I have been banded about 10 weeks now. I lost 60 pounds before the band, and another 36 since banding. I am having a really hard time staying on course lately. I have stopped exercising, cheating more frequently. I don't know what to blame it on. It has been hard on me emotionally. My relationships have suffered. I just need to get back in the swing of things. I just want to sit on the couch all day and hide from the world. Tonight I ate alot of french fries and half a chocolate shake. It really wasnt even all that good, and my stomach is hurting now. I am still struggling with finding a replacement to eating when I get stressed out. Any words of encouragement is greatly appreciated.

Krytallynn13 it's ok. I think we all go through those days. My nutritionist told me that I will have cheat days and days I just don't want to exercise and it's ok. As long as we don't make a pattern of these days we should be ok. When I absolutely refuse to deny myself something I want...I just don't eat much of it. Yesterday I had two onion rings which weren't that great but it was the psychological idea that I couldn't have them that drew me to want them more! I find myself listening to music more and more when I get stressed out. Anything to get me over the hump!

When I get stressed I go to the gym or shopping or even to a movie. Anything that gets me out of the house and away from the fridge!

i havent been banded yet(dec 13th) but is there anyway you could do a non food related project to keep your mind off of food? knitting, paint by numbers, puzzles, needlepoint, scrapbooking, sewing, yoga, etc......

Try to snap out of it. The scale moving should be all the motivation you need.

Thank you everyone for your input. I try to start everyday as a new beginning. I am feeling really focused right now, but it is only 850am and plenty of time left in the day to go south! I am getting alot of attention because of my weight loss and am feeling a little bit like a fraud. I feel like I have to defend myself and my weight loss. It is just such a struggle. I wish I would have chosen something else besides food to be addicted to.

Why would you feel like a fraud? We are not cheating just because we have a tool. Is someone cheating because they have a treadmill instead of walking outside. If anything else, we have it much harder than normal dieters. If we gorge ourselves on food, we will get sick, have horrible chest pains, acid reflux, and possible vomiting. We must give up foods like bread and pasta that we once were addicted to. As much as I love subway and even though it is low in fat, I still haven't been able to eat it since the surgery because of the bread. We have to plan meals, go in the liquid stage on fill days, and give up all our carbonated beverages. We have to work just as hard as anyone else and i will not and you should never feel like a fraud! Good luck getting back on the horse, you are worth it!

Everybody has done that...get a fill to reign it in a bit! I cant eat more than 5 fries at a time!

Do you think you could be depressed? You sound like you may be. Sometimes when a person is depressed they cope by eating. Now that you can't "really" eat away the stress, you may be confronting the reasons why you over ate in the first place. Perhaps you should look into therapy. It really helped (helps) me. Good luck!

Why not list all the things that have improved about the large amount of weight you have lost? Surely your clothes are a smaller size, you can move somewhat better, etc.....You have done a great thing! I just hope I am as successful as you have been! Also a little citalopram can really help. Ask your doctor.

I am currently in therapy and am on two different anti-depressants. This has been such an uphill battle for me. My relationships with the people I love have definitely suffered. It is hard to adjust to not having food as a crutch anymore. It is hard to have to feel and deal with uncomfortable feelings without food. I just had a fill 2 weeks ago and not due to go back until January 6th. I just keep putting one foot in the front of the other on my way to the finish line.

About the fraud feeling...let me tell you about a conversation I had with a co-worker yesterday. She told me she was going to lose 50 pounds before her trip to Ireland. I told her I was gonna lose the rest of my weight by May and go to the Bike Rally in Myrtle Beach and wear some Daisy Dukes. (just joking). Her response to me was..well you can loose the weight the easy way. You don't have to try hard...REALLY??? This person is my friend and the only one I associate with at work. She really hurt my feelings. I tried to educate her on how this was not the easy way out, but I don't think I changed her mind any. Oh well...we live and we learn.

I hate the fact that people think this is so easy. They really have some nerve, This is no way the easy way out. I mean most of us cant even eat bread because it gets stuck...then there is the whole stuck issue in itself...Not fun and not easy

I am currently in therapy and am on two different anti-depressants. This has been such an uphill battle for me. My relationships with the people I love have definitely suffered. It is hard to adjust to not having food as a crutch anymore. It is hard to have to feel and deal with uncomfortable feelings without food. I just had a fill 2 weeks ago and not due to go back until January 6th. I just keep putting one foot in the front of the other on my way to the finish line.

About the fraud feeling...let me tell you about a conversation I had with a co-worker yesterday. She told me she was going to lose 50 pounds before her trip to Ireland. I told her I was gonna lose the rest of my weight by May and go to the Bike Rally in Myrtle Beach and wear some Daisy Dukes. (just joking). Her response to me was..well you can loose the weight the easy way. You don't have to try hard...REALLY??? This person is my friend and the only one I associate with at work. She really hurt my feelings. I tried to educate her on how this was not the easy way out, but I don't think I changed her mind any. Oh well...we live and we learn.

Instead of trying to change her mind about the band (who cares what lurks in HER mind?) I wish you had just said, "that hurt my feelings"

That would be a statement of fact and in that case it is inarguable...stay away from people who do that!

Xavier that is what I should have said. Unfortunately my self esteem is still tanked and not able to confront people in this manner. Im working on it though.