Dont Judge Me...Help Me

I have a confession.............................I have been  eating everything in sight. I can not stop eating and I don't know if its because I know I am about to have surgery soon, and I am losing my mind with food. My surgeon wanted me to do a food diary for 30 days and I was suppose to change my eating habits. I failed miserable...I am too embarrassed to even go back to the doctors office. I don't know what to do at this point. I got to get myself together.

Hi - my insurance required a 6 month supervised diet, and it took 3 months for me to "get it together". I understand how you feel. Do not avoid your doctor - be honest with yourself and your doctor, and keep in mind the reasons you are doing this. Don't give up!

Don't beat yourself up, this is a hard road.  Believe it or not your  Dr. will probably understand more than you think, but I agree don't put off your appointments, talk to your Dr and maybe he has some suggestions that will help.  Are you in a hurry or time constraint for the surgery to get done?  If your concerned about the diary let your Dr. Know you need another 30 days to document your food and in the time in between take small steps to work toward better eating.  If you do everything at once you will get overwhelmed.  Don't tell yourself you can never eat good food again.  Start to change your perception of food and tell yourself that your making the choice to eat differently.  It's not that you can't have a soda, but you choose not to because a glass of water will do more for your mind and body.  I have found half my battle is self talk, if I tell myself I am never going to have something again or I can't have something, my inner child throws a tantrum and usually wins.  Try to figure out the root of why your wanting to eat everything in sight? Once you can figure that out things will be easier.  Are you nervous for the surgery?  Are you trying to sabotage yourself?  I have faith you will figure this out and come through this with flying colors. Hope this helps..........

Smiles:),

lisa

I would like to add that you may want to look into a therapist or a support group like overeaters anonymous.  The surgery is only on your stomach, not your head, so until you figure out why you want to eat everything, you can't be successful.  Good luck.

I ate like a pig until last day before surgery.
Only liquids. My surgeon didn't require a pre-op diet.

I started my process towards surgery in October 2012. I was fully focused while I was seeing the bariatrician and lost about 20 lbs.... then the process started to slow down and I went back to my old ways. I saw the surgeon last week and confessed that while I had lost 20, I had gained back 10. His response.... "well you are still in the negative so count it as a win" (that made me feel so good!) Since that visit I decided that if nothing else, I am going to increase my protein. I am finding that the more protein I eat, the more I crave it instead of sweets or carbs. I guess what I am trying to say is find one thing.... one bad habit or one food that you know you need to change and just focus on that one thing. This was my surgeons advice and while it has only been a week it is working. My down fall is sweets.... so I decided that I am only allowed to have one 'dessert' a day. Instead of trying to do it all, try to just find one thing that you can change. Once you have that in your WIN column, it will be easier to tackle the next thing.

Thanks everyone for all the positive feedback! I really appreciate it, I know things have to change. I am just going to take this battle with food one day at a time.

Your doctor is there not to judge you, but to help and understand.  You are not the first person to have a hard time losing the pre-op weight.  They don't expect you to be perfect overnight, which is why we do the pre-op preparation. 

The 6 month pre-op isn't set in stone, if it takes you longer, it takes you longer.  Please don't put off your doctor's appointments.  Explain to them how you are feeling and they will be more than happy to help you. 

Go easy on yourself too.  We are so used to beating ourselves up and being ashamed of our weight, getting lectures from doctors that I understand your hesitation.  Please don't let a little slip up stop your process.

 

I went on vacation in June, right after I started my pre-op.  When I went to my appointment after vacation, I had only lost 2 lb. for the month.  I was so afraid I was going to get yelled at or shamed.  I told the doctor that I had been on vacation and I over ate.  She said, "Well, that's life right?"  Made me feel so much better!

 

Good luck to you!

The beautiful thing about surgeons that do WLS is that they are used to this kind of thing. You don't have to be embarrassed, afterall the reason we are there for surgery is because we CAN'T do it on our own. You aren't the first person to have problems with holding it together before surgery, and you will not be the last. Just hold your head up, and be honest with your doctor and your dietician. Everything will be okay. This is why we need the help we need, because we all do this. I know personally I have no control over my food intake, and if I didn't get the band put in or have the sleeve done right after, I STILL wouldn't have control over my food intake.

 

It's a long, long process, and it's an addiction. If you can't expect a heroin addict to use "just a little bit" of heroin, then you shouldn't be beating yourself up. The best route you can take is TALK TO SOMEONE--Preferrably your surgeon or dietician. They can help, they will hear you out, and hopefully put you back on the right path.

 

Chin up, you're not alone. 

If we could eat correctly on our own we would do it. We Need medical intervention for a reason. Guess how much weight I lost on my 6 month diet ZERO. I wish I had done better but with my track record no gain over 6 months is a small victory. Count it all joy your life is about to change for the better.