HELP!!! The weight is coming back!

Hi All,

I have not been on this forum in a few years. I had my RNY surgery in 2006 and was very successful! Since then I had a baby and life has happened. I have gained about 40lbs back I was at a comfortable 130 but I see my weight creeping back on and now I am up to 170. I have been working very hard on sticking to a low carb keto type diet and have yet to see any results. I am wondering if this type of diet will even work with this surgery.

I would appreciate any feedback, suggestions, kicks in the ass... What worked for you what didn't?

Thanks

Kari

Hi Kari,

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 70 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.

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. If you didn't make a Weight Loss Surgery bucket list when you first had surgery do it now. GREAT reminder of all the things you can enjoy in life after losing weight.

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. I found once I started carrying one of the metal bottles of water to keep it cold I drank water all day.

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. Grab a cart and walk all the isles at your local box store. 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. Come here on OH daily for support and participate in one of the food threads. It helps you be accountable and also great ideas for food prep.

Keep me posted on how you are doing.

Thank you for taking the time to respond with such an amazing response!! I am getting back to the basics and am doing all of your suggestions. I am committed to following the Keto diet plan and anticipate that it will get me kick started again. I also will be using all of the support groups that we are offered here.

Thank you

Short answer: yes, keto should help you lose the weight.

I had a regain of 20 lbs from 2016-2017, and I'm in the process of losing it now. I've got 7 lbs to go. I just went back to the basics. I focus more on protein than fat, so my diet isn't quite keto, but it's pretty close. I started seeing results after a week or so.

I aim for 80 grams of protein per day, I try to help my carbs below 40 grams, and I usually end up with about 55 grams of fat per day. I aim for 1,000 calories, but sometimes end up around 1,200 if I've eaten lots of nuts or cheese. I can't go over 1,200, I start gaining. I keep my portions at 3 or 4 ounces of proteins, with 2 ounces of veggies tossed in a few times a week. A lot of my meals are "meat with a side of meat". I try to drink a lot of extra water. I eat 4-5 meals per day. I use my fitness pal to log my food ( though I've missed some days lately, oops. )

Basically, what Kathy said...LOL.

Good luck! You can do this!

Audrey,

It sounds like you are doing great! I think everyone one here that answered is right.. GET BACK TO BASICS!! how long have you been back on the diet to start losing your weight that you regained?

Thank you for your response

I started in October, I think. My memory is terrible...but I remember not being tempted by Halloween candy because I was in gung ho mode.

I've floundered a bit this past week-but I took my head out of my ass-again. It's a process for me.

Kari you can do it... just keep at it... I am taking off my last regain myself also up from 40. Not easy but it can be done!

here is a post from 2 weeks ago you might find helpful

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/amos/6030782/9-yrs-out-and-gained-back-80-lbs-since-2015/

The first thing you should do is start measuring and tracking everything you put into your mouth using something like MyFitnessPal. From there, work on getting back to your basics. Here are mine, but yours might be slightly different:

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 tips!

Low carb is great, but calories are what matter most. If you're eating too many calories-- carbs, protein, or whatever-- you won't lose weight.