Blackstuff77

I had my surgery 3 months ago and I have only lost 40 lbs. I am still hungry all the time as my hunger hormones never subsided. I feel like a failure. Has anyone else gone through this? I am sobbing as I am writing this as I feel completely hopeless.

Glad the bad day is over. I also wanted to add that it is a tool, but nobody said you had to eat only grilled fish and kale for the rest of your life. I ate half a hamburger last night. Typically not something I eat, but it was 98* and we had a softball game to get to. That's what I made for dinner and I was too hot to make myself something different. I do not feel bad about it, and it was still on ym diet plan for the day. I don't think a hand full of goldfish is gonna be the end all. It's more likely the grazing habit that will hurt you. You recognized it and changed it immediately. Well done.

I've had some bad days too. I read someone else's post that said there's no expiration on your sleeve, so I figure tomorrow's a new day!

Nutritionist = NUT. Learning the lingo is half the fun at this forum. Welcome !!!

I think this is all part of the learning experience.Today you will go back on plan..its ok.
It is part of the practicing to become normal.The time between lapses becomes longer as LONG AS YOU ARE NOT TO HARD ON YOURSELF.We can become very defeated if we dont cut ourselves some slack when we have had a terrible day.In turn the failur you feel becomes the excuse to do it again usually because we still believe eating makes us feel better.
We know we can eat junk,we choose not to.
Its done.Its a new day.dont dwell on yesterday,just learn from it and let it go.
It does get easier.
xxo

The best thing about failures is that you learn from them. Don't beat yourself up too much over this. Ask yourself what happened to cause this one time for you. Look at the trigger(s) that set it off if there are any.
The best way to not let something happen is to learn from it and not repeat.
I'm sure you'll be fine!
Eric

And more than that.We do have "hungry" days.You learn to deal with that by eating more healthy Proteins when you want to eat.Smaller,tastier portions.Food that does satisfy the mind in quality rather than quantity.
You'll be just fine.
xxo

It happens to everyone, you did not fail. The best thing about the sleeve is that it is really easy to get back on track. Today is a new day, so forget about yesterday and start fresh!
I had a stint about 8 months after my sleeve that I really started slipping. One morning I woke up and had an epiphany...did I really spend all this money, fly to Mexico alone and have 80% of my stomach removed to fall back into old habits and let myself down! After that day, I started exercising more and making better food choices. Now, 18 months post op, I do have bad days, but the next day I just get back into my routine. And I also allow myself treats here and there without beating myself about.
It is never too late to start over! And unlike the past where we would gain 20, 30, or 50lbs if we fell off the wagon, with the sleeve, you either don't gain, or you only gain a small amount and it is much easier to get rid of! Don't be so hard on yourself. It is that cycle of shame and guilt that will get you spiraling downward.

What everyone has said is correct. In the scheme of things, not that going off plan is good- but think about what you might have eaten on a "bad day" pre-surgery? Might it have more likely included Cookies, chocolate, pizza, ice cream, etc?
Focus on this being a new day. Remind yourself you are in the honeymoon phase and that you want to make the most out of this. You can do this!

Keep doing the right things and you will continue to lose. Your excess weight hasn't read the packet, so it doesn't have to follow that guideline. I have lost 100% of my excess weight, so there is no rule there.
BTW, on mobile devices, if you tap on the heading of your post, a pop-up menu will come up and you can select Edit to adjust your post.

Drinking more when I feel I am hungry is a very good idea. I will be trying to drink more tomorrow! Great idea

Mama, I am sorry you had that experience. That is rude, obnoxious and ignorant. Clearly, that person does not realize that Medical Tourism to Mexico is nothing new. Nor does s/he realize that Mexico has some of the leading physicians in terms of bariatric care.
I don't think you need to justify your reasons for going to Mexico. I have read the posts of a couple of people who were approved by their insurance and still decided to go to Mexico because they felt great about the doctors there. Whether you did it because of finances or simply because you are Enlightened enough to know that you can get great care there, it is your business. I had my lapband done in the U.S. with an outstanding physican. I paid cash for it. Guess what? It didn't work. Now I am happy to go to Mexico to have it yanked out and have myself sleeved.
Sadly, I just saw another post that seemed designed to stir up drama about some docs. My sense is that folks either have very little going on in their lives OR are the people always causing trouble. Next time someone steps to you with that foolishness, just respond: Get outta my face!

The results on the test yesterday were very good- my tubes are all clear! Thursday we count eggs!

Congrats for having the courage to step forward and "own" your behavior.
You definitely aren't a failure. You're coping with stress and bad feelings the way you used to do. And you're learning a hard lesson about 1) what makes us overweight in the first place (our brains, not our stomachs) and 2) how easy it is to eat around the sleeve if you're determined.
The good news is while your behavior isn't healthy on any level, you did avoid putting on a significant amount of weight. Thank goodness for the sleeve, right? And you're also aware of what you need to do, instead of hiding in denial until you gain ten pounds. This is good.
The first step is to stop every time you go to eat something. Start evaluating why you eat and when. This can help you curb emotional eating, a habit you must break to remain successful long term.
Get that junk out of your house if possible. Go back to basics and you can do this. Atkins induction is a great way, and any diet BlackBerryJuice is following will be great, too. Having a "buddy" to do it with might help you stick with it, too.
Keep your chin up during the last twenty pounds, too. It took me six whole months to shed the last twenty pounds. They go slowly. Hopefully not as slowly for you as they did for me! But hang in there.
You are definitely not a failure. You've simply reverted to ingrained habits as a way to cope with a stressful situation. A lot of us stumble along our journey but as long as you learn something from this it's not a wasted experience.
Best,
~Cheri

