HAVING HARD TIME W/SNACKING 14 MONTHS OUT!

Toni - take a look at the thread that I recently posted Life is Hard, Food is Easy and see if any of that strikes a cord with you. Here is the link: http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/wls_grads/postdetail/19753.html?vc=0 The answer is a resounding YES as to struggling with food. Weight gain has happened. I intend to work on stopping my part in contributing to it via the book that I mention. Sandy

Toni, one of the things that really helps me with snacking is following the "Pouch Rules for Dummies." I don't know if you had LapBand or RNY, but if you had RNY, I suggest you take a look at these rules. Here's a link (you may have to copy and paste it): http://www.gastricbypassfamily.com/PouchRules.html Good luck. XOXOXO, Sharyn

Ohhhhhh yeahhhhhhhhh, I'm right there with you! And if you spend any time at all on this board, you'll quickly find that you're not alone! I'm 21 mo. post-op and have lost 140 lbs. I struggle MIGHTILY with about 5 lbs. and could EASILY gain more than that without half trying! I know if I didn't work out, I'd be in bad trouble. (I make every effort to go to the gym (cardio &/or weight training) or take a power walk about 5-6 times/wk.) The old eating demons are alive & well, as are my issues w/ portion control. Not that I eat even close to like I used to, as far as quantity, but I could definitely eat more than I do and sometimes eat more than I should. Unfortunately, I don't dump on anything, so it's a real discipline to limit my snacks--amount and types. Even though I'd heard and read about what it would be like long-term, I definitely under-estimated how hard it would be to maintain! With all that said, it's SO worth it, isn't it? Not in my wildest imagination could I have foreseen how much happier I am and how much better I feel, and I continue to thank God for giving me this new chance. I try so hard to remember how badly I wanted this surgery and how I fought to get it and how I committed to doing whatever I had to to make it work long-term! Jo 295/153-158 (at goal)

I am four and a half years out and I struggle all the time. What I do is I get back to basics. I start logging my food - eating my protein and drinking my water - just like we did at the beginning! We all know that there is no magic bullet! We know that we have to work at it. This is a lifestyle change. I personally went to therapy to deal with WHY I ate to much. It was amazing. It was work, but when I get into the snacking mode, I ask myself why and deal with the why rather than the food! I hope that this made sense and that it helps!

Hello Toni - I don't know if any of this will be of help, but Im going to cut and paste one of my profile entries below. I added this to my profile in May, and it's the plan of attack I've decided on to bring my GRAZING under control. ...although I'd never suggest anyone EVER follow MY way [in anything], I thought maybe some of my ramblings might be of help to you. Good luck to you - there is no magic answer, it's an ongoing battle, but one we're more prepared for, thanks to this surgery! - Lei :::::::::::::: PROFILE ENTRY BELOW :::::::::::::::::: May 15 Profile Entry: Gotta love this life of a "recovering Obese-aholic!". I realize, when Im completely honest with myself, that my food choices suck at times. Oh, and I also realize that "eating less" does not mean only having 2 pieces of fudge, instead of 3. [blonde tilt] I just spent about an hour on www.FitDay.com (great site) creating a 1400 calorie day that includes LOTS of small meals. I've decided that my constant need to EAT has got to be battled with very very low calorie stuff and instead of 3 meals a day, I'm upping it to 8 or so [3 of which will be protein shakes]. Most "health data" would call this new food plan of mine, GRAZING, but you know what? That's exactly what Im doing on a daily basis ANYWAY. Grazing, grazing, grazing, constantly on anything that's within my reach! So if I can't get the damn grazing under control, I need to fine tune WHAT I'm grazing on. This is my meal planner for today. I haven't figured out how to link my FitDay account to my profile, so I'll just recap it. 6:00 am Protein Shake 8:00 am Turkey-pepperoni pieces (17) 10:00 am Protein Shake 11:00 am Yogurt Fit n Light 1:00 am 4 oz roast beef, 3 slices swiss cheese, onions, mustard 1/2 cup Japanese cucumbers 2:00 am Protein Shake 4:00 am Turkey-pepperoni pieces (17) 6:00 am Steamed Lau-Lau (pork w/spinach wrapped in banana leaves) 1/2 cup white rice 1/2 cup Japanese cucumbers 8:00 am 6 crackers (Ritz lite) w/lite garlic cheese spread 9:00 am medium orange Additional free snacks at any time: cucumbers (raw/plain), celery, tomatoes, carrots, radishes! Ive already got them washed, peeled, bagged and ready to grab. Im not counting the calories in any of the free snacks, since the act of chewing pretty much zero's it out. I just want something there to keep me from succumbing to the voices in my head that say "its okay to snarf down the cake or cookies, cause it's lite or sugar free" ....aaaargh, oh and phooey! Calories are calories, too much of anything, even the healthy stuff (like protein), turns to fat. Anyway - with the food planner (above) that I just put in FitDay, this is the breakdown: Calories = 1405 Fat = 50 Carbs = 89 Protein = 143 (69 from shakes) Also, here is a really COOL Calorie Counter site [ http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/calories-goal.php ] that also predicts how many MAX calories you should be consuming to lose "x" amount of pounds in "x" amount of days. Based on this information and plugging in my stats (height, current weight, goal weight, age and exercise levels) it said by keeping my calories at 1456 a day, I'd be at goal (minus the damn 10 pounds) by the 1st of August. Well, that's my goal date and I plan on putting an "X" on my calendar every single day to scream my successes!!!!! I'm sick and damn tired of complaining about it, talking about it, stressing about it, grumbling about it, waking up in the middle of the night, etc (yes, it's gotten that bad) and still not making any REAL changes to correct it. It's also easier for me to just "accept it" when we (other long term weight loss surgery friends) get together as a collective group, in real space here in Virginia. We all tend to have empathy/sympathy for each other which then in turn makes it all more acceptable. Afterall, we're all in the same "bounce back boat". Unfortunately, all the conversations, sympathy and empathy isn't going to take MY pounds off. It's like I'm finding safety in numbers, since others understand, fear and experience the same issues with weight issues. Almost as if I'm giving myself 'passive' permission, of sorts, that it's okay to just keep bobbing along with this bounce. Well, as you can probably tell by the "tone" of my last few updates, Ive had it and I've put myself on NOTICE!!! Im fed up with myself and terrified, all wrapped up into one. I KNOW me and I know my ability for self destruction. I will eventually give up if I don't keep it within controllable levels NOW. Yep, there have been too many sleepless nights, lately, worrying and obsessing. One of my strengths in life is finances and budgeting. Not bragging, just facts, I'm better then most. I've been known to scare a penny into reproduction. Well, that's the aggressive way I'm going to start treating my BANK OF CALORIES!!! I'm a hell of a lot more important then money and yet I give my bills, cash flow, banking, 401's, annuities, etc. more consideration and effort towards success, than myself. Go figure! What I will be focusing on more then anything, is my daily credit allowance of 1400 calories, period! I want to train my brain to realize it's not an open calorie/cash flow. If I over spend in the real world, I'm over drawn. If I over eat and extend my calories, I'm over weight. I've been talking to myself ALL day - trying to go with the repetition aspect of it. Telling myself it's no different then walking into a restaurant with $14.00 cash and no available credit/debit cards. I wouldn't then look at the menu and order a $35.00 lobster. I have NO choice but to choose foods that fall within my calorie budget. I understand/accept when the entire 1400 is gone, so are my food choices for the day. :::::::::::::::::::: END OF UPDATE ::::::::::::::::::::::

