Grads with regain...Let's talk!

I'd love that, Kathy! Thank you!cam you message me here?

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.

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, 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.

Keep me posted on how you are doing

Kathy, thank you so much! 

I am definitely going back to support group and back on track classes. I've already called to get dates and times!  

I could not agree more about the exercise! I was a stay at home mom when I had surgery ten years ago. I walked three miles a day and did yoga several times a week. Then I got a full time job about five years ago, and exercise has been very inconsistent for me. I am working to get in more steps every day, using a fitness tracker. I know it will help, and I will feel much better, too.

The sweets are a definite trigger! Gotta work to keep them away from me. My family has some around, but not a lot. The worst problem for me is usually at work. So I'll be careful to stay away from it, and have healthy snacks on hand. (A recent favorite: Small steamable packages of Edamame!) 

You've been a big help! Thank you again!  

Okay, now I say something...

Resume.resume.resume....Blah blah blah

Okay, now I'm done with all of the "Formals", Now, to my point.

"Better off dead" is a great American film! I love that stupid movie. "TWO DOLLARS!!!" 

Grosse Pointe Blank, is great also. But cmon' grabs her lips..  "CHRISTMAS!" that is funny right thar.

Good luck with the regain issue. I'm a newb, a wee bairn. So...I probably shouldn't be seen talkin' to a non-newb. (We have star's on our belly's) See ya around hopefully.

Oh, aye, I hope no'ones seen ya! 

Better off dead...I can't remember if I've seen that one! I will check! 

I had rny in 2002. Did really well until I got married last May and quit working. Was down and stayed at a comfortable 165-175 until then. Now I'm back to over 200 (210 to be exact) and I am freaking out!! Thinking I need to go back on high protein and was thinking protein powder, but I remember they were so horrible back then that I couldn't even drink them. I just really need some ideas on what I should do I guess. 

We are in the same boat! Start walking as much as you can. Even a little bit helps; I'm working up to two miles a day, but I have to squeeze it in between work hours. 

Definitely get in protein; premade burgers (beef or turkey is what I'm doing, with some cheddar on top) alongside some veggies, and no bread. I don't mind it. It's worth getting out of these size 18 pants I swore I'd never wear again. 

I find that eating that much protein really keeps me full, as long as I am not drinking a lot of liquid with my meal. (hard for me, but I'm working to eliminate it.)

Protein drink? I do this: I like coffee, so I freeze brewed coffee in ice trays and then dump the cubes into a ziplock bag. Then I make a morning protein shake with:

3 coffee cubes

1 cup of light vanilla soymilk (no sugar added)

1 scoop of Designer Whey brand chocolate protein powder

1 jigger full of sugar free vanilla coffee syrup (like DaVinci or Starbucks brand)

Sometimes, if I have it, I'll drop in half a frozen banana, or a handful of frozen strawberry halves.

I really like this shake, and if you don't like coffee, you could just use regular ice.

We can do this! 

I regained. I was down to 199 and got back to 258 or 264 or something crazy like that. I have been working hard since September and I am back down to 212. It is so much harder. No help from weight Management Clinic. But I have taken responsibility and it was just a matter of buckling down and getting it done.

I will be in onederland by Mother's day.

Congratulations! You are doing great!    I hope to be in onederland asap!  I'm at 218, so may take a bit longer. 

Wow, your situation sounds a lot like mine.  I had my WLS (DS) in summer of '06 also.  Initially went from a BMI of 61 or so / 461 lbs. down to 251 in about 10-months time, which my surgeon said was a record for his patients (i.e. 210 lbs. loss in 10 months).      I wasn't very happy to see weight slowly start to creep back on at that point, though, when my goal was to get below 200, preferably below 190.  So, the "honeymoon period" was already over.      Eventually my weight got up to my present 320-ish w. a 40-ish BMI.  I realize some people have pointed out  to me that I have only regained about 1/3 of what I lost, so I shouldn't be too upset, but still.  I admit though that I don't really "diet" and apparently my sleeve has stretched out considerably (which some other surgeons tell me was not cut as small as it should have been to start with - but that was the "norm" back then) which allows me to now eat a lot larger quantity of food than I could right after my surgery.  Then there are the new studies that show that, with the DS, the body tends to compensate for the "decreased absorption" of food resulting from the bypass, over time   I have lost a few pounds from time to time of late, but then they come right back on whenever I'm not "watching", just like it did when I was a pre-op.  I SO miss those honeymoon days when it seems weight loss was automatic and almost unavoidable.     My only hope at this point seems to be a revision, which would need to start with at least a re-tightening of my sleeve.   My original surgeon though is not interested in doing revision work.  

   At least I can say that, since my surgery, my blood lipid levels are still in great shape.  Even my Type II diabetes, which was completely in remission following my surgery, is still quite manageable today w/o insulin,  requiring I take only a single Metformin/Glucophage pill daily.  If not for those two benefits alone from the surgery, I might not even still be here today.      

  btw, Stephanie ..  you look kinda like a famous actress .. I just can't figure out which one ..