3 years out . . .

I haven' t posted here in awhile but I log on just about everyday.  I have slowly started to regain.  Right now it is just five pounds.  I know it is from eating the wrong foods plus my husband started a new job and he works odd hours so it is hard to get rest and now that he is home more there are numerous heavy carbs around.  I try to resist them but it is very hard.  I feel like I am spiraling out of control.  I try to weigh and log my food but I am not very good at it. I looked,for an OA group but the closest one is over a hundred miles away. My surgeon is far away also. I was wondering if anyone knows of a therapist who work with you over the Internet.

Good for you reaching out so soon. Hopefully you will get some online therapist suggestions from others, but there are also online OA meetings. A five pound regain is very manageable if you are able to get help with your issues. Also, you may want to join the OH VSG Maintenance Group. We are very active and there are people at all stages of maintenance, including some successfully dealing with regain. 

You have already taken the hardest step by saying enough is enough and now I want to get back on track.  Here are some steps I hope will help you. They helped me...  Also, be sure and join the Back On Track Together group. 

Planning/Preparing

Remember when we were preparing for surgery?  How many meetings, classes and such did we attend?  We were told the more prepared we were the better our chances were for success.  And they were right. Go through the house, car and work place and get rid of trigger foods.  Stock up on foods that will keep you on track. I removed every bad carb/sugar temptation and replaced it with lots of protein, veggies, grains and fruits.

Journaling

Get back to journaling.  This will help you identify when you feel like eating, stress factors and any triggers in your life.  Once you identify these factors, this will help you put tools in place to keep you from eating.  It became clear I was not taking time for me anymore. I worked my day job and then spent the rest of my time caring for my husband.  It was easy to reach for fast, prepackaged food.  Since I purged my home I have to eat clean as there are no other options LOL

Use a tool to track you're eating and exercise like Getting Started with Health Tracker.  Once I started to track ever bite and drink it became clear why I had gained.

Goals/Rewards

Make a list of goals for yourself.  Make them realistic and small.  Some of mine were move more, purge all junk from my home, eat more protein.

Food

In general, a long term post-weight loss surgery eating plan includes foods that are high in protein, and low in fat?, calories, and sugar. Important, vitamins and minerals are provided as supplements. (if you had a different surgery adjust this to your food plan).

Water

Water is our Best Friend. I have to say I never went back to pop or any bad drinks, however I was drinking tea like crazy. What is wrong with drinking tea?  I was either using sugar or 3 equals and 3 sweet n lows per 32 ounce glass.  So I was either pushing to be diabetic or get cancer.  I found once I started carrying a bottle of water around 24/7 (yes had one at my bedside) I lost the cravings for the sugar and I KNOW those artificial sweeteners are not good for me. Look I am old and if you add up all the artificial sweeteners I have consumed I am sure I am at the rat in the lab getting cancer threshold.

MOVE!

I can't say enough about how key this was for me. The reason I kept my weight off for almost 10 years was no matter what, I kept moving.  If I could not go to the gym I would walk. I loved Zumba, bootcamp workouts, lifting weights. When I stopped, the weight started coming back.  So for me I am starting slow to avoid injury by walking and using some of the workouts on my Demand TV.  Find something you love to do and it won't feel like a pain in the *** to do daily.

Support

If it's an option "run" don't walk to a support group.

Keep me posted on how you are doing

Ditto to what others have said.

Also, you seem to be having challenges adjusting to the new schedule and food around. Can you talk it over with your husband and come up with some ways to address these changes?   5 pounds is where to catch it.

Also, I am getting help through Mindfullness - for me it's a glimpse into the head-game part of permanent weight loss.  There may be some Mindfulness Training in your area.

Hang in there

I'm very active in OA and it's been a huge help in getting my eating under control. They do have online and phone meetings. If you want to chat about OA, send me a Pm. 

I'm two months away from 4 years out.  In January 2015 I realized I was regaining a few lbs.  You are doing the right thing.  Acknowledge the issue and find actionable steps you can take to mitigate it.  You've worked so hard to get to where you are, you will be able to find a solution!