How is July 2003ers doing?

I am scared to death as 2 year anniversary approaches as many say "pounds start to come back after 24 months" anyone having that problem yet? I only weigh myself every Tuesday to keep a track of how my weight is. I keep a WLS chart b/c I don't want to be any more than 5 LBS. up at any time. Am I paranoid? I just want this RNY WLS to stay successful. I eat 3 small meals a day and 3 healthy snacks in-between. How do all the rest of you maintain?

I seem to go up 5 bls every month. So with exercise and proper eating I loose it each month. Seems to be a constant battle. I weigh every day. Sometimes twice a day. I realize we aren't suppose to but it helps me to keep track of my eating better. I am finding I can eat a lot more of he bad things. Hopefully with evercise I won't gain any back. I still eat 3 small meals and a snack in between. I drink 120 oz of water a day. No drinking 1/2 hour before or after a meal.

Hello, I am doing good and since my surgery almost 2 years ago I have lost over 120lbs. At 18 months I pretty much thought I was done loosing but I needed a hernia repair and had a panni done too last March. I believe the hernia was so close to my pouch that I could eat more than I should have. Now I am back to only eating like I did at maybe 3 months out. I eat often but still much smaller amounts. After the hernia repair I have lost almost 20 more pounds. My main snacks are beef jerky and cheese. I take my 20+ vitamins and minerals daily. I hope all the rest of you are doing good.

Jen, I have not had surgery yet but I was just wondering why you have to take 20+ vitamins per day? I hate to swallow pills.....will I have to do this to? If so, what are the vitamins? Thanks. Cathy

Hi Cathy, I hate to swallow pills too. I have to take most of them at one time or I forget. Here is my regimine based on MY Labs: In the Morning 3 Trinsicon (Iron) 2 Vit C 500mg In the Evening about an hour or more before bed Dry A & D Dry E Zinc 50mg 2 Tri Boron 3mg (for calcium absorption) 2 Biotin 1000mcg (for hair loss) Magnesium 250 (if not already in Calcium supp.) Dry E Super B - Complex 2 Fish oil 1200mg 2 - 4 Calcium Citrate 250mg ( I only take 2 at a time throughout the day when I remember to take them) 2 chewable multi vitamins ( I can take the swallowable ones but I like these) I also take Vit B 12 shots weekly. This keeps my level around 600. I take all these supplements based on my labs. You should always have complete labs drawn and monitored when taking vitamins. Jen Layman

Hi fellow losers, I too am 2 years out on July 29, and although I have been a slooow loser the whole time I did manage to lose 98 lbs and I got either to my goal or I would have like to lose 25 more. I quit losing at about 16 months and maintained for 6 months,went on HRT therapy and have gained 8 lbs back. hope to get off real quick here. they are doing nothing for me but the weight gain. I am having real problem staying in the exercise mode since I had a late start on that. it was delayed for the first 9 months due to a nerve immune disease,and has really played havoc on me. I do get the 10,000 steps in daily but hard to do other cardio and weight lifting. now liver enzymes are way to high and I have gotten osteopenia,right on edge of osteoprosis. and the way my hip and knee feel I woulndnt doubt some arthritis too. BUt life is good and I would do it again in a heartbeat. no regrets at all. In fact by having it I found I had a hernia and gall stones, both taken care of during surgery.we have a place to ge****er weighing done to see what metobolic rate is and what one should weigh due to how much fat ratio is and I would love to do this to see if 160 is my goal or 140 should be it. then I know what to fight for. I eat small meals, Protein first and measure my portions, I also have found I am a carboholic and really need to stay under 20 grams a day or it plays havoc, I get 90-120 oz. liquid in daily. all my vites,suppliments and meds. need to up that exercise though, I feel the new year will be better and I can get to where I want to be. would love reconstruction through plastics but havent enough for insurance to pay for. and to be truthful they seem harder to deal with then the stomach surgery. Bonnie in Minnesota

Hey Bonnie, sounds like you've had a rough time!~Congrats on what you've accomplished inspite of all the tough times! Thanks for responding. It helps to hear from others that are the same timeframe out from WLS to know what to expect, kind of across the board from others around the USA! Good luck as you continue your plan, very similar to my plan of attack to "keep the pounds off". We will survive and keep the "loss" of those extra pounds! Ann in Upstate NY

Hi Ann, I relate to what you are saying. I have gained 7 pounds in the last couple of months and I'm freaking out. My family says don't worry about it you can afford another 20. I didn't come this far to put the weight back on. I have been diligent this week to drink a lot, get back on the vitamin regimen and what my food intake and the kinds of food I am eating. I don't want to feel like I am on the diet cycle again, just want a healthier frame of mind. I eat 5 small meals a day now. My two year anniversary is July 7th. I used to weigh myself everyday and stopped when I started gaining out of fear of what the scale was saying. Now I am back to weighing every day because it is giving me the incentive to change it before there is a bigger problem.

Hi Rhonda, You look AWESOME! Great job on the weight loss! I had my gall bladder "attack" April 2004 (9 months out) and had been dealing with that kind of pain on and off for a couple years and the ultrasound always said they couldn't find anything. Interesting after losing "weight" they were much more efficient in "looking" for the stones...oh well at least they "found" them this time. Mine was an emergency scheduled surgery too! Fortunately for me my surgeon was the same who did my RNY surgery! So I was in good hands and did not worry about the surgery as much as I might have another time. Keep on tracking the weight by weighing and keeping the gain UNDER 10 pounds, it's definitely more managable that way. "We" (WLSers) all need to support each other, we are the only ones who can understand that FEAR of the pounds coming back after all the work of losing it!

Thank you Ann! I looked at your profile and you look wonderful as well.