My conclusion on Time Out and a discussion hopefully!

Wow. I feel your pain. There seems to be no balance for me when it comes to eating. I can go days without food or days binging. There really seems to be no "food for fuel" days the way it's "supposed" to be. Food is a drug for me. I know that needs to change, but I"m not sure how. Right now, I'm struggling through my first day of this time out thing. I am going to do this because I must. I need so badly to get control over this. But, how? I'm not sure. I guess this was a vent, too. :) But, regardless, you're not alone. So many of us on here deal with this and that's why we got where we got in the first place. Good luck to you.  ~peace

Saw my surgeon yestday and told him about the Time Out Plan and he felt this was a great idea. In fact he recommends to his patient if they have a weight gain to go on liquids and then slowly add food .    He said you need to listen to your body.    I asked him if we can actually shrink the pouch back to the size it was,   he said there is no actual proof of this but he said it is a muscle and like our muscles if we do not exercise they become weak and flabby.  When we work-out our muscles become tone.  So he said if you continue to overstuff yourself you can stretch the pouch, but not much,  if you only give it little food it could possibly get a little smaller.   The bottom line it is a tool that we need to learn to use in a proper way. Dense Proteins and Vegs this will fill it up quicker.  He said  would you use a chain saw without proper safety gear!.   He is funny. Laura

I haven't tried the time out, but I need to.  You talking about the all or nothing way of doing things reminded me of something that keeps coming up on FLYlady.com.  You see the Flylady teaches baby steps to consistancy in keeping order in our house.  She says what holds most people back is perfectionism.  This sounds a bit like you.  If you don't moderate, you go all the other way.  It is feast or famine in all aspects of your life.  I am going to think about how this is holding me back in many aspects of my life.  Thanks for giving me so much to think about.  Good luck, Loris

Dear Molly WOW, I can't belive you were also writing about me!  Just as everyone else also responded I fit into each and every post on this thread!  I thought I was the only one with shopping and spending addiction issues.  I am really trying though.  As far as the Time Out Program goes, I am doing it in moderation.  I do the nectar shake for breakfast, a protein pudding for morning snack, a small salad with a piece of chicken for lunch, and a small sensible dinner as well as Crystal light all day in between.  I did manage to lose 6 pounds and I am going to try to lose another 10.  It may take me longer but I know that now I am making "HEALTHY CHOICES" and thinking first about what goes in my mouth.  This is what is important with any Time Out program we choose to do as an individual.  The main thing is as long as we don't continue to gain but get a grip on our own bodies and be accountable to ourselves.   Thanks everyone for allowing me to see that I am not a sick, over obsessed person but rather normal for all we have been through physically and mentally.  We just need to redirect our physical and mental patterns to a place that we have yet  to find a balanced medium.  I hope I make sence!