Carlotta1

I do eat natures own 100% light bread.. But I have to eat it well toasted..I eat one slice on occasion with an egg for Breakfast. I also love smoked salmon so I make an one half sandwich with 2 oz smoked salmon, Dijon mustard, sliced tomatoe , a little bit of sliced purple onions and a teaspoon of light mayo. It taste great.

Hi. My name is Jeremiah. I have always struggled with my weight just like everyone here. When I started my sleeve journey, I weighed in at 491. With the south beach diet that my surgeon insisted I go on, I was able to lose 73 pounds prior to surgery. I had surgery on 3/12/14 and weighed 418 lbs. At my one will follow up appointment I had lost 16 pounds in the right days after surgery. Got on the scale today and lost another seven pounds. Brings my total weight to 96 lbs so far since the end of November. I also got below 400 lbs for the first time in 10-11 years. But what I enjoy most are the little things I'm noticing like being able to pull my socks ask the way up and not bunching them around my ankles. Being able to wear a tie and wear it properly. Feeling the way my clothes are fitting. I am so looking forward to this summer when me and my kids can go on a bike ride. I have never been able to do that. Please consider the little things and Celebrate them. Remember them when your day is not going as planned. I look forward to getting to know and support some of you as we go through this journey together.

Welcome!!!!!!!!!!! This is a forum of much information and experiences. Also differences of opinions . Take what you need, ask questions and try to see that no one means harm when they respond to your comments. We have a mix of new ones. Those that have just had surgery and those that are on their journey to goal. Too you have vets here as well that can offer help as you go along.
No ones experiences are identical which you will find out.....
Happy posting newbie......

Awesome. What a success. !!!!!!!!!!

Ok..don't beat up yourself.. The next time u eat today..just go back to eating your healthy meal. One twix will not sabatage your weight loss unless u continue to eat that way. Most of all have the all or nothing attitude with food. Either we are perfect..and if we slip a little..then we think we have failed which brings us to binging the rest of the day, or the rest of the week...the vicious cycle continues. It is how we deal with eating something off the program.
As far as stress and anxiety are concerned. Be aware what is taking you there..you may be over tired..physically hungry ..etc étc. If a specific situation triggers stress and anxiety..try to calm yourself and say to yourself this too shall pass. I see a psychologist (preop and post op )for my binge eating so that I can have tools to handle deal with stress/anxiety.

Myfitnesspal to record my intake ...love this site, my bullet to make shakes..quick and easy...food scale, weight scale that is accurate, Vitamins, Calcium , B12, Iron capsules.

It may trigger your sweet tooth. I personally treat myself to sugar free Popsicle or a small piece of 80% chocolate. the chocolate I have on a rare occasion . Sugar triggers my cravings. So I would caution u as to how it effects you.

Welcome to the website. Most of us who have had or is going to have the sleeve is fearful of the surgery. Any surgery is a bit scary..but I thunk it scarier knowing we are making the decision to have this surgery. Think of the times that u tried to lose weight.. How u felt when you gained it back. And the whole vicious cycle starting over again and again. I was exhausted from this insanity. I had to find hope somehow. I starting seeing a psychiatrist months before I had the surgery. So I had time to talk it over with someone who understood eating disorders. I.e. Binge eating. After the surgery..I am so much more aware of mental hunger vs physical hunger. I evaluate my feelings ,such as stress, anxiety, sadness before i take a bite that will sabotage me. And most of he time I prevail by knowing what I committèd myself to eat that day based on guidelines given by my doctor, rest when I am tired, and analyzing why I may be feeling anxious . I did mourn my best friend ..food ...about a week after surgery. Reality set in., once ii accepted the fact that this will be a new way of life for me.. I never looked back.

Congrats..hope to meet you soon in the world of overweight..not obese. Igh.,those labels.

