May I ask which antidepressant work well?  I am thinking of taking Celexa.  I have gastritis and I am throwing up a lot. Glad you are better!

It's very natural to go through these moments..best would be to eat at small intervals..Eating more offresh veggies and salads with low calorie dressings did wonders to me..Have managed to keep my weight under control..

April - I'm there with you! Except, I have gained back 32 pounds.   At meals I eat great - high protein yogurt, boiled eggs, hummus and whole grain pita, cheese, nuts and then between meals I do absolutely awful!  I remember when I was talking with my surgeon about my decision to do the VSG, I mentioned I didn't eat between meals.so I thought this would be great for me. How come the crap goes down so good in bulk? Give me three bites of chicken and I'm stuffed! Not so with Cheetos.

How are you doing on this today?  I'm thinking I really need to do it. My problem is I am allergic to something in the protein drinks that gives me a major headache (I thought it was Splenda or something - but now I question that).

I just have to remind myself i've still lost 103 pounds and if I don't gain anymore weight - which I've actually dropped a couple of pounds I'm still way better off than I was in 2010.

Cheering you on - Grace

I am 2 years out now and I haven't gained back too much weight,YET but I find myself going down a very slippery slope. I wish they had done brain surgery in addition to my stomach! I struggle with mindless eating... I eat when I am bored, tired, stressed, breathing... I would eat all the time if I could. I am doing a "reboot" diet my weight-loss surgery center suggested. Basically I drink 3 protein drinks a day and eat 2 high protein snacks every day for 2 weeks. It is similar to the pouch test as I understand it. It is designed to help you break free from carbohydrates. I am such an addict. Today has been horrible! I understand it gets better after 3 days - I sure hope so because I don't know if I can do this for 2 weeks. I just want to eat so bad! Please tell me it'll pass and I can get a grip on my eating once again after I do this diet. Has anyone does this type of reboot? did it work? Did it help?

Ok....I haven't made it yet but...in the last 30 days I have lost 15 lbs and am motivated to continue...here is the story of my last 6 yrs....

Surgery in 2006 lost 100 lbs....was happy..... Last March 2012 I stopped smoking, haven't had a cigarette since. Caused me to gain 50 lbs.  I also stopped paying attention to what went in my mouth.  Ice cream pie, candy..I was far enough out from surgery that there wasn't any reprocussions...mainly because I turned everything into "Slider Foods" Eat what you want and "wash" each bit with a drink!!  BUT I can now walk up and down the riverbank without gasping for air!!!

Then in July 2012, I stopped drinking carbonated beverages, or commonly known as DIET PEPSI and replaced it for the summer with Crystal Lite. In September I began to only drink water with the exception of a few alcoholic beverages.

In March 2013 I went on another quest, to loose the 50 lbs I gained from not smoking and enjoying all those slider foods.The first day I stepped back on the scale at home was 3/7/2013 (I have always been weighed at the doctors so I knew what I had gained). Since 3/7/2013 thru 3/31/2013 I have lost 11 lbs!

I have not been dieting, but I have been choosing my foods wisely. I have found that I am not hungry and I though I miss my chocolate, I do satisfy my sweet tooth with a serving of sugar free chocolate pudding! I even will eat lunch out occasionally with a Jimmy John Turkey Unwich! All the fixings wrapped in lettuce with the mayo just no bread! I consistently aim to have 1300 calories per day.

April now brings the next step in my "live to live" plan. I will be walking 30 minutes daily. If not first thing in the morning then that evening. I am determined in this activity as well. I stopped smoking, I stopped drinking diet pepsi, given up the chocolate and I know I can be successful in my physical activity. 

I am fortunate in that I have a husband who is extremely supportive as well as my family. I love them all enough to continue to strive in my quest to "live to live"!!  

I don't beat myself up any longer, I simply pick myself back up!  Don't give up!  I downloaded a smartphone app and I don't put anything in my mouth that isn't logged.  In fact I don't eat anything until I KNOW how many calories are in the serving.  I also purchased a digital food scale so there is no more "guessing" about the ounces!  Nothing goes in my mouth until it's measured/weighed and the calories are determined.  I will not go over my daily goal of 1300 calories!

I am worth the effort, and my grandchldren are definitely worth the effort! I will continue to LIVE TO LIVE!!

