congrats on your awesome weight loss dave! i am so proud of you!

I have been having problems this past fortnight. Darker Depression caused by worry and increased pain, along with the effects of my Mirtazapine and Metoclopramide, have made me eat more - especially at night. I do not sleep well and have taken to easing my hunger with extra cereal bars. This has driven up the guilt and made the Depression worse, it is just the way I am.

On the plus side, I thought I would have put on weight, I have actually lost another half pound.

Back to being strong-willed and dieting properly.

Dave.

I am thinking of you and rooting for you dave. I believe in you.
(((((HUGS)))))
bizi

Hi Dave,

Wow! Outstanding!

You are doing such a great job!
I know it's not easy, especially when mobility is limited.
Thanks for the inspiration!

Warmly,

DejaVu

Due to the Holidays, Depression and Mirtazapine I have been having a tough time. I still record everything and count calories, but overnight I have felt gnawing hunger. I believe this to be purely mental, yet I have succumbed somewhat. I wake roughly every hour during the night due to pain and every 2nd waking I have been snacking on cereal bars (100cals). This promotes feelings of guilt and I have been avoiding the scales for the past couple of months.

Today I decided to check out the damage. This past week we have stripped the kitchen of all the junk accrued over the Holiday period, so it is time to buckle down and follow my diet properly again. And the snacking damage? I had reached 197lbs, surprisingly I still register at dead on 200lbs - just a 3lb gain. My restrictions during the days offset the nights. I am happily surprised with this.

My new Target is 182lbs - 13 stone in our 'old currency'. That should be a pretty good weight for me.

Dave.

Dear dave,
my friend, I am sorry that you are dealing/ battling with depression, pain and guilt.
Shake off the negative feelings and embrace the new year. Is there anyway to ask for better pain control, increased pain meds????
Do they understand the extent of your pain?
bizi

Oh boy, bizi! Does my wonderful Pain Management Consultant understand my levels of pain! He is an Anaesthetist who runs the Pain Clinic. He has me on:

Lidocaine Infusions - 4 weekly.
Tramadol - 100mg 4x day
Ketamine - 30-60mg 4x day
Morphine - 10mg 4x day
Arcoxia - 30mg 1x day.

The Topiramate I take for Cluster Headaches has the side effect that it dulls my Neuropathic Facial Pain/Paresthesia/TN by 25%, but it still varies between a constant nagging and occasional excruciating pain.

I have reviews every year and can see him more often if I need to. At the end of my Lidocaine cycle, when my meds have worn off or I have been a little active my pain is around 9. Doped up completely it is taken down to a 5. Of course, when Cluster Headaches attack all quantifying numbers are meaningless.

Dave.

(((((HUGS)))))
sigh
bizi

hi dave,
i don't know why but i've completely missed your thread, but, here i am now.

what an amazing achievement your weight loss has been. i've fought with my
weight all my life so i understand how hard it is. i'm in awe of you. especially with dealing with pain.

i'm curious...what does the metoprolol have to do with weight issues?
i'm on it. just 1/2 tablet/day.

since i've just about decided not to have gastric bypass i made a push to improve my A1C. i'm ashamed to say it was 9.7 and i just got it down to 8.7.
a big feat for me. however, my scale hasn't moved. you're making much better food choices than i am but i'm working on changing that.

don't write back to me if it's hard. i just wanted you to know i'm impressed.
sometimes in weight loss you'll come to a plateau. it's just your body readjusting. don't be hard on yourself. give it some time.

best dave,
judy

Hi Judy,

First of all, thank you for dragging yourself through my Thread It is an ongoing journey I am attacking with renewed vigour now.

Re: you picking up on the Metoprolol reference, that was actually a meds 'flashback' mistake. I meant to write Metoclopramide, which reduces nausea by emptying the stomach contents into the intestines rapidly. I took Metoprolol as well up until a few years ago for heart/anxiety issues. It can actually cause some weight gain. Sorry for the confusion.

You have done very well to cut your A1c number. That is another reason for my diet, and I will know this year's number next week when I see my Diabetes Nurse for my full check up. I have had my Bloods taken already.

The best dieting tool I have found is to write everything you eat and drink down on a daily chart, with the number of calories and carbs (for Diabetes control) alongside. Being pretty much housebound I aim for 1200-1400cals per day. Over the past month I have found around 1800cals keeps my weight pretty much stable. Writing everything down makes you feel accountable to yourself and makes it easy to see where all the 'empty' calories are.

Of course, having everyone here for support and now having my daughter dieting with me helps tremendously.

Dave.