The real... 7 yrs out, regain and life

Where do I begin?

Start 330lbs, lowest 138 lbs, current 200 lbs..... in between, major life changing events...Now, need to get control of my tool, rny 2010!

I've heard from others "boy I was doing so good but..(insert story here)....as I say everything after But is bull....

So, here is my but story....I was doing great, I was on track then my health took a dive, I had chemotherapy from Nov 2014- June 2015 total abdominal hysterectomy with oorphectomy-salpingectomy and cervix removal). I also adopted a then 9 year old, now 11 yr old, moved 3 times, while working full time and school full time, now trying to finish doctoral degree. Trying to get myself back on track.... looking for motivation.....

How did you get back on track?

88

Hugs. Life happens. Your story can be a reminder for us that mental things can and may affect our eating.

If I were you - I would try to find a good therapist. Someone who can help you get your motivation back.

I had some regain over year 3-4. I stopped caring and I stopped putting myself on top of priorities. I regained app 25 lbs. Then my back start bothering me again, and my doc got hard on me. I got serious about my weight and my physical shape. I had to make priorities. Getting fit - and losing weight. It took me 3 months to lose 15 lbs ...it took me a year to lose the rest 10 lbs (my motivation was not as strong after I lost the 15 lbs, plus it was much harder).

First you kept of 130 pounds. That is a major success. You most likely would have regained the weight even if your life had continued with no events.

Weight loss surgery allows us to lose easily for about 18 months and maintain effortlessly until somewhere in year 3. The body heals completely and it is no longer easy to keep weight off. The body figures out how to regain and is smarter at holding on to the regain than ever before.

If you want to lose more weight, then the only way to do that is by eating less and burning more. There is no track to get back on that will make your body work like it did right after surgery. That is a once in a lifetime deal.

Plan your meals, count your calories, and get lots of exercise. I would advise you to plan to start in January. The holidays is not the time to make major changes and doing it now is just asking for major stress. I start a diet and exercise program every New Year's Day and stay on it until Spring.

Wow, you've been thru a lot & you still kept most of the weight off. So kudos to you for that. The only thing I can suggest is going back to the basics & maybe shoot for small goals to get you going.

I'd start with tracking your meals & getting in the habit of doing that everyday. It's hard to know what to work on if you don't know where you're at. I use the my fitness pal app. It's pretty good & its free. I'd also would get a set of labs done.

I aim for at a minimum, 80oz of dense protein, 80 oz of water, 800-1000 calories, & 80 oz of water, carbs under 50, ideally I'd like to be under 30.

You'll have to play around with the numbers to find out what works for you. I'm also getting rid of regain, & it's much slower now than it was years ago. But I can deal with slow, just as long as it's in the downward rather than the upward trend.

Good luck to you.

Coming here is a great way to start to change. It takes courage to come back and ask for help.

We may not be able to relate on some of your life issues that have happened. But we do understand what it is like having WLS.

Keep coming here for support. There are a lot of people who want to help. From the vets to the newbies they do want to help.

Remember you are worth it.

Honey, you don't need to find motivation, because I see an "S" on your chest for all that you've accomplished. Holy moly! You've simply focused on everything but yourself.

First, know that some regain is to be expected, so don't deny yourself the victory of maintaining the loss of 130 lbs. My point is that this is not necessarily a failure on your part. It's not to say losing some back can't happen, but expect a bigger fight to lose it and keep it off. Use what you learned the first couple of years and focus on yourself to do so.

Thank you!

Wow. You went through chemotherapy, major surgery, adopted a pre-teen, worked full time, studied full time, and kept off 130#s. You are absolutely amazing.

For motivation, I really like this article:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/happiness-in-world/2013 03/alternative-willpower-losing-weight

So sorry to read all you have been through, but it's a reflection on just how strong you are YOU CAN DO THIS!

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.