Hello and greetings.... I'm both frustrated and depressed..

     Good evening everyone I hope you had a nice weekend.  My name is Tammy and I had Laparoscopic Bypass Surgery in Dec of 2004; so that means I've been post op for over 5 yrs now. 
     My story is probably not new, but I wanted to share and see if I could get some feed back.  My starting weight at the time of the surgery was 325.  11 months after surgery I was down exactly 75lbs.  Unfortunately that is as far as I ever got (250lbs).  The ball started running downhill from there..LOL... When I was in my 11th month I got pregnant, which I knew was a no-no.  However, because I had had 5 previous miscarriages I was not going to blow what I considered my last chance, so needless to say I now have a beautiful 3 1/2 yr old little girl.  Sorry getting off track...
     Anyway, after giving birth to my daughter I was able to maintain my weightloss for about a year.  After that I slowly gained back 40lbs of the 75 I initially lost over a 3 yr period.  Last year I decided I needed to try and start losing again so I started going to the gym, but not really watching what I ate; needless to say I only lost 10lbs... So at the moment that leaves me at 280lbs.  
     I goto the gym at least 4-5 times a week, doing 30-45 minutes of cardio and another 30 mins of lifting weights.  I feel in great shape for my size, but know I want to get back on the losing track asap.  This last year has been frustrating because my friend has been going to the gym with me and has 40lbs, where I am stuck on a lousy 10.  I'm frustrated, depressed and actually don't want to go to the gym  with her anymore because of feeling so useless....
    I'm lost as to what to do.... my pouch is in good shape or hasn't stretched because I can eat a cup of soup and be pretty much satisfied in one sitting... My problem is I keep wondering if I completely screwed up my body to where it doesn't know how to lose weight..  Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I can do to jump start weight loss... The problem I do not believe is working out, but maybe I don't eat enough or maybe just need a refresher on what we should be eating..
     Any help would be greatly appreciated....

Tammy

Hi Tammy!
Not knowing much more of your story I would think that you are not eating enough. Most likely not enough protein for your caloric needs. I know that I can easily go thru a day and forget to eat much of anything. Next thing you know its 4pm and I am eating junk! I am also about 5 years out.  When I am "being good" I start my day off with a 20g protein shake or a scrambled egg with cheese and turkey.  On those days I generally keep my food choices on track. I suggest that you take a week and write down everything that you eat. Do it as you have been eating not how you "should" be eating. You may be suprised what you find.
Good luck! Jen

Tammy,
Have you gone back to your doctor?  It is important that you keep him/ her informed as to what is going on.  I have had a pretty rough time too.  A year after my surgery and at an 80 pound loss 20lbs from my goal, I got very ill.  I had to stop working out and started prednisone which I was on for almost 4 months.  Needless to say, I gained back almost all of my lost weight.  I was back up to 242lbs and miserable.  I am still undiagnosed in the disorder that started almost a year ago, but have the symptoms under control with medications.  Thankfully I am off the prednisone.  I recently started working out again and also decided to start going to the support groups.  There I was told "go back to the doctor."  He is your best supporter.  I have lost 15 pounds again and am finally back on track.  I should back track for a moment and tell you the very first thing I did to get BOT.  I wrote down all of my feelings about food, my body, my short comings, my family , my anger, everything.  It was a relief to just have it out there and on paper.  My husband read it and he felt so much more aware of how he could help.  I started writing down my foods and measuring everything.  You have already made some steps in the right direction.  You are exercising and you are posting here.  Now you just need to get the eating and outside support under control.  I wish you the best and I know you can do it.

Hi, Tammy--

I know exactly how you feel about being stuck.  I went through some major depression about 2 years ago and put on a bunch of weight, mainly due to overeating and lack of exercise.

I found that using Sparkpeople.com as a way to track my daily intake is very useful, because it not only computes your food intake, but also tracks your exercise, as well as being very encouraging in other ways.  There are other food tracking journals online, as well, such as fitday.com or dailyplate.com, although I haven't used them.  I like it because it helps me see when I start snacking too much or on the wrong things.  You do have to be honest, though!!  I have found that I am slowly beginning to lose again, which is great for my attitude and depression.

You know, you might actually be eating too little, because if you are exercising and losing a small amount, then your body is probably trying to hold onto nutrients just to protect itself.  But you won't know for certain until you track your food.

Good luck--  

Hi Tammy,

You received great input from the other BOTTers. 

I know for me logging in my food and activity is very important.  There was a study done that people that journal their food lose more weight than those that don't.  You can also use OH's Health Tracker to log in your food and activity.  You can access Health Tracker on your "my oh".  After you see what you're eating, you can access if you are eating enough and what you need to do.  Go back to the basics of what you did early post-op.

BOTT POWER!!

Cathy

Hi Tammy,

From personal experience I would say, stick to more protein and less carbs. For one, protein makes you feel fuller, plus it doesn´t leave you with the desire to snack all day.
I know that when I stick to my doctor´s original diet, mostly protein and some veggies, I feel better and actually lose weight.
The minute I add sugars and other white carbs, I start overeating and feeling lousy in general.
The food journal is a great idea. I used to do it, and starting today, I´m beginning one myself.
Good luck!

Marisa

     Thank you everyone for your support.  I thought about the doctor part of it and unfortunately my doctor is in New Jersey (I'm now in Pennsylvania)...  On top of that I was laid off from my job over a year ago, so I don't have any insurance, so unfortunately that plan is out for me...
     I worry at times that I am eating too much, but it makes complete sense that I really haven't been eating what is considered proper for us.  Yesterday I watched what I ate in regards to protein and water intake.  I think next week on Monday I will weight myself at the gym because today it says I was down 3 lbs from 3 days ago, which amazes me.  I'm sure it wasn't because of one day, but apparently I did something right over the weekend (maybe).  
    When I get home today I plan on jumping on Sparklepeople and using that food journal as well as the one here (great suggestions, thanks!!!!).... 
     Again, thank you everyone!!!  I knew I should have jumped back on here last year to get some support....  You guys are great...