I need to hear success stories from people like me

[Butterfly512 115]

I will make this short & to the point..

I am worried that my potential food addiction, emotional eating, mental hunger & cravings, my bipolar/mood disorder, my lack of sticking to diets ongoing for 12 years, the way I get depressed and moody when I feel hungry from lowering my calorie intake, the way I use food to comfort myself to be happy temporarily, the way I eat when I am every emotion from happy to stressed to sad, etc. etc..

I want to succeed with wls so bad..I want the depression from being overweight to finally end, I want this void I sometimes fill with my emotional eating to stop..

Can anyone relate? Have the same concerns?

I need to hear success stories and great outcomes from people with the exact same problems and concerns.

I want to believe I can do this, but I am scared..and it's my last resort and option to lose the weight and be happy with that part of my life.

[Butterfly512 115]

Another problem to add to the list.. my constant going back n forth from diet to diet..and getting stressed out by the decisions.

Although I feel like that will be solved by having only one plan/healthy way of eating to follow and not 100 other choices and diet gimmicks to think about.

[Butterfly512 115]

One more thing..I attempted to try starting the preop diet today..just to give it a try & get a heads up, I haven't gotten a surgery date and am still working on the requirements before that..anyways I didn't get past the 2nd Protein Drink before I caved in :-( I was hungry and knowing I don't have to do it yet is all it took to make me quit..but it made me discouraged again. :-/

[KingMoose 238]

Stop focusing on the negative aspects of: I can't eat crap food, I can't drink my self stupid, I can't, I can't, I can't. Instead find your strength and say I can. It is not easy, but nothing worth our time ever is. You will be amazed at how much all of those feelings you have go away if you keep focused on the positive and keeping you eye on the prize. You will also be amazed that a lot of the mental issues will go away or the effects lessen with healthy eating and healthy lifestyle including moderate exercise, healthy eating and a positive outlook on life. This lifestyle has just as many trials as anything else in life. You will have to change your mindset. You can do it and you will succeed if you just follow the program. Good luck to you.

[KateP 359]

I was a binge eater, a comfort eater, a yo-yo dieter. I ate. That was it! I ate when I was hungry. I ate when I wasn't hungry. I ate when I was already stuffed. I lived, breathed and thought food. I lied and cheated to hide my eating.

As the PP says, you have to switch from negative to positive. Not "I am going to fail" but "this is going to work for me ".

And don't judge it by a failure to do a liquid diet now! A liquid diet now is an unnecessary self-punishment - unless or until your doctor tells you that you must do it,

So what made the difference for me?

My doctor told me certain things stat were medically essential - like the post-op diet.

My doctor and my research showed me that breaking certain guidelines could seriously damage my health.

My band helped me eat slowly and carefully.

But most of all, I was 100% committed. I KNEW I was going to succeed.

The band only helps; it doesn't bring about weight loss - we do that by our choices. You have to be confident and positive.

I am a Brit and we don't go in for therapy! But I know you do in America. Why not see someone to help you prepare yourself?

[pink dahlia 2,513]

First off, hugs to you !! Second off, I dont have some of the problems you have, im not bi polar, but have dealt wth depression. Not pretty. And who has' nt "failed" with diets ??? ( ME !!) Many of us here are stress eaters/emotional eaters too (ME !!!) ,it's not uncommon. Cranky from "dieting" , yep ! (ME !!!), and alot of others too. What Im trying to say is you're not the only one who goes through all of that so DON'T think that you're going to "fail" at WLS because of the past. I dont know what kind of WLS you're having but being banded was the smartest thing I could of done for myself, and honestly. Not. That. Hard. I just followed the Dr. s rules and the weight came off. The 5% daily inconvenience of being banded is NOTHING compared to the 100 % inconvenience of being overweight. A positive " can do " attitude will help you the most ! Good luck, and come back here for all the support you need !!!

[pink dahlia 2,513]

Well, if I had read the fine print I would of seen you're having Lapband ! You are about my height, but I started at a higher weight . Every week it just got better and betterm and my clothes got loiser and looser. You.can. do. this.........I dont know what your Dr.s orders are on a pre op diet, but I know they have you do it to shrink your liver. If you cant get the Protein Shakes down , try another brand /flavor or talk to a Nutritionist for advice. You can PM if you need to, I check in every few days . Good luck !!

[pink dahlia 2,513]

P.S. 'scuse the language, but I saw a funny sign today and it made me think of you being on the fence about WLS. " Sometimes when one door closes, get a hammer and nails, and nail that bitch shut !!!"..........! Geesh ! I'm on a roll today !!!! ...................time to go take my meds !!!!

[B-52 7,113]

Your story does not sound any different than any others....welcome to the club.

I'm 63 years old, and over the years have been on every diet you can think of...started out good with all of them, then failed miserably!!! That was because with every diet, it too self discipline, self motivation and will power to make it work. And when it came to food, I had none of that.

