8 yr out Dec 12 HELP

 I will be celebrating my 8 yr surversary Dec 12. I would do it again in a heart beat. My problem is I  had thyroid removed almost 3 yrs ago and all went well. My Dr changed my thyroid  med last January and this last yr I have put on 15 lbs and am NOT happy. I feel like a beached whale. In the morning I am going back on the liquid diet I was on before surgery. Hoping to get the weight loss going, I am struggling it will not come off so back to basics!!! I need all the encouragement I can get so here I am. I realized on this site when I started this process of having surgery so I am hoping  for support now! Thanks a lot. thinest and heavinest

15 pounds in one year is only 150 calories per day. It's a very small amount of food. Try weighing and logging everything you eat, and get a grip on precisely how much you are eating. Once you know, you can cut back a little until you get the results you want.

It's doable, but it's hard work.

That liquid diet before surgery gets the weight off but they do surgery quickly after before it comes right back on.

To lose weight now, I go to lots of dense protein.  I count my calories and give myself the time I need to get it off.  I maintain at about 1400 a day and go to 900 calories a day to lose one pound a week.  For me it would take 15 weeks at 900 calories a day to lose 15 pounds.

I found that protein shakes slow things down for me because they leave me hungry and I end up eating more.

I track everything in My Fitness Pal and weigh everything before I eat it.  To prepare for a weight loss period I buy steak, roasts, chicken, pork, ground meat and fish and very little else.  I use some vegetables like celery, spinach, romaine, broccoli and cauliflower.  No bread, rice, cereal, sugar, potatoes, fruit or flour. 

I also weigh myself every day and make sure that I am on track.  Fifteen weeks for fifteen pounds might sound like a long time, but it will work and give you the best chance of keeping it off.

Good for you for getting on top of this before it gets out of hand, it may take a bit longer they you want to lose it this time but you said it took one year to put on 15 pounds so don't panic if it takes a bit to get it off, the liquid diet is a good jump start but then you have to concentrate on eating the right things, remember protein first and watch your portions, good luck you can do this. 

I have to agree with the others here; I would rely on real foods consisting of dense proteins to get me back to where I need to be (I am doing that at the moment actually).  Either way, good luck on your journey.  You will make it to where you want to be!

Love yourself enough to make better choices every single day. You know what to do now just do it!!

Well you definitely get support and hugs from me   Can you talk to your Doctor abut "why" they changed the dosage of your thyroid med? Some people can use "generic" thyroid/synthoid and others need the name brand or it messes up their metabolism. Talk with a doctor who specializes in metabolism and what not if you are feeling "off" or notice changes.....

I can do the generic synthroid (and have for 18 years) but my best friend has to have a specific name brand or it messes her up.

Good luck and happy Thanksgiving.

Warmly,

Jackie

You have already taken the hardest step by saying enough is enough and now I want to get back on track.  Here are some steps I hope will help you. They helped me...  I had no excuse but went back to stress eating :-( 

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.

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.  So I was either pushing to be diabetic or get cancer.  I found once I started carrying a bottle of water around 24/7 (yes had one at my bedside) I lost the cravings for the sugar and I KNOW those artificial sweeteners are not good for me. Look I am old and if you add up all the artificial sweeteners I have consumed I am sure I am at the rat in the lab getting cancer threshold.

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. 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.

Keep us posted on how you are doing