almost 3 years out- what kind of diet should i follow now?

i am almost 3 years out, and after reaching my goal weight, i recently gained 10 pounds.  i had been basically following a carb-free diet ever since i had my surgery, but in the last 3 months i started to cheat, and hence the weight gain.

Just wondering if my best bet for losing the weight now is to go back to eating carb-free or not.

Any suggestions on what has worked in the long-run for you graduates out there??

Thanks !

Evelyn

Love your pic with the dog!

Okay, cut back on the carbs but you still need carbs for your brain food.
Congrats on catching those 10 pounds, you will get them off.

You don't say how much carbs you are eating...try to only eat 2 pieces of bread a day.
You will still get your good carbs from fruits/veggies.

Are you exercising? Drinking with your meals?

when i say eating carbs, i meant bread products like pasta, rice, bread, cereal, etc.  up until a few months ago, i was totally not eating anything like that, and i was super strict about my sugar intake.  wouldn't eat anything with more than 6 grams of sugar in it.  (i'm not including fruit though, which i let myself eat freely)

i haven't been exercising, because before i started cheating with "bread' products, i was losing weight and keeping if off just fine without the exercise.  i'm totally guilty of drinking with my meals.  remind me again please, i'm not supposed to drink during a meal or after for like 30 min right?

also, i haven't drank a protein shake/ drink in probably a year.  do you think i need to re-introduce protein drinks into my diet as a substitute for a meal during the day?  perhaps breakfast?

I would.. Breakfast is critical.  If you get your protein shake for breakfast, it will set the pace for your day.  It will keep you from having the munchies or just the idle feeling that you want something but you aren't sure what it is.. this usually ends up with you making bad choices and eating way more than you intended and the guilt feelings... Oh my!!  when I do this.. the guilt just eats away at me.

I save myself the agony... I have protein drinks/shakes for breakfast.

Carlene

good point.  protein shake (with milk?) or a protein drink with water?

Either way you can tolerate it.  I do a protein pwd mixed with 4 oz milk, add SF Vanilla Creamer to it... Mix well.  I put this in a 24 oz ins mug, top it off with coffee and make a cappecino drink out of it.

As for bread.. I agree... I eat it when I want it, but make sure it and all others, rice, pasta, potatoes, and corn are budgeted in your plan. 

Treat it like a ck'g acct.  You wouldn't keep writing ck's if you were low on money.. The same should hold true with your eating plan.  when you get low on your exchanges... you need to slow down.  Budget so that you have enough for the whole day.

Blessings,
Carlene

I'll be totally honest with you...
I eat all those bread products and I'm not cheating. Why do you think it's cheating to have those?

Here's what you have to do now because you are further out. You HAVE to exercise.
Everyone loses weight the first year or two without exercise. You need to find an exercise that  you like to do. Find a workout buddy. If you don't your weight will continue to inch up more and more and pretty soon you will be 50 pounds that you've gained.

Please stop drinking with your meals. Drinking with your meals pushes the food faster out of your pouch, it also can stretch your stoma. I know it's a hard thing to do, stop drinking with your meals but that is one rule I will never break. Yep, I get thirsty after meals but I will eat some fruit and that will hold off the thirst.

Now that I'm further out (and I've been at this WLS thing since 1980) I wait for one full hour after eating before I drink. I can now drink like a normal person so I stay hydrated, we don't have to do the sip, sip and sip some more thing. I don't guzzle but I do water-load in the morning because I'm off to the gym.

I'm leaving now but PM me and we can talk on Monday.
Remember, you are a success!! You are doing great. You just need to embrace exercise now.

Thank you so much!!

had a duh moment.  disregard.  thanks.