Weight Regain

Hi Margie,

Life has a way of throwing us curveballs, and because our natural tendency has always been to cope with food, it's no surprise for many of us, we go back to this coping strategy. A psychologist can really help support you in a healthy way.

I also read in this last post of yours that chicken and potato makes you sick. A lot of people dump on carbs: potatoes, rice, pasta... anything too starchy. Have you tried the lean whole protein without the starch? Do you have the same reaction?

I think a pouch reset could be a great idea for you. I imagine you have inflammation which is aggravating things. Maybe try phasing in one food at a time, rather than combining foods to really know which you can tolerate.

Good luck. You've done this before, you can do this again!!

Are you measuring/weighing out your meals? It almost sounds like you are eating to much if you are eating a piece of chicken with a potato and vomiting. Eating foods that easily go through your pouch you will not feel full and will be hungry quicker. Yes the yogurt, soup, pudding, etc. are great for newly post-ops, but for those of us who are years out we really need to focus on dense proteins. Trust me a few ounces of steak or chicken really fills you up.

Might I suggest taking a look at https://fivedaymeattest.com/

There are folks on here who have successfully lost a regain.

Hi Margie,

Welcome to the group, and congrats on tackling the regain. I really feel for you, as it must be really hard to deal with.

I'd suggest using an app like my fitness pal to track what you eat, exactly what you eat, and when you eat it, to see if there is a pattern (for me when I first did this pre op I discovered I fasted all day long and then turned to food in the evening and ate uncontrollably. I decided to start eating 3 small meals and 2 healthy snacks instead and it made it easier to get through the evenings without eating everything in sight. I also started doing crafts in the evenings while watching Netflix to keep my hands and brain busy so I wouldn't eat), and then try to make a few healthy changes that don't seem overwhelming at first. For instance, instead of ice cream, can you try Greek Yogurt, or even make your own high protein ice cream? The blog "The World According to Eggface" has great recipes. If your stomach can handle ice cream without getting sick, it should be OK with Greek Yogurt or protein ice cream.

Do all meats make you sick? How about fish, chicken, or shrimp? Can you try small portions, cooked in a low car low sugar sauce to see if it's better? I've noticed I'm great with meat when it's fresh but can't reheat things like steak or burgers in the microwave or it hurts my stomach; I need to use the stove or a no stick frying pan to reheat things.

Most people recommend dense protein to lose the regain, but since you get sick, maybe you can try adding a protein shake a day to up your protein?

I find eating carbs makes me crave more carbs, so if you can cut back on your carbs to under 50 grams a day total carbs it can help a lot. It's really hard for the first week but the cravings disappear after.

Try to get back to the basics as best you can, in a way that works for you. Try to get in a minimum of 60-70 grams of carbs (or more if your center recommended that), cut out simple carbs, get in your water.

I'm so sorry you had regain, but you lost it once and you can do it again. Getting sick on certain foods is a challenge but hopefully you can find a way around it and discover healthy foods, or ways of cooking those foods (crock pot for moisture), that won't make you ill.

Good luck.

OP can you clarify your post? I'm seeing that meats make you vomit, whereas things like ice cream do not.

Did you mean to write it that way? I'm nine years out and rarely vomit. It is extremely hard to do, even when I know it will make me feel better. And I've never known of anybody who vomits up heave things like meat more easily than they vomit up slider foods like ice cream. From a purely physical stand point it seems to be a contradiction.

Common sense would seem to indicate that foods such as meat would have a much harder time coming up. Maybe get a second opinion? Vomiting is just so very hard on our systems postop. Doing it more than rarely seems as though it could cause actual damage. Just a thought.

thank you for your reply. Yes I am getting a second opinion. I have an appointment at another bariatric clinic, hopefully they can help me there.

I know it has been a long time to put up with these complications but after looking after my mother who had cancer and then her passing, selling the house, moving, etc. life just got in the way. Now that it is my time and I am trying to look after myself.

thanks

I am having many issues eating now, myself, especially solid food, and it's almost always a reflux issue. It could also be food allergies, too. I can't eat chicken at all, but I can tolerate pureed meats okay. How is your chewing? are you able to chew well? Can you keep protein drinks down or pureed meats? Even with my advanced reflux I can do purees, at least. If you are vomiting you are still digesting a lot of the calories, actually. It's sort of a misnomer that vomiting circumvents this.

I would like to encourage you, Margie, that you are absolutely not alone whatever the cause might be. It might be good to get a counselor to support you, because it is a very painful place to be in. You absolutely can get through this, though.

