I have lost my way

[JillC878 59]

I am lost. I have not been documenting like I was. I have not been eating enough Protein or drinking enough fluids. I have been grazing. I have not been taking my Vitamins like I am supposed to.

OK, now that I have admitted my sins I can ask for help. I am truly seeking help to get me back on track. I am very discouraged and not sure how to do this anymore. (Before anyone says it, I have started seeing a therapist.)

I see before and after shots of people and I don’t get it. I do not see how I will ever be close to being that small. I really don’t see me being smaller then I am now. Don’t get me wrong 70lbs is amazing, but it is not as much as me or my MD want lost. I am still doing well with exercise; I missed measuring myself this month. So there could be inches and not pounds lost at this time. People are starting to notice enough to say something and that is a little encouraging.

I know that I am stress, anxious, and depressed (hence the reason I started therapy). I know that is effecting my eating...well affecting everything. I also know that I can’t seem to push myself over this hump.

Any thoughts? Anyone go though this? Anyone willing to help or maybe mentor me?

[RJ'S/beginning 5,357]

Jill I think you know exactly what to do...You said it all in the first few lines of your post.

Back to basics girl...Stop grazing and drink your Water.. Dense Proteins first, veggies, fruit, complex carbs....

3 square meals a day and 2 Snacks..Snacks are nuts, cheese, fruit, yogurt, things like that...Meals are 1 cup of food...mostly dense Protein....You may want to take a few days and return to liquids to restart your journey.....Protein rich liquids..

Vitamins....Look you really need those.. There is no way your body can absorb enough Vitamins and minerals by food a lone...A long with the stress you are facing your body is going to start to rebel on you..Run down and out of steam......

The therapy might help..But this is your trek, no one else can run it for you girl....We can help you and encourage you but we can't fix you...While you are seeing the therapist...Stay close to the forum and look for those who can help you, encourage you and stay close to you...Start to really sort things out in your head.....Say it out loud what you are feeling and thinking and you will find that you will feel better and once you change your relationship with food....you will be so much happier....I promise!

You did this because you wanted a better healthier you..You must still want it or you would not be reaching out for help..Good for you kid!!!!!

Anything I can do, ,just PM me and I'll do my best to give you some help..

[artisticbritt77 4]

Don't you just love RJ? She is so encouraging!! She helped me yesterday! I've been falling off the wagon a bit too. As a matter of fact my weight loss has slowed down tremendously, and I've been pretty discouraged about it too. But like RJ said, I'm going to get back to basics. The fact that we still care and are reaching out for help means we want to do something about it. Like I was told yesterday, we only fail when we stop trying. I started out at 280, lost 74 pounds and it's like everything just slowed or stop. I had my sleeve done Nov-2012. I still have 56 pounds to go until my goal, so it's definitely been a struggle emotionally for me. But, we are not alone! We all need help and support sometimes, and reaching out for it means we still love ourselves enough to keep going and pushing through and realizing it's not a race! I personally need to address my emotions more when it comes to food. So that's the first step I will take. That and starting over by a reset, by getting back to basics. Best of luck to you Hun, we all know you can do this. We all have your back!!

[keepingmysecrets 36]

I understand where you are right now, I have been there many times myself. But I can see from how you write that you are a strong person. No one is ever perfect, we all fall off the bandwagon now and then. If someone says that they NEVER cheat, I would say that either they are in denial or they are not being honest. It is human nature to fall back on what is familiar when we are struggling with something unresolved in life. The therapist will help you get back on track by identifying the issues that have stopped your momentum.

Tell yourself, "I can do it" and then believe it. I do not even know you or your story, and I am new here, but I can tell when someone is going to succeed just by the way that they are able to identify the issue, admit that they are not perfect and seek the help and support they need. Doing all those things makes you a WINNER and winners do not give up or lose the fight.

[BeagleLover 1,020]

I haven't had my surgery yet, but knew a large part of success will be learning how to lessen the connection between emotions and eating. One book has helped me a lot: "Emotional First + Aid Kit: A Practical Guide to Life After Bariatric Surgery" by Cynthia Alexander. Hope this helps!

[Lilypad16 4]

Thank you Jill for your honesty. I am only day 4 post sleeve and have found this adventure quite emotional and leaving me with a lot of self doubt. RJ's comments were sooooo helpful and I hope she keeps them coming. Thank you RJ. I also took note of the suggestion from Beagle Lover about a book that she found "emotional first aid bariatric survival guide. I am usually not a person to read up about what I'm doing but my emotions got me here and the physiological changes are under way but my issues with food are still issues. I plan to see my Psychiatrist and get my back side into an actual support group meeting. You've done so well Jill so hang in there and continue to give me hope. If you can do it, maybe I can.