Had surgery in 2001 and gained some weight, HELP!
Ok I had my surgery in 2001 and I was 330lbs and I got down to as low as 170. Then in 2004 I got pregnant with my 2nd child and gained soem weight. I cannot get that weight off and my baby is 3 1/2. I know I let myself slide but now even when I think Im doing ok I still cant get the scale to go down. Im stuck at around 235 and it is NOT where I want to be!!!! Im not being so strick that I need to go back to 170 but I would settle for 190! Any pointers on what I can do to get moving again!
Ive heard soem people say something about going back on just liquids, but I dunno.......
help please
Hi there,
You might want to check out www.livingafterweightloss.com. It's a really nice bunch of people, and they have the 5 day pouch test there. I've done it, it basically helps you get back on track w/2 days of liquids (protein shakes, soups (they provide recipies), then increases the denisty of your food till the 5th day when you're on solids. The name is misleading, it's by no means a "test" but it's a mini-lesson on how to eat properly and can help break bad eating habits we've gotten into. It's nice because often a bunch of people will start on a given day & you wind up with a lot of support.
Hope this helps...it's just a suggestion, but I did find it helpful to me.
BTW, someone once asked me when I was due, and i said "10 years ago." I looked pregnant even when my youngest was 10 years old!
ETA: I was just on the plastic surgery board, and a woman posted under the title "starting the 5dpt." It seems that a bunch of people on the WLS graduates board are starting the test, so you might want to check it out...also, if you do it, the pumpkin sausage soup rocks. Vegiterians & those who keep kosher (like me) use the soy sausage & it's delicious.
take care,
Hello, you are not alone. Can you do an honest assessment of a typical day calorie wise? Carb wise? What are you eating, when? Drinking? Are you taking vitamins? Minerals? Do you graze? Drink caloried beverages? Drink caffeine? Emotional eating>? How about exercise. Therapy is one good way to work on many things thay may be sabotaging your success, going back to a nutritionist/dietician may also help. Invest in yourself! You have to be the most important thing in your life (even more important than family and children YES!) because if you do not take care of you you can not fully take care of and be there for them. They will see your unhappiness, etc we have to love ourselves first and starting where you are at is a great idea FWIW!
Here are posts I have sent before!
Jamie's BACK ON TRACK TIPS
Your surgery hasn't failed; you are just not using your tool to its potential that is all. It is there still; you need to get back to basics though. Remember it isn't the surgery alone that makes us lose weight it is the lifelong lifestyle & behavioral changes we make that enable us to lose weight and keep it off. Dumping isn't guaranteed after surgery and may decrease the farther we get post-op....with that said:
You know the rules of the tool, (what you aren't doing)....So how to get back to basics? You have to just take one step at a time; it doesn't have to be all or nothing that is old thinking! What do you feel you can conquer first?
Write down your goal for the week, then work on it, once you have one goal under your belt start on another, be patient and kind to yourself, no one said this was easy! It is hard and no one is perfect! But you can change. The negative habits didn't happen overnight so neither will positive ones! But they wont happen if you don't start somewhere! Asking for help and admitting the problem is a great first step! Get to a local support group at least monthly if available, this keeps you focused on what you are doing and accountable to yourself...Life will always be busy but you need to reprioritize health as a higher priority and taking care of yourself has to be more important than anything else! Here is how I'd break it down (not necessarily what to do first, just an example of the goals I'd set and work on one at a time!) some you may want to break into 2 parts also....
Goals:
a.. #1: part 1:Fluid: resolve to drink 64 ounces ( This will keep you full longer and tension on the pouch) of NON-carbonated-NON-calorie fluid a day. (water, crystal lite, diet Kool-Aid, diet V8 splash, tea) In other words don't drink your calories! Part 2: DO NOT DRINK WITH MEALS and WAIT 1-2 HOURS AFTER MEALS TO START DRINKING....(OR U WILL JUST MAKE YOURSELF HUNGRY AGAIN...SOONER!) we can all wait a while and eat again esp. if we drink soon after or with a meal....It is called grazing, we have a leaky drain and after a little time we have more room in the sink to fill so we can all eat a while after we eat, I know at a restaurant I can eat more as the meal is spread over time, if I eat at home I cant eat 1/2 as much as I eat in 20 min and then I'm full and I'm done.
b.. #2 Vitamins: resolve to take a multivitamin, and calcium 1,000mg a day. (just to give you some energy!)Maybe some B12 liquid/tablets sublingually to boost energy and metabolism!