I needed surgical intervention...something to be altered physically to do what I could not do on my own.

Ask your self this.....WHY lap band surgery? WHAT do you expect to happen with the band? (and don't say to loose weight...that's a given) HOW do you expect the band to make you loose weight and fix those addictions?

These are questions I was asking the staff leading up to my surgery....

There is a reason we have to resort to surgery. It is because of all those things you mentioned....hopeless cases. And only surgical intervention can fix it.....least that's my story.

I went into this with expectations....and my Dr. concurred....so I would not settle for anything less...

Today, I have no head hunger, no cravings....it is impossible for me to over eat, but it does not matter because most of the time I have no hunger and very little interest in food or eating in the first place

If I try to eat more than the band will allow, it results in unpleasant things...so eventually I stopped thinking about overeating.....

If you burn your hand every time you put it in the fire, eventually it becomes second nature not to put your hand in the fire.

So yes... for me, the band did take care of all that you mention, for me....But in the beginning, first year at least, it was not easy...a lot to learn, much of it the hard way.....a very trying time...but I stuck with it, and learned I had to change in order for the band to do it's job.

[Butterfly512 115]

You guys are awesome!

Any of you could've tried talking me out of it considering the issues I have or you could've said things like maybe you're not ready or this probably isn't right for you...which of course is the last thing I want to hear especially when asking to hear from people with the same problems that had success and great results.

The support of this group & the great advice has been so awesome..Thank you :-)

[Bandista 7,466]

Hi there, you are definitely in the right place. I was a very restrictive dieter, always putting myself through some kind of torture and beating myself up for not being able to sustain, the regaining plus some, the isolation. Getting that appetite monster off of my back has been amazing. I feel so free from something inside that I was constantly fighting against. I felt betrayed by my body. How could it get fat like that when I worked so damn hard? Now I feel synced up.

Where are you in your process? One thing I did before surgery was up my exercise. I didn't want to, but I did it and I'm really glad. I think it helped me emotionally to process everything on some other level plus it gave me something to step into right after surgery. I also got a therapist to help me work through my eating patterns and triggers. It's not like I hadn't done that before. I was 52 and had done a lot of work on myself. This time it was different, though, because in choosing weight loss surgery I was in a place of brutal self-honesty. It had come to that. Somehow this made it possible for me to see the whole thing as a giant step forward. I was ready to rescue myself. I was choosing myself first and giving myself the gift of weight loss surgery. It got me my life back.

Did I worry that I'd be the person it didn't work for? Sure. I think most of us thought that way because, after all, we had failed at everything else (grapefruit diet, cabbage diet, Eat Right For Your Blood Type, Weight Watchers, Atkins, Barry Sears, juice fasting, The Plan -- the this the that and the other, heck, I'm just getting started! I am so happy to be through with dieting. I am careful to listen to my body and to eat small portions at appropriate intervals. I can do this because my appetite is dimmed (see links below).

Best wishes to you -- keep us posted. Know that you are worthy and deserving of all good things.

[BayougirlMrsS 3,933]

@@Butterfly512 ...... this is something i posted here a few years back. How i felt and i hope it may help. By the way we were about the same.... Im 5'2.5" and was 223

I have not always needed you.... and one time in my life.. i was a "normal" person. Size 0-3... weight a whopping 100lbs. Back in my single day... then one day you meet a wonderful guy and you fall in love... ahhh things are great. You get married and have a beautiful son. and life is good.... but then you notice that your not happy as you use to be. some days are worse than others... you find the strength to get up every day and go to work and live a "normal" life. Things are good at home... but something is missing... that spark, that feeling you use to get when you and your spouse were together intimately .. and you notice that those time have gotten further and further apart... and you think, what is going on? and one day the reason is staring you right in the face... the mirror... but in that mirror is someone else... surely it's not me... I don't look like that... that's a ugly fat girl... i'm not ugly and i for damn sure am not fat. Can't be... i told my self years ago i would NEVER let myself look like... those people... but then you look closer... and closer and there.. i know those eyes.... those are my eyes... but why do they look so sad. I have happy eyes. and i see, i see the real me. the one others have been seeing for years.... how did i not see this... how did i let myself get like this ... how did i become that girl that now had to shop at the plus size store... when just yesterday i was a size 3... How did i become the girl the skinny girls are now looking at and saying... i'll never let my self look like HER... and i'm the HER. this feeling takes the very last shred of self-confidence and stomps it into the dirt and spits on it. and you think...i am ugly i am fat i am unworthy of love.... unworthy of feeling good. and you start to eat... more and more and everything keeps getting worse. you stop taking care of your self, stop dressing up stop wearing make up and fixing your hair.... stop putting forth the effort at all... You are now sitting in a deep dark cave, alone and no one or nothing can show you the light....

