What are your best tips to get back on the horse?

While I haven't fallen off, I do feel that I am slipping. It's been a bit of a steady roll up.... while I am choosing not to beat myself up over it, I am resolved to get back on track. I am at the 4.5 year mark after surgery and have kept off 100 lbs or so. At my peak, I had 128 lbs off.

What are your best tips to right the ship? First step was coming back to this site after 2 years! Any and all help is welcome.

I am a newbie, so I can't offer advice, but if you search the forum you will find several posts full of great responses! Good luck!

Welcome back. The first thing you should do is start measuring and tracking everything you put into your mouth using something like MyFitnessPal. From there, work on getting back to your basics. Here are mine, but yours might be slightly different:

1. Prioritize protein and water
2. Deprioritize carbs, especially the refined and processed ones
3. Make the most of healthy fats
4. Eat three meals a day with no snacks
5. Avoid liquid calories (protein shake for breakfast is my exception since I've never liked putting solid food in my stomach first thing in the morning)
a. Don't drink with meals or for 30 minutes after eating
6. Weigh portions and track/log what you consume
7. Eat mindfully and with no distractions aside from real live people
a. Try to eat at a table
b. Eat with utensils
8. Move as much as possible
9. Weigh yourself daily
a. But focus on the trend of your weight, not the day to day fluctuations
10. Be kind to yourself

Thanks for your post. I am 5 months post sleeve and have lost 67 pounds but have alot more to go. I have in the last few weeks (since a family cruise) slipped from proper eating. Your list of basics remind me what I must and will do starting NOW. I had been finding myself hungry between meals but thinking it over it may be because I was drinking closer to 45oz of water instead of 65. Again thanks !!!

Gwen,

Thanks, as usual! You have been a great source of advice on this site for years. Even seeing the first recommendation put this in focus for me. I appreciate your help.

S

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 losing 70 pounds of regain. 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!!! Our tool works if we work the tool and get back to the basics.

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. If you didn't make a Weight Loss Surgery bucket list when you first had surgery do it now. GREAT reminder of all the things you can enjoy in life after losing weight.

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. I found once I started carrying one of the metal bottles of water to keep it cold I drank water all day.

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. Grab a cart and walk all the isles at your local box store. 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. Come here on OH daily for support and participate in one of the food threads. It helps you be accountable and also great ideas for food prep.

Keep me posted on how you are doing.

Thank you! That is inspiring and supportive. We're all kind of in this together.

The accountability of just coming back to this site is sooooooooooo helpful!

S

Contact me anytime

Great advice from Gwen and Kathy! I lost 140 lbs, keeping it off for about 2 years. Over the last year, when I was weighed on my third anniversary, I had gained 30 lbs in a year. I was back on carbs big time, and man, do those go down smoothly.

I went to a post-surgery back-to-basics class, which reminded me of all of the good habits I used to have that I had thrown by the wayside, including tracking, protein forward, and several other things. From that day I was inspired to go back to my good behaviors. It was hard to start, but now I'm in the swing of things it's easier.

On my way home from that meeting, I was thinking "Oh crap, I just bought two boxes of garlic flavored Ritz crackers. I'll give them to my neighbor." So I went to my secret cracker stash to gather them up. I noticed a box of Triscuits, and grabbed them as well. Then a box of those pretzel on one side, Townhouse on the other. And... a box of "good for me!" multi-grain Club crackers. Hello, my name is Sheryl, and I am a cracker-holic. Denial is not just a river in Egypt, lol!

BTW I'm down 10 lbs. in the last 2 1/2 weeks! :D