Never reached goal, now gaining. Three plus years out.

WOW! You guys are so awesome and encouraging! I regret not coming here before with my problem... maybe I wouldn't have gained back the 20 pounds. But I now feel so ready to get back on track. I think the first step was admitting it and turning it over to God. It's morning here in North Carolina, and I feel ready to start it right! I'm cutting back on coffee, and thinking before I start putting those carbs in my mouth! Fear of rejection kept me from seeking help before. I guess I just felt like a failure. Now I see I'm not alone. The support is so important, as several of you have said. THANK YOU SO MUCH, to all the loving people on this website. I LOVE YOU ALL! I just pray that I can be as helpful to someone else when the time comes. Barb

Eating is the bane of of my existance. My only savior is that I love exercise and do it 3-4 days a week. I had never reached goal. I went from 371 to 220 and then all the way up to 251. I have recently lost down to 233. It is a struggle and I have to be diligent every single day. I have not come this far to fail. I am happier when I have some control and am practicing good habits. I know how that loss of control can affect your mood and self-esteem. The holidays knocked me for a loop. I am back on track today and confident I will lose another 20 pounds before the summer. It is hard but your future depends on good choices. I hope you can find it within yourself to succeed.

I agree with everything that's been said here. I think that diet programs do people a grave disservice because they suggest that once you lose the weight it just magically stays off. WRONG!! I think every one of us will have to fight every day of the rest of our lives to keep our weight down. The secret is to find a way that YOU can live with. Some things that have helped me: 1. I am a carb addict. But eating a lot of protein stabilizes me. I try to take in between 55-100 grams of protein a day, depending on the amount of exercise I am doing. I use protein bars and drinks to supplement chicken, fish, and some meat. 2. I like to munch. Some days I fix a big salad with beans, chicken, veggies, etc., and munch on it all afternoon while I work. I also find that low fat triscuits and wheat thins give me a good crunch and only add about 100-150 calories. 3. I use exercise to tone up and feel good. It also allows me to eat more. Create a workout program that YOU like and will stay with. As long as you are pushing yourself (sweating, raising your heart rate, working your muscles, etc.) it can be any combination of exercises you like. Exercise also helps cut the appetite. 4. Accept that this is a long term project, and consistency is much more important than intensity (eating and exercise both). Your body will respond to what you do every day for a year -- not what you do for a couple of days here and there. 5. Analyze your eating problems. Figure out ways to accomodate your specific issues within the context of losing weight. For example, I have a hard time leaving food on the plate. I know this. So I often bring food home in a doggie bag, and then the next day, when the craving has passed, I throw it away. The same if I buy it at a food store. So what if it's wasting money? It's not ending up on my thighs! I have a cake in my frig right now (left over from Xmas) that I can't bear to throw away. That's alright. I'm allowing myself to leave it there, and I will throw it out later in the week when it's not so appetizing. I like having it in my frig for some reason. That's OK. The point is: I'm not eating it! I am learning to live with my disability, you could say. I hope these help. Just one comment: the exercise program you are signed up for sounds good. However, those 4 months before you start could be deadly. You may not want to wait until then to take control of your life. It's YOUR body and YOUR life, so you have to decide what those 4 months are worth. You can go to a gym and start your own program now. Whichever works for you. Good luck! We are all in the same boat..... so just keep rowing!

Substituting saves my behind. I will have multi grain crackers and good cheese over chips. I have nuts instead of candy. I choose extra veggies over the potatoe. Egg beaters and turkey bacon over whole eggs and reg bacon. Oven baked over fried. Buckwheat pancakes over regular..etc.... Finding alternatives to those bad foods is essential.

I'm 54 soon to be 55. I hate to exercise. I guess that was part of the reason I needed surgery. I started at 262. I now weigh 157, up from 146. Grrrr! Never made it to goal of 142. So close I could smell it but couldn't quite get there. Part of it is the mental aspect. I've always told myself that if I could only get to 142, I'd be happy. The closer I got, the more I realized that I still wouldn't be happy until I worked on the issues that got me to that place in the first place. So I've been working on some of those issues and I think (I hope) I've resolved part of it with the help of a therapist. Then I ran into some health problems with low blood sugar. If I don't eat every 2 hours, my blood sugar drops like a rock. Makes it hard to lose wt. So I'm finally getting those issues sorted out. It's get real time for me. I began yesterday. I'm cutting carbs out of my diet. I just can't eat them. The more I eat, the more I want. I want to make my goal. I can do anything I set my mind to - I AM WOMAN, HEAR ME ROAR! I like water aerobics, so I'm doing that at least 3 times a week. It's easy on my poor pathetic joints. You are at a cross road. You can get off your duff, pick yourself up, and get back to the program, or you can continue to eat. Your choice. I think you will choose getting back on the program. None of us have come this far just to end up back where we started. You can do this! You have made the first step by coming back to the board. Keep coming!

Barb- Thanks for your honesty. This is a great post because it addresses an issue that most people don't want to face or acknowledge, most people never reach their goal. Wls ultimately is a tool which helps us manage our weight, but it doesn't automatically make everyone thin. I don't think most wls surgeons and programs don't emphasis this facts. You must remember that wls is considered a success if you lose 50-75 percent (depending on what type of surgery you had) of you excess weight. So if you start out at 300 and you goal is weigh 150 than you are considered a success if you lose 75 -113 pounds. One thing I noticed when I used to attend wls support meetings was many people lost 100+ pounds but were still overweight, by medical standards. Another interesting fact I learned from my ps, who has been "reconstructing" bariatric patients for over 15 years, who informed me I was the second patient he has ever seen reach a normal body weight. Two patients in over fifteen years ???? Barb, just a suggestion what help me with my food addiction is eating 5-6 small meals a day. I eat protein first and never drink with my meals. I find the smaller meals stop me from binging. And eating smaller meals regularly seems to boost my metabolism and I drop weigh quicker then when I eat only 3 meals a day. Donna Open RNY Mar 18 2003 282/143/140