Question:
Is it difficult to keep the weight off?

Hi everyone, I'm a Newbie here. I was wondering if, say a year after surgery, you still have to fight to keep every pound from creeping back on? Do you have to constantly control every bite, as so many of us who have lost weight with one diet or another have had to struggle to keep it off? Please describe your eating habits, Long-termers. Thanks, Mea A P.S. Hopefully my profile will pop up soon, I don't see it yet :o)    — Mea A. (posted on January 29, 2003)

January 29, 2003
hiya! i had surgery 19 mos ago and i'm below my goal weight and not having a hard time keeping it off. i've actually "revised" my eating habits because i found myself reaching for carb based foods first when hungry but i am in physical training now so i'm back to putting protein first and i hardly touch foods like breads, crackers, tortillas or chips. i train 6 days a week and on my 7th day - rest day - i can eat whatever i want but i pretty much still stick with my meal plan, just maybe have a rice flour waffle with peanut butter instead of egg & veggies for breakfast. i CAN eat most anything except refined sugar but i can't eat a whole lot of ANYTHING... lol i still do protein supplements (even before i was training). i know of some people who gain back some of their weight, i think by 3 years it's "common" to gain back like 5-15% of what you lost, supposedly your body is trying to find it's "ideal" weight. feel free to check out my webpage: http://www.geocities.com/katebme2002 and email me if you have any questions. {{hugs}} kate open rny 6-14-01 pre op: 268lbs goal: 135lbs current: 124lbs
   — jkb

January 29, 2003
Hi Mea, yes,I do think it becomes more difficult to keep the weight off after a year or more out, but easier to maintain the loss than pre-op. We still have the small tummys so volume is controlled, however, we still have the psychological cravings for junk food and even though you can only eat small amounts of it, it doesn't take much if you eat small amounts of junk all day to add the weight back. The bottom line: Calories in =calories out. Its still a calories game. Take in too many calories and you can gain weight. I do not control every bite, but I do try to control the carbs (not eliminate), eat lots of protein, drink lots of water and EXERCISE, which I think is the key to maintaining the loss. I do on occasion eat bad things like a few french fries, but it is not often. So far I am not struggling but well aware that I have to watch it and I get on the scale every day to keep it honest.
   — Cindy R.

January 29, 2003
8 yrs here. Yesssss, I say hesitantly. It's not as hard as pre-op, of course, but it's not a freebie. For me, the secret is protein IN, suugar g out. I don't count calories, as such, but what KIND of calories I get. No milk, no sugar, no grazing, no drinking with meals, lots of protein supp, vites, water. I do 4 meals/day. BUT when I change the formula, I change the result. So, while I"m fairly free to do whatever, if I mess with the "rules" my body respects, I WILL pay with added wt. Guaranteed. What's nice is that for the first time in my life, working within a framework actually WORKS.
   — vitalady

January 29, 2003
Ummmmm.... yes and no. I'm 3.5 years out. I lost most of my weight fairly quickly (in about 10 months)and continued to lose for the rest of the first year. I was stable for another year and right about the end of year 2 I gained 15 pounds, bang, just like that. I hadn't really changed what I was doing... I just had this kind of bounceback thing happen. I went back to a heavier concentration of protein supplements, limited carbs and added more exercise. Now I'm back to my original "low" and staying there. It does require a bit more conscious effort now but it is sooooooo worth it! hugs, Ann rny 9/10/99 260/124
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