Old timer needs major help

I'm over 3 years post op and gave birth to a baby boy May 25,06. 3 weeks after baby was born i went on the evil depo shot and gained 30 pounds in 4 months and the scale keeps going up i have gained 50 total in 5 months not counting what i gained after my divorce I am however remarried now I am asking what the heck can i do? Basic is all everyone says i go back to this and I starve i feel like i am not getting full and i have no insurance. Anyone of a meal plan or something i could maybe try I confess I craved things that I shouldnt have ate while prego and now there demons to me but for the love of god i cant seem to let them go. I have a little boy that needs me and i dont want to be 319 again. Please i am asking for your help and support no flames please Any meal plans and the basic list would help

I don't know if this will help, but after reading this book, I've managed to lose about 15 pounds over the last couple of months. The book is "Am I Hungry?" by Michelle May, MD. You can get it from Amazon. com for about $14.00. Sue

I know how you are feeling! I gave birth on March 16 of 2004. I am eating alot and gained alot after my divorce too. I too am remarried to a wonderful husband and have no reason in the world to be doing all this emotional eating. Maybe we can be a support to each other. I just posted for the first time in months and have gained a ton since then. I'm watching the biggest loser and this is depressing me more. Shelly

Dr. Chebli was my surgeon. Unfortunately he moved a month after my surgery. Sounds like he is taking good care of you. His former associate here takes great care of my husband and I so we are in good hands. K

I can sooo feel your pain. I am up 30lbs from my lowest weight all because I give in to my cravings!! I have put off having kids because I am scared to death to gain more weight. I tried and tried to go "Back to Basics" but I do not believe it is any easier after WLS. The last 3 days I have done really well, basically just eating protein and shakes. I had to think about where I was before and how happy I was at my goal weight. What I really need to do is get to the gym. Just wanted to tell you that I am here if you want some support cause I know I could use a weight loss buddy!!!

I eat 6-7 times a day.... every 3 hours or so. Keeps my blood sugars level and I do not get to the over hungry point where it can cause trouble. I start with an early morning protein shake. Have breakfast a few hours later. Then lunch. Mid-afternoon another protein shake. Dinner after that and a protein shake later in the evening. So I basically do 3 protein shakes and 3 meals. Once in a while I throw in a slice of cheese as a snack if I need it. I make my protein shakes w/ water not milk to keep the cals and sugars (lactose). For meals, I have proteins first and vegies/fruit. Usually breakfast is something like deli meat/cheese and half an apple or some strawberries or melon. Lunch is chicken/tuna salad w/ some salad greens or sliced cucumbers. Dinner is a piece of chicken or fish with green beans and part of a baked sweet potato. Exercise is really important too. If you only have 15 minutes here or there... do it. It all adds up and it all counts. At times when I wasn't doing gym exercise, I'd walk laps in the parking lot at lunch or walk the stairs. Be sure to keep well hydrated and yes - take your vitamins. Best wishes, Kathy

Hi Nate's Mommy - I pasting in information I just put in another post - perhaps you will find this idea helpful. Good luck battling your demons - I'm only a year out, but am in a similar boat. I call it the "calorie creep" - you eat a little more one day, then a little more than that the next day, then you start eating more carbs, then you start eating more snacks, and before you know it you're eating 2,000 calories a day. And although I haven't gained any weight back yet, I also haven't lost anything in about 6-8 weeks. So I'm trying a couple things. First, I still keep track of what I eat every day and I weigh myself every morning. Tracking my food (calories, protein, fat, carbs, etc.) and exercise helps me see how my food intake affects my weight over time. For me, if I wanted to stay at 230 pounds, I could eat around 2,000 calories per day. But I want to get to 165-175 pounds, so I need to cut out some calories. Second, I'm going to try eating 5 small meals (200 calories average for each mini-meal) throughout the day, then eating about 300-400 calories at dinner, with most of the dinner calories coming from protein. I tend to eat more when I allow myself to get over-hungry, so I'm hoping that eating 5 small meals will keep both my real hunger and my head hunger in check. Some of my mini-meals are things like: * small Wendy's chili * Campbell's Healthy Request soups (check protein, carbs, fats, etc.) * apple or pear w/ 1-2 pieces of string cheese * 2 hard-boiled eggs * venti non-fat latte from Starbucks * 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese w/ splenda and 2 tbsp. sugarfree jam * 8 oz. low-sugar yogurt with flaxseed meal * 3-4 slices low-fat turkey w/ 1 oz. low-fat cheese * lean cuisine frozen dinner (sometimes closer to 250 calories) * baked/roasted chicken breast w/ salad or steamed veggies * 1 ounce roasted almonds or walnuts (satisfies need for something salty & crunchy) Anyway, I hope this is helpful to you. Good luck getting things under control; amazing how easy it is to slip back into old habits, isn't it? I keep reminding myself that I didn't go through a major surgery and a year of hard work to let it slip now. May we both find the strength and willpower to steer our boats back on course. Kellie Lap RNY 10/25/2005 396/230/165?

Talk to your doctor and perhaps an IUD would be a better form of birth control for you. I believe that if you could get off the deprovera and return to a 1200 calorie diet, high in protein and low in fat, you would be successful in losing the weight. Be sure to increase your protein and water intake levels, and up your exercise. The tool you have is with you for life and getting back on track, although not easy, is doable. Best wishes, Karen G

"Basic is all everyone says i go back to this and I starve i feel like i am not getting full " 1) Is full what you really want? Satisfied is better. Most of us (me in particular) got fat and stayed that way by seeking to be "full" all the time. 2) If you feel starving, you are going back too far to basics There is such a thing as eating too little calories or doing it too drastically. Sit down and track what you are eating now. Then figure out your maintenence level (in terms of calories) Back off your intake to 300 calories under your maintence. 3) Eat 6 times a day. 4) Between #2 and #3, you should take care of feeling 'starving'. The rest is up to you. 5) Excersise. 50lbs is 'doable'. Be realistic about it. You won't do the 10lb weeks anymore..2lbs a week is a more reasonable goal. You put 50lbs on in 6 months, it is fair and right that it should take 6 months to take it off. Good luck!