escapepod Member

I'm 6 years out, regained half of my loss. I started on regain in year 2, I never maintained. I know FOR ME it's because I haven't resolved the reasons I overeat, and it has nothing to do with the size of my stomach. I'm with you, I wouldn't do a revision either. Over the years I heard so many people talk about the…

Me too. I managed to get back on track last year following a program, but didn't stick with it and regained the 30 pounds I'd lost and then some. Sigh... So, I'm back in the saddle again, I've got a LONG way back to goal, but I know what to do, and it's going to get so much easier once I'm past the first week and have…

Like KnitOrMiss, I find avoiding bingeing isn't about how much I'm eating, or the calorie count, it's about WHAT I'm eating, and when. No processed foods, higher protein, high-fiber-only carbs, no sugar, less salt, watching my fat sources (more EVOO, avocado, sesame oil, keep meats lean). I also eat smaller meals more…

I'm working on overcoming binge eating, and I find for me it requires a multi-pronged approach. (1) I'm triggered by carbs / sugar - once I start eating them, it requires a herculean effort to stop. So, step one is to go low-carb. The first week is a struggle, but after that it gets much easier to resist. I also find…

I found Julia Ross' books a few years ago when struggling with sugar cravings, and highly recommend them! I was pretty reluctant to start taking a lot of supplements, so I started with just 5-HTP, and noticed an obvious difference in my moods. I was simply calmer, less likely to work myself into a frenzy of frustration…

I love anything from http://alldayidreamaboutfood.com. Her crock pot chocolate cake is amazing.

I have a fitbit force, I love mine as well. Its a little silly, but it really does motivate me to be more active. You can't buy the Force right now, (some folks had skin irritation, so the pulled it off the market and did a recall - I had no trouble, so I kept mine), but the Flex is similar. Some folks have trouble with…

I find it helps me to be kinder to myself if I remember that I binge as a coping mechanism. Granted, its not a GOOD coping mechanism, but its one I'm in the habit of. So, while I may not always succeed at finding a better way to relieve stress, or anxiety, or boredom, or whatever else is bothering me, I'm not doing it…

I should think you could use venison as a substitute for beef in any recipe, but I'd think it would be difficult to tolerate, as it's fairly dense.

I really don't think you're going to get what your body needs by taking amino acid supplements. You need protein for healing, to maintain muscle (which will help keep your base metabolism from plummeting while you lose weight), and to help you keep your hair, to name just a few. If you can't tolerate more solid meats, how…

I'm not going to claim I've never pushed boundaries, but I will say it almost never ends well. Your surgeon's rules are there to protect you and to help you build new habits that will serve you well in the years ahead. If you're rushing the post-op food phases, PLEASE be careful, you put your stomach through a major…

I found it a bit challenging the first weeks post-op when I really couldn't eat anything at all. During that time my husband mostly fended for himself. I figured take-out and tv dinners and canned soup and such wouldn't kill him for brief period, and I did have a few large casseroles portioned out and packed in the freezer…

In my mind, you're absolutely asking the right question - WHY? And making it stop is probably dependent on answering that question. Unfortunately, I think each of us can only answer for ourselves. For me, it's a combination of factors. Eating anything with sugar is very likely to result in later binges or all day…

Congratulations on your progress! I'm not a long distance runner by any means, though I do put in very long strenuous hikes. But I suspect the reason behind the weight gain may be partly water retention due to muscular inflammation. Most folks find that next-day muscle soreness (or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness - DOMS) is…

You might try buying a tube of Spectra, Buh-Bump, or some other brand of electrode gel. I find I get much better, more consistent readings when I use a gel.

Awesome - congratulations! I was wondering how it went. Great job!

Yeah, it's one of my pet peeves that most surgeons don't warn their patients about the moodiness. Part of it is the anesthesia - I had no idea that can linger in your bloodstream for weeks. Add in some pain killers, lack of sleep, turning your life upside down, physical trauma, and you're already prone to a bit of…

Oh yeah ... empty house syndrome! I've succumbed to that opportunity to binge WAY too often. I've gotten some practice in at keeping myself on track during those times, and it sounds like you've got a great plan. I'm rooting for you!

Only you know yourself and your body, and what you can and can't do, but I'm wondering why you've decided cold turkey won't work? For me, it's the only thing that CAN work. Like Sztheday, once I start with something sugary, I'll be eating crap all day, and possibly all week. Going cold turkey was hard, but not as hard as…

I know lots of people find it works for them, but I wouldn't be able to successfully manage "cheat" days myself. I'm too sensitive to certain foods, and they'll pull me back into a cycle of binging. It takes me a good 5 days to get the sugar out of my system and start to feel sane about food, so if I was eating that stuff…

For the longest time I felt the same way - I was convinced that trying to avoid sugar entirely was a recipe for a major binge for me. Then, I spent 18 months learning the hard way that I simply cannot do moderation. Sure, I might get away with it briefly, maybe ... but it seemed that having just a little inevitably led me…

I managed to break the binging habit by getting off of sugar. The first week was hard, but I threw every strategy I had into getting through that first week, and now the worst of the physical cravings are gone. Now I just have the battle the emotional component of overeating - hard, but not as hard as when my body's…

Oddly, I can't find Quest Bars on their website!

Well, I'm trying to get BACK to goal, but I'm coming up on 3 years post-op. I aim for no more than 1200 calories / day, and I usually don't eat additional to compensate for a workout unless I'm burning more than 500 calories. (I love to hike, and I can burn over 2000 on a longer hike, so I generally eat more on those days,…

How do you feel about tuna? I like tuna mixed with cottage cheese instead of mayo, some onion or other seasoning, maybe a bit of chopped celery - makes a very portable high-protein snack. You mentioned you like eggs, what about hard boiled eggs? I generally don't eat breakfast until I get to work, and I like something warm…

At 7 months, I'd say how much you're able to eat will vary considerably depending on WHAT you're eating. Soft foods like yogurt and fruit won't fill you up as quickly as dense protein. With cheese, it depends on the kind of cheese, but that's not exactly dense protein. Same with protein bars - depends on the brand, but…

Thanks Lena, I just hate to see so many folks with unrealistic expectations feeling frustrated, especially when they would otherwise be elated with their weight loss pace! I do understand the frustration of stalls. I'm trying to take off some regain, and it's going VERY slowly, with lots of ups and downs. Water - check.…

As everyone has posted, loss rates vary, and 20 lbs in four weeks is awesome. Seriously, non-surgical weight loss advice usually aims for 1/2 - 1 pound per week. You lost on average 5 pounds a week!! So, I'm just curious. I see these posts a lot, and it always leaves me scratching my head, wondering. Where did you get the…

I got a Flex last year, and upgraded to the Force at Christmas. I think they're both great. Force gives you the added details on the display, and includes stairs climbed (elevation change), which I like for when I'm out hiking in the mountains. It also has longer battery life - approx. 10-11 days, as opposed to about 5…

For me, the only solution that works is eliminating sugar. I've tried the moderation approach for years, and it leads me inevitably back to binging. There are loads of great websites with decadent sugar-free recipes, so I still have the occasional treat, but with the no-sugar, no-carb variations I can have just a little,…