To those struggling with weight gain and snacking

I know just how you feel. My snacking started back a few months ago. It scared me enough to go see a psychologist. I'm lucky to have one in the area that specializes in weight issues. He works with many in my bariatric support group. He had me start journaling my food and things got better and my weight dropped back the few pounds I'd gained. If you're honest with yourself, it makes you think before you eat -- do you really want to write all that down and have to face what you are doing to yourself??? I'm in peri-menopause and hadn't had a period for 6 months. Then after Christmas, I got the one from hell. And with it came horrible cravings and hormonal water weight. I gained 15 pounds over 2 weeks. Because I'd been eating like there was no tomorrow, I didin't know how much was water and how much was actual weight gain. And this threw me into a mental tizzy. Those old feelings returned and not only did I feel fat, I felt like a failure. And then I wanted to eat more to make myself feel better. And again, hormones probably play into these feelings. I knew I had to do something or I'd ruin all that I had accomplish. Then I saw this diet in First magazine (Jan 9 issue) -- Lose 9 lbs in 72 hours. So I tried it. I'm on my 3rd day now and have lost 14 lbs (so yes most of it was water weight). Hopefully I'll be down the other pound by tomorrow. I modified it to make it healthier for me. On the second & third days, I added a shake in the morning so that I would still get a full day of protein. By most diet standards, this one is pretty healthy -- Protein and fruit. And I really haven't minded doing it. It only lasts 3 days. And it can be repeated weekly if I need it again. But more importantly, now I know that I can pull myself up by the bootstraps when I need it and not fall into the same old habits of gaining, getting depressed, and gaining more and more. It has given me a mental boost that I badly needed. The excess weight may be gone, but the mental baggage/garbage is still there. {Sigh} So if you have fallen into the gaining trap, go back to the basics or find a healthy diet you can follow a few days. Just losing a few pounds may give you the mental boost to go on and lose what you've gained. Just take it one day at a time. If you fall off the wagon, pick yourself up and start over. Last night I broke down and ate some whole grain bread (not on the diet). Today I'm back on track. It's a bit disheartening that I couldn't stay on it 2 full days without falling off, but at least I fell off with something healthy. So there is some positive in my fall. And going to the gym regularly also helps me stay on track. Good luck with taming your demons... You CAN do it! Deb

Deb , what is the diet you spoke of " LOSE in 72 hours " that you saw in the magazine. WHat did you eat , how much etc .. I NEED A BOOST .. Thanks so much . Shirl

Thanks Deb! You give me hope too. I have been "pretty good" over the past few days, yet seem to find the time to exercise and it all seems to fall apart in the evenings as well. Hadn't thought about a psychiatrist either. I have admitted to myself that I do have an eating disorder. That's a start. I'd love to know the gist of the 72 hour diet. Thanks!

Such a wonderful post Happy Loser. It can get harder as we get further from our surgery. There is never harm in talking to a professional to gain some insight into what makes us tick. I too saw the diet mentioned in First magazine and thought it sounded pretty level. Take care, good luck, Traci 303/131

OK girl. You have to give us this 72 hour diet. It is so scary when we start to gain even a couple of pounds. All those old feeling come back along with the fear that we might go back to where we were before the surgery. I find that I can eat pretty much anything. I just can't eat as much of it. But the fact that I can now eat those "forbidden" foods without much in the way of consequences is frightening. I set my alarm for 5:15 AM every morning and get to the gym by 5:30. That helps me get the day off to a good start. Thanks for the support. Charlie

Deb, Its good you found something you can live with and I am really happy for you. Me I am trying to change that diet talk in my head. I need to know I have to eat to live and not eat too much. I want to make it a lifestyle for me not jump on the diet band wagon for the loss high! Nothing wrong with it I do like the scale going downward! Doing the plateau buster just plain confused me. I mean when I did this surgery decision of mine I said it was for a lifetime committment. I must change to reflect this committment. Its really mental for me I guess. I can't hang on to the old diet talk anymore. It didn't work for me before.

Thank you for your reply to this post! I was thinking along the same lines but could not create a diplomatic balance between my feelings and my words. You said it for me. Thanks again, Karen

Maybe "eating to live and not eating too much" works for your homones, but it never has for mine. My doctor told ME I can't control that and I just have to find a way to live with it -- it's just how my body responds. Hormonal water weight gain is mostly (maybe all) why I gained the weight and why it's coming off so fast. I could have waited the 2 weeks for it to come off naturally and been miserable in my clothes and in my head, but I chose to fix it faster. And since this is a healthy way to diet, I won't hesitate to do it again when the need arises. Deb

Of course the best thing any of us can do is what works best for us, no matter the humble opinions of others. I guess what sends up a red flag for me is the whole diet thing...but you have a clear purpose, mostly psychological well being in mind...I would not dare to tread on that! So keep on keeping on. Best of luck and continued success. Karen

It's 4 pages in the magazine, so you'll have to buy it to read the whole article. But here's the high level version: Day 1 8am, 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm Drink a protein shake (1 scoop of whey with 8 oz of water). Choose a formula free of added carbs and artificial sweeteners. Also drink 8 oz of water to flush glycogen metabolites through the kidneys. 6pm 6 cups raw-veggie salad topped with 6 oz lean protein (chicken, fish, turkey or beef) or 4 egg whites; ½ avocado or 2 Tbs olive or flaxseed oil and juice of ½ lemon or lime Days 2 & 3 8am, 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm Upon rising and every 2 hours thereafter until dinner, eat one serving of fresh fruit. Choose any fruit, but avoid juices and canned varieties since the processing destroys almost 100 percent of the fruit's natural enzymes. The active enzymes flush toxins. Example of a serving: 2 cups fruit medley or melon mix 1 medium banana 1 cup grapes 1 apple with 1 cup blueberries 6pm 6 cups raw-veggie salad topped with ½ avocado or 2 Tbs olive or flaxseed oil and juice of ½ lemon or lime; 1 protein shake. Take the rest of the week off. If necessary repeat once a week.