New Member: 5 years out, fell off the wagon, and need encouragement

Hi!  I'm Rachel.  I used to be active on DuodenalSwitch.com.  Anyone from there would have known me as DS Diva over there as well.

So... my story...

Had DS done by Dr. Vivek Prachand at Univ. of Chicago Medical on February 24, 2009.  I was engaged at the time.  Got married in September of that year.  My highest recorded weight was 294.  11 months post-op, I had lost 132 lbs and was just 2 lbs shy of my goal weight of 160. 

I continued to lose until, honestly, I was too thin.  I had no shape, no curves, my face was a little gaunt, and I just looked "bony".  My mother, who is a nurse practitioner, just about had a cow.  Fortunately, after several stressors in my life subsided (read: my father almost died in an accident and I ended up divorced), I regained some weight.  And for a while, I looked and felt healthy.  I didn't pay attention to the scale because I liked how I felt and how my clothes fit.  I was a size 8.

Fast forward through getting laid off, being unemployed for 5 months, and crappy relationship.  I was then between an 8 and a 10.  I got a great job and was enjoying my singledom, independence, etc.  Still felt great about me, my size, etc.  Laid out by the pool all summer in 2012 and wore nothing but bikinis.

Now here we are in 2014...  I am at 216.  I have gained 66 lbs from my lowest weight, 51 lbs from my *original* goal weight, and 36 lbs from my truly comfortable, healthy, and sustainable weight.  The GOOD news is that I am the happiest I have ever been with myself as a person, where I am at in my life, and who I am with.  I am getting married in October and my sweetheart loves me EXACTLY as I am.

With all that said, I want to lose 36 lbs for ME.  I know I am loved.  I know I am a good person.  I know I am beautiful.  But the little things like stinky gas, 2am potty runs, creaky knees, and the like have all been slowly showing back up.  And I don't like it.  I swore I would never go back to where I was.  I refuse to completely undo all of my hard work.  I am just terrified.  I ALSO swore I would never be back in the double digits, and then I was a 10... and I swore I would never been in the teens, and now I am a size 14.

I know what to do as far as protein.  I know all the right tools, I just need to use them.  And I could also just REALLY use some encouragement and support.  My future husband is wonderful and amazing and will do anything I need him to do as far as being my cheerleader.  But it's different getting support from someone *****ally GETS what you're going through.

I'm also terrified because I've read several posts where people say things along the lines of "well, it's not IMPOSSIBLE to lose weight that you've regained, but it's REALLY hard."  Well, WTF...  I don't expect to lose 15 lbs in a month for crying out loud.  But talk about daunting... geez!

Any help, advice, encouragement is welcome... ESPECIALLY if you've regained and bounced back from it.  I want to have ALL (not just a portion) of the excitement and enthusiasm I felt for life 2 years ago.  Thanks for reading!

Yes, it CAN be done. You seem to know what to do, and it sounds like your expectations are realistic. Yes, it's harder for some people than for others, but the metabolic changes your DS gave you are still there. Clearly those metabolic changes brought you success before. I see no reason why, with going back to the basics or low carb, lots of protein, and some exercise, you can't do it again.

Go for it!

Larra

Sugar is very sneaky!  Try tracking for a couple weeks to make sure you know what you are eating!

I completely agree with Patty Sugar, especially for me, soda will blow a house down.   Your story was really a nice read, and congrats on the engagement.  All I can say is you can do it, just stick to the realistic goals.  After the holiday I will be making some changes because I am 4 years out, and the weight has been creeping up every year and I miss that feeling of feeling small.  I am currently as of this morning 189, and that is high.  My highest was 292, and my lowest which didn't last long was 164, but my norm feels good at 174 -176.  So now I need to lose 15lbs.

Hi Rachel, I to believe in you, I have great support and encouragement, and it is such a blessing, and it is still a tough journey for us who want to lose weight after the bounce back.  I am 9 1/2 years out and I can still lose weight. If I exercise, I'm doing interval training and aquasize and put some effort into my eating, the weight still comes off. I started at 353 and I am down to around 208 which seems high to some people but my goal is 197 so I have a bit more to go. In Jan this year I was around 220-224 and I'm down to 208, I am happy were I am. If you need encouragement, please just ask and if your interested try bite and vites , I post on there daily, I enjoy the fellowship with the others but it helps me keep track on my own eating issues, (to much ice cream) I love ice cream

I hope you continue to look here for support and encouragement.

Susan

Thank you everyone for the replies.  I'm so thankful for the support.  My fiance and I went grocery shopping last night and helped each other make good choices.  I have always found that it's easier to make good choices when the right food is easily accesible.  So, while he got whole grain cereal and fruit, I got yogurt, beef jerky, and cheese sticks.  And then we picked out things to make together for dinner that fit both our needs.  He hasn't gone through WLS.  But he has always been a bigger guy.  And he has, what we call, "fat kid weaknesses" too.  So, when we both fall of the wagon, it can be really tough because we enable each other to allow crap food in the house.

As far as realistic goals and expectations, right now, I want to lose about 10-15 lbs in the next two months for my wedding.  My dress didn't quite zip when I tried it on last week.  That was the catalyst for all of this.  It really hit home.  I am happy to report that I am down 4 lbs.  When I posted yesterday, that 216 number was from Tuesday.  I was 217 last Saturday.  This morning, I am 213.  Woohoo!

Lastly... prepare to smack my hand... I haven't been taking my vitamins for months.  No particular reason.  I'm just dumb.

You and I are in very similar cir****tances. I have just started back on eating correctly and I need support too. I find the only way I can do this is to have a lot of easy to grab protein choices in the house. I eat when I'm hungry and I write down everything I eat and also document my water intake. I know i can do this because I still have a short guy. Thank God for the people who told me about the DS or I would have long ago regained all my weight. I love my DS. Stay in touch and let's support each other!!!🐶

HI Rachel,  I'm almost 5 yrs out and have gained about 10 lbs from my comfort zone of 197.  I live in Lewisville.  Would love to meet you some time.  My husband is awesome support.  But we do have a small group of us that try to get together every now and then.  Plus if you would like to go to support group meetings.  Dr. Ayoola's office in Denton every 2nd Tuesday, 6:30pm of each month.  It is for all surgeries, but there are alot of DS'ers that attend.  You are welcome to come.  let me know if you like to meet.  Read my profile if you would like.

Brenda