How Much Did Carnie Wilson Regain?

I understand totally about questioning her choices but alas, it is something that is totally out of my control.  I know she is looking to following her bliss but if I'm a sex addict I don't think making porn movies would be a healthy choice.  Truly I have my hands full with my journey and I am almost 9 years out and stayed at goal.  I will be totally honest with you....my weight loss journey is not "that" hard but the reason is that I made some choices early on from the very beginning.  Before I had surgery I coudn't quit drinking Coke but because I knew I would get sick and because I was so determined to do this thing right, I gave it up.  To this day I don't miss it and can't for the life of me figure out why I was so addicted.  I came to figure out that by continuing to eat or drink certain things that it kept the craving alive.  When you quit eating them, you stop wanting them...you will stop craving them.  People will argue with me on this and think that having a little taste will get you past the craving and make you not feel deprived.  I use the analogy of an alcoholic.  Would you give an alcoholic a taste to get past the craving?  Now....if you are one that can eat a little bit of that stuff and you are easily maintaining your goal weight, GO FOR IT!  I don't know but a handfull of those people and the reason they succeed is because they log those calories and count them.  Regarding deprived??? Deprived to me is regaining my weight and depriving me from the miracle of the surgery I worked so hard to get.  After nearly 9 years I have a pretty good system down and that's avoiding sugar like it's poison and even a lot of artficial sweetener because there has been some incredible info regarding the effects of that stuff.  It does horrible stuff to your body like depression. You may ask, "well what in the hell am I supposed to do about sweet stuff?" Eat fruit.  Get over it. Decide what you want.  

I weigh daily and fix problems when they are small.  I don't even log my food but that's not for everyone.  My log is getting on the scale and that keeps me in check.  If you believe something is hard, it is.  If you appreciate the fact that you got this miracle tool and that you can do less to stay at a normal weight than what you would have to do before you had surgery, it's a breeze!  It is hard if you make it hard.  It is also hard if you live in this angry, resentful world where everything and everyone ****** you off.  I did this to live and to live happy.  I avoid the crappy people that want to gripe and whine, show them compassion and move on down the road because I am the one responsible for taking care of my body and part of success is hanging with the winners.  Sorry I got so winded..I often do you know.
hugs, Y

Here's the post from a friend of mine:

I begin my anti-maltodextrin (spenda/equal) crusade today! 

A little background:

I am a Sugar Addict.  After my RNY I became completely sugar intolerant, so to "Feed the Need" I switched to the fake stuff. I was at the point that I was adding it to everthing I ate. I do mean everything. At work I would go out and get a salad and add equal to the salad dressing, A Lot!  Then 2 1/2 hours later I would be a Shakey Mess (low blood sugar) and have to eat again. It crossed my mind that it might be the sweetners but I wasn't willing to look at it. 

So this summer I had a Total hip replacement and have been off work.  This gave me time to start learning about these substitutes and what they were doing to me.  So here is what I've found: Maltodextrin turns into a Carbohydrate in my body, and when eaten in larger amounts drives up my blood sugar, and because I am a hypoglycemic drops it, dangerously low at times.  As a carbohydrate it also makes me want to eat more.  Since cutting out adding these substitues to my meals I have dropped about 18 lbs (weight that I had started to put on) and Feel much better.

If you're having trouble with your blood sugar, or beginning to regain weight, or feeling hungry a lot, you may want to take a look at how much artificial sweetners you taking in. I am amazed at what has maltodextrin in it.  I know I am sounding a bit 'Preachy'. But I feel SO strongly about this, and I want to see all my oh family succeed, and be healthy.

Be Well My Friends

Thank you!!! (I am *so* glad you got long winded! lol)
That was an amazing and insightful post, and exactly what I think people, including myself, need to hear. I may copy/paste it in my journal to read when I need inspiration!

Thank you so very much.  You gave me an idea.  I don't add things to my blog until I get inspired but sometimes I don't get inspired until I post back and forth with someone so I'm going to add my posts to my blog (just my words) in hopes that it just might help someone else.  Thanks for your kind words of support and thanks for giving me a great idea.
hugs, Y

Seriously-thanks for this excellent post. Yes-bad news is..it's up to us. The good news is..it's UP TO US! LOL!

