Need Help

Can anyone help me?  I am 3 years post op RNY and orginally went from 284 to 169 recently I gained weight to about 185 (afraid to weigh myself).  I constantly want crunchy salty things and snack all day since I can't eat large amounts.  I am getting married in Oct and now my dress in too small! Help please.

I feel you on the snacking. I just had to go back to protein, protein, protein, and water, water, water. Make sure you are eating your meat first and don't eat and drink at the same time (i'm the pot calling the kettle black on that one but getting better). Start logging your food  I use dailyplate.com and try to stay withing 1200- 1400 callories a day. I will be 3 years out in October and I have gained 10 pounds that I am trying to get rid of but my problem is that I don't exercise. So today the treadmill comes back out since it's too hot to go outside and do anything.

So if you start now you can get back in your dress by September. I also tried the high protein diet and dropped 6 pounds. If you want it IM me and I'll send it to you.

Brenda

Thanks you Brenda,  I might take you up on that.  I think I do need to start couting my food and writing it down again.

Kimberly

Get the workbook version of the Beck's Diet Solution and write the exercises that are there.  I started using it on 01-09-09 and was completely free from all addictive foods from 01-29-09 until mid-May.  Then, I picked up one item per day which I just couldn't stop.  I continued to lose weight because I was restricting my calorie intake.  I've been completely abstinate from all addictive foods for 5 days now.  I've lost 50 lbs since 01-29-09;  I know that men lose weight faster than women, but I   am inactive.  Using Beck's has taught me that I do not have to be perfect with my dieting.  However, as a food addict, I know that I can't allow myself an ongoing excuse to eat even a tiny portion of addictive food.

The background for this is that I posted on the Main Forum in Jan asking if anyone knew of a book that offered behavior modification to help with my eating problem.  A woman who is a food addict in remission as well as a behavioral therapitst suggested that I use the Beck's Diet Solution.  She said that she uses it with her clients who have eating problems in both individual and group sessions.  I feel that you can do this on your own, but if you want my help with anything in the book, just send me a PM.  Also, if you see a mental health pro or a MSW, you may want to show them the book.

The book is written for anyone having problems following a diet.  The author suggests that you wait 14 days to go over the first 14 lessons before starting a diet using the book.  I say that we are already following post-op diets and should continue to use them except that we shouldn't assign any blame for our eating until Day 15 of the program.  You can then decide what attitudes you want to bear on your eating habits.

Personally, I weigh and measure all food that I eat at home.  I note what I eat in restaurants and look up the portions, calories, and proteins in a calorie counting book when I get home.  I immediately record all that a eat in a food log.  I keep my logs as well as my notes and response to Beck's in spiral notebooks.  I can easily check on what I ate every day since 01-09-09.

This program works so well that I want to shout it out from the mountaintops!.  If you are having problems with a pre-op or post-op diet, this program is for you.  There are many people who do not need it because they never have eating problems once they decide to have WLS.  Everyone else can use this program.  The first 4 chapters of the book are an introduction and overview.  The actual program begins with chapter 5 and the author asks that you do the lessons in order.
If you have any further questions, look at my Latest Posts regarding this subject or send me a PM.  Bob

Bob,

Thanks for the suggestion.  I just picked up the book and workbook and food counting book.  I didn't see the Becks spiral notebooks at B&N though.  Where did you get yours.  I am a food addict and have an addictive personality, which I am working on with my MSW.  I am afraid that I am gaining back what I lost for one and pressure for my wedding dress which used to fit-now that is one of my incentives get rid of what I gained.  I am sure some of it is stress eating-not really hungry-just want somthing.  Lots going right now.  Are you post or pre-op?

Thanks for your help.

Kimberly

Kimberly,

I'm sorry for the confusion.  There are no Beck's spiral notebooks.  I just use regular spiral notebooks from a stationery store.  You may prefer another type of notebook.  I know many people record their food online but it's just easier for me to do it manually.  Besides, sometimes I have trouble getting online or my wife may be hogging our main PC to play games.  Just use whatever works best for you.  Also, I should have mentioned that you don't really need both the hardcover and the workbook.  I didn't know that when I ordered mine and I got both.  I think I got a richer experience because of that, but I'd say that I think most pre-ops would benefit most from the hardcover while post-ops can get by with the workbook.  The difference is in the details.

