Need Help Getting Back on Track

I find this very interesting. The weight gain after plastics. I gained around 2 lbs after PS and I didn't have lipo done with my plastics. 5 months after my PS I had my gallbladder out. After by GB surgery I gained 6lbs!! Seems like do matter how much I work out right now the weight is staying at this new #!!!! Freaking me out!! Now I am really lost!! I have noticed people gaining weight after plastics but maybe it's just because we are all further out in our journeys and it's a natural occurence.

Read Terri's post a few posts down. I don't know if she regained but she posted about how she lost 14 pounds in 5 weeks and she is over three years out. Good luck.

Hi Betsy! A few months ago, I was having the same problems. I am almost 3 years out and at 2 years post-op I started gaining weight. I gained about 30 pounds. In the last 2 months, I have lost 16 of those pounds. For me the biggest problem was the carb demon. I had gradually let refined carbs back into my life and for me carbs just make me crave more carbs. And of course it was the crackers, bread, candy that I craved. I will have the agree the first three days were awful. I didn't do a protein fast but that seems to work well for some people. I personally didn't entirely cut out carbs but significantly limited them and ate only at natural carbs (mainly veggies at first and then some lower GI fruits). I joined an exercise challenge so I would have someone to be accountable to and just went from there. The first week or so was challenging but now it is just so much easier and I don't have those strong carb cravings. Please feel free to e-mail me if I can be of any help. Mary

Hi there Mary... I think I have posted this before so you probably read it somewhere, but yes I am 3.5 years out, had tummy and arms done in July and was ok, don't think there is a corralation between plastics and weight regain but I could be wrong. Havin my legs and boobs done next year.... Anyways last year in January I FINALLY got on that scale and found out EXACTLY how much I gained...25 pounds !! Yep can you beleive it, I was horrified and disgusted with myself. I knew it had been some weight gain cuz everything was gettn tight tight TIGHT. My problem is sweets and bread, and I got away from going to my doctor, support groups and keepn track of what I was eatn. Grazing grazing way too much. I realize now more than ever that I am a FOOD ADDICT!! I love it, obsess about it and even watch it on tv all the time. I have since taking off the weight and then some after about 3months. Got that protein back in my life, vitiamins, doctors, support and most of all that all mighty scale. I weigh myself every week or two to keep accountable. I excersie and do something, anything about 6times a week including weight training. But thats just me I like to work out anyways.. i really watch my carbs, the bad ones cuz they fill me up and then I don't want my protein. We have to really watch ourselves further out and no I do not stay away for every bad thing, I just pick and chose. I am meltn down to a 10 which is great since I have been a steady 12 for a long time, happy too but i do keep my self accountable. So I say pick yourself up and start all over, find the thing that you like to do and move a bit more, eat that protein, drink water and still enjoy life. I had to learn the hard way the life is not all about food but it sure makes it fun!! hee,hee... Take care... Kim in chicago

Hi, I also went through the same regain after the 2nd year, I was down to 150 after my tummy tuck, my lowest, then I gained about 5-6 pounds and stayed there for about a year. Between my 2.5 and 3.5 year I gained another 20 lbs. This past July I said that was enough, I started back on high protein, lots of water, taking my vits, quite drinking alcohol (adds alot of calories), didn't exercise too much, should of, but kept my calories between 1000 and 1200, it was hard but now I'm back and weigh the least amount I have in my entire adult life, 139. I found that the more protein I ate the fuller I stayed and did my best to resist the temptation of carbs. I did allow myself a treat each day, even if it was small, it gave me something to look forward to and if I didn't allow myself that I would binge like I used to. Unfortunately it takes pure determination and you have to keep telling yourself that you didn't go through all we did to let it slip away. Try and stay focused and maybe have a buddy to help you along. The first few days are hard, but it is worth it, it is possible to regain control. You can do it, I know you can!!