I would also like to encourage you to get a behavioral health assessment because you don't need to be in emotional pain. It sucks, and you deserve to have the support and care that you need to help you get through this.

I hope you are able to find something that works for you no matter what you decide.

thank you so much. I am sorry you are having issues. I cannot chew well because after my surgery I lost a lot of hair and my teeth. Yes I had to have most of my teeth pulled. I have dentures but it is not the same. I guess I was hoping it would get better and time just flew by. I am looking for some kind of support but where I live there is very little help.

thanks again and good luck

Not having teeth is really hard when we need to chew a lot, so that isn't your fault! It can really affect your nutrition. I am so sorry you went through that too :(

The good news is that many things can help. I had pureed foods when I had to have teeth surgically removed a while ago...it helped quite a bit keep my nutrition healthy. It may be that the junk food is easier to chew, and it also has a nice dopamine boost that acts as a natural antidepressant.

Hi margiej

We are so glad you decided to join us and reach out....

You have already taken the hardest step by saying enough is enough and now I want to get back on track. I maintained 118-125 for over 10 years after losing 200 pounds. Due to a personal tragedy I gained and hit the 190 mark a year ago. After several starts it finally clicked and I am back to goal losing 70 pounds of regain. Here are some steps that helped me and I hope they will help you too! You may have several starts and stops but don't give up, don't beat yourself up. IT WILL CLICK!!! Our tool works if we work the tool and get back to the basics.

Planning/Preparing

Remember when we were preparing for surgery? How many meetings, classes and such did we attend? We were told the more prepared we were the better our chances were for success. And they were right. Go through the house, car and work place and get rid of trigger foods. Stock up on foods that will keep you on track. I removed every bad carb/sugar temptation and replaced it with lots of protein, veggies, grains and fruits.

Journaling

Get back to journaling. This will help you identify when you feel like eating, stress factors and any triggers in your life. Once you identify these factors, this will help you put tools in place to keep you from eating. It became clear I was not taking time for me anymore. I worked my day job and then spent the rest of my time caring for my husband. It was easy to reach for fast, prepackaged food. Since I purged my home I have to eat clean as there are no other options LOL

Use a tool to track you're eating and exercise like Getting Started with Health Tracker. Once I started to track ever bite and drink it became clear why I had gained.

Goals/Rewards

Make a list of goals for yourself. Make them realistic and small. Some of mine were move more, purge all junk from my home, eat more protein. If you didn't make a Weight Loss Surgery bucket list when you first had surgery do it now. GREAT reminder of all the things you can enjoy in life after losing weight.

Food

In general, a long term post-weight loss surgery eating plan includes foods that are high in protein, and low in fat?, calories, and sugar. Important, vitamins and minerals are provided as supplements. (if you had a different surgery adjust this to your food plan).

Water

Water is our Best Friend. I have to say I never went back to pop or any bad drinks, however I was drinking tea like crazy. What is wrong with drinking tea? I was either using sugar or 3 equals and 3 sweet n lows per 32 ounce glass. I found once I started carrying one of the metal bottles of water to keep it cold I drank water all day.

MOVE!

I can't say enough about how key this was for me. The reason I kept my weight off for almost 10 years was no matter what, I kept moving. If I could not go to the gym I would walk. Grab a cart and walk all the isles at your local box store. I loved Zumba, bootcamp workouts, lifting weights. When I stopped, the weight started coming back. So for me I am starting slow to avoid injury by walking and using some of the workouts on my Demand TV. Find something you love to do and it won't feel like a pain in the *** to do daily.

Support

If it's an option "run" don't walk to a support group. Come here on OH daily for support and participate in one of the food threads. It helps you be accountable and also great ideas for food prep.

Keep me posted on how you are doing.

Hey Margie,

I am 9 years post op and I have days when I have extremely hard time processing foods. I have never been able to eat steak and gave up on that basically from the beginning but some days (not always and I don't know why) I have a hard time with any kind of meat. One thing that I still have to be conscious of is my chewing. I have to chew chew chew (part of why I gave up steak) to eat any kind of meat. Also, drinking around meals is still an issue for me...are you drinking before/during/directly after eating? My experience is frustrating because it is sporadic and some days I can eat anything with no issue. How much I can eat varies from day to day as well.

I am not sure if you get anything helpful from this but I suggest you make sure you are limiting fluids around meals and chew the hell out of your food.

Good luck!