How many of you have gained weight?

Have u gotten to goal and then put some back on? Have u gotten close to goal and never made it? 6 months out and weight has stalled- I know it's because I take in too many calories of the wrong things....would like to lose another 15 or so just to give myself some wiggle room. I do get concerned that a year from now I will be able to eat so much more and I will be screwed. Can any of you eat the same amounts- at one sitting- that you did prior to surgery? I know I need to stop grazing- but I worry that my meal portions will get as big as they used to be.

I'm at goal and have been for a year. I cannot eat what I did prior to surgery. I can eat more than right after surgery but nowhere near what I packed in prior. I just had two pieces of cheese toast. No crust and I am stuffed right now. I don't normally do bread but this a.m. wanted something other than cottage cheese. Grazing is the killer! Snacking is a killer. Today I have resolved no snacking at all today. Only protein, protein, protein and I will walk at least two miles. I've lost 235 lbs.

I never reached goal and I have had bounce back. I am working on the emotional side of my grazing now. Just found an excellent book to help me with that. "Life is Hard, Food is Easy" by Linda Spangle RN, MA. It is very well written and I will be starting the program that she outlines in it to help me identify why I eat, when I eat. If I can stop the eating when I am not hungry it would be a very big help. The amounts that I eat at a time are not large, but we can eat our way right back to MO if we are not careful. I do NOT intend to go there. Sandy

Hi Karen, I made it to goal at 9 months post-op. It was much easier for me before I felt hunger. Now it's a daily challenge to make good choices and not graze. I don't ever think I can let down my guard, I'm a food addict period. I can eat more than I did early on but not nearly what I did as a pre-op. Wish you the best. Dana

I currently bounce between 5-8 pounds of my goal (and have since December) - doctors goal is another 5 pounds down - so I am about 10-15 pounds from the doctors goal. IF i eat my protein and IF i drink my water and IF i stay away from simple carbs (crackers, etc) - I can eat very little....when i make bad choices by eating crackers - I seem to be able to eat constantly. Those crackers and other simple carbs (the crackers are about all I eat) keep me from getting to goal. Yes I can eat a whole lot (although not as much as before the surgery) of the wrong stuff---the tool is working if I use it, because I still can't eat more than about 3 -4 oz of protein at a sitting and if I eat that first, I can't eat much more...

Karen, I too worried after surgery that I would be able to eat more after surgery. I can tell you that you can. I am now almost 3 years out I can eat more than I could after surgery. Somedays I get full really fast and other days I can eat so much in one sitting it's scary. Just depends. What I have to watch is eating something and then waiting 20 mins and finishing it. For example I can only eat half a home made hamburger but if I wait a bit I can fini**** off. I should just throw that other half away but its a battle. When they say this is just a tool they are right, it does't fix your head and it does get hard after 18 months. All I can tell you is that you need to learn how to eat now when the portions are very small, because if you don't have your head on straight you may just go back to your old ways. I'm not saying you will gain it all back but I know taht most of my bariatric friends have all gained around 15lbs back after 18months. It seems normal. I'm not trying to scare you just being honest. Grazing like others have said is a killer. Carbs are the devil. LOL During easter this year I gained 5lbs and its killing me to get it off. I was a goal weight but then I got pregnant at 13 months out and gained of course. I got all but 10lbs off and then I gained 5 recently. It's much harder when you get used to snacking and eating more during the day. Just remember that it's harder after 18months and everyone struggles, the old issues don't go away if you don't make it a life change. Best, Kim

I never made it to gaol. and i jave gained 15 lbs in the last 2 months i am 2years out and i cant seem to stop grazing and snacking... when i snack i can eat a whole lot , but when i eat food, I get full fast I am tring to go back to protein and water and working out, but there is always someething in the way... A appointment, A hard night at the night shift, etc etc etc.. have to get motivated to start no mater what... Any ideas? Alberto

Karen, 4 to 6 pounds below Goal for about 17 months now. Still holding. Went from 385lbs to 179lbs -I'm 6'1" tall. I fluctuate back and forth from 181 to 179 depending on day of the week, But so far no "re-gain." Not a "grazer," but waiting for the "other shoe to drop" as to Mal-absorption. Early complications took a few extra chunks of my intestines here and there And I am Vigilant about my Vitamins and supplements. So Far, so Good. Right at 3 years Post-Op and headed in for PS this July. "Able" to eat a good bit at one sitting, But not anywhere near what I was regularly eating before. I'm a "multiple-small-meals" feeder, and as a result, Rarely if ever actually get hungry. I just eat when it's my "time to eat." I think that has helped me a lot. Not a "success" yet, just a work in progress. Check back at year 6! Best Wishes - Dx

Karen, I am 23 months out and continue to loose (at a snails pace now); however, I am an avid excerciser. I am 18 lbs below doctors goal. I contiually need to fight the grazing and carb monster each day of the week. On the average I can eat a 1 to 1 1/2 cups of food depending on the density. The more dense the protein the less I eat, versus beans which I can consume larger portions. At your phase I stayed away from simple carbs and stick to protein and complex carbs...I still follow those rules 95% of the time. Mary 415/162

This is so weird that I found this post this morning. I was at my goal of 160 pounds before Christmas. I have NOT been making good food choices and had quit exercising. I finally had the courage to get on the scale- it wasn't as bad as I thought- 181. So, back to measuring, NO GRAZING, NO CHEETOS!!! LOL I am terrified that I will gain it all back- I did NOT go through all of that pain to become obese again. I had stalled at about 9 months out and started really exercising and that is how I reached my goal weight. My friend who had the surgery about a year before I did said it best-- "They fix your stomach, they don't fix your mind". I still have the mind of an obese person, that is what we have to work on. At least, that is what I have to work on.