My first plateau

[Rev Me Up! 75]

Hi All,

I am 4 months out and have exactly 20 pounds to go before goal. I can say that, up until now, it has been pretty easy. I was eating as much as I could to get in the Protein and my restriction has kept me in check. Now I have hit my first stall and it isn't a secret as to why. Three things have happened in the last couple of weeks: 1) eating has gotten more comfortable. 2) boredom eating has returned. 3) I was prescribed one-time medication that kept me from going to the bathroom (you know what I mean) for 7 days.

So let me address them one by one...

1) eating has gotten more comfortable. I knew it would happen sooner or later. What used to take 20 minutes of careful chewing now goes down in 5 minutes of fairly thorough chewing. Big difference. The discomfort really helped. I have found more foods that slide right through (shrimp chips are NOT ALLOWED in the house ever again!!). Now I have to re-focus my efforts on sticking with the stuff that is harder to eat and fills me up faster. I still love chicken, and that helps :-)

2) Boredom eating. I didn't realize it until yesterday, but I can eat every hour if I want to. When I am bored, that's what I do. My portions are small, but I can eat more often and I have a mental drive that pushes me to snack when I am bored. Bad. Really bad. I need to go back through what I am eating, pre-portion what I can have for the day, put it in a bag and have the determination to only eat what I have set aside for myself. its actually really easy when I am having a normal, somewhat stimulating day. But, lately, work has been unbelievably boring and I am straying off the path. The sleeve is still working for me because I don't really get hungry. It's my mind exploiting the fact that it is physically possible for me to eat!!!!! That's going to be tough...

3) The meds. Ugh! It was a one day thing (thankfully) but I still am feeling really bloated and haven't quite gotten back on schedule. I've been missing my daily oatmeal for various reasons and I am sure that's not helping. However this problem is a temporary one.

I feel like I am going through a transition time with my sleeve. The eating comfort has changed and now I really have to dig deep to keep making healthy choices. Overall, it is not that hard. The sleeve is still doing what it has promised to do. It's the initial choice that I have to stay on top of. I need something else to do / think / say when I get bored so I don't immmediately go to the kitchen. Also, if I do go for a snack, if I grab some cold roasted chicken, I can really curb the rest of the craving. It's all about choices.

What can I say... I am a work in progress.

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,281]

Hi Rev,

Hows it going now? The closer you are to goal the harder it to lose for sure!!!! Wishing you well!!!