5 months away and 12 lbs gained!

Flame Me Shame Me I deserve it and.... I know better I havent posted or lurked even since November - busy living life and ignoring the rules of my pouch have led me to post this bitter disapointment in myself. I have put on 12 lbs. Thats the bad news I fellof the wagon - hit the ground, rolled around and now Im picking myself up, dusting off and begging for help! And mercy. What do ya'll do to keep yourself honest and playing by the rules? Any advice? This girl would really appreciate it - ( please dont say more water less food) Got that part. But..I guess Im wondering if keep track - for example on here helps you be accountable to yourself  even in your worst moments???? The good news is that it stops now and I am getting back to basics....if I can even remember what they were..??????????? Any Good News? thanks Kathryn M

It helps me if I have someone who I am accountable too. I email someone everyday and I also have someone close to me that is changing lifestyles too. It is nice to have that support. If I feel the urge to eat I try to chew a piece of gum. That seems to help me at work when I am bored with nothing to do.  Dont worry about falling off the wagon. Sometimes that happens when we let our lives and stress take over and let us forget about ourselves. I have learned the hard way that I need to make myself number 1!!!!!  Suzanne

Kathryn, There is NO way I would ever flame you.  I am just happy you came here to us.  We all need to be concerned about falling back into old habits.  What helped me get back on track was the 5 day pouch test  http://www.5daypouchtest.com/plan/faq.html  Man, it was hard, and yes, I started and quit it a couple of times.  But, it gets you back to the basics.  And you are not really hungry.  It gets easier by day 5 and then you are ready to go back to eating like a bariatric.  Get some OH friends to join you in your endeavor.  We had like 15 people doing it together and we would email eachother everyday with our challenges and accomplishments.  Also you may want to start using http://fitday.com/  to track your food intake and it breaks it down for you.  Wow, I was getting in my protein just fine,,,,but the FAT content, whew.  I had no idea until I tracked it.  Anyways, I hope this helped somewhat.   You can PM me anytime.  We are here to support eachother.

thank you for all the support, I think I will try the 5 day pouch test I feel better already knowing othersa re out there who can relate! Thanks

No Problem!  Just PM me when you decide to the the test, cuz I will join you.  I have been snacking ALOTTTTTT lately.  I need a refresher course....

Kathryn - Stop beating yourself up. You know what you have to do and you can do it!    I am presently in the same boat as you and determined not to ever go back to the unhealthy person I was at 336lbs.   Just remember "Rules of The Pouch."  And know that you can come here anytime for support.  We're all in this together. Pam

Hey Kathryn! How are you doing for exercise?  That's my big problem.  I have a HUGE appetite (I'm 2 years post op) and at my last checkup they suggested I quit stressing about the food part right now....obviously trying to get back on track.....but concentrate on upping my exercise.  So far, I've thought about exercising every day, but haven't done much about it!  But, I'm taking it one day at a time.  I do think that once you start with exercise then you don't want to snack as much during the day.  And you know what?  Don't invite people to flame you!  You don't deserve it for 12 stupid pounds!   I also did the pouch test like Sarah, but I hate tuna and the like so I was not eating enough and ended up gaining more weight when I went back to regular food.  You might see different results. Good Luck to you!

YES, Excercise has not ben a priority Thanks for the reminder and I will make sure to know my limitations when trying the pouch test- I suyre dont want to gain more weight thanks for the input Kathryn

You should be proud of yourself for coming here to get help. That is the toughest part. I'd love to say that I'm perfect in my eating but I'm not.  What does help me to make better choices is to track every morsel that goes into my mouth.  I use the PC version of FitDay.  I even track the really bad days. Like Sarah said above me, I have the protein down pat but the fat sometimes gets out of control.  FitDay helps keep me on track. Brenda suggested exercise, and I was totally lax on this until about 6 weeks ago.  I finally just bit the bullet and made myself work out.  In the last month, I've only missed one day of exercise.  This is quite a feat when you hated exercise as much as I did.  You will definitely feel better once you get moving. Again, great job on taking the first step to getting back on track! Jenn

Dear Kathryn,     Hey let he who never fails at all throw the first stone if they dare! We are or have been where you are at one time! I hit the mother of all plateau; and I have been unable to shake it even with fitday & exercise!  What's up with that? I also agree 12 lbs. isn't a major thing; although I know it feels like it is to you. I have been struggling with same 2 pounds up and down for months now.     I went to the Hurley Baritric Ball last night and Dr Farhan spoke about help and hope with new procedures for post op RNY who are struggling. I told him I have felt that maybe my pouch is to large? He said the new procedure is done with a scope down through your throat no cutting! They put a pleat into your pouch to tighten it up again! Sounds interesting to me. I would not be concerned if I were not really trying!     I have some thoughts to add to the accountable list: put before pic's of yourself on the fridge, enlist the help of another struggling friend, take up a hobby to keep your hands from going to your mouth (I crocket), talk to yourself about how far you have came, and where and what you want to accomplish in the future. Congrats on getting back to the basics; best wishes to your sucess.. Measures each small step as a victory, set smaller goals to make them more managable and rewarding for yourself. Quit beating yourself up ; that always tends to make things worse.. Hugs, Judy R