4.5 Years Post-Op... Are you??

I will be 5 years come April 2018. The struggle is real. I am sad to say I have gain almost 30 lbs back since 2015 when I had surgery on my knee. I started out at 346 and got to goal weight of 175 Maintenance of 163-168 and lowest at 155. Since 2015 it has been hard I pretty much stopped going to the gym as I was going 6 days a week 2-3 hrs a day for almost three years. Who else has had a struggle? I know what I need to do but cant seem to do it...

I'm about 3.5 years post-op now.

Exercise is awesome for your health, but when it comes to weight loss diet is what matters most. It gets easier to slack off with diet as time goes on - it's a matter of constant vigilance for sure.

If you're having trouble getting back on track, I recommend that you start measuring and tracking everything you put into your mouth using something like MyFitnessPal. This will let you see what's going on with your diet that you need to fix in order to get back to where you want to be.

You can do it!

STOP NOW!! 30 pounds is soooo doable!! do not let it get worse, you can do this, Gwen is right, track everything!!!

You can do it!!

I'm sorry you are struggling. Lean on us. Log your intake. Keep it real for yourself. I can't say I know how you feel as I'm at the beginning of my journey, but I can say that you are the only one who can make this happen. You did it once, which means you can do it again!

Diane

Well I hear you. I did beautifully for 5 years but have gained back about 15. It comes from travel and going to events where there are lots of snacks foods that are my weakness. I used to be religious about passing that stuff up but lately I have been indulging. I think its best if I have some dense protein before I go to such things. Really need to up exercise too. We can do this. Diane S

Diane,

On a regular day when you are not traveling... What do you eat? I do track and measure most days. My main issue is I'm choosing the wrong things and eating out. My body is hurting and I feel every pound. I dont know what my problem is. I know 30 pounds is doable and if it gets to be more it wont be. I need ideas I hate to cook and I do find myself eating out more and more which needs to stop.

I dont wait 30 mins to drink, or exercise much anymore bc I have joint issues, I drink diet soda which has never bothered me. In fact no food has every bothered me unless I ate to fast and then seem to get a watery mouth.. I haven't been to a support group in a while all of which I NEED TO DO, but cant seem to do it. I think I might need to take more time for myself as I dont and will not go back to what I use to be. Thank you all for the support. I guess its back to OH as we all need support at different times :)

ou have already taken the hardest step by saying enough is enough and now I want to get back on track. I maintained 118-125 for over 10 years after losing 200 pounds. Due to a personal tragedy I gained and hit the 190 mark a year ago. After several starts it finally clicked and I am back to goal losing 60 pounds of regain. Here are some steps that helped me and I hope they will help you too! You may have several starts and stops but don't give up, don't beat yourself up. IT WILL CLICK!!!

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 me posted on how you are doing.

Kathy, Thats Awesome!!!!! Thanks for sharing and CONGRATS for losing the regain! I know this is probably crazy but if you can text me so we could keep in touch that would be great. I will try all your tips and hopefully I can get it together.

NO, it's not a good idea and I have removed it. I will PM you and would be more than happy to stay in touch

I had surgery on my back and have gained slot back. I saw my surgeon today he said the sleeve can be revised I had been told it could not. He is sending me for tests and says it can be made smaller and other options are available.