good morning everyone

good morning everyone ... so far today the pain seems back to normal which leads me to think that for me.. i overdid the day before as ive been trying to walk farther every day and on thurs i had walked already but got upset about something and really really wanted to eat for comfort... so instead i went to the gym and walked another mile so i think that was why i was so sore... it reminded me im not as healed as i thought ... today im going to weigh myself... why does that make me so anxious still?? im so scared im not losing.. even though friends say they can see a diff and ive noticed a few changes too ..

thank you guys for the responses in kathys thread last night.. its really good to know i have a place i can come with my doubts n questions   .. smiles

belinda

  Good morning to you Belinda, This is my first name also. Nice to run into another Belinda here.
 I am still pre-op but hopefully not for long. Dont overdo yourself, if you need comfort come here to the group and we will console you all we can,  
Congrats on doing so well after surgery.
If you need anything post away.
Good morning to everyone else this morning too. 
          Hope everyone and Belinda has a great day! 
                                                                                                                       
 

hey belinda, hope u are feeling better this am.  take it easy today, give urself a chance to heal. don't pick up heavy stuff, i think they limit the amount of weight u can pick up at first. what weight did ur doc give u?  i bet u are scared/excited to weigh. i think you will be pleasantly surprised.  be good to yourself today. vick

hey its me again.. feeling a little bummed out cuz i only lost 3.5 this week... is that a normal amount? just seems small after that first weighin..  well all i can do is keep doing what im supposed to right?   smiles   hope everyones day is going well or will go well as its still early

amina, 3.5 pounds in a week is reasonable. that is 14 pounds in 4 weeks.  you will have times when u won't lose any and then all of a sudden u will drop 5 pounds in a day. it is really weird.  i know when i got further out, about 6 months, it was important that i increased the amount i ate.  if u go into starvation mode, then your body hangs onto the fat thinking it needs to for survival.  right now, just keep doing what u are doing at it will all average out.  good luck and don't be disappointed.  hugs, vick

Belinda...just remember we all lose weight at our own rate and in our own ways. 3.5 lbs is nothing to sneeze at! Also remember, you are very early post-op and still have lots of healing to do, and the fluids are probably still hanging around a bit. Some of us will lose 3.5 a week for months. Others may lose 6 lbs or 10 lbs a week for 2 or 3 weeks, but then stall out for 2 or 3 weeks and lose nothing. Thats how it went for me early on. Now thats frustrating! And scarey.

The fear comes from fear of failing at losing the weight yet again. I think most all of us suffer from that fear. But let go of it. Here's the trick. You just have to remember you WILL lose it. It will happen in your own unique way. The only people who fail at this are those who DO NOT follow the rules, and even they do well for a while. Enjoy your journey and remember it will be all your own in many ways, and similar to everyone elses in other ways. It is definately up to you to make sure you get the long term success you want. But early on...as in now, is the time to ensure that when the rapid loss ends, you will not regain. You are going to do fine. Just let your body do its thing in its way and relax. I promise you will do okay if you are compliant.

Now.. some things that will slow loss early on are:
1. You must get in at least 64 oz of sugar free fluids daily ...water is best as it is what flushes the lipids (fats) out of your body.  Also if you do not get in enough, your body will hang to to every bit of water it can out of fear of dehydration. So as you lose fat, you can gain water weight if you don't get enough in.
2. Be sure to get plenty of protein in. Maybe try an extra shake each day. Protein consumption will help raise your metabolism and increase the rate of fat burning. Also, it helps ensure you are losing fat and not muscle, which we do not want to lose. The more lean muscle we have the faster we burn fat. It is always helpful to have a source of protein after exercise, as that will prolong the fat burning time from that activity too. Try a SF drink with protein in it after exercise.
3. Make sure you are MEASURING your intake and eating only what you are supposed to be eating per meal.

Use this time to develop all of the healthy lifestyle changes you will need to ensure long term success. This is the easiest and best time to get that all in place, to prevent regain later.

Remember we are here for you, and you are loved and cared for. Lean on us when you need comfort. You can even call me or PM me when or if you could use some extra support. PM me for my phone number if you'd like it.
You made a wonderful and intellegent choice of turning to something other than food for the comfort you needed! I am very proud of you, I know this is a hard habit to break. You are going to do just fine! Just reach out always when you need help getting through.

Hugs!
Patrece

vicky and patrece thank you so much for your words of encouragement -- i have been having a hard time getting in all my water the protien i think im doing ok but will up my efforts with the water


patrece you are so right about the fear of failing again... i am struggling with that but i wont give up and ill keep doing what im supposed to

thank you both so much

You are welcome Belinda. It is very normal for us to have that fear. How many times have we tried just to fail again. But this time its different. We have a wonderful tool (our pouch) and a wonderful group of folks to support us, encourage us, and even give a little kick in the behind to us when we need it. How kewl is this!!!
You are going to be fine. You really and truly are! If you find you struggle too much with the emotional aspect of eating, try a good counselor or a good bariatric coach. I happen to know one of those *wink*.
But like I said, don't let fear eat you up. enjoy this journey. as long as you do what you are supposed to do, you have nothing to fear my friend.

Please do work on the water / liquid intake. That could be holding you back. Even if you have to get SF popsicles and eat 5 of them a day in between whatever else you are drinking. That will help alot with fluid intake. I lived on those babies the first month or so after my surgery, as water made me nausiated.

ok i will try to eat more of the popsicles as well as drinking and i got a new water bottle today  i know thats somewhat psychological but maybe it will help .. smiles  am feeling better about todays weigh in now  thanks again

Good afternoon Belinda, Good you are doing better this am.  I just got back from looking at support undergarments.  Hoping that helps me too.  We will get through this together.  Hugs, Kathy