I had my first surgery in 2001.  Now that I think about it I probably shouldn't have had it then because of all the psychological issues, illness and death of parents and head hunger issues.  I started at 292 and lost only 72 pounds to about 220.  Over the last 14 years I have gained and lost weight getting to my highest ever weight of 317 pounds.  I had many problems with ulcers, end up destroying my teeth from vomiting from trying to eat past the point of fullness to being considered  bulimic and throwing up and trying to binge, I ended up with Barrett's esophagus and a hiatal hernia.  I started getting chest pain and shortness of breath.  I end up having surgery in April and they ended up doing sort of a revision.  I don't notice the restriction because I am mostly on soft foods due to swallowing issues so I track everything I eat on my fitness.  I try to get a little bit of exercise.  I try to make sure I get all my protein in and take all my vitamins.  I don't eat in bed anymore.  I tell myself food is not your friend, not your comfort.  It is just nutrition.  I am determined to succeed this time mostly for health reasons.  The nutritionist told me to eat 3 small meals and 3 snacks, stay between 1200 and 1400 calories, protein first so these are the things I have been trying to do.  It took forever for me to not eat in bed.  That was my worst habit.  I finally managed to break it after 14 years.  I am down about 25 pounds now so I must be doing something right.  I also don't have a lot of friends because I have social anxiety.  Just wanted to let you know you aren't alone and that you can do this.  It just takes the right mindset.  For me I am in that mindset because I want to be healthy.

Maybe your medication needs to be adjusted.  It seems unusual to lose so nicely and maintain for so many years and then start to gain.  Maybe an endocrinologist can help you. Best of luck.  Tri 

That is encouraging!!

I've never heard of the fusion for life plan, going to check it out today. I am 5 years out and I'm up about 30 pounds.... I'm feeling gross about myself the way I used to, and I'm noticing my attitude is really poor. Time to take better care of myself and step it up and shed what I've gained!  Glad to find this forum and be back on oh.com. 

Yes if you're ready for a LONG post!

First step. Face it. Brutal facts. It's very hard to do this because of all the guilt and shame that come with facing up to regain. But it's very, very necessary. I mean, we had surgery right? And even that didn't work forever? I felt like such a failure. But I knew if I didn't take action I would truly keep moving the wrong direction. So yes, there's some work to do to handle the emotion of all this. 

Second - a few thoughts on food and eating and back on tracking:

Avoid crash diets such as "2 shakes and a sensible meal..." blah blah blah. Ditto 5 day pouch test. These are just crash diets like we've tried a million times before. 

DO pull out your post op eating guidelines and get back to those. Here's what I am doing:

1. Water. 64 oz. minimum a day. 

2. Vitamins. Yes. According to your doc's directions. 

3. Protein. Eat protein first at every meal and plan on 2 snacks with protein every day. Right now I can manage with 1 snack but I like to have the option. (Truthfully the thought of being hungry makes me really anxious.) For now, skip the beans and legumes. I eat very little red meat, but prefer seafood and eggs. As crazy as it sounds, hard boiled egg whites are one of my favorite snacks - amazing how filling that dose of protein is mid-morning. 

4. Veggies at every meal. This provides complex carbs and keep you full and regular. Avoid the starchy veggies like corn and winter squash. 

5. Starch/carbs. You do need some of these but be careful. I have a baked sweet potato about twice a week - it's the perfect starch, in my mind. But I can't do it every day. 

6. Fruit. I'm careful with fruit servings and fruit choices. I have some fruit every day, but just a small serving such as 1/2 apple, a clementine, or some blueberries. For now, skip the bananas - they are starchy, sugary fruits. 

7. Fats - I seldom add fat but use Pam spray for cooking. Occasionally I use a bit of olive oil but I probably only use butter (on a roll, for example) about once every 2 weeks. 

8. Dairy - I don't use dairy personally but a Greek yogurt is an excellent and filling snack - go with the ones that are under 100 calories. 

9. Shakes and such - I do use protein shakes 1-2 times a day but be careful here. Keep the following guidelines in mind: Under 170 cal/serving, less than 5 gm sugar, at least 15 gm protein. Bars have guidelines too: under 200 cal., under 5 gm sugar, at least 15 gm protein. But I stay away from bars because even the best of them (Pure Protein and original Quest are 2 of the best - not the Quest bars with a lot of sugar alcohols because those set me off!) - anyway, even the best of them can trigger me to eat too much. I have had a shake for breakfast almost every morning for years, and keep a shake "on call" at work in case I need a 2nd snack during the day. 

That's the food part. A typical day for me would look like this - pretty much today's lineup. 

• Breakfast: Shake
• Snack: 6 hard boiled egg whites
• Lunch: Lean protein (shrimp today) and veggies. Maybe a dinner roll a couple times a week. 
• Snack: Optional most days, but if I need something it would be a protein shake. 
• Dinner: Lean protein and veggies. If I didn't have a starch at lunch I might have 1/2 baked sweet potato at dinner. Possibly some fruit if I'm really hungry. 

I do have "big eating days" when I am genuinely feeling more hungry than other days - but it all seems to work out. 

And yes. Log your food. I hate it too. But I've gotten hooked on My Fitness Pal and use it all the time now. By the end of the day, I know where I stand with regard to protein, carbs, and overall calories ****ep a flexible target of 1000 calories). I also log my weight daily because I know that as I gained weight, I avoided the scale. It's accountability! And even though losing is slow (and I mean really really slow) the 2nd time thru....it allows me to see progress. 

I hope this is all helpful! Keep in touch!