I need help!!! 1 yr. post op.

I need some advice!! I am almost a year and a half post op. I have been doing very well lately. Snacking has become a habit I am trying to over come. I started back to college this year and I have not been exercising and have picked up some bad habits. I don't want to gain all the weight back I have lost!! I was doing soooo good, but now I am soooo disappointed in myself! Can anyone give me some advice on how to get back on track?? menu ideas? exercies ideas? anything!!!! Thank you soooo much!! Tracy

Going back to school is a stressful time - make sure your snacks are protein forward and not junk food. Try to make the snacking at least healthy until you can get it under control. Walk the campus between classes and park farther away so you have to walk more to class. Every little bit helps. hang in there - you'll be back on track in no time.

Tracy, I don't know if I have advice for you, and I am not as young as you but I have the same problems as you,I think. I am 2 and a half yrs out and can not exercise right now because of knee and hip pains. I am fighting myself all the time with the snack thing. I am still not at my goal. I am eating things I should not, but I think people who are at normal weight do this fighting too. I think it is something we are going to have to for the rest of our lives. I am prepared for the fight and am glad I am where I am right now. I do hope I lose more but I am alot healthier than I was 130#s ago.

Hi Tracy, Going to support group meeting has helped me tremendously. I'm 11 months post open RNY and also find it difficult at times to stay on trac****ep reminding myself that I have a tool that restricts my intake and that I must drink water, exercise, eat protein first and no grazing. I know that it would be easy for me to slip back into old ways but I don't want the old life. I like how I feel now (down 125 pounds) and I have the same challenges as my best friend who weighs 125 pounds. GOod luck and don't give up! Pearl

At 2+ years my pouch will only hold 4 oz of dense protein at a meal. However I find I'm hungry again within 2 hours. I've decided it's ok to snack, but I make sure they are healthy snacks and fit within my daily calorie range of 800-1200. I eat an apple, 4 strawberries, 10 almonds, stick of beef jerkey, 1 cheese slice or stick, etc for a snack. I eat 5-6 small meals a day at this point. If I allowed myself to get back into the candy, crackers, chips I would feel bad about my snacking and be gaining weight, but if I make the right choices it's no big deal. If I were you I'd go cold turkey eating nothing but protein for at least 1 day to get the carbs out of my system. Then return to a healthy food plan. Remember we bought into this for the long term. Surgery helps us lose the weight but it takes personal commitment to keep the weight off. You can do this if you put your mind to it. Best of luck!