wanting to eat

[Guest guest]

Yes, Lori: I too have to watch it. I could easily eat mashed potatoes

and gravy and creamed soups and milkshakes and stuff I know will go down

easily all day long. It is hard to chose meat and vegetables

sometimes. Those I know I have to chew thoroughly and slow down and

that I will have trouble eating them.

Deb F: Your head is right. You can't stay on that liquid protein stuff

forever. Aren't you far enough out from your surgery that you could

expand your food options a bit. I think the official instructions say 4

weeks of liquids and 2 weeks of puree but I believe most of us shortened

those time periods. You have good judgment. Use it to personalize the

instructions without doing anything dangerous.

Meridia might help a bit but if you look at the research all those

people use the drugs plus diet and exercise. The people on the drugs

lose statistically more than the people on diet and exercise alone. But

statistically more is very few pounds: About 6 or 8 I think. I doubt

if you will still need drugs once your band is tightened down. Then the

pressure receptors in the top of the stomach will be stimulated by

smaller amounts of food and they will send a chemical to your brain that

tells you that you are full and to stop eating.

I too feel bad (or is it badly) when people get their feelings hurt and

are easily offended. The strength of this type of support group is that

people can express themselves and their reactions to what other people

say. Sometimes that involves putting on a little body armor and letting

some stuff slide off it.

Janet: you are so right. If you don't expect too much you won't be

disappointed. I think I needed that advice (in terms of my

relationship) nothing to do with weight loss.

It is amazing how what others see as very successful can still feel like

failure to us. I think there is a certain amount of that search for

" perfection " in some of us. Rather than being happy with losing 60 lbs.

in 8 months I keep wondering why it wasn't 80 lbs. I focus on the 20

lbs. I didn't lose rather than the 60 I did lose. Crazy I guess. I

know it is not logical or realistic. And I will lose the next 20 and

then some. So what if it takes me longer. Slow and steady wins the

race -- even it this isn't a race.