Feeling discouraged

hi everyone I'm new to this site, a little info about me I had rny done March 2012 was 321lbs was down to 136 December 2014, then life struck, had 3 family members pass away got depressed and gained 20lbs, then in jun 2015 had fertility treatments done and gained 30lbs and became depressed, tried to take off the regain with not so good results. Here I am 3 years later still trying to get the regain off :( unfourtanetly I am very anemic which takes a lot of my energy I am not able to absorb iron orally my hematologist has me on iron 3 times a day and my blood work in three months was still horrible been having to get iron infusions every 3-6 months depending on how long my body decides to keep it for. I've recently just went back to the basics I started taking journey 3+3 multi vitamins and this is the first product with iron that hasn't made my extremely ill, and I went back on the protein shakes been using protein creamer in coffee in the morning and drinking priemer protein shake for lunch and dinner, drinking 60-80 oz of water a day over the last two weeks I've only lost 8lbs, I have a very demanding life I work 2 jobs plus take care of someone at home so no time to go to the gym or anything like that, not sure if I need advice or just some support PLEASE HELP so tired all the time

I am over 10 years out. Here is my advice:

1. Around year three, it is normal for the body to go through bounce-back regain. It is normally 20 pounds. It can happen even if you don't have traumatic events and even if you stick to your food plan. It is the body's way of healing from the RNY. It is rare not to have bounce back by the end of year three.

2. Life happens to everyone single one of us. People get sick, have problems, and die. We need a plan to deal with those things. Most of us might need therapy. I know that I did. Otherwise, I would have used food to deal.

3. I had my last protein shake after I had regain in year three. They are great for getting in extra calories when your system cannot handle regular food. Now I get my nourishment from food.

4. Fertility treatments, depression treatments and other treatments cause weight gain, unless calories are lowered to cover them.

How to get it off now:

Get a good food scale and weigh everything, then track everything. No mindless eating.

Work with a therapist to learn ways to deal with life that don't involve food.

Until you make those steps, weight will be a lifetime roller coaster ride.

I love to track every bite I eat, said nobody ever. It is not fun but it is the only way to get a grip on eating and get control of it.

As usual,beautifully put!

thank you for posting this- I have gained about 20 from my lowest of 118-125 pounds 2 1/2 years out. it has been very very hard emotionally.

i want this on a t-shirt! I'm pre-op, so I think all the words will fit! :-)

I think 8 pounds in 2 weeks is amazing!!! i would love to shave off that much in 2 weeks! Keep it up!

I agree with supershopper, my understanding is that its much harder to lose regain than it was to lose during the honeymoon phase.
It sounds like you have been through A LOT of hard stuff but you seem to be on the right track now with your health. Good luck :)

White Dove is spot on. I would only reiterate, weigh and track your food. At this far out past surgery, your pouch is much bigger and protein shakes will not fill you up. Eat dense protein so you actually feel satiated. Chicken breast, ground turkey, steak, pork, eggs, cottage cheese, tuna, fish, shrimp. I promise if you weigh out 6 oz of chicken breast, you probably won't be able to eat it all. And it's 225 calories and 40 g of protein, so it's a big bang for your buck. Losing regain is wayyyy harder than the initial first year or so. Like you, I started at 351 and got to 160 and now I am in the 170s and for some reason, after losing half my body weight, I am really struggling with losing 10 lbs. It means really buckling down, weighing food, eating lots of dense protein, low carbs, and drinking ons of water. Try to make a goal of 100 oz of water a day. That means you will be drinking all day except during meals and for 30 minutes after.

If you have a Trader Joes near you then you can stock up on lots of ready to eat protein like deli meat, chicken strips, chicken burgers, fish etc. Even your regular grocery store has lots of items that you can grab and go since you are so busy.

Good luck!

I agree- it is really hard to lose now- ive been increasing water intake, staying off processed foods as much as possible, limiting eating out, etc. It is just not budging.

The only way it will ever move again is counting calories. Start with logging every bite. It is really hard and it is part of the process. I lose at 800 calories. Maintain at 1350. Gain at any more.