But one day... you open your eyes expecting to see nothing... complete darkness and there it is... a speck of light.... it's tiny, but just right there in front of you. and you squint to see it.... making sure its really there. that speck was my friend Paula... she had lb surgery and everyday we talked and everyday my light grow brighter.... I went to the doctor and did all the test... did it all and then the news that i was approved... OH ... JOy. I looked in the mirror and saw a glimmer of hope. But as the days grew closer... I started to think... WHAT IF... what if i die on the table, what if i fail at this too, what if i stayed fat forever... Then i saw this site...trolled for a long while. I didn't want to sign because, well what if someone knew me... the horror... Then i saw all the successful people... the beautiful woman and handsome men that in their before pictures looked so sad... sad like me. Then i saw the after pictures.. and all the happy smiling faces... people who were bigger than me... now wearing size 6 jeans (lellow)... and i thought.. i can do this i can get my life back.... I will be happy again. so on November 10, 2009... i awoke.. was re-born. and i did do it... i lost 80lbs... it took me longer than most, but i don't care. I have donated all the 12-14-16 & 18 and moved in to my own size 6... On Feb 15, 2012.... after a long hard fight.... i won and awarded my self a tummy tuck... i deserved it. I earned it....

so to my band... thank you... for sticking with me and always keeping me on track.

and too all you out there thinking about doing this.....search with in your self and be happy again... which ever way you choose.....

[kellyannrose143 4]

I have all your same problems and my doctor put me on vyvanse. It's amazing. I don't feel addicted to food anymore. I don't binge anymore. I'm taking my life back

[newmein2015 13]

Wow , bayougirl! Your story brought tears to my eyes! That person you were taking about is me! That's exactly how I feel. Thank you so much for the encouragement!

[gowalking 10,790]

@@Butterfly512 ...... this is something i posted here a few years back. How i felt and i hope it may help. By the way we were about the same.... Im 5'2.5" and was 223

I have not always needed you.... and one time in my life.. i was a "normal" person. Size 0-3... weight a whopping 100lbs. Back in my single day... then one day you meet a wonderful guy and you fall in love... ahhh things are great. You get married and have a beautiful son. and life is good.... but then you notice that your not happy as you use to be. some days are worse than others... you find the strength to get up every day and go to work and live a "normal" life. Things are good at home... but something is missing... that spark, that feeling you use to get when you and your spouse were together intimately .. and you notice that those time have gotten further and further apart... and you think, what is going on? and one day the reason is staring you right in the face... the mirror... but in that mirror is someone else... surely it's not me... I don't look like that... that's a ugly fat girl... i'm not ugly and i for damn sure am not fat. Can't be... i told my self years ago i would NEVER let myself look like... those people... but then you look closer... and closer and there.. i know those eyes.... those are my eyes... but why do they look so sad. I have happy eyes. and i see, i see the real me. the one others have been seeing for years.... how did i not see this... how did i let myself get like this ... how did i become that girl that now had to shop at the plus size store... when just yesterday i was a size 3... How did i become the girl the skinny girls are now looking at and saying... i'll never let my self look like HER... and i'm the HER. this feeling takes the very last shred of self-confidence and stomps it into the dirt and spits on it. and you think...i am ugly i am fat i am unworthy of love.... unworthy of feeling good. and you start to eat... more and more and everything keeps getting worse. you stop taking care of your self, stop dressing up stop wearing make up and fixing your hair.... stop putting forth the effort at all... You are now sitting in a deep dark cave, alone and no one or nothing can show you the light....

But one day... you open your eyes expecting to see nothing... complete darkness and there it is... a speck of light.... it's tiny, but just right there in front of you. and you squint to see it.... making sure its really there. that speck was my friend Paula... she had lb surgery and everyday we talked and everyday my light grow brighter.... I went to the doctor and did all the test... did it all and then the news that i was approved... OH ... JOy. I looked in the mirror and saw a glimmer of hope. But as the days grew closer... I started to think... WHAT IF... what if i die on the table, what if i fail at this too, what if i stayed fat forever... Then i saw this site...trolled for a long while. I didn't want to sign because, well what if someone knew me... the horror... Then i saw all the successful people... the beautiful woman and handsome men that in their before pictures looked so sad... sad like me. Then i saw the after pictures.. and all the happy smiling faces... people who were bigger than me... now wearing size 6 jeans (lellow)... and i thought.. i can do this i can get my life back.... I will be happy again. so on November 10, 2009... i awoke.. was re-born. and i did do it... i lost 80lbs... it took me longer than most, but i don't care. I have donated all the 12-14-16 & 18 and moved in to my own size 6... On Feb 15, 2012.... after a long hard fight.... i won and awarded my self a tummy tuck... i deserved it. I earned it....

so to my band... thank you... for sticking with me and always keeping me on track.

and too all you out there thinking about doing this.....search with in your self and be happy again... which ever way you choose.....

I don't 'like' this post...I love it. Beautiful...just beautiful. And so are you.