Cristin

Hi everyone!
I had a nutritionist appointment last Thursday where she told me to increase my overall caloric intake and especially my carbs. I was one of those die hards staying between 20-50 carbs a day. She told me to not worry about it. To add fruits and veggies and some whole grains, too. She also told me to get my Protein but don't obsess over it. She claims I am healed and dont' need 100g protein a day... for such a shortie like me 50-60 is perfect she said. So happy to rid of those nasty protein shakes!
Well, since doing this for four days, I'm happy to report I think she was right! I have dropped 3 pounds since Thursday...in the 170s woop woop!!! This could be a coincidence as I typically do lose in a stair-step fashion, but I don't think so.
It's been fun to add in some blueberries and raspberries and peppers, onions, broccoli. Funny how I've been missing this healthy food more than chips and Cookies (don't get me wrong...some days I crave these too!).
Anyway, thought I'd follow up from my Thursday post to let y'all know upping my cals and carbs helped. The lesson I learned, however, is to add variety to my diet and not obsess. This is a lifetime process, and it's crucial for me to develop a healthy, normal relationship with food now. I've spent so many years dealing with disordered eating, and I'm ready for food to just be food...nothing more or less.
Courtney

Those darn zippered pockets!
Nice call Lander!

I love finding healthy ways to prepare my old (...okay, STILL) favorite comfort foods.
So I'm hoping maybe we can post some of our favorite tips here for each other, like...
Replace shells, tortillas, sandwich bread, with huge, crisp green lettuce leafs. I swear, it really makes me realize how often bread was just in the mix to CONTAIN things. Saves calories and carbs And I haven't done this once where using lettuce instead of bread/shells/tortillas made the food any less delicious.

The environment you're in is really important, too.
Are the people you're living with willing to support you by not bringing that kind of food into the house? You deserve support through this. Nobody needs this process made MORE difficult.
And as a side note: try not to think of this as dieting. This is the rest of your life. We can't do this for a while, get to the weight we want, then eat anything we want because we're thin. That whole idea is completely false. Thin, healthy people, at least all of the ones I know go to the gym, eat right and really make disciplined choices 95% of the time. Maybe some people won the metabolism lottery, but where's the victory in getting your health handed to you?
I'd rather earn mine through blood, sweat and tears (and trust me so far there have been a lot of tears).
This is hard. Now go get it girl!

The environment you're in is really important, too.
Are the people you're living with willing to support you by not bringing that kind of food into the house? You deserve support through this. Nobody needs this process made MORE difficult.
And as a side note: try not to think of this as dieting. This is the rest of your life. We can't do this for a while, get to the weight we want, then eat anything we want because we're thin. That whole idea is completely false. Thin, healthy people, at least all of the ones I know go to the gym, eat right and really make disciplined choices 95% of the time. Maybe some people won the metabolism lottery, but where's the victory in getting your health handed to you?
I'd rather earn mine through blood, sweat and tears (and trust me so far there have been a lot of tears).
This is hard. Now go get it girl!

The environment you're in is really important, too.
Are the people you're living with willing to support you by not bringing that kind of food into the house? You deserve support through this. Nobody needs this process made MORE difficult.
And as a side note: try not to think of this as dieting. This is the rest of your life. We can't do this for a while, get to the weight we want, then eat anything we want because we're thin. That whole idea is completely false. Thin, healthy people, at least all of the ones I know go to the gym, eat right and really make disciplined choices 95% of the time. Maybe some people won the metabolism lottery, but where's the victory in getting your health handed to you?
I'd rather earn mine through blood, sweat and tears (and trust me so far there have been a lot of tears).
This is hard. Now go get it girl!

I'm sorry you're struggling. I am not as far out as you, but I think I can still speak on this. It sounds like you never (or insufficiently) dealt with the emotional aspect of your weight. I think many of us enter into this surgery with a fantasy of looking great and believe that will translate into feeling great/stable physically, mentally, and emotionally. Unfortunately this philosophy doesn't work (and explains how I failed so many weight loss efforts in the past!). As much work as we put into improving our bodies, I think we have to put just as much or more work into our heads.
I would recommend two things. 1) start with the basics. Visiting your nutritionist is good, but it sounds like you already know what's wrong (unhealthy habits)--back to basics of Protein and veggies and water/fluids. I think of this as our foundation. Track everything honestly and bring that in to the nutritionist.
2. I really think you could benefit from talking to someone about how you have slipped. Were you immersed back in your pre-WLS lifestyle? Going out to dinner a lot with friends? Has your stress level increased? Relationship or financial or family problems?
Try to really look at why you're turning to food. Maybe you're one of those rare sleevers who truly just had bad habits with no emotional explanation for those habits...but I have yet to really meet someone who doesn't use food to handle a deeper issue. Maybe it's just me, but I know I didn't get here overeating at parties or having just a couple extra bites of food. I got here because I used food to cope, to fill a void within myself, to numb out the good and bad...i could go on.
I didn't mean to preach. It's brave of you to share bc it's hard to admit when we are f***ing up! You are going through something I know i fear...slipping into bad habits. I hope you can settle back into focusing on why you did this to begin with and dealing with the head issues.
Courtney

