4 yrs out & i cant believe im GAINING!

I'm right there with you!  Pat yourself on the back!!  You've recognized what is going on and now are ready to remedy it.  We're here for you.  Keep us posted!! PennyB

see baybaby, isn't this a great place to be! You soo belong here on the grad board! Welcome! There's a sense of  comradery here, although we're all at different places on our weightloss journey, we have a lot in common. I love it here. Since I've been coming to this board I have stopped my night time snacking (which was every one to two hours through the WHOLE night), except for one night. I've almost stopped my day time snacking...probably 10 snacks in 12 days, vs eating all day long. And I've reduced my alcohol intake to a bout a 10th, currently on my 4th day in a row without a drink, and only have had one drink in 8 days and don't have a desire for it at this point. All because of the support of these people. I came on here kinda hoping I could find someone who would say I could get away with snacking all night, eating all day, and drinking 7 days a week and give me some magic idea to STILL lose weight. Instead I found the support I needed to live healthy and happy again.  I wish I had found this place a long time ago...now to get on the workout wagon again!  But again baybaby, welcome, hope you stick around for a while! Leslee

Leslee - you are so right!! Thanks for telling me about the grad board.  it feels OK to know that im not alone in this & that others are facing/have faced the same thing i am. I dont think i realized until lately that i HAVE been "snacking" all day... literally!! all day - like something every 2 hours. at night - im OK. but during the day, here at the office - its an all day thing. nuts, cheeseits/crackers, microwave popcorn, those 100 cal Kudos bars, yogurt. cottage cheese & fruit, what ever is in the kitchen basically. so the trick is now - how do i stop that?? As far as working out; I have a couple of suggestions for you. 1) how far do you live from work? would you be ale to take public transit & then bike? Reason - i live less than 5 miles from work. that said, Ive recently started quite the  trend here at the office (thank you) for taking public transit & biking to work. why? 1 - its green(er); 2 - exercise!!; 3 - saves money on GAS (which is $4.55+ mind you here NorCal) - not in that order & the same doesnt apply to all who participate. but those are some pretty good justifications to bike or do a combo (if your too far) of biking & public transit. 2) ive drafted a 30-day work out calendar that ive been following under the pretence that "i can do anything for 30-days" I'd be glad to send it to you & you can edit as you like, but its something that helps keep me accountable & on track. Thanks again,  cg

I would love the calendar. You can send it to [email protected] And I live about 30 steps from work. I teach out of my home. Seriously, if I don't have anything I HAVE to leave the house for.. I sit at home all day long...eating and sleeping, and I teach singing lessons, so I sit behind my piano 2-5 hours a day..and that's it! If I put a pedometer on and didn't go to the store or something that day, I would probably average around 500 steps a day.. vs the 10,000 to 20,000 needed for weight loss! Hmm problem?!! I could clean more..and really maybe I'll work that into my daily activies more...as our house could use it ;) A house can never be too clean right? But yeah, I realized all my snacking once when I added up "points" from weigh****chers, I had FAR exceeded my points before 11:00 a.m!!! And that was a year ago when my puch could hold even LESS! I stopped losing weight about a year and a half ago, and started gaining a year ago, with a total of a 35 lb weight gain in a year. YIKES! So...yes so far I have my snacking and drinking under control, so the next baby step is to move! Leslee

You are doing VERY WELL!!!  I knwo 1st hand how hard it is to break that cycle. I would come home every evening & fix me a vodka-cran/vodka-orange-cran or a vodka-ruby red. I had to stop buying the vodka - stop going in that area of the grocery store in order to not buy it so i would drink it! I think ive only had like 2 alcoholic drinks in the past 2 weeks (cant believe its been that long already). Mind you, thats b/c im on some other meds that i cant drink with & want to give THAT on honest try. NOT B/C OF THE DIETING THING. **sighs**. but i suppose no matter the reason, i guess the outcome of the same. So i can totally empathize with you & want you to know that i think your doing a great job! I'll be sure to send over the work out cal. shortly.

You are doing sooooo good!  I know it feels good too.  I still have my night time snacking attacks...but at least I know they can be healthy snacks rather than some of my previous bad ideas. I gave myself a wicked belly ache for the last time last night with a cheese danish...I scraped off the sugar glaze and it was cheese ...that's protein right?  SEE THIS???? I can talk some smack to myself when I want to justify being naughty!  I sent away all the chips and cookies on a camping trip with my son...So I'm good for the weekend...LOL It's so hard sometimes...but you are right...support is a wonderful thing and I'm glad you decided it was time you let someone hold your hand or at least just lend an ear...I know I could talk up a storm if only my body moved as fast as my mouth!  LOL   Oh well...It keeps me on track...even if I gotta bore you all to tears!   Glad you are doing so well!   Keep it going!   Cheese danishes are not a good protein snack...especially at night!

