I need help from my OH people!!!!!

I am 4 years out and have done great! but recently I have noticed my weight creeping back up and have gain 20lbs! Has anyone else had this happen. What kind of diet should I do because I'm completely stumped at why I'm gaining. I'm getting married in may and would like to have these 20lbs gone! Please help me with some advice about how to get the pounds off and KEEP it off after being 4 years out. I really don't wannat gain anymore weight because I worked hard to keep it off this long!

Hi,

Well there are several things you can do.  First of all, journal your food intake daily.  Maybe something has crept into your meal plan that you have not realized.  If we see what we have eaten, we can adjust it.  Also, evaluate your exercise program.  Sometimes if we vary our exercise, it may help in getting that extra weight off.  Another thing is watch your carbs.  Carbs act like sugar in the body and that is what gets burned off first.  So if we are eating too many carbs, the fat isn't getting burned as efficiently as it should.  Also if you are under a great deal of stress, it can affect our weight as well.  What is your water intake like?  We should be drinking lots of water.

Just a few suggestions.

 I'm under a lot of stress right here lately so I think I might be emotionally eating more then usual. I drink water non stop but I will try the food journal what are some of your favorite foods for more protein. Thank you sooo much for writing me back 

 Hi,

I guess it is more personal preference on the protein.  I like most.  Don't do a lot of nuts because they give me gas.  Not pleasant lol.  Emotional eating can be a problem and finding a good habit to replace it with is always good.  Exercise is one good way.  Find an activity you enjoy and get the endorphins moving and that will uplift your spirit.  Do you attend a support group?  This is a great tool to help with life's difficulties.

Thanks so much. No I don't attend a support group bc I'm not sure they have one close but I'm going to try different exercises to see if it helps with stress

 You can check on here for a group.  Another place to try is Bariatric Support Centers International.  Just google them to get their website.  It's important to try to find a group.  Look at meetup.com also and see if there are any wls meetups on your area too.

 Thank you for so much info

As Paula suggested, I've found that journaling helps me regain control if I find my weight moving up. I once had about a 20 lb regain and was able to take it off and have been able to keep it off. I think that getting it off and keeping it off comes down to awareness and accountability; how you develop that may vary from how I did it but I'll be glad to share how I did it. To develop accountability, I make sure that I weigh myself each day and that helps me be aware of my weight. When my weight goes up or drops below my.  normal 'weight swing', I start journaling. While we all 'know' what to eat, it's surprising to me what I see when I start logging my intake and activity; I like to use www.thedailyplate.com on my computer and my smartphone. I also wear a pedometer to help me be aware of my activity level. When my weight goes up, I almost always find that I'm consuming too many simple carbs. To get the weight off, I increased my protein to about 50 percent, then had complex, colorful carbs, limiting the fats and simple 'white carbs' to no more than 20 to 25% each. This way, I was still able to have some fats and 'simple carbs' in my diet, but it helped me to take off the extra weight pretty quickly. The other thing I had gotten away from when I gained the weight was eating 5 to 6 times a day, so I made sure to eat 3 meals a day with 2 or 3 snacks. I also make sure that I'm not drinking 20 minutes before my meals, during my meals or 20 minutes after my meals so that I can leverage the 'power' of my pouch because doing so flushes food through the pouch allowing you to consume much more than you can if you leverage the power of the pouch.

Soooo....

Journal food/activity

Weigh and/or measure regularly

Eat 5 to 6 times a day focusing on Protein and Colorful carbs, with a minor amount of fats and simple, white carbs.

Be sure to leverage the power of the pouch by not drinking before, during or after meals so you will allow your pouch to help gate your consumption.

Remember to be active, it helps increase your metabolism because you will burn more calories with more muscle mass. 

Wishing you all the best,

Thank you so much. What are some of the snack foods that you like. I like hearing what kinds of foods other people are eating to maybe try different things.

Here are some of the snacks that work for me:

Greek yogurt with fresh fruit

Lunch meat - i.e., sliced ham, turkey or roast beef

Nuts

Cottage cheese dressed up to be sweet or savory

Smoothie made with greek yogurt and/or tofu