depression

[phillygirl8133]

Ok so iv been battling depression for a few yrs now the last 4 really has been the worst i lost my father 4-8-08 and soon after that jumped right into a nasty custody battle which lasted 2 yrs of my life it was the worst thing to go threw after my father past away and right after my father past away i had a baby girl shes number 3 for me i cannot have anymore children which is good for me cause now i need to focus on me and my health i been to therapy noting is working its not like i sit and sulk all day and night but i need to figure out how to do this on my own with no support i let go all of my friends i just wasnt into what they were and my family well lets just say they choose a different path in life so its just me and my kids i am married but things been going south in that area it what it is... i just relized last night i snack alot i only like 2 meals a day but its what i put in my mouth which kills me now looking back at the way i eat i guess i really just have no clue whats the right thing to eat so im hoping getting sleeved will solve my eating problem i just now need to figure out how to buy good food

[Candis the Beautiful]

Dear Miss Nichole, Keep ya chin up, girl!

You said you were in therapy, but it doesn't sound like it is working for you.. maybe you need a new counselor with different ideologies and practices.

You are NOT alone... we are all right here for ya.

c

[cruzn2lose]

One of my biggest tricks, which actually helped my weight "plateau" over the lest 6 months, was to decide what foods really made me happy...for instance, I LOVE turkey dinner with all the fixins...Dont worry about portions right now that will come, but if you can have the same satisfaction from subsitutions, at least you will be in the right direction. I do FF gravy...make my mashed with skim milk....etc etc....Just substitute lower fat lower calorie options....that way you wont feel as though you are deprived....keep this in mid for EVERY meal...I am not a snacker either...so this helped.

[Grace]

Hi Nicole,
You have a lot going on. I understand grief. I lost my Dad in 2010 and my mother in law, who I was closer to than my own mother, and who I took care of for 3.5 yrs this past Dec 2011. Grief comes and goes in waves. I know it will sound like a platitude but the fact is the best way to honor someone is to live YOUR life to the fullest.
This is a good decision because it will help you regain control of your life in at least one area.
Friends come and go - you let some go because they werent in the same place as you. As time goes on perhaps you will find some friends when you are at the playground with the kids, etc, or at a sleeve support group.

Since you have little ones the first thing I'll say is to remember you'll not be able to pick up the kids for a few weeks and may need some help with groceries, etc.

As for good food, I was a single mom of two for 11 yrs and I understand where you are coming from! I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how cheap it is to eat well after the sleeve. My groc bill went down $50 a week. This is a typical day, you can see how cost effective it is:
Breakfast - 1 "egg beaters" egg and 4 slices of microwave bacon - about 75 cents
snack - 1 oz cheese about 35 cents
Lunch 1 cup soft lettuce with 3 oz chicken and dressing about 1.25
snack - 2 oz cheese or other meat about 70 cents
Dinner - 3 oz meat with 1/2 cup cooked veggie about 1.25
So you are eating all day for less than 4.50 and all week for about 30 dollars.
You won't be drinking soda anymore and you dont really need sf drinks. Water is good, free and you can add something to it if it's in your budget. I drink a lot of tea and use 1 teabag to 4 cups of water. Once you have been broke it sticks with you to not waste. I'd rather save money for a once a month eat out treat.
Mostly I eat chicken. Ground beef doesnt go down well, even now.
I used chicken breast for a while but boy they are expensive so I switched to chicken thighs. If you cook them with the skin on and then later take it off they are much cheaper and much more moist than chicken breast. 1 thigh is pretty much a perfect meal. I bag of lettuce (I use butter lettuce) lasts me all week. I make dressing from 1/4 olive oil, 3/4 vinegar and some garlic powder/seasonings. Makes a bottle of dressing for way under a dollar.
Wendy's chili goes down great! One large makes 3 good size meals for under $2. If you can get some 1/2 cup gladware type containers they will be helpful for when you make a large pot of something to make a big bunch of little meal cups for your freezer.
In my freezer right now in cups -
Chili
meatballs
stewed beef
ground chicken with taco sauce
italian style meat sauce made with ground chicken, to be used on spaghetti squash (pasta is a no-no for a long time)

anyway, you can see it's definitely possible to eat healthy, it just takes some planning!