When you start putting that weight back on.......

What the heck do you do? What diet works? How many carbs, how many proteins? Is it a good idea to go to a nutritionist to help? I've put about 10/15lbs back on and gone up two dress sizes and I am not a happy camper. HELP! Joy

Hi Joy. Sorry to hear that, but I know what your going thru. I hit my lowest in April and slowly gained ten lbs back. I am fighting this every day. My body must be adjusting to the new me. And, I can tell I eat a bit more. Just not as much as before. What worked for me was a talk with my nutritionist. She told me to keep a journal for ten days. Write down what you eat, what time you eat and how you feel when you eat. Ex: Tired, bored, sad, etc. These triggers may be the reason for your weight gain. Or, have you stopped exercising, drinking water? Etc. Here are a few tips she gave me that worked: ? Exercise at leaast a ½ hour 3 to 5 times per week. Incorporate cardio and weigh training to increase your muscle. ? Try and stick to protein and sometimes a vegetable if your still hungry. Eat till your full even if it's 2-3 oz. I know I can eat 8oz some days and 2oz the next. ? The only thing I would change if you want to get past the plateau is decreasing your snacking and carbohydrates. It may not seem like you are eating a lot of chips or candy, but they can add up and slow down that weight loss. ? Try to stick to the three meals a day with no snack, but if you are hungry and need a snack choose foods high in protein or veggies. ? Getting in your 64oz of fluids, just make sure you are drinking decaf coffee and avoiding soda. I found this tidbit of info on the Web, "If you get hungry again in about three hours, your food portion sizes are correct. If you're hungry sooner, you didn't eat enough. Still feeling full four or five hours later? You ate too much." Think about the positive, and how well you've done so far. Good luck

Joy--Not that I am an expert but that never stopped me from offering an opinion before. In my mind we just have to returned to the pouch rules. Protein first--no drinking with meals--exercising etc. It worked for me before hopefully it will work again. Good luck to you.

Lynda, you crack me up!!!! "not an expert, but that never stopped me before...." BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!! Jan

The six tiny meal thing seems to work for most of us. I keep my protein grams up because I do NOT want to get back any more than I have. It may only be a couple of pounds, but those can sneak on there really quick. The pouch rules are a good starting place. do the basics - get those fluids in and go walking every day. The end of the parking lot is NOT that far to get to the grocery store. I do it even in the snow.

Hi Joy, Here's what I would recommend: Definitely review the pouch rules. Our 'tool' is still the number one weapon in the battle. I found the water loading/timing info and the 'dense protein stays in the pouch' info the most helpful. Then, buy the South Beach Diet book. There are a lot of misconceptions about this diet, but it's NOT Atkins. It's low fat, healthy carb, and a great way to eat for life (takes you through the maintenance phase and is very appropriate for a post-op RNYer). It helped me so much in terms of teaching me what foods make me hungry and why, and how to kick the carb monster. Phase I is a bit hard getting off the sugar/white flour, but after that it gets much easier. Exercise is a plus of course. I started putting my weight back on when I stopped my exercise plan. Even a little bit helps. Good luck! Linda

Basically you're taking in more than you're burning off so you're gaining. You can either a) cut back on your foods or types of foods you're eating or b) up your exercise to make up for the increase in calories. If you're grazing, try going to three protein filled meals a day. If you fill up on protein it's less likely that you'll snack. I was told 1000-1200 calories a day once I was one year out and forever after that. Carbs were to be 45 or under daily, and protein was 64 gms. daily for the first two years and a little less than that now. Check what you're eating on fitday.com and see where you are. Sometimes we're not aware of where our extra calories are coming from.

If you are already following the rules, be sure to take a look at your TSH numbers to see if your thyroid is acting up. Mine is. I understand a lot more about why I suddenly stopped losing weight a year ago. My TSH levels have been steadily rising for the past year, but were in the normal range for my lab so I was not overly concerned yet. I understand now that there are two schools of thought about the top level and one of them begins treating at the level that I went above a year ago (3). I am now above 5. Sandy

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions and support! I did see the doc on Monday and I am going to see a dietician. The one thing that saddens me is that they are lowering my thyroid hormones again which means it will slow my metabolism more. Frustrating. Even more awakening is my weight when I got on the scales! I'm up over 15 lbs which is significant! Time to get really serious.