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I need H E L P!

A

A_NewMe

Member
I am almost 4 months out (Gastric Sleeve )and I have lost 70lbs total since a month before surgery (60lbs from surgery). This month I have just went back to normal eating (food selection not amount) and eating more then I probably should. Except for the obvious answers like, "you can't do that" or "you wasn't ready" I NEED direction. Where do I start to heal my new stomach and start over? I have thought about Keto or just doing shakes except for one meal. I just need a turn around before I fail completely. Do I need to seek counseling first? I did mine in Mexico so I have no medical support. I have pretty much stayed the same weight this whole month, teetering between 212 and 208. Any good suggestions? Someone who went through the same thing?
 
You've taken the first step in realizing you need to get back on track. I do think counseling could be beneficial and if you go that route seek someone who is familiar with bariatric patients. You might want to call a local bariatric center and see if they can give you a recommendation. Do you journal your food? There are good apps out there that can help you calculate your protein intake, water and calories. If you aren't getting in your required protein, which can keep you satisfied longer, you may be more tempted to grab other foods and more of it. I think having a protein shake for breakfast and lunch, then a lean dinner - much like a pre-surgery diet might help you get back on track. Just do it for a few days and see if it helps. You also need to come to terms with getting off track and allowing your mind to reset and think of the positive and just move forward. I think healing the mind is just as important as healing the stomach, if that makes any sense to you.
 
Hey, New! You may have hit a plateau, but I think, from your post, you already know what to do.

Reaching out shows your willingness. That's awesome.

Your head's in the right place. Ideally, you'd be able to identify the gremlin that's sneaked in, but don't waste your energy. It's there; now what?

Go back to your post-op food plan and don't stop until things settle down. No one chooses to be fat, but food... oh my god, it's seductive and beautiful.

That's the logical side of the coin. The other side is home to amorphous feelings that drive a drunk to drink. Thats the place where darkness lives. I don't know what drives your compulsion. But you've done so much to get to health, so it's logical to think bad messages are tattooed on your self-esteem.

I'm going on 14 years post-op and I still struggle. There are things I earned by losing weight, so I review them.

  • I get to wear beautiful clothes
  • I camp, hike and canoe in the beautiful North Cascades
  • I blend into the crowd
  • It's been a long time since some redneck moooooed at me
  • I breathe deeply, never have to undo that top button, never have to bend over to catch my breath
  • I fit behind my steering wheel
  • I savor every bite of the food I eat
  • No one realizes I used to be 115 pounds heavier
  • I don't hide in my house
  • I love the fact that I finally have power
  • I make a point of telling myself "I love you" every day
It may help you to use a journal. Here's an exercise I learned from a great book:

Draw a vertical line down the middle of the page. In the left column, write a negative thought like, "I'm fat." In the right column respond with, "My body is beautiful."

If you neutralized the negative, move on with a new negative. If not, write " I'm fat" again. Move to the right column and write a positive, like "I've lost xxx pounds."

Continue down the page until you feel the negative shift to neutral. Then write "I'm not fat," and in the right column, write positives in the PRESENT tense. "I'm at a perfect weight right now."

Change the negative to positives until you send the gremlins packing.

Any failure messages that push in like "this is a stupid exercise," or "I want some candy," blast them. Let your mind wake up and notice: there's a fight going on. Keep fighting. Got something better to do? Nope. That's the gremlins talking.

If you have a therapist, try to focus on future strategies, not past abuses. There are lots of Masters candidates doing externship who would love to work with you.

There are many things, including meds, that can improve your mental health. But let me recommend this book. It's free to read online, though I still have my dod-eared copy from the 1990s:

3404


You're sleeping, beauty. Be your own Prince Charming and see who's really reflected in that magic mirror
 
It's a little crunchy, so you won't need your granola while reading it, but the power of affirmations is just so amazing, and she does a great job of helping people develop their positives. If only for that one exercise I mentioned, it's worth reading. I actually had to re-cover my copy in clear acetate, i had worn it down so badly!
 
Thank you for the information and encouragement! I am going to do a pouch reset, and start being more mindful of what and how much I am eating. I am also going to start measuring and journaling my meals the best I can.
The one thing I'm still unclear about is if I SHOULD eat breakfast or if I should fast breakfast, after the reset.
Does anyone do bariatric keto?
 
A_NewMe said:
Thank you for the information and encouragement! I am going to do a pouch reset, and start being more mindful of what and how much I am eating. I am also going to start measuring and journaling my meals the best I can.
The one thing I'm still unclear about is if I SHOULD eat breakfast or if I should fast breakfast, after the reset.
Does anyone do bariatric keto?
Click to expand...
I'm curious about the keto also. It seems way too high in fat for someone my age (over 50). I'm leaning more towards Mediterranean diet to just eat clean.
 
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