Battling my 20lb regain

Hey guys,

I came clean about a month back that I had a regain. My lowest weight since surgery was 141, but then I bounced up to about 148 and stayed there for a year. In the last year, I have regained up to 170 and have been fighting hard to get back down. This week has been a success (thanks beef jerkey) and I am down to 163.

It's not so much the number on the scale that's bothersome. I am confident with how my body looks.

The bothersome thing was the slip back down into the sugar addiction. One cookie here, one pack of M&Ms there, until I must have been packing down a lot of cookies to gain 20lbs. This week I have been diligently trying to stay away from sweets, but I am a raging ***** without them.

Ok, just had to let that out!

Have a great day!

Heather,

I want to thank you for sharing your problem with regain with us.  Being new to my weight loss goal, I'm very concerned about regain.  And reading about your experience strengthens my concern that I need to really watch the carbs I eat.  My problem is not sweets, but bready carbs.  

So, if I read your post correctly, the beef jerkey has helped you by eating it instead of sweets?  I find if I snack on something protein, I tend to stay away from the breads/crackers.  I really need to keep the things I love out of the house, since I'm not to be trusted to have them around.

Thanks again for sharing; you have plenty of company here.   

Sweets are my weakness as well.  It seems that if allow myself one treat, it's all downhill from there, and it will take me weeks to get out of the spiral!  For example, I went on vacation in August to Savannah and had the most incredible food.  Every restaurant was better than the next(except for Paula Deen's, but let's not even go there!).  I had pralines! Delicious and addictive!  Ever since then, I have been trying to get back on track.  I have gained 3 pounds and have been battling to get them off.  I will lose one, then put it back on, etc.  I am now within my weight range, but I want to drop to the low end, and the sugar has been kicking my butt! 

Well, at least you are trying to get the sugar monster under control.  Just realizing that is a great step in the right direction.  Good luck with sticking to it!

I had to laugh at your Paula Deen's comment! My fiance lived in Savannah for years and whenever we go there and see her restaurant full of people, he says, "look at those yankees lining up for cafeteria food."

ETA: This was a reply to summer24's post...not sure why its showing here...

I hear you on the sugar and on the regain with it,  I also gained over 20lbs by allowing sugar back in, but not only back in, it took over with cakes and dunkin donuts coffee, I was shocked to discover the drink  had over 800 calories in it...(no wonder i gained)

I struggled to eat clean once i let it back in until i completely detoxed off them...   I got my back to goal so i have every confidence that you can beat the sugar and get back to where you want to be..

Dont get me wrong every time i walk past the cakes in stores they call my name, but luckily for me i will no longer buy HFCS and most of it comes with it so i can easily walk away...

Good for you for facing this issue head on. Sweets can be a big issue - they certainly were my drug of choice pre wls. I really just have to stay away from the stuff and not keep it around.

A couple of things that helped when I had a sweet craving - eating red grapes. They are very sweet and filling and not many calories. Really satisfying. And of course some protein like almonds.  I do keep some sugar free low carb dark chocolate around from trader joes that it quite good and a small amount takes the edge off. And dare I say it - a small glass of red wine also cuts cravings for me.

I think if you can keep away from the sweets for awhile the raging ***** stuff will decline. Truly a nasty addictive substance.  And read "The End of Overeating" by Dr. Kessler if you haven't already. It will make you hate all the big junk food companies and think of them like big tobbacco.

Diane

I think 20lbs is the magic number!!  I'm sitting here after having jumping BACK on the wagon for the 100th time about to cry because I see donuts in the cubicle next to me.  I swear they about to be tossed in the trash and crap piled on top of them.

MS Shell

A lot of us have been where you are.  Last year from Thanksgiving through New Year's I ate anything and everything I wanted.  I just went wild!!!  I gained 18 lbs. in that short time but it took me a solid year to get my head together and slowly get it back off.  This year is going to be a much different story.  It was a lesson very well learned that I do not intend to repeat!  I now log everything on MyFitnessPal and weigh every single day.  I fully intend to stay on top of this and not allow myself to go crazy like that again.

You can do this, it will just take some time.  Keep at it and stay on OH like you did in the beginning.  Best of luck to you.

Dee

 I wanted to ask for those of you have had more than 5lb weight gain were you weighing everyday? One of the ways I got my highest was by avoiding the scale only to be shocked when I stepped on and had gained 30 of my 40lb loss (preop) back. 

I ,too, used to avoid the scale(pre WLS) when I knew I was gaining weight.   I now make it a point to get on that scale every day.

I gained 5-6 pounds over the last holiday season, and I did weigh though not everyday, but I had decided not to sweat it and enjoy the holidays(mistake!).  When january rolled around, I got back into action, and it took me several months to get my head back in the game and take off the pounds.  I swore I would never do it again, but I did gain 3 pounds on my summer vacation, and I had to battle to get them off.  It's hard to get my head straight and too easy to give into temptation once I allow the sugar monster in.  Now I'm not really concerned, because I'm within my 3 pound range that I allow myself, but I want to get down to the low end before Thankgsgiving. The VSG makes it so much easier to keep my weight in range.