Zemi

Thank you

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looking wonderful, oozing confidence and i love the footwear!

love seeing the pictures and hearing how you are both so much healthier following surgery ... and nice having that offline friend that understands well

i’m sorry, this sounds really frustrating for you. Since you did like the surgeon and have had a few appointments with other providers now suggesting things are progressing slowly maybe trying your suggestion of contacting the surgeon directly is a good next step?

i wondered why more don’t when it can be an issue later on, but nothing was mentioned to me in my appointment so i guess mine doesn’t do this.

I too went through this with the no response. I kept calling, went to practice on three different occasions. Finally sat in practice until I was able to meet my Coordinator, two months AFTER I completed required classes, doctor visits. Sometimes you have to step outside your comfort zone, especially if it’s something you really want. Good Luck!

https://psychcentral.com/lib/get-rid-of-your-excuses-three-minute-refutations/
I found this helpful exercise for getting past excuses.

Good that you are working on this stuff now! It can only increase the odds of your success post surgery.
I think working with a therapist to develop a set of behaviors that are grounded in CBT (Cognitive Behavior Therapy) could provide great help. Also EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) and other programed designed to develop mindfulness and fascilitate behavior modification helps a lot.
Also, getting into an exercise program that is a guided program where you have accountability.
Having a local WLS support group is IMHO imperative.
Having follow-up visits with your RD post surgery for accountability.
Starting your weight loss diet now (your forever healthy diet).
Having a creative hobby/outlet.
Getting your support network aligned.
Breaking up with any known addictions (caffeine, high glycemic carbs, sugar, white things, excessive fruit/fruit juices, sweets, smoking, drugs)
Having a very clear view that you ARE choosing long-term change. There is no going back.
Yoga and Tai Chi.
These are all things that help. Also awareness/education. Learn/read and study your research!

One of the best gifts out of my surgery was working and overcoming my old behaviors. I traded stress/emotional eating with exercise and did some counseling.
I started with walking. My fitness level was not great. I could walk a half hour and built it to an hour after surgery. My exercise time is “me time” No one gets to interrupt it unless its an emergency. I use that time to process, bariatric issues, life’s stresses and major life events.
I have cried tears on the treadmill. It helped me deal with a death in the family
I have exercised out anger and frustration.
I pedaled a stationary bike and worked on my relationship with food/behavior change.
I wish I can say surgery changes old behaviors 100%. Years out, my stress emotional eating is less. I acknowledge when it slips back in as a coping mechanism. I know I can stop and do something else not food related to cope.

Working though books about "normal eating" helped tremendously.

Hi,
Im still in the pre-surgery stage currently, and trying to get a better handle on alternatives to turning to food for things like:
-stress eating
-emotional eating
-any other food related eating connected to head hunger rather than “real” hunger
I know that unless i can find ways to come up with healthier coping tools and healthier distraction options when needed; instead of using food as my answer .... i’m going to sabotage my weight loss surgery or have a high risk for developing or increasing other not so healthy or positive coping skills (cross addictions).
the dietician i saw expressed concern about my emotional eating; and my surgeon said that working on the head stuff helps (and i know there’s a good thread on this)
in talking to one psychologist about this his response was that nothing really works the same way as food ... that i can try things like mindfulness, journaling and exercise but it’s unlikely they will really work for me in the same way after using food as an answer for well over 30 years. that was discouraging but he has also seen me try and not succeed with alternatives in the past and was trying to be realistic.
how have others addressed this?
if you are or were an emotional eater what has helped you post surgery to deal with the emotions now? or is it still a struggle ?
thanks

