Carlotta1

It will get easier in time with cravings. Stick to your eating protocol..cravings will be minimal.. But watch for head hunger ...check with your stomach to see if u r really hungry.

Wow what a transformation. Yes, we will all have to deal with head hunger. However, the sleeve gave me the ability to easily determine head hunger vs "real hunger". Since Sept , 2013 I see a psychologist who,specializes in food relationship, I,e, emotional eating in addition to a nut who helps me with my food plan and my relationship with food..especially my old habits.

Sounds great.. It is nutritious for your guest also. If it is hard for you to be around the food at the potluck. Just walk into another room where there are guests to have conversations rather than having the food stare at you a: you,

Such great great success in such a short period. Be proud of your success,

I bought a majic bullet for 99 dollars at Macy's. .. Wow what a bargain $35 ..
Yes I had the same realization that eating has changed for me. More aware of head vs emotional hunger....my stomach is now working in my favor. I had not had the "full" feeling for years..so matter how much is the. Such a nice feeling. I now have a good relationship between my head and my stomach. I listen to my stomach when I eat and stop eating when I feel my stomach when it is time to stop.

Wow what a difference in just one month. Your face is much smaller.

Going to buy me a nice dress for a wedding I will attend at the beginning of August. I have 15 pounds more to go.. Giving myself 3 months to lose this.
I didn't have to buy much clothes as of now since I am fitting back into some nice clothes I stored ..size 8..

Good for you..keep it up.

Watermelon is very high in sugar.but I love watermelon with salt. I bought a watermelon this weekend. Ate too much of it on Saturday. But restricted myself to one cup. I would certainly measure and eat no more than one cup per day.

leeann71,
I'd say the root cause of my obesity was the sexual abuse in my childhood. Only happened once but what a profound, deep scar it imbeded on my spirit. I turned to food to soothe me in my alcoholic, dysfuntional home. food was my friend and was AlWAYS there for me. It never turned away from me, called me names, made me feel unloved or inadequate. It was readily and easily available. Overeating put me in a stupor and buried those emotions I didn't want to deal with. I think food was the way I survived my "childhood". I put it in quotes because at times, it wasn't much of one.
One of the results of this is I live in South Texas, a few thousand miles from my family.
I'm going to Michigan in July to attend a wedding. I'm actually not looking forward to being in that environment again. I wish there was some kind of "brain cleaner" so I could flush those memories out. God, why is it so hard to put the past IN THE PAST and just move on? What I wouldn't give to flip a switch and just get on with my life without the past.
I guess I need to see the flipside and realize--that very past which was so difficult at the time, has made me the strong, independent woman I am today. It also gave me the absolute determination to loose 75 pounds and join the Army so I could leave that small town and get an education, in both the world and at college.
Got out of the Army and quit smoking--weight came back with an absolute vengence. That's what brought me to weight loss surgery. Took the same determination to escape that small town I had in my twenties and applied it to the surgery. Now here I am, strong, independent and a smaller size to boot! Clothes are falling off and a regular thrift store shopper--out of sheer necessity.
Sorry to go so long and off on a tangent.
Blessings,
Kathleen

Eating to numb myself from Stress, or hurt, or anxiety ..food was my best friend that helped me cope with life. I was sexually abused as a young girl..I don't know how it effected me with food,, but I know it effected my body image.
For a long tine , I felt it was my fault that this old man who was a family member seeked me out to abuse me and no one would believe me. I had to deal with guilt that was not warranted. Of course, I was too young to realize that I was a victim..I worked this issue out with a psychologist.
I am now very aware of my eating triggers .. I now check with my stomach and determine is this head hunger or real hunger. If it is head hunger,I get away from the situation that I am in.. And I prevail.

Eating to numb myself from Stress, or hurt, or anxiety ..food was my best friend that helped me cope with life. I was sexually abused as a young girl..I don't know how it effected me with food,, but I know it effected my body image.
For a long tine , I felt it was my fault that this old man who was a family member seeked me out to abuse me and no one would believe me. I had to deal with guilt that was not warranted. Of course, I was too young to realize that I was a victim..I worked this issue out with a psychologist.
I am now very aware of my eating triggers .. I now check with my stomach and determine is this head hunger or real hunger. If it is head hunger,I get away from the situation that I am in.. And I prevail.

Last week I hit my 50 pound weight loss ..have 15 pounds to go. I went out of town and ate way too many sweets on Easter Sunday. As a matter of fact I got sick today cause of it. I am getting back on track by :
Measure and weigh food
Eat at least 80 grams of Protein
Eat 800 calories per day
Drink at least 6 glasses waster
Exercise (swimming and walk/jog)
Keep a positive attitude
I set August 1 to reach my goal weight.
So happy I had the sleeve.

Eating to numb myself from Stress, or hurt, or anxiety ..food was my best friend that helped me cope with life. I was sexually abused as a young girl..I don't know how it effected me with food,, but I know it effected my body image.
For a long tine , I felt it was my fault that this old man who was a family member seeked me out to abuse me and no one would believe me. I had to deal with guilt that was not warranted. Of course, I was too young to realize that I was a victim..I worked this issue out with a psychologist.
I am now very aware of my eating triggers .. I now check with my stomach and determine is this head hunger or real hunger. If it is head hunger,I get away from the situation that I am in.. And I prevail.

Congrats. I can also sit Indian style now. Been a long time.. These accomplishments are appreciated cause we know what it was like not to do so.

