Can I still make goal?

You can read my other posts within this thread to find out how I do what I do...note that my plan works for me, not sure it can work for everyone. I have only dumped once and it was only a few months ago on store bought guacamole. Seems they put corn syrup in prepared guacamole...I don't do well with corn syrup. How much water do you drink? I typically drink 64 oz + as my work outs are pretty tough and I sweat like swine. I find the more water I drink the more water I want. I also drink 2-4 cups of decaf green tea/day. I am always cold and green tea seems to have some kind of settling properties with me. An easy thing to do is to buy a 4 cup pyrex measuring cup and either pour boiling water into it or boil the water in the microwave and add 1 teabag per cup. You can keep heating up the tea if you can't drink much at a time. At the end of the day when the 4 cups are finished you know you drank it. I never got very far off track. I just had a little more variety and experimentation than I do right now. I have learned to eat the foods that I enjoy and feel good (physically and mentally). I want to look and feel my best so I am very committed to do the things that have kept me in line, as outlined in the other posts. I think the getting it together as a "far out" post op has been the single most difficult challenge to date. I have had to truly put the things I have learned to the test and stick to my goals and learn how to maintain a lifestyle that is healthy, comfortable, and reasonable without obsessing one way or another. Read the other posts in the thread and if you want more information let me know. continued success to you! Karen

You can lose anytime you want - no matter how far out you are. If you're not eating according to your docs plan, then get back on track and the losing will start again. Protein forward meals, lots of water and exercise, portion control, cut out grazing if you're doing it, no carbs and no sugar. You'll start losing in no time. If you need to get a jumpstart on your weight loss go to liquids only for a couple days, then go to soft or pureed - just like when you were a new post op. You can get to goal but you'll have to work at it. Measure out your food if you have to. I was (and still stay at) about 1000 calories per day. I worked up to that by one year out and maintain about that much daily. If I'm working out a lot I can up it to 1200. Get back to basics and you'll see the weight loss start again. If old habits have crept back get rid of them and stick to 3 meals a day. It can happen - lots of farther out post ops can jump start the weight loss again.

Your right I really need to get back to basics I wish I still thought if I tried to eat a certain something I would fall over dead.lol I think the nuts really need to stress how important it is to work on your food issues and not just tell you what you can eat and how much. The newbies really need to know how much work this really takes the easy way out phrase is just thanks so much for your reply I am back to basics today. Tina

Tina, I am 3.5 years post op and just recently took off 8 lbs that I had gained back. I just journalized what I was eating daily and cut things out of my diet that I felt were causing me to gain. I know it is a small amount of weight to struggle with compared to what you are dealing with, but the point I am trying to make is that you can do it even as far out as I am. I really do stick to my diet the majority of the time, so I think that is why it has been easy for me to get back on track. I know you probably have heard that if you go back to the basics you will get results, that has really been true for me. Writing down your daily habits on paper, really can bring some answers into the light. Good luck to you and congrats on your loss to date. I have a feeling it is not over for you. Dawn

You stand a lot better chance of doing it now than you will a year from now. Do you track your food on FitDay or a similar program? It's so easy to be in denial if we don't write down every bite we eat. Get back to basics eating dense protein (chicken, steak, pork chops, etc) first and always. The dense protein will fill you up quickly. I allow myself a snack if I'm hungry but it has to be protein. Guess what, given that choice I seldom want a snack. If I allowed myself carbs for a snack I'd want several snacks a day. Personally I had to limit my carbs to below 20 grams a day to lose weight. Obviously my body reacts differently to carbs than many other peoples. I decided going in that I'd do whatever it took. I know people 2 years out who are still losing a couple of pounds a month but it gets harder every month. START NOW, NOT NEXT WEEK. Best of luck to you.