It's a shame I can't be ADDICTED to "free snacks" (cukes, carrots, celery, etc) like I am to sugars and starch! Life would be freakn wonderful, I'd be forever thin and healthy, and my husband would'nt have to side step the WRATH OF LEI on an ongoing basis. Bless his heart, methinks he's looking forward to his next 6 month deployment! Love your new pic - too cute!!! (just like YOU!) Good luck with the new "budget"

Leilani, wow love it. I'm saving this post in my favorites, it opened my eyes. I wish you the best, thanks for sharing! Dana

Good Morning Toni! I'm Nancy and my surgery was June 1999! I was reading your concerns and believe me, I go through it even today - 7 years later. Binging and eating junk food is part of the reason we all got in this boat to begin with. We all need to realize that these same problems existed BEFORE the surgery too and that this surgery is not capable of taking away those "bad habits" we all still have. It's a "mental" thing as well as a physical thing. The new habit of "grazing" took the place of the way we used to eat, therefore we're eating the same calories - just in smaller, spread out portions. Our brains are VERY smart! Ha, ha. Anyway, at my lowest weight I had lost a little over 100 pounds and at my current weight, I am about 14 pounds up. Even though I knew I was going to gain SOME weight eventually and 14 pounds in 7 years is not too bad, I too was concerned. It's hard to loose any weight at 46 years old! I love that "calorie budget" theory someone suggested. That's a great analogy. It's basically what I also started doing about 6 weeks ago. However I had help incorporating it into my daily life. I would like to recommend the following to EVERYONE that's reading this... 1. Look into CURVES. I joined about six weeks ago and have taken off both inches and pounds since. Do you do ANY exercise? I absolutely did not! It will help! My body needed a "kick start" and that did the trick. It's actually fun, you meet a lot of great women and it's truly really a quick routine! If you can spare one hour; 2 or 3 times a week - check it out, you have nothing to loose, but weight and inches! 2. iVillage.com. It's a wonderful reference site. Click on Diet and Fitness. Actually, check out the entire site; it's GREAT! I use the several "calculators" they have available on there! Especially the calorie one. I can type in most anything and it calculates the protein, fat, carb., calorie, sodium, etc. in just one click. There's also a Daily Diet Diary. You can join it for free and it keeps track of your daily food intake (It totals it and everything for you!), water, vitamins, exercise, etc. I love it! Bottom line is this. It didn't take a few months for us to get to our original weight, it didn't take a few months to loose all of the weight we've lost so far, and no matter what, eventually... you, me, everyone that had this surgery - WILL GAIN SOME WEIGHT BACK! It's gonna take a jesture on our part (again) to get back on track. Just don't be afraid - it CAN be fixed. Just take one day at a time and good luck. Nancy : )