I am 17 months post gastric sleeve. In the first 7 months I lost 100 lbs. Then for the next 5 months I bounced up & down the same 6 lbs. Unfortunately, I still have over 100 lbs to go. It gets even worse from there. I've noticed over the last couple of months I have fallen back into my old eating habits of nothing but JUNK. And I mean pure junk. Cookies & candy have been my main stay along with pure sugar laden ice coffee from DD ( I shouldn't even call it ice coffee since they barely have room to even put coffee in it with the amount of CREAM and SUGAR and CARAMEL). These ice coffees are a new thing since surgery. I always hated anything to do with coffee but since a few months after surgery, I craved them and started getting them once in a while. It has now become almost a daily thing (atleast 5 times a week, if not more). Also I have almost completely stopped taking vitamins. For some reason, I just can't remember to take them. I think it has to do with how many times a day I have to take them, I don't know. I mean, there's the thyroid meds that you have to take an hour before you eat anything, then the multi and B12 and Vit D after I eat. Then you have to wait at least 4-5 hrs to take the calcium then you have to take another calcium later on in the day. I think my mind gets so overwhelmed, that I say screw it and I forget to take them. How do I dig myself out of this deep hole that I put myself in to? Is it to late to reset this whole surgery thing and get back on the losing train? And getting in any kind of exercise is a joke. I do absolutely nothing. WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF? HELP!!!

Hi Lovin2lose,

I just got a surgery date and I was completely underwhelmed. I sorta fear the very thing you're dealing with, that I will discover that my root problem will rear its ugly head and i will not practice self-care. I am in therapy right now to deal with some of these issues. Are you currently seeing a therapist? It sounds like you should look at those roots that cause you to self -sabotage and not care for your body and mind. Just my two cents. I have heard of others resetting their pouches in 5 days by going back to a liquid diet. This could help with the weight loss but you may find yourself unable to even stick to this if you're in a pit. What does your support system IRL look like? Are you involved in any activities that you enjoy? Have you had any NSV?

it's not too late. There are a lot of people who've lost all their weight, then gained 50 lbs, then lost it again. You just have to go back to your program. Protein first, etc etc etc. You need to follow the rules for the rest of your life if you want to be successful. It does work...

Just by coming on here and spilling your guts, so to speak, you know you want to solve this. You took the first step, now take the second one - you know what to do.

Action precedes motivation. Do something, change something - #1 stop going to DD!!! Make your own coffee w caramel premier protein, #2 - track your food intake, even the bad stuff, #3 - protein first, then veg, #4 - vitamins, #5 - water.

Counseling might be a good idea, or group support at least, or appt with a NUT. Come on here to vent. Go look at your before pictures, and now - pat yourself on the back - you did this! And you can revise and get back at it. Go did out your before jeans and try them on - do you want to go back to that?

16 hours ago, Lovin2lose said:

How do I dig myself out of this deep hole that I put myself in to?

Can you afford to see a good professional hypnotist or even a professional motivator?

Refocusing is hard without strong affirmation.

Get into counseling and see an eating disorder therapist. It’s unfair to ask yourself to go through this without the support you need.

It is never to late to make a change in your life. Even challenging your beliefs about weight loss and what that means to you could help you.

Weight loss and wls is a lot of pressure. It’s hard to just be kind to ourselves. It’s so difficult to go through alone and failing at weight loss is NOT the same as being a failure. We are human. Our bodies fight hard to stay at certain weights. There is a ton about weight loss we don’t understand.

I hope you can find someone to counsel you about eating disorders. I think it would really help.

On 11. November 2017 at 6:52 AM, Lovin2lose said:

WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF? HELP!!!

You do it because you've most likely fallen off the "dieting wagon" (as was to be expected because surgery doesn't magically make strict diets work long term that failed long term before).

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For some reason, I just can't remember to take them. I think it has to do with how many times a day I have to take them, I don't know. I mean, there's the thyroid meds that you have to take an hour before you eat anything, then the multi and B12 and Vit D after I eat.

This is something I completely understand. I set a reminder for my vitamins and minerals on my iPhone that reminds me daily to take them. Also try to make things as easy and pleasantly as possible.

- take Vit D once a week in a appropriate dose

- get a monthly Vit B12 shot

- buy vitamin and mineral supplements that you actually like and don't balk at the little amount of sugar or carbs or calories or whatever that might go with them

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I am 17 months post gastric sleeve. In the first 7 months I lost 100 lbs. Then for the next 5 months I bounced up & down the same 6 lbs. Unfortunately, I still have over 100 lbs to go. It gets even worse from there. I've noticed over the last couple of months I have fallen back into my old eating habits of nothing but JUNK.

17 months is a very long time already. I assume it's way harder for folks that have really a lot to lose because the time span their bodies spend in a calorie deficit is much, much longer than it is for the folks on the lighter side so hopefully another user might chime in here with advice.

Did you start falling back into "bad habits" once your weight loss slowed down or stalled? I could absolutely understand that and I experienced it myself from the "old dieting times" as well. IMO this is a very critical time: having already lost quite a bit of weight but goal weight still seems to be soooooo far away. Getting motivated again to ditch most of the junk is much less hard when you're only a few lbs away from goal or when you're at maintenance (though I'm sure not everyone will agree with this).

This is a very, very hard time you're going through and I hope you can find your way back to healthier eating. What helps me eating not so much unhealthy food is the thought "Well, that stuff isn't healthy, it's bad for the body - any body, including the thin ones - regardless of how many calories it contains."

It's never too late to make changes to your diet. The easy answer is "You know what you are doing wrong, so quit doing it." That being said, if you are really struggling to make those changes, you should call your surgeon or consider seeing a therapist to figure out why you are sabotaging yourself.

You can't out exercise a bad diet (and those darn flavored coffees have so many calories!!) but I think exercise helps me stay in the mindset that I need to take care of myself. Try writing down your goals for one week and making sure you meet them. Pick small things that are achievable like "Walk 3x for 30 min, take vitamins x times per day, coffee no more than 3x this week." If you meet them, give yourself a non-food reward next week. Writing down my goals always makes me more focused!

It helps me to make one small change rather than to look at ALL the things I'm doing wrong and try and fix them all one glorious Monday. It's like a New Year's Resolution- that kind of stuff doesn't stick.

I love the suggestion of replacing your DD with a caramel premier protein shake and coffee. So easy! And a lot cheaper for you. Do that for a week or two and don't worry about making other changes yet. Just focus on that one. It's the simplest one, so it will be a good motivator to start making the other changes.

Next, set an alarm on your phone for your vitamins. Hard to forget when your phone is screaming at you to remember. For me, it's easiest to take them at night before bed, because I'm pretty much always in my own bed every night at the same time.

After that, start walking after dinner. It's so nice to get outside after a meal and spend 10-15 minutes in nature. Even if it's chilly! My neighborhood is super awesome too, so it's my social hour. I run into folks all doing the same thing with their families.

Whatever you do, do it a step at a time. These habits didn't all start on the same day, they crept in. So creep them back out. This is a lifetime journey, if you don't want to burn out, don't start in a sprint. That's what works for me, anyway.

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