Question:
The last week has been emotionally difficult, and on top of that I was afraid I'd

stretched out my stomach. It seemed I could eat a lot of food. Then I thought about it, and I realized I've been grazing (like, not just keeping my meals 15-30 minutes long, but eating afterward). That panicked me. This is my first experience with emotional eating since surgery (I'm 10 months post-op). I think I've gained about two pounds this week, but am unsure (cruddy scale). I am down a total of 127 pounds (open RNY in May 2001), but would still like to lose another 65 or so. (I'll settle for 50.) I am freaking out over how I've eaten; it's too much like old times, you know? Does anyone have any suggestions? I think I'm going to try spending a day mainly on protein supplements and water. I did that once to break a plateau, and it worked and I never felt hungry. Please, any suggestions anyone has would be great. I get that panicky feeling: this surgery WON'T work for me, it'll be a failure like everything else I've tried. Thanks in advance for any advice!    — Mary Ellen W. (posted on March 23, 2002)

March 22, 2002
Mary Ellen, You've done a wonderful job this far with your weight loss. In old times, you wouldn't have noticed it like you did now... So you've made a terrific step there. Just get back to your "normal" routine of eatting.. I can't give you any advice outside of the usual get to a support group or counseling if you think you need it.. But just some words of encouragement. Good luck on those last pounds and the rest of your journey!
   — Elizabeth D.

March 23, 2002
As I'm sure you've heard a million times before, this surgery is on our stomaches, not our brains. I find the same emotional eating triggers rearing their ugly heads, but I have a tool to combat them now. Today, for example, I got a MAJOR chocolate craving driving home from a stressful day at work. So I pulled over at the grocery store, bought myself a "Chunky" and started eating. Stupid, I know!!! I have lost 171 lbs., what am I doing??? But after I swallowed the first bite, I got that familiar sick feeling in my stomach. I was dumping. Not bad, but enough to put my candy bar away and start thinking of other ways to calm myself down. No, I'm not perfect, but I am trying ... hard ... everyday. And I will continue trying hard for the rest of my life. Each day is a series of decisions, and some of them I really blow (like today). Other times, I make great, healthy decisions. Guess I'm human. I know you are too, and don't worry - as long as you're doing your best to cooperate with this surgery, it will work for you, I PROMISE!!!
   — Terissa R.

March 26, 2002
Mary Ellen, What an impressive job you've done. Down 127#! I'm new at this (open rny- 1/17/02) and have but a mere 35 down compared to you but see all that you've accomplished!? I know we all react to those speeed bumps in our journey and it's how you learn from taking those bumps that you grow. YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE MARY ELLEN! See how far you've come since this past May. I'll even bet that when you started out you couldn't half imagine being down as much as you have weight wise. Maybe try abit of prayer...go see a comedy or rent a video or DVD and take your mind away from your troubles. I'm sure you have a great close friend you can confide in and will lend you a shoulder and a couple of ears. In fact this site was a great idea to reach out to. Even though I'm so new with this the posts that I'v read concerning "stretching" yuor pouch...it seems that it takes alot more than just one time of overeating to do it. Many hugs to you, Mary Ellen, Write if you need to... P.S. We al have felt like a failure in our past diet lives. This is what you make of it...make the most of it! YOU CAN DO IT!
   — laurie W.

March 26, 2002
Hi Mary Ellen. First of all let me say that anyone with the courage and determination to even have WLS could never be a failure. Second, the fact that you've lost 127 pounds only reinforces the fact that you are, in no way, a failure. When I feel that I've had a "bad" eating day I always sit at the table and write down everything I ate and guesstimate the calories. On my very worst day since WLS (17 months ago) I ate less than 2200 calories. A normal, average person consumes between 1800 and 2200 calories per day. So I had a "high normal" kind of day!! Who cares? I normally eat less than 1500 calories a day so one messed up day won't ruin it for me. If you don't trust your scales then give yourself the benefit of the doubt. Did you know that it takes 3500 EXTRA calories to gain a pound? That means we would really have to participate in some serious grazing to permanently gain weight. I can't imagine how I could even hold enough to get 3500 extra calories. I'm sure it's the same for you. I'm so proud of your accomplishments and you should be too. We have to be mindful of the things we eat but a bad day here and there won't undermine your overall success. I've learned to lower my standards a bit when it comes to eating candy. Prior to WLS I was a chocolate nut. Now, I find I enjoy atomic fireballs, small jawbreakers, lemonheads, gobstoppers, etc. They're not high in calories or sugar and they're long lasting. Usually by the time I've finished one I've gotten over that candy craving. Here's another trick (hey, don't knock it till you've tried it) - I take some All-Bran cereal and put it in a zip loc bag. Sprinkle it with a bit of Splenda and Cinnamon and then let it sit in the bag for a couple of days to sort of absorb the sweetness and flavor. The All-Bran is a tremendous aid for digestion, it satisfies that urge to crunch, has very few calories and once you doctor it up it tastes great. Honey, you're already a WLS success story and there are thousands of people here who are so proud of you. Don't let this bad day discourage you. Allow it to be a learning experience for the next one - we all have them. And, like the previous poster said, give prayer a try - it works! Keep up the good work!!
   — ronascott