I need to "reboot" but cannot seem to make this happen

Excuses. Nothing else but excuses. 

At one time that got me to 250 lbs...and again... Until no diet would work ..so I had WLS. This is my last choice. 

CHOICE . Not deprivation.  I chose to eat the way I do. 

Unless you make a choice - you will be back exactly where you started.  If you wonder where that is - look at the photo of you before WLS.. Because that exactly were you will be unless you change the way you think about food.  

I am coming up on surgery on 4/21 and have asked many times "when is a good time to do it", and so the story goes, there is never a good time, but all the time is the right time! That is our nature, we put up blocks!  I even said to my wife and family, what about the summer vacation, I won't be able to drink and have a good time etc.   Sometimes I am self-fish and always think of myself, but it is not about me anymore it is about myself and my family and how much I want to play with the kids in the sand etc.  I am even still fighting doing this and have run out of reasons!  I do not know what I am thinking or saying half the time anymore because of am consumed by all the feeling and emotions.....I guess what I am trying to say is - you put all that into it - get back to the basics and find your mindset.....that is where I am now..I am slowly finding it....down 10 just by changing some habits and hopefully more when I start pre-op.   YOU CAN DO IT AGAIN!

Hugs! Instead of trying to do it all at once, focus on one meal at a time.

To fight my regain, I'm working through shifting my meals around. Basically 5 days of low carb/higher fat followed by 3 days of low fat/moderate carb (ie...starchy veg); but never ever sugar, grains, alcohol, and limit dairy. Protein is important in both shifts. I'm finding it more sustainable than making 900 cal fit into a day and if I can still eat my sweet potatoes once and a while, I'm happy.

Think about what you like to eat that you would consider off plan, and then look for recipe mods that will suit your plan. as far as comfort food for the husband, things like chili (made without beans), lasagna (made with zucchini instead of noodles), mac and cheese (made with cauliflower) are nice and comforting and fit. Some of my fav blogs are http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/ and peaceloveandlowcarb.com. Both sites are full of low carb, gluten free recipes and both offer meal plans (IBIH is free, PLLC is $5/week) that may help you get back on track.

This is in response to your newer post that I can not seem to locate again!  I had surgery not too long after you did.  I actually followed your journey along with kairk and Elina and a few others.  I agree there are several people on this board who at least seem to feel like once the weight is gone they are above reality.  Like you I am several years out from surgery and know all too well what regain is like.  It is horrible and all the canned responses don't make it any better. The truth is......At some point in time everyone will come face to face with the demon of weight gain.  I know how awful you feel because I feel that way too. I have started researching counselers in the OKC area.  I have only found one so far and I have not made an appointment. I do not feel like you are making excuses you are just sharing your reality. It is a reality others have not yet faced.

After a quick glance through your posting history, I think you had surgery around the same time I did. I have not experienced regain since surgery, but certainly did many times pre surgery. I'm not sure it's all that different. The way I see it, we're talking about the characteristics and cycle of addiction. Sometimes we're actively entrenched in it and sometimes we get a reprieve.  

Will I/we face it again? Most likely. Today I am enjoying the break from that constant struggle, while it looks to me like you're actively engaged in your addiction. No judgment - it is what it is.  We all describe the mindset and behaviour differently (eg. excuses) but at their core, I see them as being about the anger and denial that are so firmly entrenched in addiction. 

A good addictions counsellor and/or OA can be very useful in helping us identify and break out of the cycle, so I'm glad you're pursuing that. I've done it several times myself. All the best to you. 

"Canned responses"? Weight loss surgery is not magic. We all have to deal with our demons and make changes or we are all doomed to regain all that we lost. Eating less and making better food choices is mandatory. If we cannot do that, then finding a therapist is a good step.

I am 7.5 years out. Except for 5-7 holiday pounds I gain each year (and lose in the spring) I have not regained. I have kept off 200 pounds and my current BMI is 21. I work my ass off to stay here. I do not make excuses and I am not above reality. I do what I need to do for my physical health and even more importantly for my mental health. We all owe that to ourselves.

You're just a big "can" of whoop-ass Laura. I hope I keep following your path.

I'm not sure if this is a vent post or if you're truly asking for help. I only say this because in your blog you complain about the advice, opinions, tips etc that people gave you & you asked for in your post & yet you claim that people here are being hypocrites. You don't mention any of that in your post. That sounds hypocritical to me.

I am truly asking for help.  But those who cannot understand the why and how I would get here and who think the answer is as simple as "stop making excuses" have clearly never had the kind of battle that I have.  And if they have, they are the very definition of hypocritical.  If losing weight were as simple as "stop eating crap" and "stop making excuses" then none of us needed weight loss surgery in the first place.  I stand firmly behind the belief that weight loss surgery vets need to be understanding about the complexity of weight gain, and compassionate to the people who experience regain.  Anyone who found themselves obese enough to have surgery in the first place, and yet reduce weight gain to such a simplistic answer needs to reevaluate.

And I am still very proud of my stats.  100%EWL kept off for nearly 5 years.  

I resent being called a hypocrite for agreeing with posters who simply told you the truth.

Maybe my cir****tance is a little different.  I am a 30 year veteran of WLS.  I suffered with a terrible VBG for 25 years and experienced a 50 pound regain and a mechanical failure that required a revision.  I was told that the revision was so dangerous that I had a one in four chance of never waking up.  My surgeon suggested that I "get my affairs in order" before surgery.  Facing death brings the WLS journey into much sharper focus.  I wanted to live, so I stopped making excuses.  I stopped giving food so much power.  I stopped lying to myself and got HONEST.

To suggest that telling someone to "stop making excuses and just do it" is hypocritical, or that I have some how "forgotten where I came from" is offensive on so many levels.  I have been on OH for almost 9 years.  I lurked for three years before I joined.  I have watched many people make excuses for bad food choices and fail at WLS.  I have stuck around and answered the same questions over and over again. OH is my support system and it's a place where I can "pay it forward" to help newbies.  I assure you that I have NEVER forgotten where I came from.

We all have faced our own personal demons.  We all had to find the path that works for us. The reality is the surgery is the easy part.  Living the rest of your life following the WLS rules is the hard part.  We are all given the same rules that we must live by to be successful.  We must choose to live by those rules daily.  I have a disease called obesity.  I am required to live a certain lifestyle to keep that disease in remission.  I am NOT CURED.  If I had cancer, I would do the same thing.  I would follow my doctors rules and medical advice to the letter so that I had the chance to be healthy.  

There are no magic recipes, blogs, tips or hints.  WLS gave you a head start, but now you are just like any other person out there trying to lose weight.  The only person who has control over what you put in your mouth is YOU.  I know you don't want to hear this but the answer really is as simple as "stop eating crap".  WLS is a mental game.  If you are struggling with figuring out why you are self-sabotaging, it might be time for a therapist that specializes in eating disorders... and before you get your undies in a bundle... we ALL have eating disorders.... that's how we became obese.