As much as it is naughty or against the kool-aid, sometimes when life hits you hard, a little self-indulgence isn't the worst thing whether it is a few m&ms, shopping, or vegging out in front of the tv watching sappy romcoms. We all hit those walls and being a little bit bad and selfish is OK so long as we recognize it as such and don't make it a habit. However, when it crosses into making whatever is bad worse, then it is time to stop and start getting back into what works.
After 14 months and over 100lbs lost, you feel like a failure because you had a break-up and haven't been making the best food choices? That's human, not failure. At some point though, which I believe you are at, it's time to recognize it for what it is and move on. Get back into your running and the things that make you feel good and the breakup will start mending itself because you are allowing yourself to do the things that work best for you to be your best self.
*hugs*

You have done AMAZING so far and be proud of what you have done!!! So you have had a setback....we will ALL go through this at one time or another. You have lost a great deal of weight and you are not perfect. You know what you need to do and that is what is important. Give yourself some credit....you can do this!! You have come so far PLEASE do not quit now!!

@Almostthere we can. I think for me it may have been the acid. That's just my guess.
@allies - jealous. Maybe I'll give it a couple weeks and try again.

My journey started 05/16/2012. I weighed 295. I was sleeved on this day and went home three days later. Initially the first two days once home I was depressed, hungry, and in a LOT of pain. I was very angry because I had come out of surgery hungry and it just continued. My Dr. explained this was normal and likely my hormones and/or stomach acid. She also stated it would take a while for my new stomach to adjust to my body or vice versa. Within just a few days my hunger subsided a great deal as well as my depression and pain. I was in zero pain less than a week after my surgery. I also have diabetes and high blood pressure. I left the hospital instructed to quit my diabetic meds, and at my two week follow up I was taken off my blood pressure meds.
AT my two week post op visit I dropped 14 lbs....of course I was disappointed because I wanted to lose more than that. After all I had nothing but liquids for 17 days straight and was exercising.
Now I am 3 1/2 weeks out and I feel great. Eating no carbs, no sweets, and no fried food in addition to exercising has made me feel so much better!!! I was getting headaches about every other day...now I have had only one in nearly a month.
I hope one day I can feel like a "normal" person and not have to worry what everybody else thinks of me. I adopted my little girl as a newborn right from the hospital 16 months ago, she is the reason I need to keep going and make myself healthier. One day I would love to meet someone that loves me. My boyfriend told me I will always be fatter than him and no matter how much I lose, it will never be enough. This makes me want to lose that much more.

You have done AMAZING so far and be proud of what you have done!!! So you have had a setback....we will ALL go through this at one time or another. You have lost a great deal of weight and you are not perfect. You know what you need to do and that is what is important. Give yourself some credit....you can do this!! You have come so far PLEASE do not quit now!!

You have done AMAZING so far and be proud of what you have done!!! So you have had a setback....we will ALL go through this at one time or another. You have lost a great deal of weight and you are not perfect. You know what you need to do and that is what is important. Give yourself some credit....you can do this!! You have come so far PLEASE do not quit now!!

Congratulations on 14# in 2 weeks!!! :-) That is an awesome start! I can't wait to be sleeved, I'm hoping for late Sept/early Oct. I am an adoptive single mom myself, my precious girl from China will be 3 in just 3 weeks! She is the reason I started this journey, and I can't wait to be healthier and smaller, so I can keep up with her!! :-) Best wishes for your journey, keep us posted!!
PS- if that is your boyfriend's idea of being supportive or loving...kick his ass to the curb!!! You deserve better...so does your kiddo!! :-) hugs!

I was sleeved on 05/16 and don't get to eat soft foods until next week. Wonder why all Drs don't use the same guidelines.

I was sleeved 5/17 now that I can eat soft foods in the morning I will have one egg scrambled with cheese for lunch about 3oz of tuna shredded with ff mayo and I'm not very hungry at dinner so I just do a Protein Shake. I just have to get better at drinking more...I'm only getting about 30 oz dr says try for 64.

I am 8 months out. At this point I am capable of eating just about anything except bread... bread hits me like a rock with anything more than a tiny bite. But I don't mind since I really was never a huge bread eater (pasta was my kryptonite...)
My daily foods include
-chicken
-pork
-ground meat (hamburger or turkey or sausage)
-eggs
-plain greek yogurt (with flavored syrups or splenda to sweeten, normally add Protein as well)
-cheese!
-tuna
-shrimp
-lunch meat
-protein shakes
I cook these in a variety of ways, but grilling (on my counter top grill) is my favorite. It is quick and since I have lots of experience with it I have no trouble timing it so that the meat comes out tender every time. With the ground meat I either eat it out of a bowl with cheese on top or I make meatballs of some sort.
As you can tell... I am definitely NOT a vegetarian! LOL I also am not all that creative with it. But I like simple food the best so I'm not missing anything!