I've gained 22 lbs

I'm so upset with myself. I have gained about 22lbs since Jan. 2007 and i'm really upset with myself. I'm afraid that I am going to gain it all back and that the surgery was for nothing. Hoping I can get the motivation and confidence back that I had just after surgery and was starting to lose weight. Anyone else in the same predicament as me. Would love to hear from all. Lisa J. in Mass

Hi, Lisa. I'm sorry about your regain, but it's not uncommon. I feel super fortunate that I have not had regain yet, but I'm still very focused on what I eat and how much I exercise. I can tell you that it's absolutely possible to lose weight this far out, but you will need to reevaluate what you're eating and bump up your exercise (or start exercising if you have not been). I would also suggest that you start using a daily food journal. I've been journaling for the past 2 years and I think that's helped me avoid a regain so far. By knowing how many calories I can take in on average, it helps me make better choices over time. There are good online journals available for free at fitday.com, thedailyplate.com, and sparkpeople.com. I use software I purchased from calorieking.com for my PDA (I already had a PDA, so this was the most convenient option for me). If you're like a lot of folks who are 2-3 years out, they are often eating more carbs, less protein, doing more grazing, and less exercise. In the long-run, it's still about calories in versus calories out; the key is finding a balance you can live with that results in a weight that's comfortable for you. Finally, my last "trick" to continuing to lose or at least maintain is that I weigh myself everyday and record it in my food journal. It's tricky because the day-to-day variations in my weight based on fluid retention, bowel movements, etc. can be frustrating, but it helps because when I see the numbers on the scale begin to creep up a little, I can make small changes NOW to keep those numbers from creeping up any higher. While it will not be easy to relose that 22 pounds, you can absolutely do it if you are committed! Good luck on your continuing journey - Kellie

Kellie, Thanks for all the great advise. I will take it to heart. I see my nutritionist on 4/10/08 and will talk to her in length about getting back on track. You're right I am exercising less, but after I heal from the train accident I was in, I will go to the gym more since my mother-in-law gave me a membership. I need to. I will probably be told to keep a food journal as I have been before but never did it. I guess I will be doing it. It can only help. Again, thanks for the great advise. Lisa

ME TO & I HATE IT!!!!!! I have went back to the basic and hoping that will work. Protein, Protein Protein.... water & walking. I tried the 5 day pouch test but by the end of the 2nd day i was sick and needed some food. Let me know what you are doing to get back on track, maybe we can help each other..... Misty

Hi Misty, I see the nutritionist tomorrow 4/10/08 and we will discuss in length what I can do to get back on track. I too tried the 5 day pouch test and lasted 4 days on it because I was getting hungrier. I did lose 3lbs though. I may try it again or see what the nutritionist suggests. I think what you said about helping each other is a great idea. I will get back to you after the nutrtionist suggests I do. By the way, if that is your son with you in the pic, he's so cute. Lisa

Hi Lisa, yes that is my son Peyton. That is an older picture but yes he is a cutie - or that is what I think. Please let me know what the nutritionist has to say & maybe together we both can get back on track. Thanks! Misty

Hi Misty, All the nutritionist told me was to try to keep a food journal and to say if I want something is it worth having it or not. I told her I want to try and get pregnant and she said I would have to choose between wanting something that is no good for me or wanting to get pregnant and said I have to make the decision. I'll try the food journal and see how it goes ad maybe i'll try teh 5 day pouch again and see what happens. Once i'm cleared to go back to work I will go to the gym more. If you know of anything to jump start I would love to know. Chat soon, Lisa

Same here My lowest was 173 down from 300 and now I'm back up to 196. If I hit that 200 mark I'm going to have a fit. I'm in the works of buying an elliptical because I don't have time for the gym since my hours at work changed. I used to be 10-7 and I would go after the kids left for school and before work. Now I'm 8-5 and I just can't make myself go to the gym after work and take that time away from my kids. This last year I also stopped doing my food journal. I found the greatest program for my ipaq which did all the calculations for me. So it's back to that too because I know I've been grazing and to top it all off my spouse has been bringing junk food into the house , having poptarts, chips, candy bars and such is NOT helping. Especially since I found I can have sugar again. I used to dump with any sugar. I'm wondering if making ourselves post exactly what we ate the previous day would help? Maybe we could guilt ourselves into compliance

Hi Jen, Thanks for the reply. I haven't gone to the gym in over 3 weeks. I was involved in a train accident here and am out of wor****il 4/21/08. Once I get the ok I will go back or I will take a walk around my condo once the weather gets a bit nicer. I will try to keep a food journal and see how it goes. If I eat something with sugar either right after, within a few hrs or the next day, I get very sick and end up in the bathroom. Not sure if eating it was worth it, but it did taste good I have to admit. Let's hope we all can get back to what we were doing while losing right after surgery. Chat soon, Lisa

Hi, Lisa - sorry to hear about the train accident and you're being unable to exercise for a while. That makes it tough to lose or even maintain... I know I went on at length in an earlier post, but I wanted to offer one additional suggestion that has been helpful to me. As I mentioned, I've been keeping a daily food journal for a couple years now. So I have a pretty good idea how many calories I can eat and maintain, what I need to cut out to lose, etc. About a year ago, I started thinking about my calories like I think about my financial budget, meaning that I have a certain number of calories to "spend" during the day and I work hard to stick to that budget. I make a quick food plan when I get up in the morning and am packing my lunch/snacks for the day, then I leave myself 500-600 calories for dinner and a bedtime snack. If I "overspend" during the day because I eat something that wasn't on my plan, then I'll look at where I can cut something else out later in the day. It's not really different than what I was doing before, but by thinking about it like I think about managing money it just seems more doable. The other thing is I do not berate myself if I choose to have a treat -- cookie, chocolate, etc. -- as long as I stick to my daily "budget." Rather than looking for a quick way to drop the regained weight, look for small things you're doing that are adding unintended calories to your day. Remember that consuming an extra 100 calories per day above what you're burning through your metabolism and exercise can add up to 10 pounds per year. But the upside of that is you can lose 10 pounds per year by cutting out as little as 100 calories per day, as long as you do it consistently!!! Good luck getting yourself back on track - I'll be checking back in here to see how you are doing! Kellie