That is a question that each of us must answer for ourselves. We all have our own background with regards to our relationship with food. Myself, I knew my dieting history as I had tried many times to make the lifestyle changes required to maintain the losses of whatever diet I had been on. I believe my failure with making those changes stemmed from never addressing the mental reasons why I abused food. Perhaps if I had done that work, I may have never landed on the doorstep of WLS, but alas, it was only through my WLS I was able to do this work.
When people ask me if they should have WLS, I always ask them if they have attempted to make the changes at least 3 times in their lives. Really earnest attempts at not only dieting, but maintaining that lifestyle. IMO, WLS should be the last stop on the block. It is not a decision to be made lightly and certainly is not the easy way.
For me, it has been a life-saving procedure. I know where I was going and I felt so powerless after many, many failed attempts. I have discovered I am a stronger person as I have had to confront the reasons (and continue to) I abuse food. I have a great outlook on my life now with new energy and vigor.
Good luck with your journey. Continue to read and be prepared for the ride of your life!

Myfitnesspal to record my intake ...love this site, my bullet to make shakes..quick and easy...food scale, weight scale that is accurate, Vitamins, Calcium , B12, Iron capsules.

My sugar free Popsicles does the job for me when I am hungry for something sweet. Find something that will satisfy you and won't jeopardize your weight loss. Sugar free hard candy is also a good option. But take one or two a day. Get back to basics. Your sweet tooth will diminish .,the more u eat sweets..the more u will crave it.. So give it up entirely for a while. Wishing u great success. YOU CAN DO IT...

My sugar free Popsicles does the job for me when I am hungry for something sweet. Find something that will satisfy you and won't jeopardize your weight loss. Sugar free hard candy is also a good option. But take one or two a day. Get back to basics. Your sweet tooth will diminish .,the more u eat sweets..the more u will crave it.. So give it up entirely for a while. Wishing u great success. YOU CAN DO IT...

Instead of Oreo's may I suggest Cookies 'N Creme Quest Bars. They are wonderful tasting and they have no sugar but are made with stevia, low carbs and 20g of Protein in them.
Quest Bars come in so many different flavors that you might find them enjoyable subsitute for your cravings.
I found a hard candy from Italy called Petite Deceit and they are made with stevia and they are 2 calories per candy also very low in carbs. They come in fruit flavors.
Be creative with Protein shakes by adding extract to them when making them in the blender.
I found a great sugar free popsicle called Bomb Pops made with Splenda.
You have done great so far why go backwards. Is it worth it?
Maybe try something here it might help you get through this hard time and future times too.
Good luck and keep going forward.

Really, just whom do you think you're sneaking them past??!! At this point, no one on here can help you but YOU.
You're no beginner. You know your limits. Are you really gonna let 80 pounds lost and all that effort just slide away because you think you want Oreos. Have one and move on. (Buy a package of two, not 30) And you know your calorie limits too. Get back to closely tracking your intake including the Oreo and drink more fluids to fill you. If you don't feel like drinking more.......then get your butt to the gym and sweat. That will make you thirsty and keep you busy and keep your calories in check as well. If you want the occasional sweet or junk food.....limit the amount and then only when make yourself go immediately to the gym and work it off. You don't have to deprive yourself, just stay disciplined.
Your kind of success is what motivates the rest of us to our goals. You don't need ideas......you're just getting bored and lazy and trying to fill it in with bad choices and habits. You can do this, so no more sliding and get back on track.

