3 year post VSG--struggling

12/7/15 I had my VSG. I lost almost 70 pounds. I've gained back almost 50.

On my anniversary, I admitted to myself that I have hit rock bottom. I picked up the phone, called my surgeon and asked for help getting things back on track. I see her tomorrow.

I hate that I have gotten to this place where I no longer feel comfortable in my skin. I hate that I have a 5 year old and a 1 year old that deserve so much more than what I'm giving them. I don't want to be The Fat Mom.

I'm ready to get back on the right path.

I am looking forward to getting some help in having a food plan again and relearning a better way of life again.

I'm happy to be here with you all, making this journey together.

Becky

It's a long and some times hard journey for all of us. I'm glad you are coming to this site for support. I would say to look at the menu threads for vsg and RNy to get ideas for where to get on track :)

I knkw what keeps me honest is logging all of my food accurately in My Fitness Pal.

I agree with the above comment - check out the menu threads or better yet, participate on them! There are menu threads for both RNY and VSG, but the members don't really care which surgery you've had - we have some VSG'ers on the RNY menu thread and vice versa (and a couple of people participate on both!)

I find it helpful because it forces me to think about what I'm going to eat that day. I do better when I plan, even if I don't always end up following my plan to a "T". Also, it's helpful to see what others are eating (I've gotten some great ideas from there), and you'll meet some really great people there. And lastly, something about checking in every morning - either reading through the thread and/or posting on it - keeps my head in the game. I find I have to remind myself every day that I've had WLS and I need to follow rules or I'll end up gaining the weight back. Being on that thread every morning serves to remind me of this every day!

I am so glad you took the first step and contacted your surgeon. Hope to see you come back to OH and let us know how you are doing and how we can help. I agree, checking out the menu threads is so helpful. There is support, information and accountability. Good luck tomorrow at your appointment!

Hiya and welcome! It's great that you've taken the first steps. Here are some other things that might help!

If you aren't already, 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, 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
a. Take your vitamins every day
b. Track your own lab results - you're your own best advocate
c. Get a yearly DEXA scan to be sure your bones are healthy

You CAN do this!

Becky, i so understand your frustrations!

I put on 50 plus pounds with each pregnancy and years later when it finally came off i could not keep it off!

Now i have grandkids and it is very difficult to not finish the food they leave behind. I am still learning about my new stomach and i write down everything i eat, even their leftovers if i give in! I am also tracking on My Fitness Pal and staying within my calorie limit.

Reminding myself i am doing this for my grandkids makes denying myself worth it! I want to be healthy for them for as long as possible!

Don't give up and take it a minute at a time if necessary! Forgive yourself every time you fail and start new right away. You got this!

Susan

I am sorry you are dealing with that. But, it is what it is.

You did the first very important step - you admitted that you have a problem, and you are getting help.

Addiction to sugar is real. Most days it is easier for me to stay away from sugar and carbs, than to "I'll just have one bite" or "one candy". To me - It very seldom ends at "just one".

You got a lot of great great great advices from others.

I may have 2 more.

1. Take one day at a time, one meal at a time. Even when I do something "not the best for me" at one meal-snack, I don't need to feel too guilty and I start back on my path the very next meal. When I was MO - the start was often : "Tomorrow I start fresh" or "Monday I start fresh" or "when I get home (when I was traveling)", etc etc. This is no longer the case. No more "later". When I eat or do things I know I shouldn't I "reset" the very next meal - snack. No more delaying going back on track. No more "later".
2. The next is detoxing from carbs - sugars. How do i get off carbs / sugars: when I am switching from very carby foods /sugar diet, I make sure I have a lot of different very low carb foodsat home or with me: meats, jerkey, HB eggs, cucumbers, pickles, etc. When resetting my eating - and going low carb - my body would tell me that I am STARVING. Like "I am going to die STARVING". Having a lot of options in the house and with me - cold cuts, jerky, already prepared food in the fridge or freezer - allows me to shut the "STARVING *****" up by eating real food and drinking low calorie drinks like coffee, tea, or water. (No diet drinks - sweet drinks can be a trigger for me to eat carbs). The 3-5 days detoxing from carbs I eat all the time I want. But only the foods I know I should. Those 3-5 days I don't worry about calories, qty, measuring how much and how often I eat. When the body tells me "I AM STARVING" I shut it up with roasted chicken, HB eggs, ham (low sugar) or any other very low carb foods. Real foods: no proteins shakes, yogurt, protein bars, etc. I would try to eat slowly, chewing my proteins. Raw cucumbers, or no sugar added pickles are good addition to my dense protein. BTW- I allow avocado on my "good for me foods".

I hope you keep coming on OH, day after day. That helps me with accountabilities. Yes, even over 10 years post op.

PS: you don't see me mentioning cheese because I am allergic to dairy proteins. Remember that yogurt, or milk - still have a lot of sugar, so even if I could eat that - I would choose not to on my first 1-2 weeks.

I'm so glad you came back to the support group and that you are being proactive and contacted your surgeon for help. I'm 5 1/2 years post surgery, and I am experiencing the difficulty of maintaining long term. Last summer, I also contacted my NP from surgery for some help getting back on track and it helped. But it is an effort. The WL surgery is a tool, its certainly not a cure!

Best of luck as you go forward with your plan. You can do it!

Carol

Thanks everyone! I am still here and am happy to say at the end of Day Three, I am doing very well. I am not a proponent of weighing in daily but I did get on the scale today and have lost 3 pounds so far.

Monday I tried to be mindful of what I ate, but I didn't log everything until the end of the day. Even though I didn't log as I ate, I still ended up with 1200 calories, 75 grams of protein and about 150 grams of carbs. That may seem super high, but compared to how I've been eating, that was amazing.

So starting yesterday, I worked off of Monday, as far as figuring out what to eat less of. Yesterday I was under 1000 calories and around 60 grams of carbs. Protein was over 70 grams. Today was actually 109 grams of protein.

I also walk my son to and from school 2-3 days a week. We walked yesterday and today, which works out to be 2.5 miles per day. I fell a couple weeks ago and my ankle is still tender so we're done walking for the week.

I'm almost ashamed to admit that I never heeded the not eating and drinking together rule. I started that this week too and it's not been too bad. I just have to be mindful of the time and make sure that I drink as much water in the right timeframe.

Thank you again for all of your support.

While this is great news, tracking retroactively doesn't seem super reliable. Humans are notoriously bad about remembering what they ate and unless you're measuring what you eat with a scale you're likely to just be guessing at how much you ate.

Walking and skipping drinking while eating are great changes to make!