ask: replassing food instead of smoking or it's emotiomal

Hi Nancie620-

Thanks for your post and welcome!

I'm glad you recovered well from your gastric bypass (those surgeries worry me). How much therapy have you had, for your overeating? A gastric bypass is only effective if the patient recieves and accepts counselling to discover why they over eat and what their triggers are.

People who eat so much that they need a gastric bypass do not eat because they are physically hungry. They eat to cover things up, to smother bad feelings, to fill a void or to distance themselves from others. We all know that eating too much makes us fat. Kids know this. What we need to know is WHY we eat so much to begin with? What are we feeding, really?

Some people do gain weight when quitting smoking but not usually enough to be worrisome.

Starting with a food journal is a good idea. Journaling is actually one the best tools we can use to know what we are eating and when. Write EVERYTHING down, from your first bite in the morning to last bite at night and also everything you had to drink.

Research shows that we vastly underestimate what we eat. Most of us think we eat 1500-2000 calories a day until a food journal shows it can be double that.

When you journal, remember to note how you felt before and after eating. Angry? Lonely? Upset? Frustrated? ......Happy? Excited? Content?

Note your portions. Are they big or small? Small would be a salad plate, not piled high. Large would be a filled dinner plate. Is your meat serving more than the size of your fist?

You know you are overeating right now - but keeping a journal will, upon reflection, will show you WHY you may be overeating.

Can you let us know a little about your eating routine? And how you feel before and after eating?