Treat Yourself . . . With Zero Calories!

I am a person who does well with "rewards", whether for successful weight loss or for doing something I am pleased with in other areas of my life. So having a gastric bypass is very difficult for me in that respect, as in the past when I have done well with my weight loss, my reward has been a small version of the treat I am craving. I don't experience any dumping at the moment, so in theory I could still do this even now, but rewarding with food is a habit I very much want to get out of.

Yesterday, I found a good substitute. I had a spa treatment, and it was amazing! It made me feel so relaxed and good about myself that it got me thinking that surely something that makes you feel so nurtured and positive could also be an aid to weight loss, discouraging comfort eating and providing a much more enjoyable and longer lasting substitute?

I am going to do some research on the subject - maybe I should book a few more treatments to test out my theory too!

 

 

 

 

Onwards and Downwards!

So . . . 5 stone gone and a few more still to go, hopefully! I have to confess that I found Christmas difficult as I do not suffer with dumping very much and so was able to graze on nice snacks, and I am now finding it a habit which is hard to get out of. I have realised that there are lots of tools and resources out there which can help however, and my new mission is to find them and share them with others so that we can all benefit! Please feel free to comment with ideas of what has helped you on your weight loss and fitness journey, whether you have had weight loss surgery or not. Hopefully between us all we can build up a useful tool-kit!

 

Three Weeks Post-op (after gastric bypass revision)

So, that's the background story!

It is now three and a half weeks since my surgery, and everything seems to be going well. I have lost over two stone in weight (yes, really!) and already had to buy a few new clothes so I have got something to wear that doesn't resemble a clown's outfit!

Food-wise, I don't feel physically hungry at all and a meal at the moment consists of 3-4 teaspoons of pureed food before I am full. I am finding it difficult to juggle meal times plus taking all my medication and getting enough fluids in, but I guess over time it will get easier. I am sure I feel more restricted this time, possibly due to the fobi ring?

I have had a few mental cravings for food, mainly when I see family members eating something nice or smell their meals cooking. I seem to be able to cope with this better than I did after the first surgery, possibly because I have more of an idea of what to expect from the surgery and know that my food intake will increase slightly in the future. I can see why it would be easier living alone though! They had pizza hut takeaway yesterday and I really felt like I could sit on the floor and cry!

But it will all be worth it! The feeling I got from needing to buy smaller clothes already was amazing!

My incision wounds have healed well with no infections or problems. I am looking forward to 6 weeks post-op when I can go swimming so I am glad that my wounds will not be a problem in that respect.

At the moment, I am very glad that I made the decision to have revision surgery. My life had become intolerable due to my weight, and it was holding me back from making positive changes that would help me recover from depression. Or it seemed like that anyway. So hopefully losing weight will contribute to helping me find a life for myself that I actually want to be living.