Daily Post--1/2/08

I have had a weight regain of 23 lbs over the last 16 months. My challenge goal is to get back to that point. My job is much more seditary than it used to be. I need to focus on exercise as well as food intake.

I am only 3 1/2 months out, so although I have thought about bounce back, I have not stressed over it. I started, from right after surgery, to make exercize a priority and to follow my NUTs advise to the "T". I am sure in about 9 months or so, I will begin to really make that top priority, right now I am just enjoying the ride! Holly

i'm terrified i'll gain the weight back. especially since i'm doing this all on my own and i know i'm not doing it 100% right. at some point i'm really gonna have to get down to the nitty gritty and tweak it down. right now, i'm so heavy that just moderating and exercising is working.

I am preop but I worry about regain, and I hope that over the course of the next few months, I will learn to work my tool and retrain myself to avoid the bad habits that got me where I am today. I plan on working very hard to succeed. Viv

I have been talking at my support group about not if but WHEN I will start to gain back. It is almost too good to be true. I also still have all the same triggers I used to and can eat almost anything sugary wso I am only fighting myself. I am happy to be down to a 12 and a size large but I still see the flaws and that is keeping my confidence from growing. I am working on my carb addition to prevent the lbs from coming back. It is a daily fight. Jennifer

Scared of gaining it back? I don't really think about it much. Honestly, adopting an extremely healthy lifestyle is my insurance it will never happen again. Going to the gym today when I really didn't want to, pumping the iron, and making sure I increased my protein for the day...all part of the game plan to keep it from happening!!

The thought of failure is so scary, I don't even like to think about it. All I can do is focus on making healthy choices, and improving my life in general... this will hopefully give me the strength to fight weight gain if/when it happens

Yes, I am scared of weight gain even now just 2 wks post op I dread going to the doctor tomorrow and getting on the scales only to find out that I have gained some of my 26lb. loss back! I know that may seem silly given I've just started this portion of my journey but my whole life I've feared the scales. As for what I am doing well I guess right now its just trial and error for me since I am not too far out from surgery I can't join the gym but in time this will be my standing goal in maintenance. My biggest fear though is that after losing all the weight I will have wrinkles in my face and I will look old. One of the advantages to being heavy is not having wrinkles cuz the fat fills them in but with them all gone, will I look twice my age? I guess only time will tell! Kellie

Being well over 3 yrs. post-op, I have already experienced re-gain. While I was losing, I was a MODEL of virtue and was horrified when I'd read what/how much some other people (some not too far post-op and some long-termers) were eating! Although, of course, I worried about eventually re-gaining, I really thought I was doing everything just right and was learning new habits so well that I would hopefully not have as much trouble as many people do! I won't go through the boring details of my gradual "fall from grace"--just suffice it to say IT HAPPENED. Today, I am dealing w/ 35 lbs. of re-gained weight and am committed to taking off at least 20 lbs. (If I can lose and maintain that amount, I will be very satisfied.) I have been a pretty faithful exerciser during the 3 years post-op, but during the holidays, I totally let that go. So I'm returning to the gym. I'm not doing the 5DPT, but I am going back to the things I was eating my first year post-op, in approximately those quantities. I am pretty good about drinking my fluids, but I'm going to step that up too.

I don't know that "scared" or "worried" are the right words for me... I used to tell my daughter that I've always known how to gain, and I'd learned how to lose (the hard way), but that I feared having to learn how to maintain - but I've done it pretty consistently for the past six months. I realize I have many years to go, but one of my tactics for maintenance is weighing in daily - like many others. I don't want to chance having it creep up on me. Another tactic is getting rid of anything in my closet more than a size or two too big for me. I'll be darned if I'll shop for bigger clothes again! I never knew what "normal" felt like until recently. I will NEVER allow myself to let this WONDERFUL feeling slip through my fingers!