Help. 69lb regain-I am ashamed...now what????

Hello,

tears ; (...   I have messed up.  I don't know how to get back on track.  I am not eating, drinking or exercising like I used too.  I am ashamed.  I can see that fat woman i buried 6 yrs ago after losing 200lbs RNY..coming back again.  She cannot, she cannot she cannot.  I need to find someone who can point me back in the right direction..................HELP

Hang in there. I'm in the same boat. I went to my surgeon and he basically dismissed me. He said you're not being compliant. Well hell, I know that! Help me I begged. It's like I never had surgery before. I never dumped so that is no help. I can eat everything and I have hunger. I am now back to taking diet pills like I did for years. I know it is emotional and mental but I literally can't stop gaining. I track my calories and stay about 1500.  My surgeon said that is too many. Seriously. It's impossible to stay under 1200=1500 even if I only do protein shakes. I'm so frustrated. Maybe go back to your doctor and see if they can help you. Come here for support. We are all addicts.

Hugs... It is difficult at first to stay under 1200 but it is possible.  What gets me are carbs and not drinking enough between meals.   

When I need to scale - I commit myself to 3 days - and eat only lean proteins + very low carb veggies (cucumbers, natural pickles- no sugar or sweeteners added). That 3 days I give myself permission to eat as much as I want - as long as it meets the criteria, and my meal can not last more than 30 min (no grazing ). That 3 days no artificial sweeteners, just food and drinks like hot coffee, green tea, etc.  I would  eat every 2-3 hours. Again - no limit how much. But I eat slowly, chew well and make sure I don't eat too much. I eat at least every 3 hrs - hungry or not. And I drink between meals. Typically - after 3 days - my carbs cravings are gone - and I eat less - much less... On a 4th day - I have to remind myself to eat.. My typical 3 day menu:

Proteins : baked chicken, pork roast (lean), Steak, beef roast, turkey,

baked fish, or canned fish, hard boiled eggs, hard cheese. 

Veggies: Lettuce, pickles, cucumbers, celery, Belgium endive, spinach (cooked with little bit of fat and cream) , green beans, cauliflower, broccoli (the last 2 gives me gas so I only can eat a little of that well cooked). 

I don't limit the veggies or the meat.  And I try to make sure I get  veriaty of proteins during the day.. (Just eating cheese would put me way over my calorie goal - even when there is not real  goal - plus the cheese would constipate me.. ) I also try to avoid commercially processed cold cuts.   

I would plan my 3 days - I bake or buy baked chicken, same with other meats, make sure my veggies are cooked or cleaned for grab and go...

Typically after 3 days my body is de-carbed and I have to set up an alarm to remind me to eat every 3-4 hours.  After 4-7 days really low carbs - I try to add some other foods - like cold cuts, more veggies (like peppers, avocado, tomatoes, etc) and see if that affects my appetite. If they do - I cut them out).  Day 4 and after is when i start counting calories.  I may make my protein shakes  to add if I noticed I don't get enough proteins or calories but I don't mix that with milk, bu****er and I make sure the sweeteners in them ( artificial or natural ) do not increase my appetite. Stevia does not affect me that way but splenda and NutraSweet does.  

It is ok if I am bit hungry - that does not kill me. Learning about when you are hungry or just thirsty is also a great lesson.  Sometimes I think I am hungry - but drinking 1-2 cups of green tea - makes me realize that ths was all my body needed, 

I am able to eat many things too.  I did develop hypoglycemia since the RNY in 2006.  Some things make me vomit.  I guess the surgeon's don't know what to do with the ones as far out as we are.  I spent the day trying to remember how good I felt after the weight loss.  I have decided to make myself look at myself in the mirror everyday.  I keep avoiding that.  Good luck to you too.  I just laugh at people who say weight loss surgery is the easy way out--yeah right.

Check my replay to the other poster. It can be done. Trust me. One day at a time. 

I read on another forum about only eating 3 times a day and "water loading".  I have never done that--curious if anyone has.  

Eating 3 times a day would leave me hungry and then possibly overeat.  Or break the "proper diet". Eating 5- 6-7 times a day keeps my pouch small and my BS stable. Eating before I get really hungry allows me to eat premeasured portion and no more. 

Great news!  Your pouch still works!  Bad news!  You have not been working it!  I can say this for I was in the exact same boat 2 years ago.  I had a regain of 70 lbs.  I made the decision to stop what I was doing and go back in time to what the newbies were doing now.  I cut my calories to 800 a day, my proteins up to 80-100 grams a day, net carbs 50 or below and I walked everyday starting at 30 minutes a day and working up to 1 hour a day.  I journal my eats all day long and I came back to OH and found back on track with Kathy and never looked back.  I made sure that I was taking my vitamins and was not drinking with my meals or 30-60 minutes after my meals.  It took me 8 months but I lost every pound that I regained and I have maintained that number, give or take a few pounds up or down.  I did work my calories slowly back up to 1200 a day for maintaining but I mostly consume around 1000 a day during the week and more on the weekend and it equals out to about 1200 a day.  You can do this.  Just set mini goals of 5 lbs. so that you do not overwhelm yourself saying I got to lose 69 lbs.  Once you lost the 5 lbs. set another goal for 5 lbs. so forth and so on.  Come here daily to see what is going on and post and let us know how you are doing.  I started posting everyday to keep me honest and on track but that was what worked for me.  It might not be everybody's cup of tea.  I wish you good luck on your journey back.  I have learned since taking this detour that I appreciate my surgery much more with the regain lost than I did the first time around when it just fell off.  I am more aware what can happen now if I let my guard down.  I look forward to seeing you post.

Tess,

When you lost your regain, did you stay consistent on the weekends with your eating plan.  I seem to do pretty good at work, but on the weekends I tend to eat a little more and exercise less.  I exercise 4 days a week, but do nothing on the weekends.  Thanks, Tess

When I was in the losing part of my journey, yes, I was faithful through the weekends.  I was not going to let the regain win.  Now that I am maintaining, I am not as ridged during the weekends as the week but I do not go over board either.  You have to decide at what pace you want to lose the regain.  I wanted it off as quick as possible and get back to my new clothes that I was no longer wearing.