Eating to numb myself from Stress, or hurt, or anxiety ..food was my best friend that helped me cope with life. I was sexually abused as a young girl..I don't know how it effected me with food,, but I know it effected my body image.
For a long tine , I felt it was my fault that this old man who was a family member seeked me out to abuse me and no one would believe me. I had to deal with guilt that was not warranted. Of course, I was too young to realize that I was a victim..I worked this issue out with a psychologist.
I am now very aware of my eating triggers .. I now check with my stomach and determine is this head hunger or real hunger. If it is head hunger,I get away from the situation that I am in.. And I prevail.

Eating to numb myself from Stress, or hurt, or anxiety ..food was my best friend that helped me cope with life. I was sexually abused as a young girl..I don't know how it effected me with food,, but I know it effected my body image.
For a long tine , I felt it was my fault that this old man who was a family member seeked me out to abuse me and no one would believe me. I had to deal with guilt that was not warranted. Of course, I was too young to realize that I was a victim..I worked this issue out with a psychologist.
I am now very aware of my eating triggers .. I now check with my stomach and determine is this head hunger or real hunger. If it is head hunger,I get away from the situation that I am in.. And I prevail.

Going to buy me a nice dress for a wedding I will attend at the beginning of August. I have 15 pounds more to go.. Giving myself 3 months to lose this.
I didn't have to buy much clothes as of now since I am fitting back into some nice clothes I stored ..size 8..

Eating to numb myself from Stress, or hurt, or anxiety ..food was my best friend that helped me cope with life. I was sexually abused as a young girl..I don't know how it effected me with food,, but I know it effected my body image.
For a long tine , I felt it was my fault that this old man who was a family member seeked me out to abuse me and no one would believe me. I had to deal with guilt that was not warranted. Of course, I was too young to realize that I was a victim..I worked this issue out with a psychologist.
I am now very aware of my eating triggers .. I now check with my stomach and determine is this head hunger or real hunger. If it is head hunger,I get away from the situation that I am in.. And I prevail.

Hot chai tea latte with skimmilk...add one sweet & low ..no Water added ...very hot.

Eating to numb myself from Stress, or hurt, or anxiety ..food was my best friend that helped me cope with life. I was sexually abused as a young girl..I don't know how it effected me with food,, but I know it effected my body image.
For a long tine , I felt it was my fault that this old man who was a family member seeked me out to abuse me and no one would believe me. I had to deal with guilt that was not warranted. Of course, I was too young to realize that I was a victim..I worked this issue out with a psychologist.
I am now very aware of my eating triggers .. I now check with my stomach and determine is this head hunger or real hunger. If it is head hunger,I get away from the situation that I am in.. And I prevail.

I have a lot more Energy since my sleeve surgery. I can jog without huffing and puffing. I am Much more active. I was having high blood pressure and high cholesterol because of my weight . I was afraid that I would get diabetes if I did not lose weight. Usually as you get older and remain obese..health issues escalates with age, So you are wise to get things under control now that you are young, best of luck. !!!!
Ps..not on any cholesterol or Bp meds anymore .. Not to mention looking good in my size 8 clothes.

I have a lot more Energy since my sleeve surgery. I can jog without huffing and puffing. I am Much more active. I was having high blood pressure and high cholesterol because of my weight . I was afraid that I would get diabetes if I did not lose weight. Usually as you get older and remain obese..health issues escalates with age, So you are wise to get things under control now that you are young, best of luck. !!!!
Ps..not on any cholesterol or Bp meds anymore .. Not to mention looking good in my size 8 clothes.

Here is my list:
1. I'm a stress eater with a child with special medical needs (rare bleeding disorder)
2. I had thyroid issues in my teens and that started my weight gain, this resolved with pregnancy, but the weight remained.
3. I did too many yoyo diets, and wanted to be Barbie when I was in high school, with thyroid issues that never works.
4. I have an autoimmune disease that causes soft tissue damage, I have had 2 knee replacements, 3 (getting ready for #4) rotator cuff repairs. And can't workout without doing major damage to my joints.
5. I spent 17 years living in Chicago, and the cold weather caused me so much pain I was a hermit for 7 months a year, just packing on the pounds.
6. I was raped when I was 16 by my former step father, and didn't tell anyone until I was in my 20's. I think I ate to silence the scared hurt little girl that was inside my head. food didn't keep me safe, but my mom always equaled food to love, that's why under my user name it says "Food in NOT love". I learned with counseling that feeding people, and overeating myself didn't fill the void in my life, or make me feel any more loved. That was a HUGE step for me.
7. Genetics just about everyone in my family is obese. My grandfather was over 400 pounds, my mom is the oldest of 10 kids, all but 3 are morbidly obese, and those 3 are still overweight, one has a lap band and is getting healthy, the rest seem happy just the way they are.
*I was just diagnosed with the auto immune disorder, in the past my pain, joint damage and soft tissue injuries were ALWAYS blamed on my weight. When I lost the weight and still had issues my new doctor started looking for answers. She said weight doesn't cause rotator cuff tears, and that I shouldn't have been dismissed because of my weight. I started seeing a new doctor when my previous md was not on board with my being revised from band to sleeve. She said just remove the band and do it the old fashioned way.

I have a lot more Energy since my sleeve surgery. I can jog without huffing and puffing. I am Much more active. I was having high blood pressure and high cholesterol because of my weight . I was afraid that I would get diabetes if I did not lose weight. Usually as you get older and remain obese..health issues escalates with age, So you are wise to get things under control now that you are young, best of luck. !!!!
Ps..not on any cholesterol or Bp meds anymore .. Not to mention looking good in my size 8 clothes.