Frustrated

 I have gained some weight back and am trying to get it off.  I have gone to the gym everyday this week and I am eating right but have not lost a pound, what am I doing wrong?

 Hi there,

First, congratulations on the monumental weight loss since bariatric surgery!  You've done a great job and should be commended for that.

I'm sorry to hear that you have gained weight and that it's problematic for you.  My suggestion would be to go back to the basics of what your doctor or nutritionist shared with you when it comes to food management.  Eating the appropriate amount of carbs, calories, sugars, protein, etc., all contribute to weight reduction.

Another consideration is the type of exercise that you're engaged in.  Are you focusing on weight-lifting and muscle-building exercises?  If so, you'll have a difficult time losing weight, since as as muscles grow, so does your weight.  (Remember that muscle weighs more than fat.)  More than that, what type of cardiovascular workouts are you doing?  For how long?  These are all contributing factors to why weight sometimes does not come off as quickly as we would like.

I think it's also important to note that you didn't put the newly gained weight on within one week, so it will take some time for it to come off.  

Whether you have gained a negligible or considerable amount, I wouldn't suggest stressing about it too much.  You have been successful so far, and you clearly have the drive to never go back to the way you used to be.  I believe the weight will come off, and you'll learn from the experience so as not to put it back on.

Up the protein and lower the carbs - works every time! 

I'm going to have to try that one myself

Hi Rod!!

I remember you from our early days. Am I reading your ticker right? You have put 47 lbs back on? In how long? You only had your surgery 2 years ago, right? I believe we are just a month apart.

Some people have already asked. But have you added simple carbs back into your diet? I believe that is the slippery slope back to you know where...

If you want to talk offline, let me know. Message me.

Good luck Hun, it's not easy...

I worked with a trainer about 2 weeks ago and he had me change my workout.  I was doing weights everyday.  So he explained to me -- for example, when you do legs you shouldn't work them for at least 7 days because your muscles need time to heal.  So he has me doing back, shoulders, and abs one day, legs and abs one day and arms, biceps, triceps abs one day (Mon. Wed. Fri) and in between I can do just cardio if I want.  He also said it takes like 15 minutes for your body to warm-up when you start so say for example, I do cardio Tues and Thursday (usually the  bike and ellipitcal machines).

My problem is called junk food -- ate in moderation of course.  The surgery took a lot of muscle mass so with the weight training it is slowly returning -- especially in my arms.  Loosing a lot of skin in my thighs and around my waist line sometiems make cloths a little tight.  However, I've noticed since I went to 3 days of weights and 2 days of cardio -- the cloths are loosening up.  When I'm not too tired from the weight training I do the cardio too for about 30 mintues but on the off days I do cardio for about an hour -- longer if I'm feeling it. 

We lose the weight while at rest so what we do outside of the gym counts more -- eating and water intake is a big part of the weight loss.  Since I sit at my job all day I'm real careful about what I eat -- I mostly stick with salads even though there are some Smoothie Kings and Planet Smoothies around I haven't gone that route yet.  I usually make my own with two scoops of protein.

Every BODY is different and we have to find what works for us and our weight loss.  In 2008 I had a partial hystorectomy and following the next 6 months gained about 15 pounds -- so now I'm working to get rid of those -- plus.  Although I look good and like my body -- I'd like to get down to at least 150 but somehow I don't think that's going to happen until I have surgery to remove the extra skin that is even more lose since I started back working out.  Because of the thighs I went from a regular 14 back to a 16W so I'm in between sizes -- now that's kind of frustrating but I'll live with it.

So we can get this weight off us -- we just have to work a little harder and eat a little smarter.

Peace and Hair Grease

Hey buddy- sorry it took me a little while to respond to your post. Don't be too hard on yourself. Sometimes it takes your body a little while to respond to exercise. When I am not seeing changes, I start journaling in www.fitday.com - they track food consumption (calories) and activities so I can get a good idea of calories in and calories out.

Just know that it may take a little while to fire up the furnace. What is most important are the healthy behaviors that will lead to long term weight loss:
 - measuring your portions
 - not drinking while eating
 - healthy meals (lean protein & a fresh fruit or vegetable)
 - at least 64 oz of water every day
 - your vitamins each day
 - daily exercise 

Hang in there. The scale will start reflecting what you're doing.