Hi all, I need words of wisdom or harsh language, or both.

I ate 2 HUGE pieces of cake today in a half hour. My food intake and habits are going back to what they were.

I am under a lot of stress right now. I am in training and also going for surgery on Tuesday to see if I have uterine cancer.

I am also unfilled and am scheduled for the first fill in mid July due to insurance rules.

First of all, be kind to yourself. Quit beating yourself up, and, if you must, eat SOMEthing besides cake. Yogurt. FF Pudding. A 2 point WW ice cream bar. Grab a cup of coffee. Nuts. Choose healthier! It takes some time to learn how NOT to stress eat. Take a walk. Clean the closet. But DON'T beat yourself up. You recognize what's happening here, and I know it's like you just can't help yourself. I still do it sometimes. But I don't do NEAR the damage I did pre-band. Please be kind to yourself Leener. You have alot going on. Wait it out till your fill. Snack on chicken salad. Grilled chicken breast strips. Do what you gotta do and be happy to maintain your loss. ((((hugs))))

Your my girl, My Best Me. Thank you so much.

Stop beating myself and TRY making better choices.

I hate this out of control feeling. I thought that was over with.

I had my surgery three weeks ago. The first two weeks I couldn't eat too much but lately I have been able to eat more. My band has not been filled, so I've felt hungrier. I've felt the temptation to reach for stuff that's bad for me too. I've had ice cream and several milk shakes since surgery and then afterwards thought to myself, "Now why did I do that?"

Getting this operation really isn't a simple answer to all of our problems. We have to put in the effort too. And it's not easy.

My advice is to think of strategies to make things easier on yourself. For example, just don't BUY cake in the first place. And if you really are dying for a piece of cake, go to a restaurant and order a piece. A single piece. That way your intake will be limited, but you're still getting your fix.

But try not to get fixes too much. food is your drug, and you need to keep it in check.

I also would recommend joining a support group of some sort. It will keep the issue on your mind and help you make this more of a priority, regardless of how busy or stressed out you are.

More than anything else, though, know you are not alone. It happens to the best of us. Just try to avoid doing it again. :-)

It's natural to turn to the "comfort of food" when you're going through such a stressful time. After all, when we eat, we feel better and we don't anyone but ourselves. You recognize the problem so toss the cake in the garbage and empty the crap out and go and stock that house with healthy food. My prayers are with you and I hope all works out well in the health department.

Leener...

The week I had surgery I said how much the band was helping me and after going through all of the surgery stuff and paying cash, there is no way I would screw it up by eating bad, Right? WRONG.

The head hunger is the worst. We can only do the best we can do at any given moment. My DH has been so supportive, but asked me to bake him a white cake so he could have it with his fresh strawberries. No problem! I ate 1/2 the cake!

He won't be asking for cake anytime soon LOL Just don't through in the towel on a piece of cake. Excersise extra and next time don't pick up the cake!

You can do it!

I really appreciate Donna's comment that we can only do the best we can do at any given moment. I'm finding that sometimes this is a moment by moment choice, not even hour by hour! You have so much going on right now, so be gentle with yourself. It's not the end of the world that you had the cake. Just try to make better choices from now on and keep going. You are in my thoughts and prayers!

Emily

Eileen, I just got my first fill last week. I was despirate to receive it because I had reverted to my old eating habits too.

I re-committed myself to taking care of myself. I started diet journaling on "fitday.com" and I completely cut the sweets and comfort foods out of my diet (cold turkey) because I know that they were making me crave them even more.

I know that all of this is easier said than done. But try. If you just can't hold off until July for that fill, then pay cash for it. It will be $200 well spent if it brings you emotional peace of mind.

I will be thinking of you and your upcoming tests. Please keep us posted.

I feel your pain Leener... hang in there, we're both overdue for a fill. Hugs!!!

I know how ya feel leener, I'm having more or less the same problem. Some days are better and some are worse. I'll probably be getting a fill at the end of the month. And even then I know the fill isn't going to solve all my problems.

It's just a work in progress to make healthier choices and to get into better habits. It won't happen over night so we can't beat ourselves up over doing something that has come so easily to us for so long. So I just try to say, I'll do better when I'm not doing so good, and try harder...

Boy, do I understand stress eating! It is the story of my life. I am sorry you are going through all of this. Please know that you are in my thoughts and I am sending prayers your way for a good health report.

I know it sounds like a cliche, but I have found that exercise really helps with the head hunger I get in the evenings. I ride a stationary bike. Please keep us posted.

I understand, too. I truly think one gift of the band is patience. Think about it. We eat to comfort ourselves, even when we know it doesn't really work...it just works for the moment. That's a lack of patience. So, sometimes, we'll do that eating thing...just try for most of the time making a decision NOT to, even when you want to. I think that is the real gift...patience.

You have a lot going on. Take it one day at a time. Treat yourself the way you would treat a good friend.

Hugs, Cindy

Thanks to all of you. I really appreciate your comments. And your right, if it isn't in the house, I can't eat it. To bring a cake into this house is like an alcoholic having a bottle off vodka in the house.

I had SF pudding with light cool whip tonight. :-)