I am 60 years old and lost 33 pounds post op in three months. (plus an 10 pounds pre-op). Of course someone in their 20's would conceivably lose faster. and I have seen the stats on this website that indicates such. But don't worry too much about "rate of weight loss" ...There are lots of factors if you compare to others. It is nice to see someone lose fast..however, I am very happy with my progress. I am concentrating on making lifestyle changes to maintain my weight loss, not just to take the weight off. (I could always lose weight, but I would immediately gain it back). I have 32 pounds left. As long as I am eating healthly most of the time , exercise , get good sleep. Then the 32 pounds will follow in time. Hopefully this help with you concern about weight loss :}

Hello 830830...congrats on your recent surgery. One week after surgery..I had a day of. mourning over the lost if my best friend, my consoler, my go to. ...FOOD. On that one day, I wanted to binge ..I wanted my best friend that I loved so much for 40 years. I knew I could use my friend anymore.. I was so sad.. It was day of realism..however, with that mourning..my mind flipped. It was also my day of acceptance..that I had to let go of my best friend. Though I know my friend can come and knock on my door again, I am doing the best to keep her a bay. Every since my sleeve, it is so much easier to jump into what life has to offer..rather than being in a stupor with high fat, high sugar food. I have discovered my cues of head hunger'. I.e. Tiredness', stress , and anxiety. I am very aware when I have head hunger..then I take the time out and evaluate what situation I Have put my day in. Then I slowdown..tell myself that nothing is worth being anxious about ..to,sabotage my health journey.
You are going through a transition..and that is an integral part of growth towards health..when I are feeling out of your body. The time to analyze your feelings and write it down..face your new reality.
Make sure you are not over exercising. Not eat all your Protein...etc etc. Your body is healing.. So be patient..be kind to yourself..
I am so happy that had that one horrible day. I did not binge..I eat what I was directed to. But it was a day of awakening. So embrace change. Even though it is foreign to you right now.

To assure that u are ok..I would call your surgeon just in case there is an issue..

Hello 830830...congrats on your recent surgery. One week after surgery..I had a day of. mourning over the lost if my best friend, my consoler, my go to. ...FOOD. On that one day, I wanted to binge ..I wanted my best friend that I loved so much for 40 years. I knew I could use my friend anymore.. I was so sad.. It was day of realism..however, with that mourning..my mind flipped. It was also my day of acceptance..that I had to let go of my best friend. Though I know my friend can come and knock on my door again, I am doing the best to keep her a bay. Every since my sleeve, it is so much easier to jump into what life has to offer..rather than being in a stupor with high fat, high sugar food. I have discovered my cues of head hunger'. I.e. Tiredness', stress , and anxiety. I am very aware when I have head hunger..then I take the time out and evaluate what situation I Have put my day in. Then I slowdown..tell myself that nothing is worth being anxious about ..to,sabotage my health journey.
You are going through a transition..and that is an integral part of growth towards health..when I are feeling out of your body. The time to analyze your feelings and write it down..face your new reality.
Make sure you are not over exercising. Not eat all your Protein...etc etc. Your body is healing.. So be patient..be kind to yourself..
I am so happy that had that one horrible day. I did not binge..I eat what I was directed to. But it was a day of awakening. So embrace change. Even though it is foreign to you right now.

Regain glasses suck.
The moment regain becomes a problem we put on those regain glasses and NOTHING looks good.


