1 month plus post-op and what I've experienced

[Loops]

So I'm almost two months post-op and am doing well. I'm down to 265 and I'm excited about the weight loss. It's been a gradual loss and more getting used to my new bowel movements. What I haven't seen in weight loss I have seen in inches lost and clothes fitting looser. With my surgery the major thing is protein intake and my surgeon would prefer my intake be less from supplements and more from actual meals. I had an honest conversation about my hang ups on food intake. To be honest I feel like I'm constantly eating and I know its for my benefit but its hard to shake all the negative associations. My inner voice tells me I'm eating too much and I resort back to old habits of having one to two meals a day, which added to my weight gain. I might take him up on the offer to speak to a nutritional physchologist, but kinda getting tired go getting referred for therapy. I know I have issues but I have little time to take a hold of them. My depression has peaked during this time especially when I had a stall in the beginning and I was so upset at myself for failing with this surgery. I stopped the obsessive weighing of myself and try to get three meals a day. I did add an exercise coach into my routine. It's not intense but its strength training so I'm able to commit to twice a week for twenty min. I did get my blood work results and please take your vitamins we need them. Thank you for reading

 

[dianeseattle]

Loops, we all have the same problems. Your brain doesn't change after WLS. You have to work on that separately.

I posted some tips earlier and they might help. First, develop a precise food plan. what are you going to eat tomorrow? Write it down. Then only eat that, and space it out over the day in small amounts so you don't feel uncomfortable in your pouch. Include a sweet or salty snack if you want. Don't wait until you get a craving. Plan for it.

Most importantly, try affirmations. Those messages you're getting in your head right now are negations, negative thoughts that become obsessions. If you take the post you wrote above and rewrote it in an affirmative way, instead of saying, "I feel like I'm constantly eating," you could just say "I'm eating on a healthy schedule." Every sentence you change will help break down the negative feelings that are overwhelming you.

This book teaches people how to change negative thoughts into positive ones. It's so easy. It's now tattooed on my brain and I don't have any of the negative thoughts relating to food that I had before I read it.

But you have to make the decision to read it and accept what you read, and notice when you're feeling resistant, because resistance is what you're feeling about all the "rules" you're being told to develop now.

Anyway, I hope you'll give it a shot. The book is available free online as a PDF. Just enter the title into a search engine.

 

[mam]

Loops, I am so sorry to hear your depression peaked. That happened to me post surgery too (right now I am 3.5 months out and feeling better) and I wished so much that my surgeon's office had better psychological support post surgery. On top of it, my therapist quit after Christmas and to this day, I am still waiting for the counseling center to assign me to someone else. Each time I check, they say I essentially need to wait for someone to drop out of their regular therapy or until the center hires additional therapists. I also went through some stall. I am now losing weight slowly, which is fine with me if it's a slow moving process, but I still struggle with cravings in my head even if my stomach is full and doesn't need any food. The battle of the mind is a big part of the healing process.

 

[Suthy]

I struggled in the beginning with having to make myself eat, when my past practice was starving myself=weight loss. I wasn’t prepared for how psychological this experience would be, and still struggle at times at 8 months out. Congratulations on how far you have come. We have to remember to stick to our program despite what our brain tells us at times!

 

[Intelligentslug]

Unfortunately the psychological part of this process is barely touched upon. I cannot recommend therapy enough. (In addition to support groups). It helps. But, not every therapist is a good therapist so trust your gut if you dint feel it is a good match.

 

[missyinacage]

Read that post again. Out loud. Pretend it is from someone who is not you. What would you tell them?

Because it sounds like you've been told multiple times, by medical professionals, that you could benefit from therapy. And your response to that is the following direct quote ..

"kinda getting tired go getting referred for therapy. I know I have issues but I have little time to take a hold of them. My depression has peaked during this time"

How do you expect to succeed if you've decided you don't have the time to put in the work? Or that your mental health is not a priority? YOU aren't a priority?

You don't mention money or cost, you mention time. So, change your schedule and find the time. Make yourself a priority. Watch a TV show? Mindlessly scroll social media? Get your nails done? Sleep 8 hours? Not on therapy day.

Depression makes everything harder. This shit is not easy under the best of circumstances. I'm not suggesting you're not busy, but everyone is busy. No one is busy 24/7.

 

[Intelligentslug]

Nothing changes if nothing changes.

 

[Loops]

Read that post again. Out loud. Pretend it is from someone who is not you. What would you tell them?

Because it sounds like you've been told multiple times, by medical professionals, that you could benefit from therapy. And your response to that is the following direct quote ..

"kinda getting tired go getting referred for therapy. I know I have issues but I have little time to take a hold of them. My depression has peaked during this time"

How do you expect to succeed if you've decided you don't have the time to put in the work? Or that your mental health is not a priority? YOU aren't a priority?

You don't mention money or cost, you mention time. So, change your schedule and find the time. Make yourself a priority. Watch a TV show? Mindlessly scroll social media? Get your nails done? Sleep 8 hours? Not on therapy day.

Depression makes everything harder. This shit is not easy under the best of circumstances. I'm not suggesting you're not busy, but everyone is busy. No one is busy 24/7.

You’re right no one is constantly busy but in my case I have a full plate. Therapy is expensive and when it comes to getting my children the therapies they need or mine I put them first. Maybe I’ll be able to work on myself more in the future but for now I’m working on my physical health. One day and at a time little by little.

 

[TonjaCW]

Read that post again. Out loud. Pretend it is from someone who is not you. What would you tell them?

Because it sounds like you've been told multiple times, by medical professionals, that you could benefit from therapy. And your response to that is the following direct quote ..

"kinda getting tired go getting referred for therapy. I know I have issues but I have little time to take a hold of them. My depression has peaked during this time"

How do you expect to succeed if you've decided you don't have the time to put in the work? Or that your mental health is not a priority? YOU aren't a priority?

You don't mention money or cost, you mention time. So, change your schedule and find the time. Make yourself a priority. Watch a TV show? Mindlessly scroll social media? Get your nails done? Sleep 8 hours? Not on therapy day.

Depression makes everything harder. This shit is not easy under the best of circumstances. I'm not suggesting you're not busy, but everyone is busy. No one is busy 24/7.

I really could not have said that better! You are totally right and even I have to constantly tell myself to STOP and do ME.