I have a confession..The past couple days I've been so bad,,had cheese cake and some other things not good for me. And I'm making myself too full..why am I still letting head hunger and bad habits get the best of me? I haven't had any weight loss in the past few days and can only blame myself. I know if I was doing what I was supposed to be doing the weight would be coming off quicker. I'm feeling like I'm in a rut..maybe getting a little depressed. Any motivating words would really help.

Happens to us all at one time or another. It's the way we rebound from that defines who we are. Seriously, every time you feel yourself reaching for something bad, drink as much water as you can (i prefer the MiO enhancers for flavoring). The stomach swells and the hunger goes. Also, I find that going to sleep instead of watching TV keeps me from reaching for those bad things. Lastly, throw the crap out. Get pi**ed of and just throw it away. Bad habits succumb to temptation when the objects we desire are too close. Good luck and just remember, you are the one that makes this successful. Not the sleeve.

massindex, you are so right,,thank you. And over 200 pds lost,,what an inspiration you are!!!!

Old habits die hard. You have to find the right way to "get out of your own way" and let yourself be successful.

good luck.

I know exactly how you're feeling. This past week I've been a bit depressed with what's going on in my life at this current time. I, of course, turned to my old friend and comforter: food.

Stepping on the scale to see that it hasn't moved all week has given me some motivation. So, I started exercising more, upped my Fluid intake, etc.

I know you will get through this! Going off track every once in a while won't ruin your whole journey. Just take it one step at a time and you'll be back to shedding off those pounds.

I went to a weight loss surgery meeting last night and met a girl who was 3 years out. She has gained 40lbs back from eating the bad things she knew she wasnt supposed to eat. Not encouraging but a warning. It can happen. She ate a whole black forest cake on Valentines day just grazing on it all day.

You know what you have to do, you didnt go through all of this to slide backwards. You had a few bites. no big deal, you are human! but dont let it be a habit. get out of the house, go for a walk, join a gym, start a yoga class. change something little and it will help knock you out of your rut.

You worked really hard to get where you are now, keep up the good work and keep on going!!

I have mixed feelings about your post.

On one hand, yes, you're falling into old habits. You're trying to eat like you're a pre-op person and you're not. You're repeating the habits that helped you gain the weight in the first place.

Knowing that and admitting it here is a big step, and I applaud that.

You need to figure out your new limits. It's natural to test boundaries and see how far we can push ourselves. With the sleeve, you'll find the answer is, "Not very far!"

I'd start examining what helped make you gain weight in the first place. Are you an emotional eater? Do you overeat? I think a lot of us are totally in denial about our food issues until we're forced to face them post op. I was convinced my issues were purely medical and while to some extent that was true, I discovered post op that I had a real problem using food to cope, to comfort and to hide myself.

The part of your post that I don't like is the idea that you've done "BAD" or that eating certain foods is naughty or not allowed.

I know I'm in the minority but I've been on this journey for nineteen months and feel I'm in a good place both mentally and physically. In my opinion, telling yourself that you're never allowed to eat those foods again, that you have to stay low-carb for the rest of your life, that there's only one acceptable way to eat - well, I think those are all more manifestations of the unhealthy relationship with food that got us fat in the first place. I respect that we want to change for good and use the sleeve as a tool to help us live those healthier lives we dreamed of. But I think that the notion that healthy eating is an all-or-nothing equation is silly AND dangerous. It makes falling off the wagon into self pity binges a bigger risk, just like yo-yo dieting does.

I can only tell you what I did. I started out eating like a carb Nazi. And within three months I was unhappy, depressed, had low energy and felt like I was on...gasp! A DIET.

I'd had VSG to AVOID diets and now I was subjecting myself to one for life!!

I had to stop. I started eating like a normal person. You know, someone without an overeating addiction or food issues. And guess what? Normal people use smart food choices about 90% of the time, but they do indulge occasionally. They don't binge and purge. It's not all-or-nothing...it's just FOOD. It doesn't control them or make them feel guilty or disgusting or out of control.

So I think that all of us need to find that middle ground. We need to teach ourselves to eat in moderation. We need to learn to be responsible, healthy eaters - and not just eating health foods but learning how to have a healthy relationship with all foods.

Because one day you'll reach goal. And then you'll need to eat more than 800-900 calories a day, and you'll realize that it's not easy when you sliced 85% of your stomach out. You'll need to increase your intake without binges on junk food or giving up those healthy habits you learned in the first few months post op. You'll want to have a slice of birthday cake with your family instead of feeling left out. You'll want to be NORMAL.

So pick yourself up, shake it off and keep going. You can do this. You need to do some exploration of yourself and your eating habits to figure out what's going on and fix it.

~Cheri

peacequeen, you've been through the ringer so please don't kick yourself over a few bites if cheesecake! like another said, don't eat a whole cheesecake by grazing on it over a day or two either! I've been tracking on myfitnesspal and most days I get between 650 & 800 calories so if a worthy treat presents itself, I have a little. one thing that helps post sleeve is if I eat too much junk I feel awful and that helps me stay away from the bad stuff.

I've done really well up until the past couple days,,it was more than a couple bites of the cheese cake and I've had some other things that I shouldn't have had (in quantity). I had just stated in another girls post that it's ok to have a little something in moderation. I don't know what made me do it. But thanks to all of you for your motivating words. I've done really well today,,back on the wagon. I got up really early, had my protein shake and excercised vigorously,,went for a mile walk. I feel really good. As for being bad, i just meant I do feel "bad" that I over ate and filled my sleeve beyond its limit. I know it's ok to have a little treat sometimes but I don't wish to push myself past pain anymore.

This is what I wrote when I feel like eating like crazy for no reason: Think of why you feel the need to graze on sweets and feel stuffed from eating. Walk away and just think why do you want to do this after your surgery. You've already been through SO much and yet you're the only one holding yourself back. Feeling fat and ugly and guilty is...sad and pathetic. I felt that way and still ate because I felt like I didn't care anymore and in turn I'm saying I didn't care about me anymore. That's NOT ok. I acknowlegde every pound I put on and do not want it back!!!

You're back on the wagon and you're doing great! You got this!

Of course cheesecake isn't on the plan, but overeating the sleeve is something I have struggled with a few times. We are still learning our full signals and it seems I often take one bite too many. It is frustrating and uncomfortable, but it's a learning process. Be patient with yourself.

P.S. Eat cheesecake sugar free pudding instead!

Give yourself a big hug and pat on the back for recognizing it and stepping up to the forum for help! Don't be too hard on yourself and know that it happens to EVERYONE. Learn from it, correct it, and move on. Life is both long in how much opportunity we have to do so much, and also short enough we can't take it for granted by keeping ourselves unhealthy and at risk. This is rough time of year for everyone. I hate winter with a passion. The short days, cold weather, over the major holiday buzz. I'd say make sure you get out for a walk, feel the sun on your face, have some nice "talks" with yourself about how wonderful you are, and make a list of what's more important to you than comfort food...

BEST OF LUCK! We're all here to listen