revisions

Are you still following a healthy eating plan and maintaining a fitness regimen? I gained back 60 lbs. by ignoring my "rules," and was able to lose it again by being smart.

I am still exercising daily, but now that I can eat more things without getting sick I am having trouble sticking with an eating plan.  Of course, that was my problem to start with.  I am a "stress" eater.  My pouch has obviously stretched and I thought that If I could make it smaller again I could be more careful about stretching it.  I've never been able to lose weight except with the surgery.

Check out this website... 5daypouchtest.com it may be of great help to you. For long-term success, it's not about "what can I eat?" it's about "what will I eat?" I suppose you know that, but really, that's what it boils down to.

You may also want to look into the stomaphyx.  This is an procedure done to bring the stoma back to the original size after the initial surgery.  I believe its done on an outpatient basis and your back to work the next day.  But you still need to make good choices.

Thanks.  I'll look into it. I'm working on the better choices.

You might want to also look into a private counselor/coach (or group) that can help keep you on track and give you a base to go to when you are stressed out.   You need to redirect that stress to a different outlet than food.   Have you read any books on addiction transference?  That might help tell you WHY this is so hard; it's the brain chemicals not a weakness in your willpower so don't fret, you can make better choices and teach an old dog new tricks using the same old tool.   (Norm is right....did I just say that??)   Good Luck to You.   We're always here to bounce the ideas off of. 

Linda, You've been given lots of good information, here's my two cents worth. . . There is one more thing that you need to realize, ongoing support helps keep us on track, by being accountable and having people who understand what demons it is we deal with.  It is sort of like being an alcoholic, there are the dry drunks and the recovering ones, the difference is meetings and having a network of support which helps us continue to change the things we can. . . but the most successful WLS patients are those who continue to utilize a support network. Wishing you the best, Laureen 

I used to belong to a group, but it seemed to become more of a social club which is not what I needed.  How do I go about finding a new group in my area? Thanks to everyone for their input.

How far are you from Langhorne?  Barix has support group meetings there 2x a month, one is pre-op, 2nd Tuesday of every month and while pre-ops are the focus, you don't have to be pre-op to attend, the post-op meeting is the 3rd Wednesday of every month and you do not have to have had your surgery at Barix to attend either of these meetings, they start at 7 p.m. and generally last until 8:30/9 p.m., people bring their old clothes to exchange and while socializing with others is a good thing, that goes on before the meeting and afterwards if you wish to do so.  Also, there are people on here who host support groups in their homes as they can do so, so keep coming to the boards and you will find what you need.  Another thing you can do is post a topic to the effect that you'd like to know if there are any support groups in your area and where and when they meet, or perhaps you can try hosting one yourself. . .   Good luck in getting yourself back on track.  Laureen

I'm about 30 min. from Barix in Langhorne.  Maybe I'll give their post-op meeting a try.  Thanks for the info. Linda