Hi,
Im still in the pre-surgery stage currently, and trying to get a better handle on alternatives to turning to food for things like:
-stress eating
-emotional eating
-any other food related eating connected to head hunger rather than “real” hunger
I know that unless i can find ways to come up with healthier coping tools and healthier distraction options when needed; instead of using food as my answer .... i’m going to sabotage my weight loss surgery or have a high risk for developing or increasing other not so healthy or positive coping skills (cross addictions).
the dietician i saw expressed concern about my emotional eating; and my surgeon said that working on the head stuff helps (and i know there’s a good thread on this)
in talking to one psychologist about this his response was that nothing really works the same way as food ... that i can try things like mindfulness, journaling and exercise but it’s unlikely they will really work for me in the same way after using food as an answer for well over 30 years. that was discouraging but he has also seen me try and not succeed with alternatives in the past and was trying to be realistic.
how have others addressed this?
if you are or were an emotional eater what has helped you post surgery to deal with the emotions now? or is it still a struggle ?
thanks

I am the poster girl for emotional eating or at least I am trying not to be . I have been food addicted since 8 years old, old mindsets are extremely hard to break and may never be broken.. nowadays I concentrate on using food as medicine and I try to get my Protein and Water in and there’s not much room for more . I still think about food more than I should even as I’m inching to goal . I had a therapist who wasn’t a great fit and am on the hunt for a new one.. finding one who has training in food addiction or eating disorders is my goal and no matter my co pay I have to stick with therapy as a major tool to avoid mindless eating . I tried going it alone too long and my journey to not only feel and look better needs to include keeping food in its proper prospective.

Wow sorry to hear your Dr was so discouraging. Maybe you need s different Dr. One that is more supportive. Regarding managing head hunger, unfortunately I don't have any advice because I still struggle with it 10 mos post-sleeve. It's still so very hard. Right now the sleeve is still helping me from overeating but I still don't always make healthy choices. And after this honeymoon period that's certainly going to have a greater negative impact. I'm not giving up though. Best of luck to you.

I'm scared too. I have a great psychiatrist who I saw today and she really made me realize that I need to do this if I want to live a productive and comfortable life. I've been dieting for thirty years and I'm extremely uncomfortable in my body in this world. Continuing to be able to eat the foods I want isn't enough to make it okay to continue living this way. At the same time, you need to do what is right for you.

Hi,
Im still in the pre-surgery stage currently, and trying to get a better handle on alternatives to turning to food for things like:
-stress eating
-emotional eating
-any other food related eating connected to head hunger rather than “real” hunger
I know that unless i can find ways to come up with healthier coping tools and healthier distraction options when needed; instead of using food as my answer .... i’m going to sabotage my weight loss surgery or have a high risk for developing or increasing other not so healthy or positive coping skills (cross addictions).
the dietician i saw expressed concern about my emotional eating; and my surgeon said that working on the head stuff helps (and i know there’s a good thread on this)
in talking to one psychologist about this his response was that nothing really works the same way as food ... that i can try things like mindfulness, journaling and exercise but it’s unlikely they will really work for me in the same way after using food as an answer for well over 30 years. that was discouraging but he has also seen me try and not succeed with alternatives in the past and was trying to be realistic.
how have others addressed this?
if you are or were an emotional eater what has helped you post surgery to deal with the emotions now? or is it still a struggle ?
thanks

