Back to OH after some "time off"

My name is Heather and I am back on OH after a long hiatus. I had my surgery on Dec 31, 2008...making me 2 years out.  I started at 285 and now weigh 168.  Over Christmas this past year, I had my first battle with weight re-gain!  I ate food like it was my best friend again and put on 10 pounds!  Once i got real and stopped the "insanity" I quickly lost the 10 I'd gained.  My size 8's are still not fitting like I want, so I am trying to lose 5 more.  

I want to get myself re-involved with the boards because I find I keep myself more accountable when I am an active poster. 

I guess my questions are...

Does everyone battle with a little weight regain?
Is it normal to be able to "handle" sugar again (when in the beginning i would dump...now i dont)?
How did you figure out your calorie max so you would not gain weight?
Ever have anyone tell you your "too skinny?" (this happened to me after my Nov 09 gall bladder removal surgery...I got down to 158 unintentionally).  
Anyone have a similar exp with ups and downs after a couple of years out?

Thanks so much for any input! 

Heather C
285/163/(168 current)

I let it go when people tell me I'm too skinny. The reason I do that is because they always told me I wasn't "THAT fat" so they must not know fat from skinny. they just have no idea what they are talking about. Don't listen to them.

I don't have a calorie max but I waiver between 1400 to 1800 in a day...fluxuating over a week or so. You have to find your own sweet spot on that.

I used to dump on but found out that I don't dump all the time on sugar so it's dangerous for me. I just consider it an addiction and like alcohol, I stay completely away. That's not to say that I'm an alcoholic but I do have an addiction problem with sugar so I just say no. You can fine tune it to where you know what you just have no control over and stay away from those things...I can let cookies sit on the counter for weeks but my weakness is chocolate chip (homemade) cookies...those must be gone before I get home from work or they are in the outside trash with kitty litter dumped on top..

I havent' battled much with gain because I'm obsessive about it and my journaling. Surgery isn't a fix for what goes on inside your head and old habits are still there after surgery. I didn't go through surgery to slip back into old habits and so those old habits HAVE TO GO. And it's a constant fight.

Thanks for the reply! I have decided that I need to journal every bite that goes in my mouth, and stop grazing all day.  3 meals per day and 2 small snacks and thats it for me!  I like being thin too much to ruin it because of my own lack of will power and food addiction.  And I'm with you on the too skinny thing.... they are just jealous! I swear, some people actually want me to be the jovial fat girl again I think!  Im not listening to those haters anymore ;)

Thanks for the advice!

Very good plan! I usually just call my meals, snacks anyway. I eat breakfast and dinner and I have four snacks inbetween that...and LOTS of water. Sometimes when I get a hunger signal, it's actually a thirst signal..

My sister in law actually plays me mentally. She said "I'm SO glad you gained a couple pounds." ?!? WTH? I hadn't put on even an ounce but there was that statement.  l let it get to me for a few weeks and stressed over it. Then I realized that she said it on purpose to mess with my mind! Screw the haters!

Dawn:

I just read the part of your post about the chocolate chip cookies to my little girls (7 & 8).

They think you are being mean to the chocolate chip cookies, especially since they are homemade.  Kathryn wants you to put them in a baggie and give them to a neighbor.

I explained you live out in the country and she thinks there is someone who would love your homemade chocolate chip cookies and does not want you to put kitty litter on them.

I tried to explain to her about food addictions and she wasnt having it.  She loves all things homemade.  She is so cute, I just had to share...

Remember, dont be mean to your homemade chocolate chip cookies!

Melissa

SW/  CW

309/144.5

You know, I do give them away and they keep coming back! When I give them to neighbors, my awesome neighbors want to return the favor and make them to give them back to ME...and there are always MORE of them when I get them back. Usually with lots of friends like brownies and cinnamon rolls...

I decided that we CAN have homemade chocolate chip cookies in the house. I buy the refrigerator ones that you break off the little squares and bake them..That way we can bake one or two cookies at a time and my hubby and son can eat them and not have any laying around. That's when they are dangerous: When they're laying around. They tend to call to me so I have to nag my son to eat them or hide them...My son is over 6 ft tall and weighs 113 pounds. I beg him to eat all the time!

At Christmas I made dozens and dozens of homemade cookies. The only ones that are a problem are the chocolate chip ones...It's funny that way.

Dawn:

I just told Kathryn you give them away and she said thats a good idea.

I agree with you about the ones you break apart, they work much better.

So funny about the Chocolate chip cookies, they are the best arent they!!!

Just thought you might find it funny, she was so concerned it made me laugh!

I cant believe your son is that tall and only weighs that much!  Youth is great isnt it!

Melissa

SW/  CW
309/144.5

Those concerns seem to stick with us too for years. I remember how often my mom told me to clean my plate. YOu know the starving children in China...My husband buys day old donuts and then insists on eating them even though they are getting hard...and should have been thrown away two days before. To save what? $0.25? I can afford to throw away $0.25 for SURE! 

It was a mental "talk" I had to have with myself about wasting food. If it wasn't perfectly wonderful, I wasn't going to allow it in my pouch..Not pouch worthy so I pass..mostly because of that voice of my mother and the starving children in China..

So that clock is ticking on those chocolate chip cookies. The longer they sit there, the louder their "voice" is that says "....starving children in China.." LOL. Pretty funny! And it's only those that call to me..I'm such a geek.