Why is the weight POURING back on?

All of a sudden my weight is increasing like MAD

I haven't changed my diet much, except that I've got Reactive Hypoglycemia, and I've been working to keep my blood sugar regulated, which means I snack a little more often (80 to 100 calorie snacks).

Overall my calories aren't drastically higher than they were. Perhaps I'm at 1500 calories to 1700 calories. But the weight is literally pouring back on. I feel like it's increasing FASTER than it melted off in the first place. I've cut my diet -- which didn't have much that I could cut, but it doesn't seem to help.

I've got from my size 10 pants being loose to my size 12's being tight. To me that matters far more than the number on the scale. But this is in the last couple of weeks that I've increased. that much. To me I honestly don't think I've consumed near enough calories to be gaining weight this much.

My typical day includes:

3 to 4 protein shakes (it's all I drink) ... each one is 110 calories, 23 g of protein.
2 or 3 slices of egg-white quiche (250 calories each)
2 or 3 snacks (80 to 100 calories)  -- I ran out of these and haven't had any for a week, and my weight has piled on even faster without them!

so on a "big input" day, I put in about 1550 calories... most days I only have 2 snacks, 2 pieces of quiche, and two or three protein shakes.

I got down to 146 which was extremely skeletal. Ultimately 165 pounds was about optimum for me. I stabilized there about 9 months ago (after tailbone surgery, where I had to be immobile for five weeks). But towards the end of January, I started to shoot up, and now in the last couple of weeks, while I don't know what the scale says, I do know that clothing that fit me ten days ago is now too tight. It's really bugging me!!!

I might add that on the 19th of February I collapsed in my kitchen. My legs literally stopped functioning, stopped communicating with my brain, my brain was foggy as heck. When hubby was watching a boxing match, and one of the boxers was literally knocked out, how he looked is how I felt, as if my brain literally stopped functioning. I was NOT lucid for several hours afterwards, though I appeared lucid, so when hubby asked if I wanted him to take me to the ER, I said no. A couple hours later  I realized that I should have gone, but didn't go then. I've been to see my PCP, who thoguht it was a B-12 or anemia problem (it wasn't), and was referred to a neurologist, who took additional blood to check for rheumatoid arthritis, syphillis, myasthenia gravis, and a few other scary things, and on Monday of this week I had an MRI of my brain and cervical spine. I've had extreme headaches since then, exacerbated by attempts to turn my head.
What I'm not sure about is whether the weight gain is a sign of sudden failure with my weight loss, or if it is related to some alarming health issue!

Monday I will see my PCP again, and the monday after that I will see my neurologist.

I always wondered how folks could "suddenly" gain a bunch of weight. It just seemed impossible to regain significantly without being aware of it and doing something to stop it. But my efforts to alter my food intake doesn't seem to do anything but pile on the pounds (I'll weigh again in the morning to see where the numbers are, but I'm afraid! -- at the beginning of last week I was at 170.1)

I just feel as if my smoothly functioning don't-really-need-to-think-about-it weight loss surgery has suddenly malfunctioned, and even though I haven't changed much, the weight is piling on!

Also - I don't drink with my meals or for 30 minutes after, I keep all meals to less than 25 g of carbs, and less than 10 g of refined sugar, I regularly eat protein forward meals (well... quiche)... all I put in my protein shakes is a scoop of powder (by the end of the day it's 1/2 a scoop), water, and crystal light.

Anyway, I thought this is the best place to at least get a sympathetic ear. I'll be four years out on the 18th and was doing very good. But I flat-out refuse to buy larger pants! I refuse!

Oh.... and yes, when it comes to exercise, I'm NOT one to do it. I'm on my feet 4 1/2 hours a day as a teacher, always energetically prowling the room, but I don't actively seek to "exercise". I KNOW I lost a lot of muscle mass last spring when I had my ****ygectomy.

Hi Lithia;

Wow, you are dealing with a major health crisis. Your weight is only a small part of that. If you are able to continue eating well, that is excellent. All you can do is get the medical help you need and take care of yourself the best you can. Once your medical condition is under control, then you will be able to turn your attention to your weight loss. Weight gain is caused by high levels of sugar in the blood. If you are having trouble regulating your blood sugar then maybe that is the culprit. It certainly doesn't sound like you are eating anything you shouldn't.

My thoughts are with you and I sincerely hope that you can find heath care providers who can give you the answers you need. In the meantime, all of us here understand your frustration with weight gain after WLS.

Take Care.

Tanya

Thank you Tanya, I appreciate your response. Overall I'm 9 pound over optimum, and while it might not sound like a lot, it's still scary!!!!

My blood sugar is definitely all over the map. I feel that it's "wrong" and I test it, and sometimes it's quite low, and other times, even though I haven't eaten much, it's very high. I don't understand how it can skyrocket so much after an hour. but it's definately having issues.

I'm looking forward to speaking to my PCP on Monday, even though he might not have the results of the MRI, he might have some ideas. And a week from Monday I see my Neurologist. He, also, might have answers, because he'll definately see the results of the MRI and the written report.

