Weight Gain

To those of you who have gone before me, if you gained when did it happen?  I have gained just a little, but I think that it is the leveling off weight gain.  Not enough to change my clothing size, maybe just a rearranging or shifting around to fill in.  My scale shows it, but I can not see it.  I have been eating mostly what I want.  My plan is to get back to a more "healthy lifestyle", more regular exercise, and maybe logging my food intake.  It is harder to eat healthy when living at my daughters house as they eat almost no veggies.  We make at least two to three different meals at night.  One for the the 8 and 2 year old girls, and something different for the 6 year old boy, who because of special needs, will not try new foods, and to me is stuck in a rut with what he does eat.  Then there is a different meal for Mom and Dad.  If I want to eat healthy, I need to prepare a different meal for myself.  I have been mostly picking and choosing from what the rest are eating and really need to start taking care of "me" better.  When this gig ends and I am able to finally move to my retirement home in Tn. at the end of the year, things will be somewhat better, as I can then make only one meal and eat what I need for me, but until then I will have to try and do a little better here.  The only saving grace I can see for now is that I am using protein drinks at least twice a day, at breakfast and for a snack during the day or evening, so I am almost sure I am getting enough protein.  So until January, I will continue to muddle through, then I will be able to join a Gym, as it is to hard to commit to it now with traveling between Pa.,Md., and Tn. (it is almost a gypsy life) but I love my grands and have kept my commitment of the two years promised, which was up in June.  I have given my notice, and the Mom and Dad are going to have to make adjustments to their life to pick and where I leave off.  It will be hard to leave, but it is time for me!!!
Thanks for letting me rant, and for any advice you can give for the weight gain.
Ena

Hi Ena;
I can give a couple observations of Gene and I with our weight gain.  

Gene started to gain weight back from his low point after his second/third year.  He now has a 10 pound fluctuation that he watches.  His low was 180, he now fluctuates between 200 and 210.

Me I've gained, and I know that it is all stress, and no exercise for me.  With my stress level where it is daily, I'm so tired when I get home from work that I can't motivate myself to exercise. 

Ida

Ena,

For a time I was doing a post entitled "combating regain. . ." the reason was that many of us battle with it and it seems to occur between 2 and 3 years post-surgery.  I think and of course, I'm not an expert, but I am both a post-op and observer of people via support groups and just in general living, but my thought process on this, is that the first year or so it is relatively easy to stay on track, the results are so apparent, the people noticing how good we look, but eventually what I see and have experienced myself is that I lead a more "normal" existence and I have found that I can "get away" with things, so like a good "addictive" personality, I pushed to the point whereby I gained weight.  I also found that stress eating is a big factor for me and that I must find a healthy way to cope with stress, like talking to friends or journaling feelings.  Also, the exercise component is a big factor.  If I don't incorporate some kind of physical activity in my life at least 5x a week, the scale moves in the wrong direction.

As for food choices, I spend one day a week shopping and prepping food for my work week and in that process I wind up with food to freeze and within 2 weeks of prepping, I usually wind up with another 2 weeks worth in my freezer.  The way I see it, is I am worth the effort I take so as to be able to eat healthy and good food.  You've got a lot going on, so do what you can.

Hugs, Laureen

Thanks Laureen.  I am headed for Tn. for a few days of R&R, and will be off the radar, so I can fall back and regroup from all the drama around me. (just a little to much stimulation)  Time to get my self into the habit of writing stuff down, and making a plan to get back to eating better.
Take care all,
Ena