Who else is driving this car-do you think? It's US! If we gain weight-the odds are we are taking in too many calories. Weight gain has NOTHING to do with surgery. You can gain weight with or without WLS. 

Yes-I do think it is starting to dawn on the collective WLS "US" that more needs to be done to educate and prepare us for life post WLS. We will get there in time. Until then-until the surgeons do everything perfectly and until someone tells us EVERYTHING that we should expect after-we are going to have to take the steering wheel and educate ourselves.

So lots of people gain weight after WLS? So? And??? Will you gain weight after WLS? I know who you can ask to find out for sure. YOU. Trust me. Look around to the people that ARE successful. They are NOT freaks of nature and polly pure-breads-they are DOING something right. YOU can be successful too. It's not an accident or a luck thing.

If you are newly out of surgery-that's GREAT news..because you have time to really LEARN how to educate yourself and OWN your WLS. To those of you who have gained some weight-look up some stories about others who have post WLS gain and LOSE it again. There are those folks out there too!

It's REALLY easy to notice the car wreck outside your window-but how often do you stop and look at all the other cars thinking "Dang..they are driving alright!" LOL!

You can call me a cheer-leader and a goody goody and a Pollyanna-but the thing is-I am doing alright! Yvonne is doing alright too! Why is that? Ask us. Ask others who are doing OK too. Trust me that you will find MANY different folks succeeding in many different ways. 

Let me steal this from Yvonne-pick someone you admire and ASK them how they got there and what it was like.

Your car. Your body. Your WLS. Your choice.

Peace,
T

Kitty,

I am 5 years out and I COMPLETELY AGREE. She is not a success. She has some serious addictions and instead of dealing with them she is publicizing them, making light of them and making money off it.

NOT OK.....I hope she gets the help she needs.....OFF THE AIR!

I think there needs to be more LONGTERM success strategies for those of us that are/and have taken this venture. At the rate I am seeing so many people Bounceback< I know I am goingto just keep eating like a mouse and not let myself start trying this food and that one, to see if i can eat it. Going back to old habits is what gets where we were and where we will be again. that is what my doctor told me. When I took the plunge into this, I knew I had to deal with walking away from my old habits and for good. If i go back to them, I have to expect the consequences of regaining weight.  I dont think its a big Question like the ones I see on here? Why am I regaining weight? What happened? Why didnt this work. They tell us it will work and it will. provided we do what we are supposed to. But we are human and that factor plays alot in what actually happens. I can only hope for the best and keep my fingers crossed. I stopped putting a GOAL amount down. 145 for me is too skinny anyway. I look fine at 165 and Im not going to try to get anymore off. Just my view. Hope it doesnt offend anyone else. Just something that I am observing in the Q&A sections, rant and raves, and things written on the UNSUCCESSFUL WEIGHTLOSS blogs.

Support Is the one thing that will help us keep onbeing a success! I for one am so grateful for the ones like Beth (AKA MeltingMama) and others that  KEEP IT as real as it is, and tells it like it is! No candy coating here!   THanks!

"... I knew I had to deal with walking away from my old habits and for good."

Yep---and that's not really a whole lot easier AFTER WLS than it was before. That's why about 94% of people who lose significant amounts of weight through 'diet and exercise' regain it---it's just so damned HARD to stay on a diet forever.

I'm not telling you that YOU can't do it---I'm just saying that for many, many people, it's a life-long struggle. Just ask Beth. (*smile*)

regain has to suck and to do it in the spotlight?   suckity suckity suck!

I admire her for just being out there.

You just have to know that there are also a lot of people who do keep the weight off.  My sister had her surgery 9 years ago and at times has gained up to 20 lbs. after losing over 200 lbs.  She goes back to exercise and diet and then gets it off again. 

She works with over 15 people who have also had the surgery.  None of them have gained their weight back. 

I think we just have to put it in our heads that we will succeed and that we are thin healthy people.  And continue to live a healthy lifestyle.  I HAVE to believe this will work for me and I won't gain it back. 

We CAN DO IT!!!  Carnie can too!!!