Hey now, you are being very hard on yourself. Go a little easier. First and foremost, you have to really love yourself to make it through these tough times. And as the consummate self-loather, I know how hard that can be. But certainly part of this battle is not beating yourself up.
We all break the rules once in a while. And I find that these artificially (as opposed to physically enforced due to the sleeve) imposed liquid diets are a lot to handle.
Think about what you felt like before you ate and how you felt while you were eating. Try to learn your own behavioral patterns so you can be on alert for them. Just like I drive more cautiously when the roads are icy, I am more cautious about not exposing myself to food when I'm tired, stressed or bored, etc, or when I'm experiencing certain emotions like frustration.
Love yourself and learn about yourself
No need to beat yourself up!
HW: 304 CW: 289 Surgery: 3/13/13

Hey now, you are being very hard on yourself. Go a little easier. First and foremost, you have to really love yourself to make it through these tough times. And as the consummate self-loather, I know how hard that can be. But certainly part of this battle is not beating yourself up.
We all break the rules once in a while. And I find that these artificially (as opposed to physically enforced due to the sleeve) imposed liquid diets are a lot to handle.
Think about what you felt like before you ate and how you felt while you were eating. Try to learn your own behavioral patterns so you can be on alert for them. Just like I drive more cautiously when the roads are icy, I am more cautious about not exposing myself to food when I'm tired, stressed or bored, etc, or when I'm experiencing certain emotions like frustration.
Love yourself and learn about yourself
No need to beat yourself up!
HW: 304 CW: 289 Surgery: 3/13/13

Hahahaha love this.
HW: 304 CW: 289 Surgery: 3/13/13

Maybe I'm just strange.

Hey now, you are being very hard on yourself. Go a little easier. First and foremost, you have to really love yourself to make it through these tough times. And as the consummate self-loather, I know how hard that can be. But certainly part of this battle is not beating yourself up.
We all break the rules once in a while. And I find that these artificially (as opposed to physically enforced due to the sleeve) imposed liquid diets are a lot to handle.
Think about what you felt like before you ate and how you felt while you were eating. Try to learn your own behavioral patterns so you can be on alert for them. Just like I drive more cautiously when the roads are icy, I am more cautious about not exposing myself to food when I'm tired, stressed or bored, etc, or when I'm experiencing certain emotions like frustration.
Love yourself and learn about yourself
No need to beat yourself up!
HW: 304 CW: 289 Surgery: 3/13/13

Hey now, you are being very hard on yourself. Go a little easier. First and foremost, you have to really love yourself to make it through these tough times. And as the consummate self-loather, I know how hard that can be. But certainly part of this battle is not beating yourself up.
We all break the rules once in a while. And I find that these artificially (as opposed to physically enforced due to the sleeve) imposed liquid diets are a lot to handle.
Think about what you felt like before you ate and how you felt while you were eating. Try to learn your own behavioral patterns so you can be on alert for them. Just like I drive more cautiously when the roads are icy, I am more cautious about not exposing myself to food when I'm tired, stressed or bored, etc, or when I'm experiencing certain emotions like frustration.
Love yourself and learn about yourself
No need to beat yourself up!
HW: 304 CW: 289 Surgery: 3/13/13

I think that might have have been okay as long as she paid for them herself. Not sure, I'm still confused.

I think we should cut folks s break here. It is yogurt not a whole pie. I am doubtful we will all go through the rest of our lives without what we want.
I ate a chocolate covered cherry today while with my dad at Harry and David. I did not explode or die. I did not like it either. But not the point. Just write it down and track in your food for the day.

All of that depends on sooo many things. Even if you have the same BMI, if you are 5 feet tall and the other person is 6 feet tall, 1lb lost is not the same thing for both of you. 1lb lost on a shorter person is probably more like 1.5-2lbs lost on a larger person.
So you guys might be big losers after all.

The hair loss is a byproduct of the rapid weight loss. Protein and Biotin won't stop or slow it more than a little. My surgeon said its just something you have to accept for a brief while. It will grow back! Hey I'd rather have half my hair for a couple months than not lose the weight

The hair loss is a byproduct of the rapid weight loss. Protein and Biotin won't stop or slow it more than a little. My surgeon said its just something you have to accept for a brief while. It will grow back! Hey I'd rather have half my hair for a couple months than not lose the weight

Awesome. Thanks for the tip

[quote name="Heather86 )]I felt like that during the stall I just got out of.. everyone always asked and I just want to hide' date=' whereas before the stall I would've smiled and told them. It's kind of embarrassing to me, it's like I'm failing, somehow.[/quote']
I would just tell people politely, "Oh I just don't like to talk about my weight." You don't owe them anything but I don't think they're trying to be offensive so they still deserve civility, but I'm big on kindness over anything else, and am pretty mild mannered. If they've been royal pains and you've already told them to stop, then an f off might be more effective

I started therapy. It made me realize how much I was using food to suppress emotions. Every emotion I had somehow included food into that feeling. I'm learning to feel without needing the food. I hope that makes sense. It's hard... Really hard but it's getting better.