Fighting myself. ...

I am almost a month post op and down 28 pounds.  I am finding that I am having carb cravings BIG TIME. I catch myself thinking about food a lot.  Not because I'm hungry, but because I am so used to eating ALL THE TIME.  The hold that food had (and has) on me is depressing.  I doubt myself constantly and frankly. ... I'm scared. No,  I'm petrified of going back to the way things were.  The girl who would have eating contests with her friends just to have an excuse to eat more.  Anyone ever feel this way?  I guess I just need some support. ...

Stay strong  and remember why you want this , in the future you will be thankful you stayed on track.

Thank you! 

It sounds like you could benefit from therapy to find other ways to deal with the desire to eat.

Try drinking water or eating sugar free pops when you feel like that. It takes a while for your head to catch up. Or pick up a hobby like knitting, writing, drawing. Something that'll take your mind off of things. Go for a walk around the block. Go window shopping. Anything. Eventually that feeling will go away. If all else fails, maybe some counseling.

Yes!  My idol mind will lead me to disaster!  

First of all, congratulations on your loss! That's an excellent start to losing the weight you want to drop. Hold on to that, keep it in the forefront of your mind, and it may help you to be strong enough to keep on going.

Are you tracking your food? If you aren't, I would recommend that you do. If you honestly track, it can be very eye-opening to see how much you're taking in. If you are tracking, how many carbs a day are you getting? If any of them are coming from 'white' foods, like baked goods, sugar, pasta, rice etc., then just stop them. Cold turkey. You need to get off any and all white carbs, and in three to four days you will feel your cravings drop quite a bit.

Many of us got to where we are/were by simply eating way too much and way too often. I sure did. I would get a couple of burgers and a filet of fish from McD's, eat them in the parking lot, then stop at the BK a mile down the street for a whopper and chicken strips. I would eat a huge bowl of white rice with spaghetti sauce, and follow it up with fried chicken. And I never really felt full. So I get it, I really do. Since surgery it's gotten easier, but there are still times occasionally when I get the urge to gorge myself on food. It doesn't happen very often anymore, but it's there in the back of my mind every once in a great while. I have to be aware of my emotions and feelings in order to anticipate and react appropriately when I get these urges.

You can learn how to change your life, with your new tool to help you. You had surgery to fix your stomach, but that doesn't fix your head. I would also recommend a therapist to help you understand why you ate the way you did, to help forge new ways of relating to food and eating, and to help you manage the fear that comes with making such big changes in your life.

Good luck, I know it isn't easy at all. But it's worth fighting for!

Thank you so Much!  And I will try tracking my food.  This journey will be the hardest one yet!  Lol

Good for you! And you're right, this will be hard, but so so worth it! If you're going to track, I'd recommend MyFitnessPal. It's easy to use, free, and you can use it from your computer or phone/tablet. If you want to friend me on there, my account is under Cunning_Pam.

You can do this!

I am just three months out myself and fairly new to tracking my food.  I joined the myfitnesspal and if you are interested feel free to add me as a friend.  We can help encourage one another toward a new a healthier life!

You can find me under angel91e