I NEED HELP

I am back. AGAIN..

I need a reminder that I am not "normal"and I cannot forget that I had weight loss surgery.
I am almost 4 years post op and have gained 60 out of the 120 I lost.  I need some support.
Some words of wisdom.  Some accountability.  I need to recognize that I am in fact, a GBS patient and always will be...  Anyone have any words about that ???? 

Hi There!!!

1st and for most you have to think back at why you wanted surgery to get yourself back on track and look back at what got you off track so that you do not repeat the same mistake twice.

I am 1 day away from my 1st anniversary after WLS and have lost a total of almost 150 lbs including pre-op diet. My biggest fear would be gaining it back. As we all know once we had Surgery its a life changing experiance and we get a second chance to life.

We all have our moments that we forget we had surgery cause we feel good and off-course look good. But you have to restructure your goals and if you have to take two steps back to go forward that what you should do.

Write down what you are eating, keep track of your excersize routine and change it up and see what you can modify from your diet to get your metabolism in full gear once again.

I hope this will help you. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers hoping you have the strength, will power, and support to make it happen...I know you can...

Weight regain has been a big topic at our support groups!  Some suggestions that I took to heart are... I have my FAT pics on the front of my fridge. On my mirror in my bathroom has my goal weight  written really large so I see it every time I walk in. Use a dry erase marker!  I have a post it on my computer screen at work that says "Make better choices" to remind me to get better at work.  Go back to proteins first. Meat, cheese, eggs, protein drinks. It  is what helps me kill the carb monster and help get back on track. I found out I can "play" with my weight pretty easily and it scared me. Too much drive through (yes I will admit I can get Del Carbon Shredded Beef Tacos with the soft tortilla shells way too easily) and too many tortilla chips while watching TV.  I now make sure my wallet is in the truck. Not so easy to get to in a spur of the moment decision to hit a drive thru. Makes me think twice.  Bad, very bad old habits. Stuck to basics for a few weeks and it dropped right back.

Thank you for coming back and being honest. I too need to remember that I am a GBS patient now and forever!

This is where we go after we age out of newbie groups.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Graduate-OSSG

no judgment, just a helping hand

not much on the fluffy stuff, but nobody slaps you, either

Hello there.  I had VSG surgery in June of 2008.  I just recently posted a blog on my profile that had to do with this very subject.  I have lost a total of 80 pounds and am still losing slowly but, that's okay.  I believe that our best accountability is to ourselves.  You know, I went through a phase last year for about 3 months eating things that I knew I shouldn't.  You know you get to that point where you kind of feel envincible?  Think it won't hurt you and such....well, it opened my eyes wide to the fact that IT MATTERS EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE WHAT I CHOOSE TO PUT INTO MY MOUTH!!!!!!  And it's far too easy to slip back into old eating patterns of going for the CARBS!!!  I've changed that word into a meaning for me  "Constantly A Reminder Bout Surgery" !!!!!  I mean to know and REMIND myself that I got to the point of making a decision to have a MAJOR surgery due to being overweight, caused by the choices I MAKE of what I put into my mouth.  I don't  know that I would tell myself I'm not NORMAL as you put it.  But, I had to come to the realization that FOOD for me WAS an ADDICTION.  And just as it is with any other ADDICTION, I am RECOVERING from it for the rest of my life.  Healthy eating is a choice we make every minute, of every day.  I can eat however I want, sure.  But, do I want to go right back down the road to bad, unhealthy eating habits that I had before?  It's my choice.  No one elses.  I come to the OH website every day to keep myself focused and motivated on this daily journey.  And I KNOW WITHOUT A DOUBT, this is something I will need to do for the rest of my life.  It won't matter if I am 10 years out from surgery.....if I don't stay motivated and focused and make healthy eating choices every day, I WILL GAIN THE WEIGHT BACK. It's like a smoker saying, oh just one cigarette won't hurt me.  Or the alcholic thinking he can have just a few drinks.   Our WLS, regardless of which one we chose to have, isn't a miracle that's going to help us lose the weight and make us keep it off.  There is no such thing that exists. It's a tool that got us started.  And thank God for it!!!  But,it is all up to US.  I have the power within me to keep the weight off or gain it back. Just remember to tell yourself every day, YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!!!   I went through a stage of putting little post it notes taped to my bathroom mirror with statements that were positive reinforcement to me each day. I even placed some on my refrigerator.  It doesn't have to be anything embarrassing if company were to see it.  I put things like, "It's all up to Me"  or "It's your choice" on my fridge.  I knew exactly what that meant to me.   I decided to not weigh myself every day in order to train my thinking of how important it was to not just think about the numbers on the scale but to retrain myself that it's daily decisions to EAT HEALTHY.  Not about WEIGHT LOSS.  I think once we achieve our goal with the weight loss there is a tendancy to just become comfortable and happy with where we are, how we look and what we have achieved.  It's far too easy to slip back into old patterns when we just comfort ourselves with how great we feel and look now.  It's not about that anymore.  It's learning new ways, new habits, forming new patterns that will stick with us forever!!!!  This was my wake up call and my prayer is that in sharing this with others, I can help just a little.  Don't get down on yourself...start again, find a new motivation, something that kicks YOU into gear in your thinking process.  You CAN change the way you think.  You did it before.  Every day is a new beginning.  God Bless!!!  Jodi