Panic - Am I overreacting?

  • Hey guys long time no see.

    I have done my gastric sleeve and it was marvellous really. I lost 25 kg so far, started eating "normally" and I am about to start exercising next week, but there is a small thing.

    I keep having this thoughts like "This is probably as much as I will lose". Or "There is no way I am losing more".

    Ever since my dietrician set the new bigger portions diet for me, I get panicked that there is no way I am going to lose more because I "eat too much"

    I am wondering if this is because I have been with limited food portion for such a long time, or whether I have too much of a low self-esteem or even worse on whether I am turning anorexic. I know the last part sounds stupid but I am so terrified. I sometimes wake up at night in panic.
  • Talk with your dietitian and other support people about this panic. Perhaps you can get a referral to a therapist who can help you with these fears.

    Also, you might look at whether you have given too much importance to "getting to a specific weight." Do you expect that all your problems will be solved then? Do you think you will be a failure in life if you don't reach that number? These are things you can talk over with your support team. I'm sure you're not alone in having these fears.

    Jay
  • I tend to get really panic-y too. Take a deep breath. Trust your doctor, trust the process. Give it a chance. If you start eating more, and no longer lose weight, or even gain a small amount, you can always tweak it back to eating less. You won't be doomed to never be successful again.

    And also just try to focus on other things in your life other than your food and weight to try to keep from freaking out about food and weight loss so much Much easier said than done, but it's what I'm trying and I hope you can pull yourself out of this, even though it will be hard.
    Please update us, I'll be sending you non-panic-y energy!
  • Heya!
    Just wanted to wink at you - nice to see you again! Congrats on the 25 kg off - that's huge!
  • I'm going to move this to WLSurgery ... there's some ladies there who will impart their wisdom from experience
  • Thank you, Susan - i was beginning to wonder which forum i was in!!!

    PREETYLADY!!! we've all gone through this - and there are two parts to my answer. first of all, DO NOT FORCE YOURSELF TO EAT MORE THAN IS COMFORTABLE. try to meet the dietician's goals, but don't force yourself to eat. you have to live in your body, and you need to be comfortable with your eating habits. think about her advice as PERMISSION to eat a little more if you want it, and see how it goes.

    now, about the panic. it's hard to deal with. we've spent so much of our lives being extremely overweight, and finally finding something that works for us and then actually getting used to this way of life is not easy. there were mornings i had trouble getting dressed because i managed to convince myself that i'd gained aobut 75 pounds overnight and my pants wouldn't fit!!!!

    i found that REALITY became important. the way my clothes fit, or measurements, or the scale. and when i was panicking, there was usually something else going on that i needed to deal with.

    you are doing FABULOUS with your sleeve - keep us posted!!!!
  • Hey wonderful ladies, thank you for the kind advice. I love it here. This is something I can't discuss with my normal-weight friends. They all think I should be happy for burning weight not worry about it (I say burning because for me when you lose something you find it again but when you burn it...)

    Susan: Haha I just realised that the logic thing to do was to post on WLS.

    jiffypop: How are you love, I was happy to get a reply from you. I think I am going to follow your advice and think of my dietician's orders as permission to eat a bit more when I want to rather than forcing myself to eat all my food.

    I also get the clothes feeling. I just look at my pants and tops now and go "You can't be serious, there is no way this will fit me!"

    teff: Aww thank you.
  • It's good to see you, darlin! we all have to find our own balance, both in terms of food and our psychology? emotions? and they're so often intertwined and hard to separate.

    when you see the dietician again, this is an issue you'll have to discuss with her. if you think it will help you, food diaries can be very useful.

    keep us posted!!!!