Really feeling fragmented, mentally.

Deb, Thanks so much for posting. It sounds like you are doing really great. Your mom is a very good example for you. I am not giving up and I am working on the carbs...I really am! Lori

Hi Lori!! I am feeling the same way, and i makes me glad to here everybody say what they are saying because at least i am not alone. I wish none of us had to go through this but i think that if we just stick together we can beat this i know we can we have all come so far we can do this, now if i can practice what i preach it would be great. I have noticed that when i post on this i seem to be much better but i am just afraid i will become one of those people that everybody ignores because they have such weird issues or i dont know you know what i mean, i guess what i want to say is that YOU ARE ALL GREAT AND HAVE BEEN SO SUPPORTIVE FOR ME THAT I SHOULD JUST SAY WHAT I FEEL AND MAYBE I WONT GET SO DEPRESSED. HANG THERE LORI IT WILL HAPPEN I HAVE READ YOUR PROFILE AND WE HAVE EMAILED BACK AND FORTH YOU ARE VERY STRONG WILLED AND YOU CAN AND WILL DO IT JUST DONT BE SO HARD ON YOUR SEL YOU AHVE DONE AWESOME WE ALL HAVE. GOOD LUCK TO EVERYBODY HAVING THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE IT IS VERY HARD, I DIDNT THINK I WOULD HAVE THIS ISSUE UNTIL LATER BUT I AM 11 1/2 MONTHS OUT AND HAVE LOST 131 POUNDS I STARTED ST 361 AND AM AT 231 I WOULD LIKE TO GET TO 199 AT LEAST I KNOW THAT IS STILL OVERWEIGHT BUT FOR ME THAT IS GOING TO BE A MAJOR MILESTONE. THANK YOU EVERYBODY AND HANG IN THERE WE CAN DO IT. NANETTE

You are so right Nanette! We can do this! Thanks for posting. Lori

Hi, Lori! How is your water intake? Everyone tells me that the more water we drink, the more it aids with weight loss. Of course, you can only drink so much water before you start sloshing when you walk! Maybe you need a break from thinking about weight in terms of numbers and just stick with your routine, focusing on how good you feel as opposed to how you felt before your weight loss. It's so easy for us to focus on what the scale says -- my endo scolded me about that last time I saw him. "Look at how much progress you've made!" he said. You know the old saying, "A watched pot never boils"? I wonder if it translates to weighing on the scale -- the more we obsess about what the scale says, the slower the weight comes off? Hugs, Kix

Hi Kix, I'm very good at my water and fluids intake. I try to get in at least 110 ounces a day. Most days I do. I really need it. I've always felt dehydrated since this surgery and with all the exercising and sweating I do every day, it is easy to do. Yes, I do believe obsessing over the scale is like the "a watched pot never boils" adage. I've never really been all that healthy with the scale. When I got to my high weight, I was refusing to weigh, not wanting to face the truth. Then when I got this surgery, I made myself promise that I would not weigh more than once a week, and I've stuck to that, because I saw how many other patients were really going crazy with weighing every day, some even multiple times a day. In my past years of going to Weigh****chers, if I gained weight, I felt terrible, if I lost weight but, didn't think I deserved to, then I thought I could get away with more....vicious cycle. Please don't get me wrong. I am so very grateful. My life and health is so dramatically improved! That is what I need to focus on! Thanks for posting! Lori

Hi Lori, The honeymoon is over for a lot of us. I feel the exact same way you do. I will NEVER be thin, but its ok. You said one thing that stuck out in my head. You said "if only I could be 199 I would be happy". Well trust me, you probably wouldnt be. I say this only because I say the same thing. I am down from 423 to 250. When I was 423, I use to think "if only I was under 400 or down to 350 I would be so happy". Guess what . Anyway, when you were 384 dont you think you would have been very happy at 235? The problem is we all thought that if we were "thin" we would be happy. But, now that we have the tool that made us smaller, our problems are still there and they are bigger. And, we cant eat to stuff them away so we have to learn how to deal with them without eating. I dont know the answer because I am not happy either. I like the way I feel and look compared to my 423lb body, but its not enough. Will it ever be enough??? I dont know, but try to be happy where you are now and remember how you felt before WLS. I am trying to do the same. We have to help eachother. Hugs, Soos

Soos, Thanks so much for posting. I can tell you really understand how I feel. We are here for each other and that really does help!!!! Healthier by far, but not skinny, Lori

Lori, I am sorry I am late posting. I hit and miss posts anymore I am so busy. You have done great and I am sure will continue to do so. You are a great inspirition to me. You will get back on track when you are ready. Please stop beating yourself, you are a great person and even if you dont loose another pd. you have done a great job and inspiried many of us to do our best which is all anyone expects of you and all you should expect of yourself. one day at a time. ((((Hugs)))))) love marie

Thanks so much Marie!

I don't really know what to tell you. I'm not a nutritionist, so the things I've found that work for me might not work for everyone. There are ways of tricking yourself into thinking you're getting the carbs you want. You can buy bakery bread instead of the mass produced stuff. The slices tend to be smaller. Or you can go with mini pitas and crackers with your meats. Something I like (because it helps with my water intake and makes me feel like I'm having a treat) are popsicles I make using 1/4 to 1/2 a mold full of water and 3/4 to 1/2 a mold of fruit juice. Even when they're 3/4 juice, they only have about 45 calories (that's for a 4 oz popsicle). Since they're frozen, they take a while to eat. I bought my molds online for about $9. They made life bearable when I was doing the liquid diet. I like marinated, grilled chicken breast a lot. No carbs there. I also like sauteed mushrooms. The texture of the mushroom has that carb-y feeling without actually having carbs or a lot of calories. Do you check your pulse rate when you work out? If you're at 22-26 beats per ten seconds, you're doing pretty well. It might help if you switch up your exercise routine. Maybe a personal trainer could give you some ideas? The last thing I suggest is that you limit weighing yourself to once every other week. I haven't experienced a plateau yet. Or I have. Hard to say, seeing as I weigh once a month at most. Have you seen a plastic surgeon yet? They have this amazing diet that takes a good 25 pounds off in a matter of hours