c.. #3 Protein: resolve to get in 65 grams a day either in the food you eat or by supplementing with shakes. EAT PROTEIN FIRST!!! IT fills the pouch!(less room for carbs)
d.. #4 Meals: resolve part 1:to eat ONLY 3 meals a day over 5-20 minutes no longer, (and possibly one small nutritious snack of fruit or nuts etc...)....NO grazing. Part 2:Composition of meals: 50% protein leaving 25% of meal for veggies/fruit and 25% carbs (pasta/bread/rice/potatoes). This means most likely giving up McDonalds for a while or making better choices when you are there...It doesn't have to be 100% of the time but should be the way you eat more like 90% of the time!)
e.. #5 Exercise: resolve to exercise 30 min 3x a week, then increase to 60 min 3x a week or 30 min 6x a wee****il you are exercising 30 min daily (or more)! It helps you cope with stress, so you don't turn to food, it will help the wt loss and also give you energy! You will feel better about yourself and be less apt to go for the carbs.
f.. #6 resolve to either get involved in a local support group monthly (weekly would be better but at least 1x a month) and or get into therapy to deal with your food issues and look at why you are sabotaging your happiness. We all have food issues/demons and we all need to face them eventually the surgery is a great help but the brain is a hard organ to change and unfortunately they didn't operate it when they shrunk our tummy!
g.. #7 if above are overwhelming many go back to postop and start liquids for a few days, then advance to soft/mushys such as yogurt and pudding and cottage cheese, then onto pureed then solids, many say this retrains the pouch and our brains to snap back into it...Again it is all hard but just my 2cents/suggestions!
Good luck! Glad you are looking at the issues and wanting to deal with them! Be proud of yourself for that and you can do it, we are all here with you to help! Now is a great time to start, not everything but one thing....Do not put off to tomorrow what you can do today! Think this way if you wait you may have another 20# or so to work on after the holidays! Holidays and parties are always going to happen, we can always find an excuse to wait or a reason why we can't, search within yourself and find a reason why you can and do it (make this your gift for the holidays to yourself, nothing tastes as good as health and thin feel!)! Take care....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MY recipe for success: (I GUESS SOME SEE THIS AS A DIET I SEE IT AS A PRESCRIPTION TO GET ON THE LIFELONG LIFESTYLE WE NEED TO BE HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL MAINTAINERS!)
1) FIRST YOU IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM
2) SECOND YOU FORMULATE A PLAN OF ACTION!
3) THIRD you post it here so we can support you (Being accountable to someone outside of self helps!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOW MY PLAN was it takes about 3 days to overcome the HORRID/VICIOUS carb addiction cycle for ME/MOST (the physical aspect that is)...
SO STEP ONE:
I detoxed my house of all foreseeable triggers/carbs (*Yes some will say this is deprivation) well should we have all that crap all the time? Most likely not!
STEP TWO:
I loaded my home with things allowable such as cheese sticks, pepperoni, jerky, eggs (hardboiled a few ahead), sandwich meats, stocked up on shakes so I had variety for the 3-5 a day I could use, low carb veggies etc.....I actually come to enjoy them over time as I feel satisfied and happier and healthier
STEP THREE: I was following the south beach phase 1 plan (adding shakes as above), so I had the book and there is a document explaining the reason it works/the plan in the files under http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/OSSG_Off_track/files/ first folder back on track tips and plans.. Karen B's timer plan is there and many find that SO helpful!
I KEPT IT HANDY TO READ/REREAD in times of crisis. I believe in a daily shake if not 2 one in eve to stave off hunger.
STEP FOUR: Place motivational sayings all over, on computer on fridge (like nothing tastes as good as healthy & thin feels), you can do this, its only a craving and will pass in a few minutes!
STEP FIVE: List a bunch of things to do to pass time when a craving happens (it will happen and it will pass!) take a walk, drink a cup of water, have a shake, call a friend, email a friend, email the group, brush your teeth, listen to music, pet an animal (walk the dog), journal your feelings, give self a mani/pedicure, deep breathing/relaxation, go for a ride (bike or car) etc chew gum, have a sf hard candy. HAVE IT HANDY, as when we are impulsive it's hard to think so go to the list not everything will work all the time but it helps delay!
STEP SIX: MUST PLAN, plan meal, prepare take fluid and food with you, if you fail to plan you plan to fail as we say here on off track. THIS is about progress, NOT perfection so don't beat self up, know that things improve with each passing day u get the refined carbs outta your body. It really gets easier cause if you don't put the junk in the hunger really decreases it is amazing!>>>>Again south beach worked for me...took me 1 mo to lose my 10# regain following this it was the hardest week 1, after that hunger was minimal and my willpower could handle the HEAD cravings (it couldn't handle the physically driven ones from how I was eating...bread=hunger kinda thing)...
