Paranoid, fear of failure, regain

Hi Everyone,

Lately I find myself preoccupied with the fear of regain.

I know this stems from the fact that I have only ever maintained weight loss for a couple years. I am 8 months out tomorrow, and I can't stop obsessing over the future. I don't know if its me, or if its just the things I hear and see (messages boards, and people saying that most people gain their weight back). Has anyone else gone through this?

I have since started tracking all of my food. I know this is suggested from the beginning, I was writing things down, but now am using an app. I exercise daily - I LOVE exercise. I weight train 3-4x a week, do bootcamp style workouts (circuit training) and cardio. I am trying very hard to establish these lifelong behaviours that would prevent regain, but the thought terrifies me.

I am not done having children (I want one more) - and the thought of getting pregnant in year 2 and gaining weight just paralyzes me with fear. I think about how people say year 2 and 3 and beyond are the hardest. I think about how hard it might be to lose the weight post-baby. Can someone shed some light? Anyone here that had babies post-op and maintained a healthy weight?

I'm not much further along the path than you are, but you are making good decisions now - tracking your food and exercising. Just keep up all the positive moves forward you are making and you will succeed.
Maybe you need to talk to a counsellor or therapist to help with your issues you are facing right now. This is a crazy wild amazing ride and its very emotional - any help and support you can get to deal with your fears will help you maintain your weight loss.

Read only the positive stuff and get motivation from the vets who have maintained!

most people have "some" regain..it is very very rare to gain all of it back. the reality is for many that I've observed they will lose to an all time low (in some cases too low) and then will settle at a more comfortable level. my all time low so far has been at 131, but my body keeps bringing be back to around 135. (I'm totally good with that) most people I've seen this happen with is in the first 2 years. 2 years plus regain I've seen is often in the 10-25lb range, most people acknowledge old eating habits as the primary culprit and people who work hard have been able to lose it again.

I've also see women get pregnant. be vigilant with food and exercise and only have 10-15lbs to lose post baby. So real weight gain is not a foregone conclusion.

Expect bounce back. It's a reality for most. That typically is about 20 lbs for most by year 2-3. Giving yourself some wiggle room is a good way to go about that.

Some regain is NORMAL. The trick is to keep it minimized for the rest of your life. That requires hard work and dedication.

Almost 12 years for me. Surgery still had me up and down on the scale. I've been as high as 27 lbs over goal

(that's scary) and as low as 5 lbs over. Right now I'm about 12. It's a battle every day.

A bit of fear is healthy and will keep you on track if it is paralyzing you may wish to speak to the clinic social worker. Enjoy your health. Love yourself. Try to live in the present

I think if you just "stick with the program" you'll be ok. Remember that a lot of post-baby weight is extra fluid and if you stay with the program that will go quickly. Also, an easy way to lose any extra fat you might have gain is to breastfeed, as the milk takes a lot of fat that baby needs.

youre already doing amazing. Regain isn't magic fat that suddenly appears out of nowhere. You're the one with the controls. I know before surgery it all got out of control for so long, but now you have a tool you never had before.youll be fine.

Pauline