wow moment - chat tonight

I just left chat, what a lively group tonight, counted 12 at the high room count, althouth there were more folks that popped in and out.  I am proud to be a member of such a supportive group.  Wonderful questions and answers shared.  Wow, we did not get trapped on the topic of food.  Antidepressants, exercise, fluids all good things to learn more about.  Antidepressants are needed by many.  It is not a shame to need a medication to help balance an chemical imbalance that is happening in the brain.  Depression is a chemical imbalance.  I found out that as a group we are pharmacy (med) balanced. 

We shared goals for the week.  Everyone had a good goal.  Possible to attain.  Keep your mind on the result and we will succeed.  I plan to use the Wii twice this week.  What goals do you have for the next week?

 I am so sorry I did  not make chat. I had a rough night last night so I accidentally   And when I woke up it was toooo late. I was like   When i looked at the clock!  Some days I wonder if i am ever going to feel rested up again! Sleep has been totally mesed up since my strep throat and i cannot get on a normal schedule again for the life of me, even without a nap.
Please forgive my absence!

Just this once, lol.  Yes, you are forgiven.  Glad you did get some rest.  I do enjoy the chat sessions where the topics flow freely.  Had one of those last night.  Hugs

my goal for this week is to walk more. And to get my head and body feeling better. 
I enjoyed the cahat tonight too.
 Patrece hope you get rested soon.

 I enjoyed my first chat with the group tonight.  Sorry you missed it Patrice.  Hope you are feeling better.

My goal is to complete the first week of my 8-week walk/jog (learn to run) program.

Tonight was my first chat.  It was wonderful!  I'm so grateful you started this group. 

Michelle

I wanted to come to the chat last night but fell asleep in my chair waiting for it to start! LOL I guess my days (nights) of 3 am chats are over :(
My goal this week is to cut down on snacking and focus on eating better, more balanced meals. I feel my "grazer" self raising up her ugly little head lately as I've been eating more in total calories from snacks than from the regular meals. Overall, my daiy calories never exceed 1000, but snacking could mean my downfall.

Amalia... Yes it can and likely will. So.. lets help you through this. What is going on when you feel the urge to snack? Are you bored? Lonely? stressed? just don't know why? Are you truly hungry but choosing the wrong things maybe?
If we start by pinpointing the why, then we can do some strategic planning to put the brakes on it. One thing that may help to, is to think back to not so lon ago, when you wanted this surgery so bad, and how hopeful you felt, and also remembering you did not go though all of this to regain later, or to not lose what you need or want to lose, and remind yourself of this before you put those extras in your body. You may need more protein too. Do you know how much you are getting?
Hugs and love
Patrece

The problem is that 2-3 hours after a meal, I get hungry again. My snacks are planned for those times and until recently they consisted of a bit of cheese with a cracker or a protein drink, but recently I've been expanding on this and adding some nuts or some ham or whatever. I try to keep up with the protein requirements but I rarely succeed since I really hate protein drinks and the liquid diet last month made me hate them even more.
I do remember how badly I wanted the surgery and how sick I was of not being able to control my eating. My present snacking has nothing to do with my pre-op snacking, which may have included a couple of bags of chips and a piece of cake or a large chocolate bar. I'm nowhere near that, it's the idea that I may return to that which scares me.

Ahhh Ok I see. Have you spoken to yur surgeon or nutritionist at all about this? They may have some helpful ideas for you.
Many weight loss "experts" believe that having 4 to 5 small meals a day is more effective than eating 3 times a day. The theory is that it tells the body there is a constant food supply, so it doesn't have to hang on to anything, or go into starvation mode in order to "protect" its self from lack of food.
If I feel hungry, I eat something low cal and healthy. I have noticed that if I do the 3 meals and 2 small healthy snacks that I rarely get to where I am "hungry" and I tend to feel better too. I believe that if we structure these meals and snacks and are careful about the carb and fat and calorie content, we can be very successful. Many wls patients are using this method. My biggest struggle is I am not a morning eater, so I have to make myself eat in the morning anyways.. That can be hard to do sometimes. But I try to do so, as it is also believed that by eating within 30 minutes of waking up, it rev's your metabolism for the day.