Need Support, Please

I had VSG surgery almost five years ago and failed to use this as a tool only, eating whatever I wanted to the past two years, not exercising, not taking vitamin and mineral supplements, etc. Consequences of my actions, I gained 30 pounds and I am miserable. I did not reach out to anyone here for support and I am essentially starting over.

I read about the ten day pouch reset and I have been faithfully following this restrictive diet. Has anyone tried this as well? Is this just a "gimic" and after two years of eating everything I wanted to, will this "pouch reset" truly shrink my pouch?

I've already beat myself up so I am starting anew and asking for support, please. I can't change the past, however, I'm trying very hard to make better choices going forward, one day at a time. My surgeon retired four years ago and my primary care physician is unfamiliar with bariatric surgery so is unable to answer any questions I may have. I am hopeful that I did not "ruin" what I had undergone with the VSG surgery and I would very much appreciate information anyone can please offer here.

I think you need to look at some positives here! You maintained all but 30 pounds for 5 years. You stopped the regain at 30 pounds rather than getting back to your starting weight. You understand what behaviors you need to fix. And you're here. Those are all good things!

You won't find a lot of people advocating a 10 or 5 or whatever day "pouch reset" here. First, it's semantics, but we VSGers don't have pouches and our reduced stomachs don't really stretch out. We just learn to eat around them with slider foods that don't nake you feel full (eg empty carbs).

But getting back to basics is strongly advocated here. Focus your diet on lean protein first and non-starchy veggies second. Weigh and track your food. Participate here (support is crucial). Consider therapy if you can. Exercise is essential for good health, but not so much for weight loss, so do it, but don't expect it to contribute much to getting those 30 pounds off.

You didn't ruin anything. Just start up again...

Welcome!

Thank you Cecily, just those words made a difference for me today and filled me with courage, determination and perseverance in baby steps! It sure helps to have people "on my side" since my family are just plain critical and judgmental so it's "just me," lol. I got this!

Hi b4dawncindy,

You have already taken the hardest step by saying enough is enough and now I want to get back on track. Even though I didn't have VSG I think the basics are the same for us all. 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 so much Kathy. Just the support I'm receiving on here reminds me how much I've needed that - my family was never supportive of my decision to have VSG surgery, nor have they been supportive since, plus there are no local support groups in my area, and finally coming back here I have hope! Thank you so much for sharing your journey and with your tips I am excited to start living again!

We are all here for you

About in tears here with all the kind words and support and wish I would have come back here years sooner, but I'm here now and I appreciate each and every one of you, thank you.

The "pouch reset" is absolutely a gimmick and a fad. You can not physically shrink your sleeve without surgery. Don't waste your time on it!

The good news is that it's also quite hard to stretch your sleeve. While you can physically eat more now than you could immediately post op, thanks to the normal healing process, you should still have restriction when eating dense protein like lean beef or chicken.

Go back to basics, eating dense protein first and foremost. Weigh and measure everything. If you want to follow a "reset" diet, I'd humbly suggest the Five Day Meat Test, which I initially wrote as a joke but has worked really well for some people. Doing nothing but protein for a full week is a great way to get yourself back on track and re-learn the habits you need to be successful.

Good luck!

Thank you Julie, I appreciate the support and information.

Posts like this gives me confidence and determination and the feeling that I'm not alone after all! What a difficult journey and after a fun pigging out for two years I'm ready to get back to the basics once and for all so I can feel better!

Thank you!!!

You are absolutely not alone. I'm trying to get back on track as well, and it's HARD! But I believe in you, and you can TOTALLY do this :)