almost 6 years out with questions

I never came close to hitting goal but did lose 133 pounds which is great, but now have started to regain, yes, i have become lax and turned back to carbs.. i had been at a plateau for soooo long, it is very frustrating to eat right and not lose but i will NOT regain this weight.  

 I know i need to get back to protein and drop the carbs for a few weeks , all of them, but what calorie level should we be at this many years after surgery?  I dont know how many calories, etc, dietary guidelines to go by now..  I do not drink any sugared drinks or anything of course.. i exercise but will be adding more..  

thank you for your advice, i obviously need to be more accountable here as i used to be..  I can't lose this battle and I desperately need help and support now..

I'm only 2 years out as of January, but I can already see the challenges of long term maintenace.  I think the calorie level is individual, based on height, weight, activity level, age, etc....maybe see  a dietician to get advice?   Maybe you can start tracking your food with an online program or app such as myfitnesspal.  This is a great tool to see how you are really eating and what kind of adjustments you want to make.  Good luck in fighting regain...you can do it!

Hi Cindy,

I'm coming up on 6 years post op as well, and have unfortunately regained 50 lbs...  I've completely lost track of taking care of myself.  Maybe we can help keep each other accountable?  I exercised for 30  minutes today, and I've started logging my food intake again, using fitday.com.  thank goodness i never got into sugar, but the carbs are going to be a challenge.

my goal today - drink 8 glasses of water, exercise for 30 minutes, log my food, don't drink with meals, take my vitamins.

heather

I am eight years out and while I did reach my goal weight, I too regained.  I stopped making good food choices, grazed, etc.--all the behaviors that catch up with everyone. 

Your calorie level will be determined by your own body needs.  My thinking is that with the bypass, my body now responds like "normal" people, so I start with what I know I need--focus on proteins--and match that to typical healthy diet protocols.  So I keep my calories in the 1200 to 1500 range.  Although I have to say I don't really count calories.  I eat "clean" (very little processed food) and limit portion size rather than eat diet foods.  So this week I'm eating cassoulette made with duck sausage and chicken thighs for a main mean then balancing that with kale salad and fish for my other main meal.  (I'm a bit of a foodie and like to cook, so that is both good and bad!)

One website I really like for general Mediterranean diet (a good starting point for most even if we need to focus more on protein) is dr.gourmet.com  It can even provide menu plans for you based on the foods you don't like, whether you like using convenience foods, have GERD, diabeties, take blood thinners, etc. 

I do exercise but that is more for improving my metabolism and overall health than weight loss. 

So far I've lost about half of what I regained.  It is a slower process than before, but it is still coming off.  Never easy:)

Good luck.

I like your approach a lot. The only thing going for me at this point is my small tummy, which is a help, but not enough. Otherwise I know it's all up to me now, which isn't very fun. But necessary to realize that.

I have been at goal for over six years and I can tell you what I do.  I give myself 10# either way.  Once I hit 7-10# I am all over it like stink on pooh. ;o)  I go back to my post op diet.  800 calories, protein first, veggies 2nd, no white carbs at all.  None.  Zero.  Veggie and bean carbs are okay, no white ones.  The pounds melt off.

Good suggestions. I give myself 3 pounds up at most, just because I strongly dislike the losing part. I'm also post menopausal, so I don't have to be concerned about cycle weight. But daily weights here, and adjust accordingly.

I see you had VSG. I know many VSGers post about limiting calories to 800 and carbs under 40 to lose. Good luck!!

It takes roughly 10 calories per day to maintain one pound.  So you multiply your goal weight by 10 to get the calories you need to maintain.  Then if you subtract 500 calories a day, you will be eliminate 3500 calories or one pound a week.

My goal is 136.  For me to maintain, I stay between 1300 and 1400 calories a day.  When I had regain, I cut down to 800 calories a day for two months and lost 8 pounds.

I don't get into counting my exercise calories.  Years ago, I would lose seven or eight pounds on Weigh****chers for two weeks.  After surgery, my body gains easier and hold onto weight much tighter than before.