Muscle does not weigh more than fat - a pound is still a pound. Muscle is more dense, so you may show fewer inches for the same weight if you are more muscular, but weight can still be the same.
Few can actually gain muscle mass while losing total weight, but we can seek to lose as little as possible while losing the fat. Typically we will lose some muscle mass, particularly in the legs and core, as we don't need as much muscle to support and move our reduced weight around, and few can dedicate the time and effort required to build up a comparable amount elsewhere (and then keep up the extra work to maintain it so that it doesn't turn to fat over time.)
For the OP, yes get a body composition scan to see where you are - Dexa is considered the best, but Water or air displacement or even the scales give useful information if used properly. As a woman, mid 20's body fat percent is typical healthy range, but individually, you might be better as 22-23%, or 27%, so don't obsess over it.. I aimed for mid teens, which is mid to lean normal for men, and called it a day. Even Dexa isn't accurate enough to obsess over a point or two one way or the other.
To get back on track, as you have acknowledged falling back into old habits, try just going back to basic lean meat and green vegetables for a while. What is typically needed is a few days of "detox" from the (typically sugary) junk that has crept back in to alleviate your cravings for them.
These liquid "reset" diets don't do anything better and just reinforce whatever tendency you may have toward yo-yo dieting. They are premised on the observation that when we first had our WLS we were typically on a liquid diet for a while and we lost like gangbusters, so therefore if we go back to a liquid diet, we will lose like gangbusters again. Unfortunately, it was not the liquid diet that caused us to lose rapidly, as even those of us who never did a liquid diet lost like crazy those first couple of weeks. It was all about the heavy caloric deficit that we were in courtesy of our surgery, and the resulting water weight loss as our body adjusted to the new reality.
In short, cut out the junk that has crept back in and replace it with high nutrition, low calorie real food that will satisfy you nutritionally and cut your cravings for sugar, and is something that you can stick to in the long term, rather than a quick fix yo yo diet.
Good luck,,,

You have to be honest with the psych eval and people trying to care for you. I once heard a saying that people can't "drive" you crazy unless you give them the keys. Are you letting people sabotage you? Stand up for yourself, this is about gaining back control over yourself and your food issues.

Rather than letting it influence whether or not to have surgery, hopefully they would instead be giving you suggestions of what can help regarding how to handle any sabotage that comes up, and also giving you some additional support. How are you being sabotaged currently? I know it’s hard going through it, but maybe if you share more w can help as well so you can have the best outcome possible with your surgery

Rather than letting it influence whether or not to have surgery, hopefully they would instead be giving you suggestions of what can help regarding how to handle any sabotage that comes up, and also giving you some additional support. How are you being sabotaged currently? I know it’s hard going through it, but maybe if you share more w can help as well so you can have the best outcome possible with your surgery

Mine was and is a bit different because I’m already seeing someone and we are working through the bariatric issues together, also part of why I’m waiting a few months still before having surgery. Some psychs seem to love those long questionnaires as you found out during your appointment, hopefully the report is all fine and I’m sorry you have to wait to get an idea of his evaluation

Mine was and is a bit different because I’m already seeing someone and we are working through the bariatric issues together, also part of why I’m waiting a few months still before having surgery. Some psychs seem to love those long questionnaires as you found out during your appointment, hopefully the report is all fine and I’m sorry you have to wait to get an idea of his evaluation

that’s wonderful news! congratulations 🌷
is there any kind of exercise you enjoy more to help motivate you? as in, are you more a team person wanting a team sport or someone who loves swimming, or fitnesses classes etc

looking great, well done 😀

I'm 28, had my sleeve done last year when I was 27. 7.5 months out...I had a lot of hair to begin with and have experienced Hair loss, so it's not too noticeable for me. I also started to lighten my hair as having darker hair you can see your scalp more. I have lost nearly 140lbs and do have sagging breasts (went from a 42F to a 34 DDD) and sagging skin on my belly, thighs and a teeeeeny bit on my arms. I feel like if you have stretch marks, wherever those areas are, they don't seem to recover as well as other parts (my experience). I've posted about this before though, it all depends on your genes...I have very sensitive skin and scar easily. Some people have hair loss, some don't, some people have sagging skin and others snap right back. At the end of the day, I chose to improve my health and expand my wardrobe and live with saggy breasts and skin...I want to fix it eventually but, am in no hurry. Reach out to me directly if you have any questions too! I know sometimes it can be hard to post in a public forum. I attached pictures of my belly and thighs and then a picture of me today. No spanks, no special bra (one of those new lounge bras by PINK), no control top leggings just me today. It's easily covered up. Everyone's different. Hope I've helped and not scared you, but I can tell you 1000% it was worth it for me. Best of luck on your journey!!!!