2 Year Nutrition Exercise Questions

Well it has been 2 years. It has been a long road. I cut back my workouts about 3 months ago to about 1/2 hour walking 4.5 mph 6 times per week, 1/2 hour of pilates 3 times per week and 30 to 45 minutes of weight training 3 times per week. My old schedule is not realistic for a lifetime which was about 2 1/2 to 3 hrs at the gym everyday with the exception of an occasional Sunday. I have gained 4.5 lbs and I can tell when I get dressed and look at my abs that I am not as toned. And it terrifies me! I am doing the weigh****chers flex point system to be sure that I am not overeating, I am allowed 20 points per day, I use an average of 17 points per day and don't touch the weekly bonus points. I eat all nutritious foods, I do not eat refined sugars and get ample protien through egg beaters, yogart, soy crisps and protein shakes or bars. I eat as many "free" veggies as possible. My guilty pleasure is an occasional sugar-free fudscicle or fat free sugar free latte. What am I doing wrong? Do we get our bodies so trained that we can't live close to normal. Am I going to have to spend the rest of my life in the gym? Thanks for any suggestions that you may have. Becki

Hi Becki! I don't think you're doing anything "wrong". It sounds like you are well intune with your body and its need as a post op. My only thoughts are even with cutting back on your workouts, you still work out quite a bit and you say that you're keeping your calories pretty low by only using 17pts and eating what sounds like all healthy foods, low carb, etc. Could your caloric intake be too low?? I know if I drop down too far my body holds on to every calorie and I have actually gained weight from not eating enough. Everyone's needs are different, but for me if I'm actively trying to lose I will consume around 1300cal but if I'm just in maintenance mode, I eat 1600-1800cal per day (I generally work out 4-5x's per week, 3-5 miles WATP, light weight training, etc). I think figuring out exactly where you need to be can be difficult b/c its really trial and error so mix it up a little bit and see what happens from one week to the next. I don't think you have to spend the rest of your life at the gym, at least I hope not, LOL! Also, from all of the reading that I've done, it seems like the 2yr mark is a big one for us. It seems like this might be the time when our bodies normalize or adjust to this new way of life. I've read where so many have said that they started to regain weight at the 2yr mark~from complacency, going back to their old eating habits, starting to test the waters a little too much with sugar and carbs, and some for no explained reason. So, my plan has been to weigh daily, track it on the calendar so I can watch for any trends, if I go up a few pounds to work them back off right away before 3lbs become 30lbs, etc. I'm at the same place as you, so I don't know if this will work in the long run or not, but I sure hope it does and at least I feel better knowing that I have a plan! Good Luck and keep me posted on how things are going for you! Tracy B 328/150 5'9"