13 yrs out and omg

Hey ladies and gentlemen I signed back on to gain a support system outside of my family. I had surgery Oct 31 2003 I lost 200lbs but over the last 15 years I have gained 130lbs back. I'm trying to get control of this as I know I am a food addict. I been to counseling and everything for this a while back. I cannot let this defeat me. I have to be stronger. I always would say hey I will start tomorrow but tomorrow never came until now. I use to diet and drop weight and start the bad eating habits all over again. My mind is very clear now and I am now ready. I had the rny at age 22 and I don't think I was quite ready at that point. So I was seeing a weight loss specialist she ordered a endoscopy and upper GI well my pouch is still really small but the opening to the intestines is dialated I can have surgery to correct it I would just have to do a 6month supervised diet with the clinic to get insurance coverage do right now I am trying to drop weight with healthy habits. I may decide to go ahead and get the Apollo over stitch if things don't work out on my own hopefully everything will work out. If you wanna reach out and drop me a line to get some of your guys experiences and opinions on the Apollo over stitch or just bucking up and doing it yourself feel free

Welcome back and hopefully you can get a handle on this.

13 years out is the same as my husband and I. I had my surgery in May and the DH in the end of September 2003. Check your math.

 

 

Sorry yes I'm not good at math I had an open rny Oct 31 2003 started at 376lbs got down to 145 settled at 176 then started gaining abt 6 yrs ago

Glad you're back and ready to take control of your life again. The right mind set is everything and sounds like you have it!! Best of luck!

Thank u I'm gna try and give it all I got

Good luck to you!

get back to Basics- you still have a tool...kudos for coming back. There is a daily menu thread on the RNY board that you might find helpful to look at and jump in...it will give you ideas as well as accountability...

See the link in my signature- dense protein is the way to 'get back on track'- keeps us full the longest and get the carb monkey off our back. I know it is the holidays- but not everyday is a celebration...so don't wait, get started each day that you can...

I can't speak to the revision, but if you get back to business you might find your tool works better than you think- I have learned from the vets here though, the regain doesn't come off as easily.... so as long as you are heading in the right direction, be patient with yourself....

You have already taken the hardest step by saying enough is enough and now I want to get back on track.  Here are some steps I hope will help you. They helped me...  

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.

Hello Kathy thank you so much for your help. I greatly appreciate it and it will sure help me out a lot. It's great to get your feedback and advice moving forward. I have struggled with this my whole life. Food was like an obsession an addiction. And I am ready to give my all to conquer my demons and beat this. It's hard cuz you have to eat you have to deal with food all day. At least drug addicts can avoid the drug sometimes.. but food your always around it. I am so glad I came back to the site and can get support and talk to others who understand. I'm taking the first steps however I am undecided on doin it myself or having revision. I'm thinking abt trying on my own 1 more time. Plus they said my pouch is small what do you think

Do you drink with meals? If so,try stopping that.

This surgery is forever no matter how young you start. You can lose regain.

Keep posting.