I am post-op.  I had my first RNY on 11-14-00 and went from 571 down to 335.  Within 3 months of my RNY, I had already started to pick up my addictive foods.  But, due to the size of the new stomach, I continued to lose.  Once I hit my lowest weight, I started to regain my weight.  In the summer of 2004, I was having an endoscope to check on internal organs when the intern found that I had a staple line disruption--it was as if I had never had an RNY.  I needed a revision but my original surgeon no longer took my ins.  I did find a surgeon who did the new RNY on 01-21-05 and I weighed 425 at that time.  I got down to 385 and was at his office when a nurse berated me for my poor weight loss.  I never went back there again.  I am manic- depressive, so, in retrospect she may not have been as mean as I remembered it.  I realized that I was depressed but my shrink wouldn't change my anti-depressants that soon after my RNY.  Part of that problem is that I was on the maximum dosage of paxil--a higher dosage may have been fatal--and he had to eventually wean me off that before putting me on new meds.  That happened in Oct 2005 and I'm now on Welbutrin.

When I started with Beck's in Jan, I was back up to 391.  I lost a lot of weight the first week and then a couple pounds most weeks after that.  I was last weighed on 06-10-09 and was 341 then.  I'll probably get weighed tomorrow or Fri since I have to see my primary on Tues.  I get weighed at my cardiologist's office.  Bob

I am so glad you post this.I am in the same situation. I am not yet 3 years out (surg.jan 2007)I have gained 20 pounds since july. I am so afraid of gaining it all back its depressing. I am taking a trip to Dallas with my husband and November and he wants me to buy a new bathing suit (havent had one since the surgery). I am not feeling that at all. I never got down to my personal goal but was onl;y 25 pounds away from it. I am wear my surgeon said i would be but ofcoarse (since i was) can be lower. I snack all day as well and crave cunchy salty foods too.

Girl, I am right there with you!  I had RNY in Dec 2006.  My starting weight was 325lbs and my lowest weight as of August 2008 was about 186lbs.  I am very addicted to salty,cheesy things like cheese and crackers.  Sweets are not an issue for me, they never have been.  I am addicted to cheese and anything that is rich and creamy.  Another issue I am having is that I love to cook these rich, "pretty" foods!  Well, that is beginning to show on the scale!  I am up to about 200lbs right now.  I would like to lose about 15 pounds...when I weighed 186 I wore a size 12!  That is perfect for me and now my 14's are too tight!  It is amazing that we quabble over 15 pounds b/c when you weigh over 300lbs, another 15 doesn't make a difference in your clothes, but NOW it makes ALL the difference!  I am a teacher's assistant and because it is summer, I am sedentary!  I move all day long at work and for the past month I have been on my butt!  The weight has been creeping on over about the past 4 months.  I feel like I have gained 50 pounds!  Once again, when your smaller, 15 feels like 50!  I guess that's a blessing and a curse!  I am going to begin exercising at least 30 minutes a day, EAT PROTEIN FIRST, and WATER, WATER, WATER!  I have fallen WAY behind with all of those rules.  SALTY CARBS are the DEVIL!  Good luck with your few pounds...I know WE can do it!  Just think about the time you were at your heaviest before surgery and what you would have given to ONLY have to lose 15 pounds, not 115!  I used to hate it when "thin" people would complain about having to lose 10 pounds, now WE are those people!  HA!   GOOD LUCK!  :)

Try 3-4 small meals a day, nothing in between except calorie-free liquids.  And make sure you are getting your 60-80 g of protein.  Nothing makes me feel better and lose weight like getting enough protein.  Mazel tov on your upcoming wedding!  You will be a beautiful bride. 

I am right there with all the posts to this thread!  I am 3 yrs post op RNY and I was originally 336lbs before surgery I lost to within 2 lbs of my dr.s goal of 186 lbs.  In the last month I have gained 10 lbs and another 2/3 keeps coming and going.  I have had the crunchy salty thing too, I have been trying to snack on high protein low fat snacks, but even they seem to be causing the gain.  I believe we are at the point where we have to make the final decision not to be defeated by our love for food/needs/addictions too.  I am starting a new program next month that I think will help with our tool.  It is a nutrition class that is a full educational program on healthy eating and I think getting our minds right is urgent.  Check out the program if you like.

www.marketamerica.com/nuhealthyliving  (Transitions is the name of the program)