I would suggest seeing a councelor. You seem to be doing some self-defeating behaviors and a councelor may be able to help you figure out why and work on your motivation. This could be stress related too, since going through a graduate program and being post-op RNY are both very life changing and involved. A councelor could help you find ways to destress and focus on what you need to do.

Eating the food that got you overweight could be whats called "extinction" events. the negative term for it is self sabatage but the action/mindset is real. The body is trying to return to its formal self. It happens to a lot of people. Things could be going great for weeks, you do everything right...water, vitamins, protein, and then poof you eat or drink something and you think "what have I done?" Don't beat yourself up too much, try to get back on the train, if you are at a plateau just try to sustain weight until the body is ready to lose more.

Protein shakes: I have had good luck with "Oh Yeah", they taste good...but just so you know when you are going through ketosis, it makes your tongue have a weird taste on it and it can affect the way your food is tasting including shakes.
Here is a website that has lots of shake options.

http://bariatricfoodie.blogspot.com/p/protein-shake-recipes.html

Yogurt: bleh..one idea is to hide it as another food. Do you like greek tziki sauce. The base of that is greek yogurt and you can use it as veggie dip, put it on your gyro (if you can have lamb) etc.

one last thought about snacks and food: try to have an idea of what you will be eating for the next 6 meals (two days). prep protein snacks if you have the energy. boiled eggs, deviled eggs, hummas, turkey/chicken slices.

Good luck!

Have you tried Greek Yogurt? (The real stuff, not the fake "greek style" that some brands came out with in order to cash in on the fad.) It's got more protein and less sugar than regular yogurt and it's really creamy. I get FAGE Total 0% (i.e,. no fat) and add some artificial sweetener to it or, now that I'm in maintenance, some fruit.

What helped me was to have nutrition goals for the day. When I was losing, I would do:

Calories: 800 or less
Protein: 70 g or more
Carbs: 40 g or less
Fats: 30 g or less

Then I could eat anything I wanted as long as it fit within those parameters. If I wanted to blow all my carbs on a cookie once in a while, I could. I might have to break it in half and only eat half but it was a choice. But, because I had these goals, I wasn't eating stuff like that every day. Plus, if I ate it and I stayed within my goals, then I didn't beat myself up about it.

This works better for me than having a list of Bad Foods that I am not supposed to eat ever. That just leads to rebellion.

The other thing I did was pick one or two things to work on at a time. You mentioned water, protein, carbs and exercise and that's four things. It can be overwhelming to try to change that many things at once. And that's assuming you are doing okay with the supplements and fats and sugars and a host of other things.

I started with fluid and supplements. Once I got that down, I concentrated on protein. Once I was cruising on protein, I started on exercise. And exercise started out really, really light. I was working out 1-2x a week for 30 minutes at first. But then it grew to 4-5x a week. Then 45 min. each time. Then an hour.

But I didn't try to do all these things at once. That would be too stressful!

ShandyLynn,
You and I are very similar, though I am single and have far fewer excuses than you! I am over 18 mths out now and really haven't done a poor job with my diet (I'm diabetic so no choice there) but in terms of exercise and motivation, uuughghhhhh is my only comment! On my days off I too sleep as late as possible and do nothing on my "to do" list. Tomorrow always looks prominsing but never turns out so. What a discouraging pattern. I have very similar diet guidelines as MacMadame and I agree with her that you should only work on one ting at a time. I am currently trying to work my way back up to my calcium supplement requirement (I got burned out and stopped) and trying a new workout routine. This is enough right now considering I am also working a new shift at work. Just pick something and do it. Also, I happen to love, love, love greek yogurt! I buy plain Chobani and use stevia to sweeten and other ingresients for flavor: cinnamon, true lemon, lime, orange, drink mix (like crystal light), sugar free syrups (Davinci, Torani). I never use fruit due to the carbs but tis has been an "everyday" food/treat for me. I realize you may not like it but it is true your tastes change. There is a great low carb product by Big Train that has helped me be creative w/ the protein. I buy their low carb iced vanilla latte, iced caramel latte, and iced mocha mixes. I use half a serving (usually) of protein, 10 oz water, 1 scoop mix, and ice (you can play with the water and ice). I put into blender or ninja mixer and have a wonderful healthy drink. I use unjury protein most of the time and the calories of my drinks range from 110-190 depending on the amt of mix and protein I use. This is awesome considering the drink is at least 32 oz! Lastly I discovered adding some natural peppermint, orange, almond, lime oil to these makes a whole new flavor with no added calories. Hope this helps you or anyone else bored and needing ideas for protein! Good luck!

Hi, my nmae is Debbie. I had GBS on October 29, 2009 and have lost over 130 lbs. My lowest weight was 197 which I saw for a few days only!! I am battling to get back there! The thing that keeps me on point is to remember what brought me to the point of thinking about having a surgery where I could possibly die. This meant I was very unhappy and could not do it myself. My suggestion to you is to remember that time and then battle one problem area at a time. For example, use your breaks or lunch at work to walk, it s your time for you!! That will start you exercising. Start really looking at when you cheat and take one meal at a time and revamp it with foods you really like! If what you are eating you are not happy with, this will cause you to cheat! Try different foods, things you never had before that are high in protein and low in carbs and sugar!! And above all else, don't give up!

You hit the nail on the head when you mentioned how going to work is not optional. For some reason you are viewing your weight control efforts as optional, & until you decide they aren't, you're going to continue having issues. You can make excuses to yourself about not having motivation or being busy, but the reality is that you're not going to be motivated all the time & taking care of your health is going to improve all parts of your life. How do you make yourself go to work when you don't feel like going?