STEP SEVEN: WRITE IT DOWN if it goes in your mouth, at least week one...then tell us how u r doing, many use www.fitday.com and I also recommend exercise of some way shape or form for the body soul and mind! TOGETHER WE CAN DO THIS! IT is hard, but you just gotta do it....READY SET GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Another saying we have is its WHAT U DO 90% of the time that matters, this strict carb reduction isn't forever, you can reintroduce things at a later date, for now it is no carbs like bread & crackers cause they aren't your friend, they give lots of calories and little nutritional value and well they make u hungry sooner with NO satiety (full feeling) I agree a burger or a pork chop sits with me for hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here are posts I have sent before!
Jamie's BACK ON TRACK TIPS
Your surgery hasn't failed; you are just not using your tool to its potential that is all. It is there still; you need to get back to basics though. Remember it isn't the surgery alone that makes us lose weight it is the lifelong lifestyle & behavioral changes we make that enable us to lose weight and keep it off. Dumping isn't guaranteed after surgery and may decrease the farther we get post-op....with that said:
You know the rules of the tool, (what you aren't doing)....So how to get back to basics? You have to just take one step at a time; it doesn't have to be all or nothing that is old thinking! What do you feel you can conquer first?
Write down your goal for the week, then work on it, once you have one goal under your belt start on another, be patient and kind to yourself, no one said this was easy! It is hard and no one is perfect! But you can change. The negative habits didn't happen overnight so neither will positive ones! But they wont happen if you don't start somewhere! Asking for help and admitting the problem is a great first step! Get to a local support group at least monthly if available, this keeps you focused on what you are doing and accountable to yourself...Life will always be busy but you need to reprioritize health as a higher priority and taking care of yourself has to be more important than anything else! Here is how I'd break it down (not necessarily what to do first, just an example of the goals I'd set and work on one at a time!) some you may want to break into 2 parts also....
Goals:
a.. #1: part 1:Fluid: resolve to drink 64 ounces ( This will keep you full longer and tension on the pouch) of NON-carbonated-NON-calorie fluid a day. (water, crystal lite, diet Kool-Aid, diet V8 splash, tea) In other words don't drink your calories! Part 2: DO NOT DRINK WITH MEALS and WAIT 1-2 HOURS AFTER MEALS TO START DRINKING....(OR U WILL JUST MAKE YOURSELF HUNGRY AGAIN...SOONER!) we can all wait a while and eat again esp. if we drink soon after or with a meal....It is called grazing, we have a leaky drain and after a little time we have more room in the sink to fill so we can all eat a while after we eat, I know at a restaurant I can eat more as the meal is spread over time, if I eat at home I cant eat 1/2 as much as I eat in 20 min and then I'm full and I'm done.
b.. #2 Vitamins: resolve to take a multivitamin, and calcium 1,000mg a day. (just to give you some energy!)Maybe some B12 liquid/tablets sublingually to boost energy and metabolism!
c.. #3 Protein: resolve to get in 65 grams a day either in the food you eat or by supplementing with shakes. EAT PROTEIN FIRST!!! IT fills the pouch!(less room for carbs)
d.. #4 Meals: resolve part 1:to eat ONLY 3 meals a day over 5-20 minutes no longer, (and possibly one small nutritious snack of fruit or nuts etc...)....NO grazing. Part 2:Composition of meals: 50% protein leaving 25% of meal for veggies/fruit and 25% carbs (pasta/bread/rice/potatoes). This means most likely giving up McDonalds for a while or making better choices when you are there...It doesn't have to be 100% of the time but should be the way you eat more like 90% of the time!)
e.. #5 Exercise: resolve to exercise 30 min 3x a week, then increase to 60 min 3x a week or 30 min 6x a wee****il you are exercising 30 min daily (or more)! It helps you cope with stress, so you don't turn to food, it will help the wt loss and also give you energy! You will feel better about yourself and be less apt to go for the carbs.
f.. #6 resolve to either get involved in a local support group monthly (weekly would be better but at least 1x a month) and or get into therapy to deal with your food issues and look at why you are sabotaging your happiness. We all have food issues/demons and we all need to face them eventually the surgery is a great help but the brain is a hard organ to change and unfortunately they didn't operate it when they shrunk our tummy!

g.. #7 if above are overwhelming many go back to postop and start liquids for a few days, then advance to soft/mushys such as yogurt and pudding and cottage cheese, then onto pureed then solids, many say this retrains the pouch and our brains to snap back into it...Again it is all hard but just my 2cents/suggestions!
