth feel" and sense of the food.  I eat the same way that I drink fine wine.  Smell the food first, and then take your time with it.  The more you indulge your senses, the more satisfied you will be with a small amount of food.  Of course this presupposes that you made a delicious meal and spiced it to your liking.  I have discovered that I now use a great deal more spices and I like my food spicier than before VSG.

6) It goes without saying but.... eat your protein first, drink plenty of water between meals, and if it's only been two hours since you have had a meal, don't eat anything.  No grazing, no unplanned snacking. Don't drink your calories unless it's a scheduled protein drink."

(where is ElinaVSG these days? I haven't seen her)

Thanks for these reminders - they are still as important, if not more so, 3 1/2 years out, as they were at the beginning.  I looked for Elina, as well, and it appears that she is no longer an active member.  I hope all is well with her and life is the reason she quit.  I miss her wisdom!

Great post. Thank you for sharing!

I looked for Elina,too.  I think there are too many jealous people on here and they hate on her a lot.  I would stay away if I were her, too.

There also were/are plenty of people who aren't jealous, but disagreed strongly with some of the approaches and attitudes she advocated.

I love this!!!

Elina is doing well. I emailed with her just last week. She is no longer on OH, though. She has deactivated.

I am currently in therapy for some of my food issues and seeing an RD who deals with disordered eating. These techniques Elina writes of are all recommended for mindful eating. Exercise and meds can be used for rebuilding the neuro pathways, but there is ample evidence that exercise alone can do the same thing as the meds, IF depression is mild and situational.  Rebuilding these pathways helps us make the right decisions around food. Often, when we're depressed or in the throes of a "binge" we are not logically able to withstand cravings - even when we know what to do. So, yes, just working on one of those issues will "trickle" on down to the next.

Me, I'm currently working on upping my regular exercise with a commitment of at least 3 times per week and also journaling not just what I eat, but also my hunger and satiety levels and if I have any emotions connected to a meal or eating episode.

Kairk, thx for the update. I must have missed a blow up here. Glad, those things make me upset, even if I am not involved. I do miss her experience and wisdom now tho.

You are right about exercise. I "ran out" of my first diagnosed depression. I had to run to prep for an event and after several months I found the depression was basically gone. Now my son deals with his taking fish oil supplements and I take tryptophan. Most anti-depressants do nothing for either of us. What works, varies so much from one person to another.

I found Elina's strategy for eating to be useful in identifying hunger and making an informed choice in how to deal with what I thought might be hunger. Sometimes it is, sometimes, not.

Glad to hear that Elina is doing well.  If you're in touch with her again, let her know we're thinking of her!  Thanks!

I spoke with Elina a couple weeks ago to catch up and she is doing just fine !!!

Busy with the kids and family as well as working on something that is pretty high level that has a strong overlap into bariatrics.

It's posts like this that make it very obvious of the positive impact she has had on many here.

frisco