A few years ago I distinctly remember reading a post from a woman that went something like this.
I hate my hair. I don't like my face and don't know how to use makeup. I hate what I'm eating every day and I'm sick of it. Oh and I gained 5 pounds.
One of my most often repeated quotes...."we are rarely upset for the reason we think". Of course I assume you can guess what she was really upset about. I wrote her and told her to get a cute haircut, go to a department store and get someone to show her how to do makeup (free) or check out thousands of makeup videos on You Tube. I also told her she could change what she eats every day. Of course none of that made her feel better because she didn't FEEL like doing any of that because she was wearing her regain glasses loud and proud.
It seems that for most people everything looks pretty awful through those regain glasses. I want to help you take them off. You say "Yeah right…like I haven’t tried… and mostly..... I don't FEEL like it. I don't feel like doing anything." I have often pointed out that when you were at this weight on the way down you were ecstatic! Do you see how your perspective totally messes with your head? Why do we obsess about the lowest weight we ever reached instead of constantly realizing what our highest weight was and being grateful we aren't there? And if you choose to obsess about your lowest weight, doesn't it make sense to move towards doing something about it instead of continuing to walk down regain road?
Unfortunately we have this big adjustment to make after weight loss surgery because the first year we are wearing the "honeymoon glasses" and EVERYTHING looks GREAT! Remember how wonderful everything was when you lost your first 30-40 pounds? Yet you were heavier than you are now. You could hardly mess up at all the first year. It was all good!
One day you wake up and you can't find your honeymoon glasses. You start to take for granted the little things like being able to tie your shoes, paint your toe nails, fit in an airplane seat..... and the next thing you know it isn't enough anymore. Some of us hang in there for a while or even a long while and eventually something shifts and you start to think about how much you miss those honeymoon glasses.... you start looking for that feeling in other things like our old friend Mr. food. He’s tappin' you on the shoulder every day..."Pssst....remember me? Remember how much fun we had? Oh come on... a little sum-um sum-um won't hurt you". All the while your old friend has some regain glasses stuck in his back pocket just waiting to slide them on your face.
One of the most extreme cases of the perspective meter being out of whack was a woman I met who had lost 485 pounds. Not a typo! She lost 485 pounds but she had gained 40 back. She was all out of sorts and literally more miserable than when she weighed her heaviest.
I asked her to imagine that 485 pounds sitting on the floor. Right next to it 40 lbs. I guess we could say it looks something like this. (For those with perfectly analytical brains please forgive me…I guesstimated it)

I told her not to give that 40 pounds the time of day and dust it off. We give that regain so much power and of course we can pile plenty of shame on top of that for good measure. Shame is toxic, shame keeps us down. Shame keeps those damn regain glasses cemented to our face.
Here's the thing....if you don't take off the glasses and begin to turn things around....chances are that you'll look up in another year with more regain. Get off the insanity train today. Of course you remember... “Insanity=doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome”
Everyone is different but here are a few suggestions. You can’t build Rome in a day but you can always do the next best thing. (Thank you Post-Op and a Doc for “the next best thing”)
Look at your before picture in the morning and FEEL what you felt like. Sit it that for a while. I do that every morning without fail. Remember the things you wanted so badly. BE GRATEFUL you aren't there. If I could put you back in that body for a week you would be SO grateful to be you right now.
Quit thinking about the perceived mountain you have to move and pick up the shovel and start with one scoop at a time. Instead of Nike's "just do it", change it to "just start". (Thank you Chuck for that one) It’s too overwhelming to plan into the next century. I can hear the questions now….how long will this take? It DOES NOT matter. Just move toward your goal instead of away from it..... just for today. Today is all that counts.
Get the crap food out of your house. I know many people who find creative ways to do this with a family that feels they have to have the crap food. Put it in a place it can locked up but you'd do your family a favor by getting it out of their reach as well. Sugar and junk food is as addictive as any drug and they will guarantee that you will still be wearing those regain glasses. See my “M&M” story in this post.
Find a way to move your body that you can enjoy. I LOVE to dance. I hate to run….I wanted to love it but I don’t. I wanted that runner's high and I just could not get it. I love yoga and if you think you can’t do it, watch this! I describe yoga as slow dancing with yourself. Abby Lentz from Heartfelt Yoga is a dear friend. Look her up, she has DVD’s.

http://video.pbs.org/viralplayer/2365170173


You won’t do anything for very long if you perceive it as suffering. When you eat healthier food envision how you are nourishing your body. Remember it will make you feel better and look better instead of putting on more weight which equates to depression, physical pain, more misery and a shorter life span. Again the most important part of this is to stop the bleeding that has begun with regain. Nothing in life is easy so here comes your choices…...choose your hard.

I love myfitnesspal. It is free and their database of foods is awesome.
I see many people on this site using this site to log in their weight Calories , Protein, fat and carbohydrate goals for a day. It is also easy to use.

