5 years out. Need help

I'm glad I'm back on OH. I need to get on this more then facebook. Lol.

I can't give up

I had surgery in 2008. My highest measured weight was 271. In May/June 2009, I was down to 144, and that is my lowest measured weight. Between 2010 and 15OCT16, I gained back 97 pounds. I finally got sick of it. I have eliminated all bad carbs from my house. No sugar, no bread, no potatoes, no pasta... I eat chicken, turkey, and steak every one to two weeks. Water only. I do use protein powder and ready-to-drink protein drinks. I work out with a trainer three days a weeks, and do treadmill or elliptical, or both, for 30-90minutes depending on how I'm feeling. since October, I'm just shy of losing 70 pounds of my regain.

It can be done. And depending on how determined you are, it doesn't necessarily have to take forever.

Nice to hear I have hope. Thank you. Now I need to apply it.

i know exactly what you mean. i am also 5 years out and gained at least 45 pounds back, i felt horrible and was ashamed to even go back to my doc for help i thought he would be so mad at me. i was having some trouble keeping food down so finally i had to go and see him. he was so positive and nice when i left the office i was so uplifted and started back on track right away. ive lost the weight i gained and down more. his whole point was just take baby steps. he said do you think you could exercise 5 minutes a day? do you think you could do 1 protein shake a day? just little things that made me realize i could do it. i go to see him once every couple of months to help me be accountable. it's working. you can do it. don't be so hard on yourself or waste time feeling bad like i did. just do it. one day at a time.

Hardest for me was getting off the carbs. That was like getting sober. The first three weeks were super sucky.

You have already taken the hardest step by saying enough is enough and now I want to get back on track. I maintained 118-125 for over 10 years after losing 200 pounds. Due to a personal tragedy I gained and hit the 190 mark a year ago. After several starts it finally clicked and I am back to goal again. Here are some steps that helped me and I hope they will help you too! You may have several starts and stops but don't give up, don't beat yourself up. IT WILL CLICK!!!

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.