A couple of weeks ago, Dr. Keilin and I had another chance to visit with Craig Thompson. Craig is the man behind the website
Weight Loss Surgery Channel and he was gracious enough to have Dr. Keilin and I share our knowledge with his audience. (Craig is a successful gastric bypass patient from many years ago.) After our filming session we got to talking and Craig shared his thoughts as a weight loss surgery veteran. He says in his support groups he asks people who have fallen off the wagon “What was your f— it moment? At what point did you say, awww f— it, I’m going to have a pint of ice cream. F— it, I’m going to have that Chocolate Blizzard.”
Ask yourself. What pushed you over the edge? Now if you are about to have a F— it moment, stop yourself.
I came very close to having one myself just now. Some background…. I am training on my indoor rowing machine. (For some background thoughts on this check out my post from November 2008 : http://blog.noscales.com/best-exercise-for-weight-loss-and-fitness-indoor-rowing-with-xeno-muller.html )
Well, I am planning on competing in an indoor rowing competition in Boston next month, (it’s my mid-life crisis, I just turned 40 
), so I am taking this very seriously and really watching my diet. I don’t think I’ve had any processed food or white flour in about 3 weeks. No snacks, nothing.
I am following a strict training plan developed for me by an Olympic champion rower (Xeno Muller from the above post) and I just think I can’t handle the program from an aerobic standpoint. There are 3 weeks left before my competition and I am freaking out. In a rare display of frustration, I quit my planned 40 minute row after 25 minutes. Upset, I came into the house, looked at the fridge and considered getting some junky food. (Luckily we don’t have too much junk food, just some stuff we allow our daughters to have.) I came close to saying “F— it. My exercise sucks. I am in crappy shape. I will never reach my goals. I should just eat an ice cream sandwich. F— it.”
Well I stopped myself. Internally I told myself “You are trying to progress. You are trying to take a step forward. You are frustrated that you are moving forawrd as quickly as you would like, but having that ice-cream sandwhich won’t help. It will set you backwards, and make going forwards even harder.”
So I had 3 spoonfuls of low fat cottage cheese. After I finish this post, I will have an egg-white omelet. Then I will go to sleep and try for a better day tomorrow. If you find yourself saying “F— it”, stop yourself.
21. January 2010 at 11:08 am
Thanks for sharing that “F—it” moment! I have a lot of those. I’ve been trying to pay more attention to my habits lately and have noticed that I’m always doing three things at one time, my mind never stops. “Anger” and “Boredom” are triggers for me to get into that F–it
moment. Here lately I may reach for crackers or something smooth and creamy and after only a bite or two, just by staying “aware” of what “I” alone am doing to myself, I have been able to just “stop”. I have finally realized that when things aren’t going right I sabotage “myself”. So…now I literally try to walk myself away from my worries and disappointments. Gotta stay focused! Reviewing the BOX is a plus for me as well as this site. Thanks for the continued guidance.
22. January 2010 at 1:50 pm
Julie, that is so true i have a lot of those F-it… moments I catch myself saying why oh why!! I am walking, dancing just to take my mind off of any little thing that will trigger me to sneak a snack. Keep up the good work and thanks Dr for the great advice your the best!!
28. January 2010 at 8:44 pm
I totally had an “F-it” moment today. I got through it, and I couldn’t be happier. Hope you don’t mind, I referenced this entry in my weight loss journal/blog, and provided a link-back here to your post. Thanks for the tips!
29. January 2010 at 1:43 am
I owe the credit to that one from Craig Thompson. Check out his site at WLS Channel. He had a bypass many years ago and says that in his situation he feels he suffered from a food addiction and has to be conscious and aware to fight it.
1. February 2010 at 4:01 pm
Oh dear, a “f-it” moment….I have had those moments that turned into days, weeks, and unfortunely months….So I need to get back on track. I have been instructed to restart my lap-band diet with 2 weeks of slim-fast….well, that lasted two days, headache and hunger, then came the weekend….No I need to get back on it…any suggestions other than the “f-it” I am feeling now?
10. December 2010 at 6:26 pm
I finally decided to check out this website out of sheer disgust with myself. I had lap band surgery Oct 15th, 2008. I started out at 384 lbs. I had lost about 90lbs the last time I saw the doctor. I missed the next appointment due to being called in to work. Didn’t call to reschedule because things were just kinda crazy at that time. Then I stopped losing and just stalled out for months. In May of this year, my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and given 6 months. Started chemo and radiation 5 days a week to get her to the point she could have surgery. She did not do well after surgery. We spent 2 weeks in surgical ICU and I lost my mom on Sept 2. I have gained back about 20lbs and I am struggling, with life in general. I can’t seem to get past losing Mom, much less function. I don’t want to think I went through surgery only to end up in this condition. I have lost my faith in God, in myself, in life. I’m ashamed of my failure and don’t want to have to face the doctors knowing I have let them down, as well as myself. Not sure what I’m hoping to gain from this post, or what I expect will happen. Just tired of feeling alone and hopeless, I guess.
10. December 2010 at 10:56 pm
The first step that I would suggest is to visit your doctor again and re-learn strategies to get you back on the path.
We always emphasize to patients the importance of regular follow-up. Whether or not everything is going great, you should follow up with your doc.
Good luck!