It has been 4 years

Ok I have come to where I have been lost and need to be. I am 4 years out and am begiining to gain weight back. I am back to Obese.  I need to lose 45-50 lbs . But I need help. I do not know where to begin or what to do ie eating. I do not know how many calories, protien, carbs anything any more. Alot of changes in my lidfe bad but I am turning them into good but I need my gastric friends to help me get on track.  PLease someone help me and get me back on a guideline i need to follow. I joined a gym today so I am serious...Please... Lost and alone Ann

Hi Ann -

You may be lost, but you are not alone.

I and others on this board will do all we can to be supportive. I can tell you what I know as a relatively new person ... I'm 7 months out.

Be sure that you are getting enough protien in ... most get anywhere from 60 to 90 grams a day during the first year. During the first year, it's common to have the calorie intake in the 800 to 1000 calorie range. Of course, be sure to hydrate with 64 to 100+ fluids. Be sure you are taking your supplements.

I have a couple more suggestions for you. Consider xposting your plea for help to the diet and nutrition board; they have RD's that moderate that board now and may be able to provide some direction for you that I and others on this board might not think of. Also consider going to the graduates board for folks that have had their surgery at least a yr ago. Also please keep coming here. We have other members here that have been successful, stumbled and regained their balance. I know that they will reach out to help.

Congratuations for recognizing that there's a problem and that you have the tool to manage it and get your weight under control again.

Wishing you all the best as you find your way back to the healthiest you can be.

Barb

Hi Ann, You've lost it before, and you still have the tool to help you lose it again.  Just return back to the basics.  Protein, fluids and exercise.  Most of all, you are not alone!  We're all in the losing battle with you!  You can do this!

Hey Ann, I"m in Zebulon too! (Pilot community) Those gals gave you some great advice!   Exercise is KEY.  I'm headed out in a few to the Y for swim aerobics (over in Wake Forest).  You're the 2nd gal to pop up here this week in Zeb.  Terri is having her surgery on the 28th.

We should form a little "mini group" here, but in the meantime,  you should come join us for our Raleigh area gathering on the 19th at Perkins in Raleigh.  Barb coordinates those and has a post in here about that!

I would suggest you start by contacting your surgeon - does he have a NUT his office works with or one he can reccomend? Thats a great way to get your nutrition on track. If thats not an option you can try contacting local ones in your area or go thru the Diet & Nutrition forum here on OH for help finding a NUT you can talk to online/phone.  Something I reccomend would be to look into getting a metabolism test... its a great basis to see how many calories you should be eating a day just to survive... from that number you can configure how much you need to eat to lose (depending on your activity level etc, many times you need to eat MORE in order to lose!!). Get back to basics...  No drinking 30 mins before/after meals. Stick to your meal plan/meal times - NO grazing! Are you drinking your calories?? Drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day? Eating protein first, followed by fruit/veggie, lastly starch carb? Keep white/enriched carbs out of your diet? I would suggest to start keeping a food log for at least 1-2 weeks.. there are sites like sparkpeople.com or fitday.com that are great. See where you are falling nutritionally... by looking at what you are eating on paper you can perhaps see changes you need to make on your own (or we here can try to help!). You are definately not alone... we are all here for you!

I noticed on the main board some were talking about a pouch test. Don't know what it is and what it does for you....just thought I would put it out to you. Don't panic and don't give up. Myrtis