6 years post op?

HI I haven't been on this site in a few years... I will be 6 years post op on April 23, 2018 somehow I lost a year bc I was thinking it was only 5 yrs. My question is if you are at least 3-4 yrs post op have you had any regain? Since 2015 I had surgery on my knee was going to the gym 6 days a week for 2-3 hrs a day. Wasn't able to go for 5 months after and lost all motivation... Since 2015 I have gained between 30-40 lbs. Im not proud in fact Im struggling to lose the regain. I admit Im not going to the gym on a regular basis but Im trying to go at least 2-3 days a week. I recently have given up soda which I have been drinking since 9 mos post op and believe me it only takes one sip.... I eat about a cup of food per meal and try to stay away from junk but it doesn't always happen. In the back of my mind I know what I need to do but for some reason I cant seem to get my **** together. What are some things that helped you get back on track and back to a workout routine? What are some meal plans that work for the whole family. I get sick of eating the same crap and then wind up eating out which is not the option I want to continue. Any suggestions??? This really is a life time struggle and the VSG is just a TOOL which you have to engage if you want it to work. I am also currently taking the med Contrave which was given to me by my VSG Surgeon. Im open to any and all suggestions! Thanks

I gained 20 pounds in the year my dad died - all of my binge eating habits came back that year. I sought diagnosis and treatment for my Binge Eating Disorder and, once that was controlled, got back to losing weight.

I think it's most important to ask yourself why your head isn't in the game. Are you seeing a therapist? That would be a good place to start. Continually trying and failing to get back on track with your eating seems like a way to just feel more and more crappy about yourself. Addressing the mental side of things would be a better way to get your head in the game and where you want to be.

Otherwise - dense protein.

I am 23 years post op. We all have struggles and many of us go up and down a little. Having many physical limitations can definietly make it easier to gain. So you are not the first nor will you be the last.

You can overcome this obstacle. It is not a roadblock, it is a hurdle.

I would suggest start with what you are doing.

..exercise...continue the gym.2x a week. get up and do a 15 min walk in the morning. to the end of the driveway and back several times will do it.. add 2 more short walks spaced thru the day.....parking further out in a parking lot.. when you go to buy groceries or shop. be sure to do a short walk, smae way just bfore bedtime, if safe location, if not do isometrics after laying down.

Little amounts all add up. build next week to 20 min.3 x a day in addition to gym. get the family walking with you.walk to the park, walk the walking trail with a buddy or family members.

Diet.

Plan a menu : I do next day one.I prepare one days meals and plan what next day will be.

Maintain and plan for you to get the prescription of protein and vegs/carbs you are to have.

Know ahead of time what you will have off of that menu and the amounts you will allow yourself. If you are serving something you really should not have, either don't make/serve it or limit to one ounce OR one tablespoon.

Remember the surgery result, is a tool. You are in charge of using it. the lower you can get carbs consistently for three days will limit cravings and ..B complex liquid sublingual 2 cc day in am,and pm... will help with cravings..

Good job on cutting the sodas. Drink lots of filtered water. avoid bottled water if it ships across state lines it has flouride in it...mandated.

I rotate my meat dishes...pork one day beef the next and chicken the next.also raotate rice, pasta, egg noodles and potatoes.. with vegetables..I do not live alone and I do not cook for one. I don't cook fish regularly, and i often cook liver just for me...maybe for lunch.

If there is something I can't have, like cheese, I get my portion out before i add cheese. bland yes, but it is only a few bites. Mixed with other food it is not bland. Just a few ideas hope they help you think of other thinngs you can put into practice

Thanks!! 23 year WOW, congrats on that. Over the years did you gain any regain?

I try to stay out of the fray and not **** people off, but this woman gives some of the worst advice I have ever seen. Please don't follow her lead. She talks about rotating rice, pasta, noodles and potatoes and that she's not allowed to eat cheese? This flies in the face of every WLS rule I have ever seen. Skip the simple carbs (sugar, flour, rice, potatoes, bread, pasta, etc) and eat the cheese! Cheese does not make you fat.... CARBS DO! If you eat low carb veggies and meat and skip the simple carbs, you will lose your regain. I don't even eat corn and peas. They are too starchy for me.

