oopsydaisy

At the moment it’s not something I’m very good at but here are some suggestions that might help.
Keep busy, if you are engrossed in something such as painting, gardening, sewing etc you tend to forget about food, especially if you are covered in dirt.
Have healthy alternatives that you enjoy available. It s no good having snacks that you don’t like because then you either won’t eat them or you will eat just for the sake of eating and then still be looking for something you like.
Dont have problem foods in the house. I know if I buy a packet of biscuits(cookies) they will be gone in a couple of days because I will keep eating them.

Agreed on getting the bad food out of the house. You won't be tempted to eat it if you keep it on hand. Think back to when you first got back on solid foods, what were your typical snacks like within the bounds of your new lifestyle? Were there ones you enjoyed that are also healthy? Try to keep those on hand instead.
But also try to find an outlet for your stress that isn't food related. My personal thing is video games. It's how I unwind when I've had a rough day (it's also REALLY helpful in distracting you from head hunger). Get absorbed in a book, watch a movie or a tv show that you like, listen to music and dance like a maniac in the bathroom. Most of us got to where we are because we turned to food to heal our bad feelings and it is very much an addiction just like alcoholism. Breaking that cycle is a huge part of being successful with this surgery.

I eat a lot of healthy carbs...so I don't crave the really awful ones and fall off the wagon.

Great advice above. Once you start eating cookies,cakes, crackers you crave them more. Remove temptations foods from the house and give yourself time to detox off them. You may feel funky for a while but it will help you to find your weight loss mojo again. Find activities that help process life stresses/emotions read, play, Paint a room, landscape, go for a walk, therapy, hang with friends and family, be artistic, watch a comedy and laugh ect. Love the video game idea @OpsMatt
Options to try -
My disclaimer - Ignore any advice that's not on your plan
Night snacking/head hunger - keep a veggie tray in the fridge (option low calorie dip/dressing) - Allow yourself to eat until full. If you try to bargain with yourself for another option then you know its head hunger.
A warm beverage that calms your stomach before bed: Examples - (sugar free sweeteners optional)
Camomile lavender tea unsweetened cashew milk sleepy time tea hot cocoa - Hot water, unsweetened cashew milk, Hershey's sugar free chocolate syrup

I haven't really lost in 3 months (I lost; gained it back, lost it again- and I'm in the same exact place I was 3 months ago.
What's different is that I'm snacking. And I'm not good snacking. I'm craving cakes and cookies and the bane of my scale- crackers any time anything feels a little overwhelming or stressful. Willpower is a wonderful thing - It's failing me though and I'm giving in often. Even still, I'm not exceeding about 12-1400 calories per day. I can think of no other reason for stall.
I'm 5'4". Starting 270; 265 surgery day, 180 today. I still have about 45 lbs to lose. So- what's your go to method of dealing with head hunger, stress eating, and the cookie monster?

Yep, I eat them all. Love them. They're a daily part of my diet. Sometimes multiple times a day.
OMG, they're carbs!
Yep, they are. But they're not refined, over-processed, or bad.
And you know what else they are?
Excellent sources of plant based protein and fiber.
A baked potato has 160 calories. By itself, it has 4g of protein. Throw some vegetarian chili on there and you're in the high teens. Awesome lunch!
Brown rice...half a cup has around 100 calories and 3g of protein. Add some bean or peas and you've got complete amino acids...tons of protein... and a crazy awesome amount of fiber.
Why is dietary fiber important? To grow good gut bugs. Your microbiota and the health of your gut (and metabolism) depend on happy little bacteria. The strains of gut bugs that live in the guts of skinny people....have a favorite food: dietary fiber. Feed your good bugs good things and they'll be good to you.
They like to eat fruit, veggies, beans, whole wheat bread...
Whole wheat bread? I eat this A LOT:)
For instance.....A lite Thomas English wheat muffin has 5g of protein for 100 calories. This dietary powerhouse has 8g of dietary fiber! Smear that sucker with your favorite nut butter or fruit preserves, and you're in business.
One of my favorite go-to dinners these days...... is fresh homemade wheat bread with 16 veggie soup...and fruit for dessert.
I eat about four servings of fruit a day...and that's not even counting the watermelon I huddle over in the car while hissing "My Precious...." LOL:)
A banana is not "a candy bar" A banana is a wonderful healthy food. I eat lots of them. Hell, I have a Yonanas that makes them into ice cream. They're terrific.


Normal weight does not HAVE to mean giving up carbs. It means being carb smart, balancing, and making mindful choices.
More than one way to do this whole thing.
Weight loss success does not mean ONLY eating meat for the rest of your life with broccoli on the side. That's great once in a while, though!
Not trying to tell anyone they're doing it wrong.....just sayin'....there's more than one way to do it right:)

Extreme thinking, extreme dieting, extreme self denial....is not sustainable.
Work on a forever diet you can live with.
Be mindful, be accountable....but be kind to yourself.

