WLS and Regain

Annette

"...because the stores don't carry clothes big enough to fit over my fat ass...."

Or to go around my boobs...

Been there, done that.  I remember doing just that in a fitting room.  That's when I stopped clothes shopping. 

Thanks for reminding me why I had WLS, and why it's worth the struggle to lose the regain while it's still only 10 lbs instead of 50.   The tool still works.  It's my brain that needs fine tuning....

Candy

Laureen, I love this, and thanks for posting it.

I could write a book about losing weight, there just wouldn't be a sentence, much less a chapter, on how to maintain.

Everyday I work, hope and pray that I can maintain my weight. Everyday I get on the scale to check. Everyday I still pray that my pants fit today the same way they did last week when I wore them.

Some fears just never go away.

Love and miss you!

Laureen,
I really needed this today. For the last few days I've been uncontrollable with my eating, non-stop practically from the time I get home from wor****ep having good intentions, plan my food out in advance, then attack the kitchen when I get home.

But like you said, I have my tool, I know what to do and I just have to do it. Thank you for reminding me that we all have this struggle and are in it together.

Jan

Laureen I just love you!

Oh yeah...let's take our tool out of the shed and use it.
You can't stay motivated 100% of the time people. It's called planning ahead and making the right food choices. I know I'm singing to the choir here. Most of us are Mindful Eaters.
Most of have had regain at one time or another.

Now getting back on track and really embracing lifestyle change.
Some will do it by joining Weigh****chers and other diet programs.
Some will resort back to diet pills.
Some will say to themselves (like me) ...Hell, diets don't work, get my ass moving and start eating less. Reach for that apple instead of chips.
Remember, what works for me not might work for you. Know yourself and why you are eating.
Well I bet I can safely say most of us are comfort eaters. Food is our drug of choice.

WLS is not the easy way out. Yes I know many who have gained all their weight back plus more. Scary ain't it???? Well hell no it's not scary when you take action!!!!!!!!!!!!
We are in charge of our food choice and what we put in our mouths.

We can do this. This indeed is for lifetime. Crying ain't gonna get you to normal size weight. Exercise will and leaving 3 bites on your plate is a start.

We all go through that phase of "I got this thing whipped". I remember when I couldn't stand sweets, no cravings and just making sure I got enough protein in. It was easy-smeasy at that stage. No temptations. Feeling great and hitting the gym...whoooooooo!! Oh yeah I had my goals right in front of me. Then bam!! Small bowel obstruction and emergency surgery. Okay, the pain is less but I still have issues. I have to make myself work out where as before I looked forward to working out. Some workouts puts my tummy in a world of hurt. I push through it. I need to exercise to keep my weight off me. Ugh!

Debbie Jean,

Your last paragraph summed it all up for me, it is about choices, maintaining a regular exercise program and not allowing the old habits to become a part of how I live today, which is not say, that there will be times I choose to eat what I want as opposed to what I should, but it means, get back on with it sooner than later.  That old mentality of oh well, I already screwed it up, has to be left in the dust, instead of the tool in my body. 

Today is a prime example, I was tired, not very motivated to go to the gym, since storms woke me up at 3:30 in the morning, but I knew that today is bagel day at the office and I knew that I wanted that half of a whole wheat everything bagel and that unless I was willing to forego it, I'd better get in the gym and work up a sweat.  Yay me, I did it and while I don't love it still, I do know that since getting myself back in the gym, I feel better about myself.  So I had my half of bagel with cottage cheese and no guilt and no desire to binge because for me binge eating largely has to do with emotions and feeling badly about myself.  To Thine Own Self Be True is what is says on the back of every AA coin and I know the truth and can't escape from it.  This works if you work it. . .

Have a great day.

Exactly...making the right choice and not beating ourselves up when we "treat" ourselves.

I use to be an "All of nothing gal". I no longer am. I have lost 100 pounds x3 in my lifetime, then 80, then 60, then 50, each time less and less weight loss with my dieting. No more!!

It so true that we have to be honest with ourselves. Mirror's don't lie, clothes don't lie. I remember the days when I would not let anyone take a picture of me. My hubby found a pic of me when I was 300 plus pounds. I still have the super obese person inside me.

As a pre-op patient, I'm doing my best to make good choices, because the habits that I developed so well for many, many, many years are so easy to come back.  The scariest thing about surgery is not the procedure itself, but the horrible thought that I won't be able to be long-term successful. 

Eliza,

WLS is successful, if you commit to a lifestyle change for life, but it does have it's pitfalls, mostly they are about our choices, though sometimes medications can cause regain in some people, the thing is that your surgery will get you to where you want to go, so long as you follow the rules, but only you can keep yourself there and that is what we battle further down the road.  So just concentrate on where you are at and don't worry about long-term, but one day when you are further out, take heart in knowing that no matter what and where you find yourself, you are not alone on this journey.

Laureen