I'm a regainer, and am starting again

Here's my story:

I had surgery in May 05, quickly lost about 25 pounds, and then went more slowly to 50 pounds down, and then a little slower after that to a total of about 110 pounds down. (which was still  about 150 above where I would ideally be.)

Then I went through some major life changes (broke up with my fiance, got cut down to part time hours at my job (which meant I couldn't buy the nice organic food I'd been rockin'), injured myself skiing (which meant I got out of the habit of exercising)... and just got into really bad food habits of eating out and eating lots of easy-to-gorge foods like pizza or pasta.

Now here I am weighing 342. I'm still much happier than my pre-surgery weight of 405, and I would do the surgery again in a heartbeat. However, I'm ready to do this again for real.

Today I got my order of Medifast shakes in the mail, a month's supply that I hope will make it easier to avoid temptation. The idea is that I need to go back to eat-to-live instead of getting comfort and enjoyment from eating fatty carby foods. The medifast food (if I recall correctly from pre-surgery) is pretty gross, but I kindof want that now, if that makes sense, because I don't want food to be a big deal in my day. 

I was wondering if there were anyone in similar situations who wanted to share. Maybe if we talk it out together, we can do this. 

What is your plan for the Medifast shakes? To just use them for a month? There is so much better tasting protein powders to choose from.  Are you able to eat what ever you want or does your pouch give you some restrictions?  I know RNY surgery seems to be different for everyone. I read that some folks can't eat anything and others still eat the way they did before surgery.  I can offer what plan works for me, if you like..   Terry

 Thanks Terry! I'd love to hear what works for you.

My current plan is to do this for a month to get kindof a head start, and if it's not awful order another month of food.

What do you suggest for non-gross shakes?

I'm able to eat most things. Spaghetti (as opposed to other pasta) gives me trouble, as does rice, large amounts of heavy protein (like a big chicken breast or steak), fried food, and of course I have dumping syndrome right where I want it (I can have a little taste of something sweet, but not the whole dessert). But I've become good friends with pizza and coca-cola. Anything quick, cheap and satisfying is a downfall. The problem is I eat the wrong foods, and I eat them often whenever I am looking for comfort or pleasure during the day.

Hi,

There is another great group here called Back On Track Together.  This is for people who need to get refocused, the mind reset and to break the habits that put us off track.  It is a great group.

You know life sometimes sucks and we react with our emotions and food.  There is alot going on in you and alot to work on.  I think you are on the right track.  Support is important now.  I hope you have a good support group to go to.  If not, you have OH!  Huuugzzz.. Hang in there.

Unjury is an awesome protein.  Mix with some low fat milk, frozen fruit, yogurt and honey and maybe a little ice if fruit is fresh for a yummy shake.  I have met the folks who developed it and they are on our side.  Here is the link.

http://www.unjury.com/reg/weight_loss_surgery_protein.shtml

 Hm, I've been doing the medifast for 1 day now and it's not horrible. (Not exactly GOOD, but ya know.)  I'll check out the unjury though... even though the name reminds me of 'injury'... ;-)

It's not just reacting to my emotions with food, it's going back into getting lots of pleasure from gorging. I don't have a boyfriend, I don't have any money to spend on fun things, and pizza or bagels was a cheap way to feel good and feel like I had a treat. 

Lots of inspiring people have told me 'nothing tastes as good as thin feels,' but it's kindof hard to imagine when I have so much to lose... I give myself this excuse where since I have so much to lose I might as well start tomorrow, no big deal. So I know this diet doesn't necessarily make sense for the long term, but I felt that I had to shock myself out of my bad habits...

Thanks to you and Terry for the support, and I'm going to check out the Back On Track board for sure!

Hugs to all.

 Hi shoutjoy, how do I find that Back On Track forum? Thanks thanks!

http://www.obesityhelp.com/group/backontracktogether/

hi i,m anzetta63 , i have regained weight to, but due to the hypoglycemia, sugar to low and had to eat like every two hours... also my husband didn't want me to tell my family and friends and when we went over their homes for dinner i had to sometime eat a bit much... then i usually would and i have gain the weight back i was 282lbs to 182lbs and now i am 230lbs... i hate i have gain the weight back and now it is really hard cause i don,t have any support groups to go to in this area north carolina.. i want a revision , cannot find a doctor to do it with my insurance. i have humana ... i need follow up in this state and cannot find one because i want a revision... i can eat anything except ice cream or candy stuff like that it's to sweet ... but i love vegetables... i had surgery in july 12th 2005... but i want to get to 150lbs..  sincerely

I was considered a light weight. I started at 197 pounds and am now holding at 133. I am 54 and am now healthy. My doctor's had given me about two years to live if I did not change my life. That is quite the wake up call. I have type 2 diabetes. Now, since my surgery and changing the foods that I eat, my diabetes is in remission. My thought is that if I do what I should do, it won't come back.. Time will tell.  Before my surgery, I was a big sugar eater, Heck, I ate lots of anything, to the point of being ill. Then starting all over as soon as I could fit more food in. My two sons were in the military and overseas.. Food city due to stress. Hubby treating me crappy, food was the answer to everything. So in short, I was killing myself to do emotional eating.  Now, I have to say that I still probably focas on food way too much. I live in my kitchen and am always trying out new recipes.  The difference now is that NOTHING goes into my mouth that could trigger my diabetes. No pasta, no rice, no real bread, etc.  I have found substitutes for just about everything. I love pizza, but make crust out of cheese or some other recipe I have, and still get the tastes of pizza.  For pasta, I usually make spaghetti squash and use whatever pasta toppings I used to use.  I make cauliflower into fried rice and no one knows it is not rice. I mix protein powders in almost all of my drinks. 

The thing is, you have to want to help yourself. If you try to do a crash diet for a month, you are going to want to get back to what you are used to.  Maybe you can start by changing one meal a day. Like eat a protein only breakfast. Increase your protein to make that the main part of your meals.  You need to find foods that are allowed and that are easy. I make lunch meals on the weekend and  measure them into 1 cup portions, freeze, and then use during the week to brown bag to work. You can make chilies or soups..   

I think I am rambling. Maybe too much information.. Terry

 That's funny; 197 is not that far from my goal weight... ;-)

I'm so glad that your health is so much better. Congratulations and may you be around for many many more years!  I'm lucky enough not to have any serious health problems YET... I've got plenty of random joint pain, shortness of breath going up more than one flight of stairs, fatigue and all the other unpleasant things that come with being overweight, but my blood pressure and sugars and so forth have (thankfully) remained OK. 

I don't think I will ever, ever be normal about food... in the same way that an alcoholic always has to be vigilant... except they never have to have a drink again... I just can't say that I'll never eat pasta again. Maybe I'll get there some day. ;-)

I guess that's why I decided to do the Medifast month, because I felt I was slipping into bad habits and just really needed a shock to the system.  Having some quick success (knock on wood) would also help me get out of the 'I'll start tomorrow' trap that I'm in because I have so far to go. 

Thanks for the encouragement and congrats on your success...