I'm in a weird position where I want to have him find something because I want answers, but I don't want him to find anything because I don't want it to be so serious he'll see it in an MRI. To lose absolute control over one's body is truly frightening. It was like i had no control, and I had two extremely painful bruises on my knees, because I fell so fast and so hard. But issues with my brain and cervical spine lead me to wonder if there's a deeper nefarious issue going on. If the Neurologist doesn't find anything, I'll go see a chiropractor, if he thinks that's a good plan.

If facing a problem "perhaps" and "about" are not good words to use when discussing food intake.  Keep a food journal with accuracy that would make an accountant envious.  Studies have shown that obese people (and formerly so I'm sure) routinely under estimate calories.

Second, with Spring approaching why not train for a 5K?  The Couch 2 5K program is excellent.

Thanks you for your candor.

I read labels obsessively, and have a near photographic memory for numbers, so almost everything I eat has a number, and while I don't always add the numbers up, every time I do it's a GOOD day when I crack 1000... most of my second year I was lucky to crack 700, but once I got up to 1000 I lost the last pounds to finally get to goal (and 8 beyond, but I was a skeleton).

I admit, I do have days when I eat some things that don't have numbers attached, like a six-inch sub, or a single slice of pizza, but these are things that happen once a week, or less often. I don't have hunger, I eat to a schedule, and I eat the same things over and over and over again because they are safe. I rarely deviate.

As for running? Not likely.  I know a lot of folks get a lot out of running, but I won't be one of them. I've never in my life, skinny or thin, had the slightest aptitude for running. As an 8th grader I saw a video of me running, and had never seen anything so ludicrous in my life. I don't have the legs or grace for it and I couldn't think of anything that would as quickly turn me off to the thought of being thin. I know I need to step up my exercise. I know it, because that is the only part of teh weight loss equation I've safely avoided and I've come to the realization that perhaps that is the only way to truly maintain. In many ways I regret my tailbone surgery, because it really stole a lot of muscle mass from me. But I've started to move my body more, and more vigorously.

 I'm so sorry you're going thru this and I really don't have any suggestions for you, other than could this be possibly related to the mystery medical condition? Sometimes we ignore seemingly-unrelated symptoms that underlie the major symptoms, and they can be related. Just something to consider....

When I see my PCP on Monday (he WILL have the results of the MRI, I just confirmed) I'll bring some of these things to his attention. I've had bad headaches daily for more than four months now, but they've been about 3 times worse since I fell. I've also had severely blurry vision. (bad vision = headaches.... maybe). I was going to see an optometrist, but if I have something going wrong in my brain, I don't want to get a prescription for my vision based on exterior problems. So headaches, stiff neck, blurry vision, and utter collapse.... could all be unrelated, but could also be connected.

If the MRI and blood tests show nothing is going on then I think that my neurologist will want me to change the Elevil I'm currently using. I use it for neuralgia, and it's very inexpensive, but it does have a lot of bad side effects. I could tell from the Neurologist's reaction that he didn't like what I'm taking at all, and likely he'll want to switch me to something different like Neurontin. The Elevil does has weight gain as one of the side effects, and my weight did start to slowly climb once I was on it. I feel confident that we are on our way towards finding a solution to my issues, but it's still scary to have the clothing not fit and the scale start to climb. Particularly when my overall food consumption has no increased.

How the doc visit go? any news?

PLEASE stay away from neurontin...back in 1999, I went on it and by 2000 hit my all time high of 250, I gained 60 lbs in ONE year. 

If you have migraines and need something for pain relief, try tramadol. I was weaned off neurontin in 2001 and we replaced it with tramadol (I have peripheral neuropathy) and it along with a very low carb diet brought my weight back down to the 180 range. (too bad I couldn't keep losing).

Besides weight gain, neurontin has other horrid side effects. Most people have to keep increasing their dose to maintain the same level of relief. Every time I did, I "lost" three weeks. I was worse than useless around the house. And thanks to being on neurontin for almost two years, I now have memory issues similar to someone who has had a stroke.

Also for your blood sugar issues, get a meter and start tracking. Also get in to see an endocrinologist. 

Good luck and I hope you get things sorted out. RH is nothing to mess with...I've know of some diabetics who have car crashes, hurt themselves badly and even a couple of people who died from it. It CAN kill. 

Liz

It's very frustrating and stressful when you have a mysterious medical condition. I've read before that your body produces more cortisol when stressed which in turn will cause you to gain weight. I would suggest doing something for the stress, maybe take up yoga for awhile which I know is easier said then done when you're having headaches everyday. I also noticed that you mentioned eating the same foods over and over. In the past, changing it up worked for me. Sometimes I'll even do liquid for a few days or take a "cheat" day or week just to shock my system. I don't know if that would help but it's certainly something you could try. I'm gaining as well right now but I'm also eating horrible and not exercising. Not making excuses but I am trying to conceive and have been convinced I'm pregnant for the last 3 months so I know that doesn't help!

I suffer from chronic migraines and have pretty much all of your symptoms. I also have reactive hypoglycemia since surgery and have hypothyroidism. I'm not a doctor but I believe the collapse could have been caused from a migraine. Sometimes migraines don't feel like an actual headache even, there are many types of migraines including optical migraines which affect your vision. When I was having a migraine for several months every single day going to the ER and getting what is called a "migraine ****tail" seemed to be the only thing that worked.

I wish you luck and hope you get some answers Monday and start to feel better!!!