Question:
i am 21 months out and have lost 150 lbs. I notice now that i have no

control on when i ea or what i eat. That realy scares me its like i have to have something in my mouth at all times even if i dont feel good after eating something i feel the need to eat somethings else. What is my problem Can anyone help me.    — icannie (posted on January 26, 2004)

January 26, 2004
What you are going through is called emitional eating. RUN to support group meetings or go back and visit the psychologist you saw for you psch evalv. Good Luck !
   — Valerie Renee

January 26, 2004
I expirienced this, starting at about 18-19 months post. What I do is literally write out a schedule, and plan a dozan little lower sugar mini meals all day long. It sounds tedious, but I'm tricking the fat girl in me, into satisfaction. It's working for the most part. It *can* be tedious, at least in the beginning..but I am getting used to it now at 30 months post. Don't get me wrong, I go on an all out binger a few times a month, but they are getting fewer and further between, and getting under control a lot quicker. I keep detailed food logs....even when I've been out of control. I pay real close attention to what triggers the binges and uncontrolled eating. It amazes me what I have learned. Not only do bad things trigger it, but some really happy things do as well. Now that I know that, I can plan and usually have an alternative food choice around to trick the fat girl. Sugar begets sugar. If I eat a decadent dessert, I hit the sugar hard for a few days...I do dump, but nothing I can't live through...my sugar also drops (reactive hypoglycemia post RNY) but it only slows me down a little bit when I'm in "zombie, eat everything insight O'BEAST mode". I do eat sweets, but they have to be very small portions or low sugar/carb..(McDonald's Cone, is my FAVORITE indulgent treat...make sure they make it small though...). My best advice is to pay real close attention to what you're eating and why (because it tastes good, is NOT a reason....there is much more to it). Eat small amounts of foods you like...but in reasonable portions....PROMISE yourself that you can have more later, it's not going to disappear. Make yourself hold out until your next scheduled meal...Water loading really does knock the edge off of hunger, when you have fifteen or twenty minutes until your next meal (next feeding as I call it). I could preach high protein, lots of water, and all the other good stuff...but I don't always practice what I preach. I do try to shoot for foods higher in protein...in honesty, my most easily tolerated food is peanut butter crackers...the pre-packaged kind... Not the greatest, but it controls my sugar levels, and is enough volume to make me feel satisfied. Although at this point, if I wanted to I could eat 3-4 packs...and have :) Also, if you do "pig out" say OK, that's that, I've done it, now it's time to move on...and the next day eat a reasonable amount of food....don't punish yourself by eating a tiny bit of yucky diet food...But do try to make conscientious lower calorie/fat/carb (whatever your preference is) choices the next day.I've had roller coaster weeks where I've been out of control half the week and in control the other half....but it's better than being out of control 100% like I was before loosing all this weight. Like I said though, I'm staying in control for longer periods of time, and recovering a lot quicker. Obesity is a disease, like diabetes and alcoholism, and takes diligence, and serious effort. Some folks are going to loose all their weight and turn magically into thinking thin...I'm not one of them. It's going to take a LOT of work to keep this weight off...but God knows I'm going to try my best, because I know this surgery is my only chance of not being fat anymore. I'm long winded. Sorry, but posting is also thearapy for me. It was this time last year, being snowed in (as I was today), that I found I could eat and eat and EAT...so I'm keeping myself submerged in weightloss magazines, websites, etc to keep me out of the FRIDGE...Best wishes! -Kim open RNY 7/17/01 282/138/125
   — KimBo36

January 26, 2004
Kimberly, I just wanted to thank you for your great post! So nice to hear such honesty and an open minded attitude. I am only 8 months out, but in the last month since I hit my original goal, I have had days where I felt out of control and have overeaten. Like you said, I make the next day or two extra good and have managed to drop about 3.5 pounds this month, but it is disheartening. I guess I hoped to be one of the magical ones, but like you said, it's a disease. Thanks for the encouragement and honesty! :)
   — Rachael B.

January 26, 2004
i can totally relate.. it sems i need something to eat at all times.. it is very hard.. what saves me is sunflower seeds and sugar free pops..i serioulsy eat those alot.. i love food i always will.. and i am going through what your going through.. your not alone.. just keep on top of this.. when you see the scale go up hopefully it will snap you back into reality... youll be ok.. the beggingin is knowing your problem.. you do.. youll survive!!!!! ~erinn open rny 11-07-02, 389/180/150
   — Erinn M.

January 27, 2004
Its the emotions. You feel anxiety and perhaps guilt when you eat something you know you shouldn't, so you eat more to try to make you feel better, but it only makes you feel worse, etc, etc. Reminds me of my pre-op days. To get a handle on emotional eating, try writing down what you are feeling when you do this. I'd also suggest seeing a therapist. They can be very helpful at getting to the route of why your eating this way and how to turn it around. It is a matter of control and you need to learn how to regain that control in your life. Have you also tried sugar free gum, or a hot drink? Sometimes finding something to do with your hands works. I enjoy large crossword puzzles (Star Magazine has my favorite one) and if I have the pen in my hand, I can't have food in my hands! Other hand activities, knitting-crocheting..and if its a matter of getting the junk out of the house, do it. Also, if its a matter of getting you out of the house, consider joining a gym if you don't already belong and going for a workout instead of grazing. You'll feel better-less anxious- after a workout, and more in control. Remember we had surgery on our stomachs and not the brain. We're trying to change a lifetime of bad habits and learned habits. Go easy on yourself and do what it takes to take care of you. You've done awesome in 21 months...
   — Cindy R.

January 27, 2004
Boy, there's nothing worse than feeling *out of control*. I'm almost 20 months post-op. Generally, I've had mostly good post-op days, with a few overindulgences here and there, but I finally had a full-out, out-of-control and can't-stop-myself kinda bender after the holidays. For *weeks*. It took the Infamous Three-Day Protein Shake/Feast to get me out of it, during which time I had plenty of time to reflect on how I had suddenly turned into my pre-op self all over again, for real.<P>I don't know if you're at that point, but I highly recommend the three-day protein-loading detox program. I'd read about it in other places, was glad to have it as a crutch when it happened to me. To do it, I had unlimited protein shakes during that period, and only protein foods, and lots of water. Not to lose weight, but to regain the food control that I had utterly lost by going mad with chocolate over the holidays (bags of Hershey's kisses ... at least one a day ... and I don't dump, so sky's the limit).<P>Now's the time to find your way back to control, by whatever means (I see many great suggestions from other posters below). Otherwise, it's bad to the bad old pre-op days of frustration and fear. ***UGH!***
   — Suzy C.