I agree with PDXman ,,it won't cure binge ester. However I find it helps tremendously. ..I was a binge eater. I saw an eating disorder psychologist for 8 weeks prior to surgery. And seeing her every other week after my sleeve surgery. I use food when I am stressed, too tired or feel very anxious. The sleeve has def curbed my physical hunger ..but I have to still be aware of my head. When head hi pungent raises it's ugly head. I analyze myself ..figure out why I feel this way..and take action.. Either by slowing down, lay on soda and rest. I started a consulting job and this made me so anxious..nervous feeling. I had to talk to myself and say that my health i pis much more important than any job. Putting me as priority..not a job that I doing to fill up time I gave on my hands,
I can honestly say that I had a 'small binge" only one day. since surgery. Nothing could fill me up..mentally. However , physically I was sick.I ate the wrong foods. After I analyzed myself.,and understood what made me ear unhealthy foods. I got composed and went right back with eating my nutritious meals the rest of the day. In the past, I would intake about 2,000 to 3,000 calories of junk during a binge Mostly sweets. The "binge I had with the sleeve was about 500 calories. I did not beat myself up with this...cause I understood myself as to why it occurred. I did post on this website that day for encouragement. It helped tremendously. Prior to surgery , the all or none attitude (perfection) with my setting would send me on a binge for days.. I would say..oh I will try again on Monday.
One more thing, the sleeve has decreased my appetite tremendously, when I eat my Protein first, then veggies..I am very satisfied and I usually don't want another bite. Prior to surgery , I had a bottomless pit and never felt full..even after a binge.

I was in the florence ,&Tuscany area last year. U will be fine.. Just check out Places to eat before u go. .ask the hotel..they can help u with that also. I don't like pasta...you can find healthy foods there..just like here. Stay away from their fatty meats like salami, prosciutto..the gelato ..it is hard to pass up...but u can do u if u r determined.

I agree with PDXman ,,it won't cure binge ester. However I find it helps tremendously. ..I was a binge eater. I saw an eating disorder psychologist for 8 weeks prior to surgery. And seeing her every other week after my sleeve surgery. I use food when I am stressed, too tired or feel very anxious. The sleeve has def curbed my physical hunger ..but I have to still be aware of my head. When head hi pungent raises it's ugly head. I analyze myself ..figure out why I feel this way..and take action.. Either by slowing down, lay on soda and rest. I started a consulting job and this made me so anxious..nervous feeling. I had to talk to myself and say that my health i pis much more important than any job. Putting me as priority..not a job that I doing to fill up time I gave on my hands,
I can honestly say that I had a 'small binge" only one day. since surgery. Nothing could fill me up..mentally. However , physically I was sick.I ate the wrong foods. After I analyzed myself.,and understood what made me ear unhealthy foods. I got composed and went right back with eating my nutritious meals the rest of the day. In the past, I would intake about 2,000 to 3,000 calories of junk during a binge Mostly sweets. The "binge I had with the sleeve was about 500 calories. I did not beat myself up with this...cause I understood myself as to why it occurred. I did post on this website that day for encouragement. It helped tremendously. Prior to surgery , the all or none attitude (perfection) with my setting would send me on a binge for days.. I would say..oh I will try again on Monday.
One more thing, the sleeve has decreased my appetite tremendously, when I eat my Protein first, then veggies..I am very satisfied and I usually don't want another bite. Prior to surgery , I had a bottomless pit and never felt full..even after a binge.

You're not alone. A lot of people do cheat on their pre- op diet and some surgeons don't even have a pre-op diet at all. This does not give you a blank check to keep cheating as your surgeon has his/her rules for a reason. Were you told that you had to lose a certain amount of weight by surgery date, if so how are you progressing that way?
From what I know and read, the preop diet is meant to help you lose weight, "shrink" your liver by reducing the fatty deposit there to make the surgery easier, and it really prepares you for the post-op care. Glad you recognize the problem now and are working to remedy it. Call your surgeon if your concerned.
It won't be too much longer now. You got this