Heck yes, it counts! Congrats!

And it could not happen to 2 finer,people than you and me. Perhaps we will be Beacons of Hope for Newbies and discouraged others!,Onward to Victory!

I had the sleeve done in 2015. At the time I was married, with great insurance. When I started to lose a decent amount of weight, my husband decided he wouldn't support me any longer. He quit his job, we lost insurance, he left me and made our children and I leave our home. I got on my feet, mostly, very quickly. Then I met someone. I had another child. I gained 75 lbs back. It was devastating. But I rose up and lost it all again. In total I have lost 137 pounds. Now comes the worst. Time and Time again I have been denied the surgery to reconstruct my breasts and abdomen. My insurance is ridiculous. The standards for medical necessity have been met but because I cannot take the medications they require any longer, they use it as an excuse to deny me. 2 years on diflucan and other anti fungal medicines have damaged my gut biomes. I appealed. They ommited the information on my medicines purposely. I still suffer from rashes but cannot take the meds. They will only consider the rashes as ground for surgery. Not my mobility issues, not the fact that my pelvis is tilted so far forward from the extra pulling downward that my hips sit on top of the balls sockets and my back is swayed. Still, they will not cover my surgery. It's not their life, not their fight. It's a joke to them.
My heart and mind are broken. I'm tired of fighting and cannot look at myself in the mirror. Can't meet my own eyes. I'm a monster. The damage left is something I can't heal from. I did not need perfection. I need some sense of normalcy and will never have it. I can think of only one thing to ease this and I fight it on a day to day basis. Nothing feels good anymore. Not even people telling me how good I look. Not putting on pretty clothes. I'm tired of fighting when this was supposed to be a success. I worked hard. Very hard. As do most of us. But there is no light at the end of the tunnel. I've never (ever) opened up like this. Feel free to roast me because nothing said will bother me anymore. Not more than the pain I feel from simply catching a glimpse of myself, clothed or not.

And I will pray things will somehow fall into place. Self -loathing is real, it destroys you and many snap from the strain of continuing live that way. Stay as strong as possible for your 3 little ones. There has to be a plastic surgeon who will help! Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was one monitoring this forum, or a brother-in- law of someone? See I am a cock-eyed optimist, I STILL BELIEVE IN MIRACLES! If someone can find her an answer, please let her know!

December 2017 here! All is well! Thanks for checking in, Jade!
Congrats BlueCrush! How amazing that you're at goal already!
FabNFit - You can do it
I'm not at goal yet. I don't know if I'll hit it before my one year, but I'm 85 lbs down. And that's OK. (I've come to terms with this after lamenting for an extended time over not being a 100 in 6 months loser). I've worked out regularly since about February, which may have affected the numbers. Size wise, I'm down from a 22/24 dress to a 12/14 in most brands.
Right now, I'm struggling with a very long stall. I've complained a lot. And whined a lot. It doesn't help. lol. In retrospect, I realize I might be stress eating and eating when not hungry and loading carby/sugary things because I'm TIRED. All the bad old habits. I'll work on them though and hopefully have a better run for October.

December 2017 here! All is well! Thanks for checking in, Jade!
Congrats BlueCrush! How amazing that you're at goal already!
FabNFit - You can do it
I'm not at goal yet. I don't know if I'll hit it before my one year, but I'm 85 lbs down. And that's OK. (I've come to terms with this after lamenting for an extended time over not being a 100 in 6 months loser). I've worked out regularly since about February, which may have affected the numbers. Size wise, I'm down from a 22/24 dress to a 12/14 in most brands.
Right now, I'm struggling with a very long stall. I've complained a lot. And whined a lot. It doesn't help. lol. In retrospect, I realize I might be stress eating and eating when not hungry and loading carby/sugary things because I'm TIRED. All the bad old habits. I'll work on them though and hopefully have a better run for October.

Great poem, Frustr8 Here's mine!
I do not like that stall, is all!
I do not like it here or there.
I do not like it anywhere.
Unfortunately, I'm experiencing a very long one. And I've less carbed and more carbed, less cals and more cals, exercised more, moved a little less. And these pounds just want to hang on FOREVER. I haven't had any real loss since July. Or any inches. I'm just sort of hovering in the same place. I'm trying to chill and be OK with it though as it's certainly better than where I was this time last year (+85 lbs and barely able to walk). Just kidding. I'm weighing myself every day and begging the universe for a number drop. But congrats on 153lbs lost! That is AMAZING!

