I gained the weight back, now what?

Four years ago I had the vertical sleeve procedure done. Everything went well and I lost over a hundred pounds in a year. Things were great and then life happened and the next thing I know, here I am four years later fifty pounds shy of my max weight. I remember when I was getting ready to have the surgery people told me the stories about how they knew someone who gained the weight back. My response to them was, I am not going to gain the weight back, nope, not me! Well, it happened to me and I am miserable all over again. I know I can't have a quick fix again but I don't know where to start to lose this weight again. I am a 26-year-old female who works third shift/ 60+ hours a week. Should I join one of those meal plan things where they send me all the meals? Do I make up my own diet and exercise and try to stick with it for the millionth time? I know diet and exercise is the answer, but clearly, it's not that simple or I wouldn't have had to have the surgery in the first place. Any suggestions? Thank you.

First congrats on getting off & keeping off some of the weight. I think you need to look back at why you gained the weight back. Maybe therapy or support groups can help.

You already know how to get the weight off. You have a tool that still works if you choose to work it. Go back to basics. Track your food, portion/weigh your food. I use an app like My fitness pal which is pretty good & it's free. Dense protein first, followed by veggies. I aim for a minimum of 80g of dense protein, 80 oz of water, 800 - 1000 calories, carbs 50g or less. You'll have to play around with the numbers to find out what works for you.

Again I emphasize working on the mental part cuz that's the **** to me is the hardest to work on & gets you in trouble & on the road to regain. Otherwise you'll be looking at more than a partial regain.

Plenty of people have lost weight, figured they was normal, floated away, life threw a bunch of curveballs & found themselves on the regain train. You're not alone.

The mental part is the hardest. Forgive yourself and move forward from here. Find a support group, perhaps a therapist, and stick around here.

How many calories are you eating a day now? Maybe track a typical day then subtract 500 calories a day and see how that works for you. Stick to dense protein. Eliminate crappy carbs like bread, crackers, etc.

You can do this. You just have to believe it and do what it takes to reach your goal.

The great news is that you've done this before which means you have a PROVEN track record of success and can do it again.

If you're not already, start measuring/weighing and tracking every single thing you put into your mouth using something like MyFitnessPal. You can't know what you need to change in your diet if you don't know, exactly, what your diet is. (Lots of us think we eat better than we do, for example, so measuring and logging is super important for information.)

From there, get back to your basics. Here are mine - yours might be slightly different but hopefully this will give you a good idea of where to start. And, remember, you CAN do this.

1. Prioritize protein and water
2. Deprioritize carbs, especially the refined and processed ones
3. Make the most of healthy fats
4. Eat three meals a day with no snacks
5. Avoid liquid calories (protein shake for breakfast is my exception since I've never liked putting solid food in my stomach first thing in the morning)
a. Don't drink with meals or for 30 minutes after eating
6. Weigh portions and track/log what you consume
7. Eat mindfully and with no distractions aside from real live people
a. Try to eat at a table
b. Eat with utensils
8. Move as much as possible
9. Weigh yourself daily
a. But focus on the trend of your weight, not the day to day fluctuations
10. Be kind to yourself

Great job on the original weight loss! I've done the same thing as you have. I lost 180 lbs and gained back 80. I've started doing exactly what the others have mentioned. Eat lean proteins first, and veggies second. I cut out the soda and am drinking lots of water. The biggest help is finding some kind of support. If you're not trying to do this alone you'll have greater success. Good Luck on your journey!

Reality is we all still have to watch what we eat and by definition do that 4 letter word called diet. With our surgeries we have a tool, so when we cut back we can be successful not like all our failures in the past.

It real does take coming up with a plan that works for you. Other people have outlined the suggested guidelines.

For me part of staying focused is coming here daily, posting on the menu thread and reading posts.

Good Luck! You can do this.

I lost 160 pounds when "life happened" and I never reached goal. Life happened for 2-1/2 years, and it's still happening. Luckily, I didn't gain most of the weight back; I was lucky it was only about 20 pounds. And I kept struggling and struggling, trying to get back on track. Over and over again. And I tried therapy. Finally realized I needed physical accountability. I joined Weigh****chers, just so I would have to get on the scale every week and have my weight recorded. I basically follow my bariatric program, eating protein first and then veggies. My restriction is as good as it ever was, as long as I follow the Golden Rule: Protein First.

Life keeps throwing those curve balls. Most recent was packing up and moving 2,500 miles. Worrying about new financial issues. Job hunting. But when I go to a Weigh****chers meeting, I find solace in the fact I haven't given up. I've accepted the fact this is a life-long challenge.

You have already taken the hardest step by saying enough is enough and now I want to get back on track. I maintained 118-125 for over 10 years after losing 200 pounds. Due to a personal tragedy I gained and hit the 190 mark a year ago. After several starts it finally clicked and I am back to goal losing 60 pounds of regain. Here are some steps that helped me and I hope they will help you too! You may have several starts and stops but don't give up, don't beat yourself up. IT WILL CLICK!!! Our tool works if we work the tool and get back to the basics we stopped doing.

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.