All righty - lets try this again... I did some digging & found the following: After you are home, add the rollowing vitamin/mineral supplements: 1 - Flinstones Complete chewable multivitamin/mineral (2 tabs/day) 2- Vitamin B12 (250 mcg) (1tab /day under tongue) 3- Supplemental calcium (liquid or chewable) to meet RDA (1000-1500 mg/day) (Tums work well, in the amount of 500 mg of cal w/ meals 2-3x/day) 4- For menstrating females only - Iron supplement (350mg/day) 5- 40g protein/day Is there anything that Im missing? What can/cant - should/shouldnt be taken in conjunction with what?? When is the best time to take ... (say - the protein for example)? Why cant i take the NONCHEWABLE multi vita like i have been? do i really have to take a chewable?? Thanks guys :) cg 

I dunno where you got THAT list from...but I personally disagree with it's suitability for an adult... 1. Flintstones are for kids!  Plain and simple... many people take an adult multivit in pill form and have no trouble.  ME?  I am obviously sensitive to malabsorption...so I take an adult chewable (centrum to be exact) because I know that it is not sitting in my pouch possibly not getting fully dissolved...With a chewable, I know it begins to absorb immediately because of the saliva enzymes and is liquid by the time it hits my pouch...It has vitmins that childrens do not have...such as Vit K and selenium and other vits that are not included in childrens vits because they can be toxic if the child decides to take too many...which some children do because they taste like candy... 2. I personally take 1000mcg B-12 sublingual...But my NUT said 500 mcg was fine.  My B-12 is really high @ 1127 (it's the only one I have taken regularly for 4.5 years and it's the only one that my doc was pleased with the results!)  3. Calcium must be Calcium Citrate and NOT Tums / calcium carbonate.  We can't absorb the carbonate and it is said to cause gallstones....Citrate is better absorbed for WLS people! (1000-2000mg elemental ) Calcium Citrate Malate is even better if you can find that form...There is anotehr form that I have recently learned of that is even MORE aborbable...I don't have calcium issues...so I'm happy with the calcium citrate. I get a chewable of the CCMalate at Wegman's Grocery Store...Their vitamins are outstanding and cater to WLS people...I get Upcal D there too. (it's a powder and melts on the tongue or in a drink) But I found that Calcium Citrate is better on my belly if it contains magnesium...(helps with bloating and constipation) UpCal D has no mag in it, but it's so nice and easy to take...PLUS...Personally, I am magnesium deficient so I gotta have mag!  ALSO...You cannot absorb any calcium without Vit D3...Not fat soluable Vit D...But Vit D3 in dry form rather than in oil...(We malabsorb fat so all the fat soluable vits need to be in dry form (powder in capsules)  Those vits are A, D, E and K....I am low or VERY low on all of those...except K which I don't know if I am or not.  4. Iron...My Nut had me taking 50mg Iron as Amino Acid chelate (chewable)...I did for a while...but it was so expensive I just quit.  Bad idea...It tastes great...but if I took it at night, in the morning my mouth tasted metallic...That happened last night...YUCK!!!!  But I am anemic now and I take 325mg of Tender Iron (chewables) and 108 mg of the Iron as amino acid chelate DAILY!!!!!  That's 17 iron tablets...I can't swallow that all...so I am happy to find them in chewable and they do not taste like blood or metal...I get the Tender Iron from Vitalady.com....I went from anemic to in very low but normal ranges in two months!  The Tender Iron is "carbonyl" iron and is non-toxic in very high doses, does not usually cause constipation or other painful side effects like ferrous sulfate and other metal tasting iron salts that do not work!  Iron salts need stomach acid and the small intestines to absorb it....We do not have much stomach acid and our small intetines are bypassed...So the salts go thru our system causing all kinds of awful side effects for no good reason!  So many docs have not updated or educated themselves on RNY and our unique anatomy and so they give so many people this wrong iron because it is "by the book"....These poor wls anemics end up becoming severely anemic and in need of infusions which are much like chemo therapy....Carbonyl iron helped me escape infusions even though my doc gave me iron salts...I refused to take them...I'm better because I did my research and trusted myself. I took the Ferrous sulfate for three days and thought I was dying. Threw those puppies all over the lawn...It's nice and green now! 5. Personally....I aim for 80-100 g of protien and no less than 60 g....If I only get 60 gs, I know I ate too many carbs!  Protein keeps my muscles fed and weight maintained...Carbs just make my pouch grumpy , noisy and smelly (if ya know what i mean)  Complex carbs don't make me that way but I still try to keep my carbs below my 100g of protein...When my carbs are more than my protein, i make sure I have gotten those carbs from fiber and good carbs, not sugar or processed flour...Fiber cancels carbs...So if my protein is 100 and my carbs are 120....If I have 40 g of fiber...I can subtract the 40 fiber from the 120 carbs and am left with 80 carbs...which for me...is perfect.  I maintain this way with no troubles. 40 g of protein is almost what is in my coffee w/ two scoops of protein powder with some soy milk...Then I eat meat and cheese and yogurts and other proteins all day....40gs is not enough.  Many Newbies are asked to get 60 right away...That was my Nut's goal 4.5 years ago too...These days...80-100.... I'm not a doc or nutritionist, but I have done quite a bit of research and much of this is experience in dealing with malnutrition issues  personally...Hopefully others will offer you what works for them.  As long as you are not hapving trouble...keep taking your GNC multi...If it makes you feel bad...try something else...You are doing well.....so just take precautions now that you are aware how fast things can go downward...and keep up on how you feel...don't ignore symptoms of fatigue or dizziness...etc...Don't be afraid to go get labs early if you feel bad either.  That's all!