Hey guys and gals,

I'm reaching out to you as my sleeve sisters and brothers asking for a little encouragement. I'm 10 weeks post surgery, and I've not made the best decisions regarding my food intake over the last couple of weeks, and not surprising but the scale isn't moving a whole lot.

I knew the surgery wouldn't fix my head issues, or my love affair with sugar and carbs, and I am just struggling to not put junk in my mouth. My stomach prefers the feel of frozen yogurt and sadly jelly bellies to chicken, eggs and cheese...the junk just goes down so easily. But the junk does make me feel lethargic and yucky later, so I so badly want to stop the cycle.

Thankfully I am getting in exercise (started training for a half marathon this December), and that helps offset the calories, but I need to find a way to put down the "junk" and get back to low carbing it.

Any words of wisdom from post-opers who have gotten off track and been successful to get back on? Or just words of encouragement will greatly be appreciated.

The only way you will eventually reach your personal goals is to keep trying....eating Protein first, then veggies, fruit and then last but not least carbs..

Didn't you find before you had this procedure that junk went down really smooth..I know I did...

The only way you can do this is to dust off your sleeve and work on the issues that you still deal with in your head

Everyone needs a treat now and then..i had upside down cake the other night and I did not feel bad at all! I have not touched it since..I did this for myself to improve my health and energy level...And maybe give me a longer life...

Remind yourself why you did it and write them down so you can look at them as a reminder....Also look at what you have been through to get to here and realize... Your on a journey...A personal journey that you alone travel......

We can encourage you and help but you know the reasons why you are having problems...You must deal with them to go forward.....I know you had the strength to get this tool...I am positive that you can again use the tool right if you want it bad enough.....

Go forward from here..tomorrow is another day with its own troubles..Make this one the best you can....K

How bout you do the 5/2 plan. Be really good for 5 days and then enjoy what you like for 2 days. You might then be able to stay good for the 5 days knowing there's a treat at the end of the tunnel. The thought of being good forever is very daunting and can lead people to 'fall off the wagon'.

Hey guys and gals,

I'm reaching out to you as my sleeve sisters and brothers asking for a little encouragement. I'm 10 weeks post surgery, and I've not made the best decisions regarding my food intake over the last couple of weeks, and not surprising but the scale isn't moving a whole lot.

I knew the surgery wouldn't fix my head issues, or my love affair with sugar and carbs, and I am just struggling to not put junk in my mouth. My stomach prefers the feel of frozen yogurt and sadly jelly bellies to chicken, eggs and cheese...the junk just goes down so easily. But the junk does make me feel lethargic and yucky later, so I so badly want to stop the cycle.

Thankfully I am getting in exercise (started training for a half marathon this December), and that helps offset the calories, but I need to find a way to put down the "junk" and get back to low carbing it.

Any words of wisdom from post-opers who have gotten off track and been successful to get back on? Or just words of encouragement will greatly be appreciated.

Hey Rebecca!

I'm so sorry you are struggling. The only advice I have is reboot. You can bash yourself for letting it happen, but that won't serve much purpose. Choose YOU! Start today new and move forward with a plan of attack.

I know I need to stay away from the carbs, because once I start, that's it. I will only crave that.

I won't even buy the Snacks that could derail me. Clean out the cabinets and start fresh. Go back to basics and follow a plan. You had surgery in Mexico right? Do you follow up here with a nutrionist? I know mine has been a god-send. If not, try tracking your food with MyFitnessPal or something similar. I've found some good Protein Bars that are high protein/low carb/low fat that satisfy me when I want a snack. Nuts have also been a great snack option.

Be strong, you can do this! I am so happy you posted, it is harder to put our struggles out there, you are stronger than you think.

Good luck.

http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/28139-the-basics-boot-camp/ This link takes you to LilMissDiva's boot camp. It may help you reset your diet.

Here's my experience: once I put any sugar in my body, the cravings begin and I'm a mess and a monster wanting the next fix. The book "Potatoes not Prozac" was great for me. The title is deceiving, I remain on Prozac and the book doesn't talk about eating carbs, other than to tell you that if you are sugar sensitive, carbs are BAD NEWS. Bottom line: It's not the bag of jelly Beans, it's the first one. If I can prevent the first one from going down, I'm good. Once I have the first one, there is a good chance I'm going to eat the whole bag and be looking for my next fix. The sleeve helps with that part - a bag of jelly beans + another fix won't fit! But it doesn't fix the mindf-ck of the cravings. So... not sure how helpful it is, but if you can just get one day under your belt of clean eating, the cravings WILL SUBSIDE. I promise you that is my experience. The less I eat sugar, the less I crave it. Moderation is NOT AN OPTION FOR ME (so, e.g., the 5:2 diet would be a total disaster for me!).

Good luck! Let us know how you're doing and what helped/didn't help so that we can all benefit from an experience that most/all of us will have at some point or another.

Best,

Angela

I low-carbed it for sixteen months prior to getting surgery and honestly, what helps the most is going through your house and getting all of the junk OUT. Throw it away, donate it, just get it away from you and then don't buy it anymore. If it's not easily accessible, you're more likely to eat the good foods that are. Of course that wasn't foolproof and every so often I would drive to the store just to get a pie that I would eat in one sitting, but 99% of the time if I wasn't around it, I just didn't think about it. The carb cravings can be miserable for a few days but seriously, once you stop eating them, your insulin levels out and you no longer get those cravings.

Thank you guys so much! I'm planning a "restart" right now! Your words of encouragement and plans of attack really help.

I'm cleaning out the cabinets now. And I'm with a lot of you, the first bite slips me up every stinkin' time.

Also, it helps to know what your triggers are. If you find yourself eating the wrong foods, stop and think about the why. So often it is a mix of old habits, boredom, etc.

If you can isolate your "why" you may find you can be better prepared to make good choices the next time. Best wishes to you!