for those who have gained back weight....

Hi Karen,  I reached my goal weight in just under 2 years. I lost over 240 pounds. I went down to 189# and the surgeon said I would probably never get under 200. But I was determined to get there. Then, I got a job where I could not go to the gym and exercise and was teaching from sun up to sun down, 15 hours a day. Eating habits were HORRIBLE. I gained 40# back. I was feeling all upset and blah again. I have now in the last 8 weeks, lost 22#. I am feeling much better about myself again. i am eating right, walking again and getting back into the things that make me happy. I am determined to get back to where I was and hopefully, just a few more off. Get back to the basics that you were taught before WLS.I am sure you will do fine....and btw, the honeymoon is never over

At one point I (after extended illness post op) I dropped too low and worked hard to re-gain. Geesh, I did that really well:  began sipping with my meals, adding more carbs (albiet complex carbs) as snacks. Drank w/ meals & ate more carbs.   Period Went from 128 to 173.  Took 6 months to do it.  Had to recoil - regroup & take back control:  worked hard to re-learn NOT to drink/sip with meals and to LIMIT carbs. Have been maintaining 159-162 for almost 3 years now (top of IDEAL range & happy to be here!) I was amazed at how well the tool worked WHEN I worked the tool.  Then AND now...

After my first WLS surgery I lost about 75 lbs. Only needed to loose 65 to be in the healthy range. Well thenm had some complications and lost a total of 120 lbs putting me in the underweight catergory. Well as working through the process of getting things corrected they instructed me to eat whatever I could to get calories in. Well now that things are fixed, I have gained back now 60 lbs. This is due to the bad eating habits. I got used to eating anything I wanted again, and it is now hard to break the habit. I would like to loose 35 of it again and get back on track.  Bridget

Hi Karen, If you look back a couple of pages on April10th there is a discussion thread called Maintenance.  There is SOOOooo much great information on there.  It helped me so much.  Check it out, I think you will find some answers there too. :) Katie

Karen, I think you are on the right track, anticipating what can happen after the honeymoon.  Mine lasted about 18 months.  For the past 6 months I have gone back to some of the habits that brought me to require WLS in the first place.  I've not been to the gym in over a week.  I dropped from exercising three to five times per week to once in a while.  I'm also using food as a crutch to avoid feelings.  I'm working on this in therapy, but it's not easy to break a pattern of many years.  I also have developed the habit of grazing while I'm at work.  On a positive note, I do not drink with meals and I try to get in at least 40 ounces of water per day.  The thing that I am finding the most helpful is to keep a food journal.  I am the only one who sees it, so I am accountable only to myself.  I wish you well with your struggles.  I know it is definitely worth it, even on days where I want to throw in the towel.  Keep remembering wat you have accomplished this far. Joan