Great poem, Frustr8 Here's mine!
I do not like that stall, is all!
I do not like it here or there.
I do not like it anywhere.
Unfortunately, I'm experiencing a very long one. And I've less carbed and more carbed, less cals and more cals, exercised more, moved a little less. And these pounds just want to hang on FOREVER. I haven't had any real loss since July. Or any inches. I'm just sort of hovering in the same place. I'm trying to chill and be OK with it though as it's certainly better than where I was this time last year (+85 lbs and barely able to walk). Just kidding. I'm weighing myself every day and begging the universe for a number drop. But congrats on 153lbs lost! That is AMAZING!

Great poem, Frustr8 Here's mine!
I do not like that stall, is all!
I do not like it here or there.
I do not like it anywhere.
Unfortunately, I'm experiencing a very long one. And I've less carbed and more carbed, less cals and more cals, exercised more, moved a little less. And these pounds just want to hang on FOREVER. I haven't had any real loss since July. Or any inches. I'm just sort of hovering in the same place. I'm trying to chill and be OK with it though as it's certainly better than where I was this time last year (+85 lbs and barely able to walk). Just kidding. I'm weighing myself every day and begging the universe for a number drop. But congrats on 153lbs lost! That is AMAZING!

12/27/17, slow loser here but hanging in there. Still have 50 more lbs to lose to reach goal weight. I have struggled with not eating enough to sustain my workouts to just not eating or eating the wrong things(bad carbs). I am getting back on track just have to find a way to eat more calories.

12/11/17 here. I hit my goal about a month ago and have been holding steady since. I'm up to about 2200 calories/day now and maintaining. I work out 6 days a week. All in all, life is great!

Hope Everyone is hanging in there and doing great!

A little weight poetry my peeps.
Don't fear the STALL,is All
Let the ReLoss be your new Boss!
not great poetry, remember I work cheap, come to think of it, I'm FREE!???

Just saw a news report last night that said studies show most people have plastic surgery to please themselves and not others.
I know I’m having a face/neck lift on Tuesday because I’m tired of turning my head whenever there is a camera in the room. I don’t like seeing photos of my disgusting turkey neck on Facebook when my friends tag me in a photo or post a photo without my permission. I don’t need to look perfect. I’m happy with my face, but my neck is gross. And while I’m under, they might as well do the bags under my eyes. I don’t wear make up. I wear bare skin and a tan. I don’t cover my wrinkles but I’m not going out with all this gross hanging skin around my neck. I have to look at it every time I walk through the bathroom and every time a photo is snapped. I hate this more than I hated being fat.I don’t use filters.  I don’t Snapchat.  But I sure will stretch my arm up to hide my neck!  ?

At least it's not cookies (me. sad.)
The Ricotta bake is a good idea- I also like it with zucchini. If you're on solid foods (I was eating anything by this point), maybe a taco salad with cheese on top. Cheese doesn't have to be terrible- get lower fat varieties. I liked cream cheese or laughing cow wedges on bell pepper wedges or celery stalks.

At least it's not cookies (me. sad.)
The Ricotta bake is a good idea- I also like it with zucchini. If you're on solid foods (I was eating anything by this point), maybe a taco salad with cheese on top. Cheese doesn't have to be terrible- get lower fat varieties. I liked cream cheese or laughing cow wedges on bell pepper wedges or celery stalks.

I had this fear before surgery too. I'm sure a lot of people do! Don't let it scare you - it's a temporary thing that you can handle! For me, the pain was no exceptional. It was several days of fatigue- and feeling like I'd done A LOT of crunches. The fatigue was worse, but since I'd taken time off from work, I simply slept right through it. It wasn't unbearable by any means. Once leaving the hospital, I didn't need pain medication to get through.
Don't be afraid.

I had this fear before surgery too. I'm sure a lot of people do! Don't let it scare you - it's a temporary thing that you can handle! For me, the pain was no exceptional. It was several days of fatigue- and feeling like I'd done A LOT of crunches. The fatigue was worse, but since I'd taken time off from work, I simply slept right through it. It wasn't unbearable by any means. Once leaving the hospital, I didn't need pain medication to get through.
Don't be afraid.

Hi! I had surgery in Dec 18. I don't have an answer for you - I'm actually here for the same thing! I did want to let you know you're not alone in it though It happens! I lost 6 lbs between June and August. I gamed them all back the first weeks of August. And I dropped them all around the last week of August. Not an ounce since!
I'm not going back to liquids, as this would be the equivalent to a slider in my opinion. (Which wouldn't matter, I suppose, if I'm choosing low/no calorie things). I thought about cutting back carbs (this IS where I am doing something different- open faced sandwich or piece with a salad). It isn't a lot of calories that I'm consuming that way, but maybe it's affecting me in other ways. And back to the very basics- measured, to boot. Simple protein, simple steamed veggie.
I know others will probably chime in with advice or maybe even instructions for a proper reset- I hope you find what works for you! Best of luck!