I have also heard her recommend that you should sip fluids when you get food stuck and walk around. If you had RNY, drinking fluids with stuck food is the best way to stretch your stoma, ruining your WLS for life. Stretching your stoma means that you have 26 foot long stomach because your pouch empties right into your small bowel. This means you never feel restriction and you will always be hungry. There are not too many successful revisions to fix a stretched stoma. DUMB ADVICE!

She also said that eating a bite of carbs with every bite of protein helps your body utilize the protein better. Bulls**t!!!! Your body utilizes protein just fine without any carbs. The only case where that might be true is if you are a hardcore bodybuilder trying to recover after a particularly tough workout, not usually the case with an obese individual, or if you have a severe malabsorption of protein medical condition. Most WLS peeps don't.

She likes to tout her 23 years of WLS experience. Well... I had my first WLS in 1986... that means I have 32 years of experience. I had a revision due to mechanical failure in 2010. I have maintained to within 10 pounds of my lowest weight. I am vigilant about measuring my food, and NOT EATING HIGH CARB FOODS! Please be careful who you listen to. Read, and then read some more. Use the search function on this site to ask pointed questions. The people who have lost the weight, and kept it off, follow a no white, simple carbs rule and measure their portions, even years out from surgery.

You can do this!

Rocky is giving you excellent advice -- and so I want to back her up.

I don't have 32, 23 or 10 years of experience -- but I have lost 220 pounds and maintained it for 4 years thus far -- all without ever eating rice, sugar, potatoes, breads, pasta or other simple carbs. I don't need them to process protein, avoid starvation mode, etc ... I do just fine with dense protein and less than 30 grams of carbs per day.

Oh, and I certainly eat cheese.

I too want to back up Rocky & Kat W's posts. Rocky's advice is absolutely perfect.

And like Kat I am 4 years post op, I have lost and maintained a 150 + pound weight loss.

I also don't touch simple carbs either, I do not eat rice, potatoes, bread, pasta, crackers, cereal, oatmeal or chips.

I eat very high protein (100 grams or more a day), very low carb (40 grams or under), 120 + ounces of fluids a day. I keep my calories at 850 - 950 daily, usually around 950 calories is where I maintain at.

I do work out a lot, I am very active BUT I want to stress that I workout for my mental health as I suffer from depression and it helps me unwind and let go of stress after a busy day. I do not work out to maintain my weight or eat back calories. I workout for my mental & emotional health.

Getting to goal weight or losing regain is all about low calorie, high protein, low carb and drink liquids until you feel like a fish. Join the VSG menu thread or the RNY menu thread (we welcome everyone) and you are welcome to post menus, get to know people and gain sounds advice from other successful WLS people.

You can do this.

Oh and I eat cheese several times a day

Sent you a PM

The LACTOSE Intolerant do NOT eat cheese.Their families evict them.(smile)

I am so glad others do not have the intolerances I do. My diet is MY diet because of multiple intolerances. I can't eat only meat. My point was not to necessarily eat pasta,rice or whatever... , but to rotate your food choices for each day, in such a manner as to not get fatigued with it. Food fatigue is no laughing matter.

I am lactose intolerant and eat cheese and Greek yogurt with no problems. The lactose gets "eaten" in the processing. I can not drink milk or cream. I get very sick. You did not say that you did not eat cheese because of an intolerance in your post. You were giving advice on how another post op should be eating.

Food fatigue? Is that the same as boredom? I eat the same things over and over. Food is fuel. Nothing more. It is not a tool to cure my boredom. Food is not necessary for me to celebrate holidays or special occasions. I don't use it to entertain myself. I have not experienced "food fatigue" once since my surgery.

By suggesting to rotate potatoes, rice, pasta, etc. in a menu plan, you are advocating that it is a good idea for WLS peeps to eat them. Adding simple carbs back into a diet after WLS is the biggest reason for weight gain. The second would be drinking with your meals.

I have had SERIOUS complications from my first surgery (1986) and have had three bowel obstructions (one that almost killed me). I still eat protein first, then non starchy veggies (which have plenty of carbs in them). If I eat starchy foods, I get a lot of gastric distress and I KNOW I WILL GAIN WEIGHT.

Nobody is laughing. Giving good advice to people struggling is serious business.