I am looking for inspiration. I had surgery in 2006, was very successful and kept the weight off until 1 year ago. I started an anti-depressant and shot up 35 lbs in 6 months. That was on top of the 15 or so that I had gained after hitting my low weight, and I was ok with that extra 15 from my low, since I had gotten pretty thin. However, 50 lbs up from my low is NOT OK!  Now, even though I had kept most of the weight off, I had let foods back into my diet that I shouldn't have. Now, I'm trying VERY hard to get the weight off again and am having one hell of a time. I'm very upset. Very discouraged. I've been trying for about 5 months with little to no results.  I almost feel like it can't be done. I'm looking for someone to tell me it can, because THEY HAVE DONE IT! I want so badly to hear from someone, who lost the weight, re-gained, and was successful at taking it back off again. If this is you, please write!  Everyone who I was in contact with on my message board back in 2006-2007 has also re-gained, so I've heard. This makes me even more discouraged. And to those out there who think it cannot happen to them, PLEASE be careful to not let "bad" foods creep back in your life. I was 5+ years out and thought I was in the clear, running around in my size 6-8 pants. And now....miserable. HELP PLEASE!!

May I suggest that you increase the amount of protein you eat especially on those days when you have those "very strong hunger pains".  I find that eating a minimum of 80 grams of protein a day helps me remain satisfied longer.  Also you may want to look at the quality of the protein you are eating.    

I found that when I would indulge in "protein bars" as a meal replacement, I was not satisfied and quickly became hungry often within no time.  My body responded to them like candy bars.  They also increased my sugar cravings though they were low in carbohydrates. 

I also have a difficult time with eating high protein cereals,  It seams that I am never satisfied. I can easily overindulge.  Two brands that I have tried are Kashi Go Lean and Kellogg's Special K Protein.  I have been known to "binge" on them.

I have to stay away from processed foods that claim to be high in protein.  My body does not feel full eating these products.

  I need to eat foods that are denser in protein like fish (tuna, shrimp,salmon,tilapia) ,chicken, turkey, pork medallions, lean ground beef, veal, tofu or tempeh ......you get the picture.  I usually do not eat my protein alone.  Often I pair it with a green leafy vegetable....giving me some added fiber to keep me satisfied longer.   I find I do not need to graze between meals when I take care of myself this way.. 

I hope my suggestions help.

I can't really help but I am 3 months out and going through the same thing. Hopefully its just a phase and we will get over it. Im actually surprised how hungry I got right after surgery too.

So glad you emailed.  I thought about you the other day.  I felt bad because I hadn't emailed.

The pouch test was exactly what I needed.  I did great for about 2 and a half weeks.  I didn't feel the urge to have sweet things, etc.  I lost about 8 pounds and I wasn't bloated.  It was great.

THEN!!!

I had one cookie and it has been downhill ever since!!!  So, I know now that it is the carbs/sweets that make me feel sluggish and bad.  It sucks.  And there truly is such a thing as carb addiction!!  So, need to get back on the wagon I suppose.

Dear Rebecca,

I struggled with this for about a year now, and tried several options to try to get better, but I started to realize a pattern. I wasn't a "normal" bulimic who was doing this merely to lose weight, I realized I did when I was depressed and felt out of control. It was like throwing up was the only thing I could control. My cousin was murdered about a year ago, around the same time this started, so I finally put it all together and went and saw a psychiatrist instead of a bulimia specialist and through counseling and starting an antidepressant I feel 100% better and I no longer vomit. I work out daily and and back to my post surgery diet. I feel more in control of my whole life, so I don't need to vomit. I've actually lost 6 pounds since I started about a week and a half ago. So the diet does work without vomiting. I'm not sure if this helped at all, but good luck and don't be afraid to ask for help. No matter how good you look bulimia will end up killing you and I'm not sure if you've had WLS or not, but if so, I think we all did it so we could live a long healthy life. Especially if you have a wonderful 2 1/2 year old, who loves you, and wants you around as long as possible. I really hope you find help. It was so hard for me and I hated feeling judged and isolated. You will find your way. Just trust yourself and don't be too hard on yourself. Figure out why you are vomiting, and then find a different way to handle that problem. Let me know if you need anything.