Rebounding from Regain 101

I am reading frequent posts again about regain. So, being the "King of Regain" I want to put some things out there that I have learned from my own experiences with regain. Regain sucks. There is no doubt about it, but for many people it's real, scary as hell, and absolutely befuddling. For those of you who have not had regain after surgery, you may not understand the confounding nature of regain, but believe me it is, for some, a real and honest confusion.

So here goes:

1. Regain is not inevitable.
2. Regain happens because you are eating more calories than your body requires to maintain its current weight.
3. Regain is highly emotionally charged. To deal with regain successfully you need to move past the emotion and self-judgment.

To get beyond the regain and to start losing you have to choose a path. There are several paths to take. The path you take is your choice. I have seen people be successful following OA and also using Cognitive Behavior Therapies to change behaviors. What I have not seen to work well is being resistant to change. To deal with regain the "regainee" must make changes.

If you are interested in learning more about personal experiences with OA, I suggest you research acbrown's posts. My path back from regain was therapy based. What I can tell you works from that approach is this:

1. You must be honest with yourself about your eating. The best way to do this is to log what you actually eat. Once you have a baseline of your true eating you can make changes. Without knowing what you are doing, it's hard to make sustainable changes.
2. Learn your triggers and accept them. Don't fight them. Learn to work with them. Cookies are a huge trigger for me. If I want a cookie I know what's coming my way - cravings that won't go away, cravings that can drive me to eat uncontrollably. If I choose to open that door, I need to live with the outcome.
3. Understand that cravings and compulsions are not a failure of character or lack of willpower. There is ample scientific evidence that proves that physiological, hormonal, and chemical changes occur, especially in those who are obese, to trigger uncontrollable and insatiable cravings. When you really grasp that, it's much easier to stay away from your trigger foods. It is possible to break the cycle, but it takes work and concerted effort.
4. Create a plan you can actually follow. Think about what that means. I can't follow a liquid diet for more than a day - if that. To me a liquid diet is punitive and I want no part of it. What I can do is cut carbs way back and eat tons of protein, salads and healthy fats. I can live that way for months and months.
5. You have to track your intake. End. Of. Subject. Without tracking you are flying blind. Sorry, it's the truth. Wrap your head around it.

I also want to point out that weight is fluid, not static. Most of us will bounce up and down for the rest of our lives. It may be a 5 pound bounce or a 20 pound bounce. It doesn't really matter (except of course, a 5 pound gain is a hell of a lot easier and quicker to be rid of than a 20 pound gain). What matters is that you are truthful with yourself and are willing to put the work into eating to lose weight once again. There is no magic pill, no miracle diet. It's about changing a lifetime of habits. For me, I figure it took me 47 years to get to the point of having WLS. It's going to take me a good many years to triumph over some of my issues and dependencies on food. I'm good with that. I'm in this for the long haul.

Recovering from regain requires work and effort on your part. If you have regain, the best advice I can offer you is to look in the mirror and ask yourself what you're willing to do about it. Only you truly have the answer.  

Great post! I have done the bouncy thing, best to catch it at 5 instead of 20 as you said!

Fantastic post Kairk. Everyone approaching maintenance should read this. Preferably once per day.

Thanks, Grim! 

Awesome post! I totally

Great post

Bookmarked. Thanks, kairk.

psychoticparrot

Well said. Personal responsibility is key.

I love the quote, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results".

We must make changes when necessary instead of jumping on the revision bandwagon. No surgery is magic.

Great post Kairk !!!

Great work, you have embraced this subject with an open mind, focus and determination to figure things out for yourself and many more who follow your posts !!!

I love the term "regainee" !!!

Also big props to acbrown for her effective direction !!!

frisco

Thanks, Frisco! Yeah, "regainee", it works, huh?