somebody talk to me about bounceback...

had RNY lap in June, 2007...lost 115 lbs.

find myself now with a growing appetite and scale #...only up about 5-6 lbs at this point, but want to go NO FURTHER!

what is the phenomenon of 'bounce back' that I hear about?  is it normal to put back on a few pounds?  any suggestions for decreasing my appetite?

thanks to any and all with suggestions...

Generally, it's the 15 lbs or so that come back even if you are still wearing a shiny halo and doing everything right.

Of course, in some programs, "right" can lead to regain.

I drink a protein shake before meals to cut my appetite. I don't wolf my food, and eat a bit less than I would otherwise. That's protein powder + water.

And of course, going off carbs entirely puts you back in the driver's seat.

try this: no judging, all in the same boat

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Graduate-lowcarblifestyle/

Hi Diane,

I don't know if they are a "guarentee" but my doc warned me in advance bounce back around year 2-3 is common and expected...The way he explained it, in simple terms, is as you pass out of the 2 year honeymoon phase your body begins to adjust to your new program and the malabsorbsion factor is reduced some, typically during the honeymoon phase you will also lose below what should be your target weight...Bounce back comes from going too low in the 1st place and a little more of what passes thru your reworked pipes being absorbed ( the body is a incredible thing and works hard to fix what it perseves as problems - darn body , as far as I'm concerned the more I "mal" the better, too bad it does not agree  )...

Anyway, I'm 4yrs out and my bounce is 10 lbs, now I have not been a saint by any means and am currently in the process of cleansing white carbs, cuz I am determined to lose those bouncing lbs and get back into the 120's...We shall see...I do know cutting the white carbs has curbed my appetite to snack in off eating times and revived my tendency to dump, now just to say goodbye to those few pesky lbs...

Good Luck...

I think there are many ways to maintain, mine goes something like this:

1)  Figure out how many calories you need to maintain your weight.  Eat that many
2)  Excercise like its your new religion
3)  Pick a goal weight and stay +/- 5 (10 for women) of that weight.

If you get over/under the +/ 5, adjust your eating, be honest about snacking that crept in, etc.  If for some reason you get +/- 10, invoke austerity measures (your old losing diet) which for me would be 800 calories per day, etc.  Until returning to goal weight.

I've been in the +5 range (never +10) but have been -10 which meant having an extra Frappucino every day until back to normal.

I will be 3 years out next month. I was too skinny at 126 and jumped up to the low 130's pretty quick, where I wanted to stay. I didn't have a bit of trouble until I had this ridiculous notion that I could eat whatever I wanted to and it wouldn't matter. I gained about 10 more pounds over the last couple of months and it's coming off now. I just had to really notice what I was eating, and I was surprised at the extra calories I was taking in, that had no nutritional value, stuff like potato chips. After nearly 49 years of living, years of dieting and finally resorting to RNY, I have come to the conclusion that your weight has a lot to do with what you eat and how much you move around. I agree that it's normal to gain a few pounds back, especially if you've dropped lower than you should have, but after that it's just using common sense. My appetite roars if I eat too many carbs. I don't cut them out completely, but try to stay with the brown/wheat stuff and limit them, and it makes a huge difference.

thanks everyone...your suggestions are very helpful and I will take them to heart!

Hi Diane,

I'm in the same boat you are and we are about the same post-op timeframe.  I "bounced back" about 3-4 pounds and have held steady there but I still want to get those extra pounds off.  I admit I eat too many bad carbs and am working to cut them out, but they are nasty little buggers... they call my name all the time.  Each morning I try to get back on track, some days I'm better at it than others.  This week, I'm back to recording everything I eat and I know that works for me. 

Sorry, I have no suggestions other than that...  good luck!  Alice