GAINING Weight - HELP!

I am four years post op from my RNY bypass. I have had a scope to check my pouch & my surgeon says all is good & it is not stretched but I can seriously eat way more than I used to. I have gained 50 pounds back of when I was at my lightest. I'm freaking out!!!

Do you log and measure out everything you eat? How is your water intake? How is your protein intake?

All to often people let their old habits sneak back in or they stop logging down everything they eat or they do both.

If I were you I would start tracking and measuring what you eat and make sure every meal is dense protein forward.

Nobody is perfect and WLS is a lifestyle change and commitment. Is it easy? NO. Remember you, like everyone else here was given a tool to help with weight loss. Use that tool.

If we eat simple carbs like bread, pasta, crackers, candy, cake, chips, potatoes, etc. we can eat a TON of them without feeling restriction. They will also cause you to crave more and more of the bad stuff. You need to eliminate these foods from your life. It will be white knuckle for a few weeks, but then you will stop craving them.

Get back to basics. Dense protein (like chicken breast, beef, turkey) first, then non-starchy veggies ( like green beans, broccoli, cauliflower). Limit fruit to one serving per day. The body reads fruit as sugar and will slow or stop your weight loss. Remember a serving of fruit is 4 or 5 strawberries or 1/2 apple. NO SIMPLE CARBS!

Serving size matters! If you are not measuring your portions out, you are likely over eating. We didn't get to be obese by knowing what proper portion looks like. Measure everything you eat and track your food. Eat ONLY what you measure out. NO SECOND HELPINGS. Don't rely on your "full sensation" to tell you when to stop eating. Many of us have used the "full feeling" as an emotional crutch to comfort us.

If you are drinking with your meals STOP! Drinking with meals is one of the BIGGEST factors in re-gain. Drinking pushes the food through our systems allowing us to eat more at meal time. NO DRINKING DURING YOUR MEAL OR FOR 30 MINUTES AFTER YOU EAT!!!!! This rule is FOREVER!

You need to be drinking at least 64 ounces of fluid daily. This is the MINIMUM amount. I have to drink 120 ounces to function properly. Everyone is different. You must find your own balance.

Eat by the clock, every 3-4 hours. Eating a small 200 to 300 calorie meal means you never allow yourself to get truly hungry. If you feel hunger, IGNORE IT! Hunger is not an emergency requiring immediate attention. Nothing bad will happen to you if you force yourself to wait until your next scheduled meal time.

The good news is your pouch still works. YOU CAN DO THIS!

I am 7 years out and realized a long time ago that I can eat a TON!! I have to be extra careful or I know I can gain it all back. I weigh myself every day. When I am up a few pounds, I track every bite on myfitnesspal and cut back on my calories. This is for life.

You can do this, but you have to make better choices. Good luck!!

Hi

I recently after 10 years at goal faced a regain due to emotional stress and eating. Yep, thought I had it licked. These back to basics really helped me and I thought I would share. I

Here are some steps I hope will help you. They helped me... Also, be sure and join the Back On Track Together group link in my signature area.

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 carb/sugar temptation and replaced it with lots of protein, veggies 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.

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. So I was either pushing to be diabetic or get cancer. I found once I started carrying a bottle of water around 24/7 (yes had one at my bedside) I lost the cravings for the sugar and I KNOW those artificial sweeteners are not good for me. Look I am old and if you add up all the artificial sweeteners I have consumed I am sure I am at the rat in the lab getting cancer threshold

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. I loved Zumba, bootcamp workouts, lift weights. When I stopped, the weight came on. 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.

Keep me posted on how you are doing