joyfulinga

Phaeton dreams, I just sent you a message on here. Check it out.

Oh Phaetondreams, I year you girl! It is so hard and I often feel like a failure myself. What kind of food plan do you try to follow?

Kristen, that is great news. I will pray for a successful outcome. Just follow all the directions, don't drink alcohol (another subject for another post) and you will do great. Solve the emotional eating piece and develop good substitutes that are not food or alcohol.

God bless you!

Ladies, I am still battling and some days I feel victorious but others not so much. I know the thing to do is to go back to basics....limiting carbs, eating 3 times a day with no Snacks, no drinking when eating, Vitamins and walking at least. I wish there was a magic bullet. I wish the weight I gained would just fall off but reality has set in and I know it won't.

One thing I do know is that I have an eating disorder. I always looked at an eating disorder was when people don't eat (Anorexia) or eat and purge (Bulemia). I have come to realize that I am a food addict, a compulsive over eater. I don't know how to deal with emotions except to stuff them down. I am working to get a grip on this as I believe that is my only hope to ever attain and maintain a "normal" weight.

I just want to be healthy. I have to fly on business 3 round trips in the next 4 weeks and I'm already freaking out that the seat belt won't fit around my 265 lb. belly. I was totally humiliated once by a flight attendant who made it crystal clear to everyone with in 4 rows of me front and back that I needed an extender. That was the final straw to have me get everything in order for gastric bypass.

I have got to learn how to deal with this addiction. How to live with emotions and not be controlled by them. How to handle people who hurt my feelings without eating.

Beth, you are a very motivated lady! Working through a masters program requires skill and dedication. Now that all that "stress" is behind you, it is time to make YOU the new masters program!! My son used to think there wasn't anyone out there for him. I am happy to report that within the course of a year, he met a sweet girl and got married. In other words, that can all change in a short time. Just be sure you are out and about so you can meet people. Don't "wait until you lose the weight". Do it "while" you are losing!

Do not allow the weight to demotivate you!!! Hang in there and get back on the horse. You can do this.

Joyful

Shay, I have been back on track now for the entire year. I have literally went back to basics. I went back to Protein Meal Replacements for the entire month of January. After that it felt like my pouch was back to post-surgery say 6 months. I have a definite stopping point now or I am sick. The other night I had some watermelon and dumped. It hurt like crazy but that is back and for that I am grateful.

I joined a group through WLS Success Matters (on-line) called Back on Track. It is 6 weeks long and there is a fee that covers the 6 weeks plus materials. It was like $199. It was worth every penny. I started this after I had been on Bariatric Advantage Meal Replacement (recommended by my surgeon) for a month.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

That is awesome. Dr. Richard did my Gastric Bypass in 2008. He is awesome. Very considerate and caring.

^{Congratulations on the 2 kiddo's. That is awesome for you!!! You lost quite a bit of weight! You sound like me. I had put on a lot though....about 100 lbs. In January, I drank Bariatric Advantage Meal Replacements 3 times daily the entire month. It worked. My restriction is back and I am full with about 3 oz. Protein. Get back on the train and get a hold of the regain. You need to lose about 40 lbs. it looks like. YOU"VE GOT THIS!!!}

^{Please do it now so your 40 doesn't become 100.}

^Joy

Let everyone hear your stories! Hearing good reports gives you hope. Saying you are struggling lets others know you need support. Sound off!

It sounds like you are hanging near your weight. Just keep your meals the size they should be, stay away from carbs, take your supplements and keep moving and exercising. I think having a fear that keeps you on the straight and narrow is a good thing.

Lillian, please give us an update!

I live in Lawrenceville, GA and there are no groups here except my surgeons one hour a month which isn't near enough. I would love to have one closer since I'm struggling with regain.

I live in Lawrenceville. I had RNY in June of 2008 in Gainesville. Dr. Robert Richard did my surgery before he moved his practice to Gwinnett.

Yes we are. Ha ha. So do you have a date for surgery yet?

Well I am off on my adventure to get my act together to lose my regained weight. I really want to be healthy. I will be 52 in November and I think I can have the regain off by end of year if I am diligent and disciplined. At that point I will decide if I want to lose more or maintain. I quit smoking a month ago so I can breath when I start walking again. Ha ha. I have bought a couple of short sets, some new walking shoes, a new headphone (wireless Bluetooth) and a strap to hold my phone around my arm so I can really move. I have went all the way back to basics....protein first, shakes, Water, etc. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers!

Well I am off on my adventure to get my act together to lose my regained weight. I really want to be healthy. I will be 52 in November and I think I can have the regain off by end of year if I am diligent and disciplined. At that point I will decide if I want to lose more or maintain. I quit smoking a month ago so I can breath when I start walking again. Ha ha. I have bought a couple of short sets, some new walking shoes, a new headphone (wireless Bluetooth) and a strap to hold my phone around my arm so I can really move. I have went all the way back to basics....protein first, shakes, Water, etc. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers!