I am two and a half years out from having a RNY and I started to put back on weight about 8 months ago. I have put back on about 25lbs. I can sit here and list numberous reasons... but the bottom line is that I stopped following the rules. I have not been on this site for nearly a year. However, last week when I realized I had nothing in my closet that was fitting I made up my mind to get back to this website. I also notice that I was starting to isolate myself again from my friends and making all kinds of excuses for not going out. My self esteem and confidence was starting to go again. I have been reading all your post and so far from Monday to today I have been doing well. I will weigh again on Monday. I am doing the protein thing. I have cut out all my carbs (and the red wine!) I find this site very encouraging. I am also very happy to say that I am getting back my old symptoms when I do not obey the rules. This is telling me that my pouch REALLY is a tool that I can fall back on. For example: I just had half a chicken breast and then without thinking I went and drank some crystal lite. I just brought it back up. This is what used to happen way back. I used to be under the name Judy Freedom..... I cannot figure out how to get back my old profile. I would love to update it. I am so gald to see that I am not the only one that has put back on weight and now is trying to take it off. I hope every one keeps on posting...It really does help to read other posts.. Judy

You said the words right out of my mouth! I had RNY 2 years ago, and started gaining weight right after I had a TT, and breast aug. Have no idea why, and trying to figure it out! I gained back 18 pounds now. I am scared and depressed. I cannot seem to stop the weight from coming back on. I cut out the bad carbs and went to decaf coffee. I hope to see a difference soon! Maybe we can keep each other in check by our emails so we can be accountable. I just don't have the answers, but I need some.

wow! how good God is for leading me back home and into the arms of the people that are feeling my same pain. i would never think of a carb as my enemy but at a whopping 187 pounds, carbs have GOT to be the worst thing i've discovered, including sliced bread!!! my lowest weight 17 months after surgery was 152, ofcourse i did look like a skeleton but i was ecstatic. now i am seriously shooting for a solid 160 because it looks good AND feels good on me. if i have to annihalate (?sp?) any carbs i see, then so be it, i'd like to kill them BEFORE they kill me. i have a girlfriend who was my inspiration for this surgery in the first place that has (by the looks of things) gained back most, if not all of her weight, secondary to alcohol and carbs. i remember the 4th of July after my surgery, almost a year to the day after hers, when she was eating atomic cake and i was thinking, i'll NEVER eat cake. and now i do. so it's back to the basics and we all know what to do, there's just something lost in the translation between knowing and doing!!! this is where we need to rely on our higher power (in my case God) to get me through the rough patches. okay, i've rambled enough and here's to looking at those size 10's under the tree.... the only other thing i'd like to add for pre ops, is that i NEVER exercised, not during my entire post op period, and personally, i think i did myself a great disservice. this thing is about changing your lifestyle and changing your mind. a word to the wise, make exercise a daily thing like brushing your teeth, i don't care what it is pilates on the floor, running on the tread mill, going to the club, going for a walk. DO SOMETHING please!

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am 2+ years out, haven't reached my goal weight and am currently struggling with a little weight gain. After reading everyone's posts, I feel so much stronger and ready to face this problem with some "tools". I started visiting this website again, am joining a support group and tossing the carbs. Evil, evil carbs. If I can offer any suggestions to new gastric patients, I would say do not test yourself after the surgery to see what bad foods you can now tolerate. I know there are no bad foods but for me there are foods that trigger overeating. I can still remember the first time I ate french fries after the surgery (it was over one year after surgery) and I felt so proud!!! It was a slippery slope for me. Thank you everyone for your support. I am reassured that others have experienced what I am going through and have come out successful.

I am so glad I started this thread - many of you have recommitted to working the tool and losing the weight you've gained. I wish I could say I was one of them. I know myself well enough to know that I cannot ban carbs from my life. I can limit them, but as soon as I ban any food group, I crave it even more. Do I wish I had never started eating them again? Yes! And let that be a word to the [early post-ops] wise. I'm just so frustrated, especially with the holidays upon us. Every meal is a challenge to avoid fattening foods. BTW, I had an upper GI (barium swallow) done at the hospital last Friday. The tech said she did not see a SLD, but she DID see a stretched stoma and pouch. I probably won't get to see the doc again until after the holidays, but I'm curious to see if he suggests adding a lap band to my RNY (which he mentioned he does sometimes when there is a streched stoma and pouch). As much as I don't want another surgery, I would be more than willing to undergo this procedure if I thought it would reduce my pouch's capacity for food. Honestly I'm not eating any differently than I did in my second year post-op. I stayed at 125 that entire second year and was able to eat carbs. I truly feel it's the amount of food it takes to make me feel satisfied that has caused my gain. Thanks everyone for writing in with your support. I will definitely start following this message board more often - even during the holidays! Hugs, Betsy