Good luck! Glad you are looking at the issues and wanting to deal with them! Be proud of yourself for that and you can do it, we are all here with you to help! Now is a great time to start, not everything but one thing....Do not put off to tomorrow what you can do today! Think this way if you wait you may have another 20# or so to work on after the holidays! Holidays and parties are always going to happen, we can always find an excuse to wait or a reason why we can't, search within yourself and find a reason why you can and do it (make this your gift for the holidays to yourself, nothing tastes as good as health and thin feel!)! Take care....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MY recipe for success: (I GUESS SOME SEE THIS AS A DIET I SEE IT AS A PRESCRIPTION TO GET ON THE LIFELONG LIFESTYLE WE NEED TO BE HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL MAINTAINERS!)
1) FIRST YOU IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM
2) SECOND YOU FORMULATE A PLAN OF ACTION!
3) THIRD you post it here so we can support you (Being accountable to someone outside of self helps!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOW MY PLAN was it takes about 3 days to overcome the HORRID/VICIOUS carb addiction cycle for ME/MOST (the physical aspect that is)...
SO STEP ONE:
I detoxed my house of all foreseeable triggers/carbs (*Yes some will say this is deprivation) well should we have all that crap all the time? Most likely not!
STEP TWO:
I loaded my home with things allowable such as cheese sticks, pepperoni, jerky, eggs (hardboiled a few ahead), sandwich meats, stocked up on shakes so I had variety for the 3-5 a day I could use, low carb veggies etc.....I actually come to enjoy them over time as I feel satisfied and happier and healthier
STEP THREE: I was following the south beach phase 1 plan (adding shakes as above), so I had the book and there is a document explaining the reason it works/the plan in the files under http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/OSSG_Off_track/files/ first folder back on track tips and plans.. Karen B's timer plan is there and many find that SO helpful!
I KEPT IT HANDY TO READ/REREAD in times of crisis. I believe in a daily shake if not 2 one in eve to stave off hunger.
STEP FOUR: Place motivational sayings all over, on computer on fridge (like nothing tastes as good as healthy & thin feels), you can do this, its only a craving and will pass in a few minutes!
STEP FIVE: List a bunch of things to do to pass time when a craving happens (it will happen and it will pass!) take a walk, drink a cup of water, have a shake, call a friend, email a friend, email the group, brush your teeth, listen to music, pet an animal (walk the dog), journal your feelings, give self a mani/pedicure, deep breathing/relaxation, go for a ride (bike or car) etc chew gum, have a sf hard candy. HAVE IT HANDY, as when we are impulsive it's hard to think so go to the list not everything will work all the time but it helps delay!
STEP SIX: MUST PLAN, plan meal, prepare take fluid and food with you, if you fail to plan you plan to fail as we say here on off track. THIS is about progress, NOT perfection so don't beat self up, know that things improve with each passing day u get the refined carbs outta your body. It really gets easier cause if you don't put the junk in the hunger really decreases it is amazing!>>>>Again south beach worked for me...took me 1 mo to lose my 10# regain following this it was the hardest week 1, after that hunger was minimal and my willpower could handle the HEAD cravings (it couldn't handle the physically driven ones from how I was eating...bread=hunger kinda thing)...
STEP SEVEN: WRITE IT DOWN if it goes in your mouth, at least week one...then tell us how u r doing, many use www.fitday.com and I also recommend exercise of some way shape or form for the body soul and mind! TOGETHER WE CAN DO THIS! IT is hard, but you just gotta do it....READY SET GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Another saying we have is its WHAT U DO 90% of the time that matters, this strict carb reduction isn't forever, you can reintroduce things at a later date, for now it is no carbs like bread & crackers cause they aren't your friend, they give lots of calories and little nutritional value and well they make u hungry sooner with NO satiety (full feeling) I agree a burger or a pork chop sits with me for hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Take Care, 
Jamie Ellis RN MS NPP
100cm proximal Lap RNY 10/9/02 Dr. Singh Albany, NY
320(preop)/163(lowest)/185(current) 5'9'' (lost 45# before surgery)
Plastics 6/9/04 & 11/11/2005 Dr. King www.albanyplasticsurgeons.com
http://www.obesityhelp.com/member/jamiecatlady5/
"Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect, it just means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections!"

Jamie Ellis RN MS NPP
100cm proximal Lap RNY 10/9/02 Dr. Singh Albany, NY
320(preop)/163(lowest)/185(current) 5'9'' (lost 45# before surgery)
Plastics 6/9/04 & 11/11/2005 Dr. King www.albanyplasticsurgeons.com
http://www.obesityhelp.com/member/jamiecatlady5/
"Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect, it just means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections!"
Thank you so much for all the great ideas here. I think that I can really do this and get back on track and losing that extra weight again if I just set myself up for little goals at a time. Like stop drinking with meals and waiting at least a 1/2 hour before and after and then try to move it up to 1 hour.
I would love to hear more ideas!