I seriously need to pull myself up and put on my big girl panties and get back on my plan. Help!

I went shopping for our annual Thanksgiving meal yesterday. I was trying to think of wise food choices this year - not just for me but for the family. I opted on grilled vegetables in place of starchy corn, turkey & ham (Protein, Protein, protein), etc. I do not believe that weight gain is inevitable during the holidays. There is no rule that you have to gorge until you are over-full. I am focusing on the great times with family and friends rather than the food. A different perspective perhaps. I will make my families favorites such as stuffing balls, sweet potato souffle, and the likes.

I'm thinking a late Thanksgiving walk may be a way to ward off any unwanted calories. Stay tuned...

I would tend to say bug. I have had the bread get stuck before (when I used to eat it) but it only lasted a short time. I seriously stay away from bread.

Hello my RNY buddies. It is a cool, crisp November morning in beautiful GA and I have had the morning to myself. I find myself wondering what on Earth I should do. I searched the web for ways to finish my kitchen cabinets, did some on-line Christmas shopping and now I'm writing this blog. I have always been known as a bit of a workaholic. I'm just not sure what to do when I don't have a "to-do" list. I love to sew but our son is back home waiting to close on his house so I couldn't get to my sewing room. My husband is gone to his Massage School to do clinic and will be off next weekend so this is my last "alone time" for a couple of weeks.

What do you do in your down time? Hobbies, reading, please share.

Good for you! Such determination was required to kick everything back into gear. You have done a wonderful job and I know you will continue it. You look amazing and I am so very happy for you! That is so sad about your friend. To go through all the pain and $$$ of surgery to be disappointed is just sad! Thank you for sharing....I regained and am on the road to losing it. I appreciate your honesty.

I have avoided this forum for so long. I had RNY in June 2008 and have gained back weight. I started out at 328 lbs. and lost down to 175 lbs. I was doing well and had continued to lose. In December of 2010, my oldest son passed away suddenly as a result of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (Cirrhosis) due to meds he had been on since a brain tumor in 2001. That completely threw me off track and it has taken a year and a half to get myself together. I had gained back up to 246 by not following the food plan recommended by my surgeon. When Brandon died, I really had no appetite but people kept saying "you have to eat, you'll get sick". I take full responsibility that I took those words to heart and dug right in. Empty calories, slider foods, way too many carbs and no exercise had taken it's toll.

I felt like a failure! I was given this opportunity and wonderful gift and screwed it up - again! I didn't feel very victorious. Well I'm happy to report that I AM a success story. I am back on my plan just like post-op and have lost 22 lbs. towards my 70+ pound goal. My pouch is intact and I am able to do this!

Tomorrow is my 51st birthday. When I look at myself over the past 25 years, I spent the majority morbidly obese, feeling tired, fat and hopeless. I no longer feel that way and that makes this all a success. I am not bad, I am determined. I took a few hard knocks and got back on that horse that I climbed off of. I started a forum in here called Back on Track and I believe that if all of us "success" stories who have been derailed, stick together we can become super success stories.

Thank you all for your brutal honesty and commitment to your health. It is an inspiration and I have such hope when reading your entries....even the sad entries. If I can do this you can too! Smooches to everyone and God bless you!

Welcome Helen! My user name is JoyfulinGA on My Fitness Pal. I'd love to be your friend. Drop by the groups here and visit Back On Track! Love to have you!

I sent the request. I would love friends too! Especially WLS friends! My user name is JoyfulinGA.

Today the people in the United States will elect a President for the next 4 years. Each "side" has their reasons for selecting the candidate of their choosing. There are issues and policies at stake that will affect the entire country no matter which side you plan to vote for.

On a much smaller scale this is election day for your body today. What will you elect to do for the next 4 years? Will you focus on the policies (eating guidelines, exercise, drinking Water, etc.). Maybe you'll focus on the foreign policies such as what size you wear, the number on the scale, etc. Healthcare is a huge topic....what about yours...will you remain faithful to your plan so that your health is good and you do not have to take an endless list of meds to live or feel good.

Elect to follow your beliefs, your wants and desires. Having WLS was a life changing event that gave you options you never had in the past. You were given the gift of feeling "normal" instead of feeling huge, bloated and defeated. Think back to the last 4 years or the 4 years before that and reflect on the State of YOU! Think about how you were then and how you are now. How has your character changed? Do you still have the early excitement? Have you allowed yourself to gain a little back? Maybe a lot back?

I challenge each person to "elect" to choose the good things that have blessed us so much. Following your surgeon's directions, guarding against mindless eating, empty calories or slider foods. There are days I feel strong and capable while other days I feel like I'm hanging on by a thread. I'm sure you have days like that too but the difference between now and all those years ago is that you have a tool and the tool is there. When the horse throws you off, get back on and show it who's boss. Just like that horse that has a strong will that has to be broken, your will must be broken without breaking your spirit. Hold onto that spirit that says "I can do this" because you can and you will!