Question:
Has anyone gained back weight and managed to lose it again?
I am 2 years out and have gained about 15 lbs back. I feel like I've stretched out my stomach. Has anyone ever gained back some weight and gotten themselves back on track and lost it again? If so, how?? I feel hungry because my stomach isn't as tiny as it used to be. I just don't know if I have the motivation again. Help!! — wecangetright (posted on October 13, 2008)
October 12, 2008
Try www.livingafterwls.com The five day pouch test - this is supposed to
help.
Blessings, Anita
— ap2008324
October 12, 2008
I agree with Anita. I have done the 5-day pouch test and it works really
well. I would recommend it to anyone who is questioning whether or not
they have stretched out their stomach.
— sunsetyellow
October 13, 2008
— Lisa C.
October 13, 2008
First, it is normal to havea 10 % weight gain after WL stops. This is
pretty much a given...I gained back 7-8 lbs that I bounce up and down with.
Winter I am less active and gain a few pounds...and as son as the wheather
gets warm again and I get more active outside, I lose it. Second, your
pouch has stretched as it is supposed to do so you can get adequate
nutrition. The other Anita suggested the 5DPT...That is a GREAT start!
Two years ago at this time I began gaining weight...It started with a
little candy and I realized i can handle some sugar! Wish I didn't know
that! Then by Thanksgiving and Christmas I lost the track completely and
was in old territory, eating whatever, wheneever and drinking with my
meals...I couldn't be further off track than that! I even stopped taking
my vits regularly becasue here I was gaining weight, thinking I was getting
more than enough nutrition...I was wrong about that too!! So I go to my
moms for a month and gained 15 lbs (on top of the 7-8 I already
gained!)...My pouch was MISERABLE...I was gassy and achy and hungry all the
time...It drove me crazy craving sugar and bread and food right after
dinner...(Because I was washing my food right outta my pouch by drinking
with my meals) I had what they call the carb monster...That's what it feels
like after carbs take over your pouch and intestines! Do the 5DPT and
'de-carb"...That's the first step. It is not a diet to lose
weight...It is to get you back on track by stopping all sugar and simple
carbs, and it slowly brings you from liquid to soft to solid food slowly so
you can REMEMBER what your pouch SHOULD feel like with restriction. It
totally worked for me! I canot begin to tel you how wonderful my pouch felt
again with no carb monster...I've been great now for almost a year since I
did the 5DPT! I quit drinking with my meals again too. I got back on my
vits and healthy again somy body didn't think it was starving!
Malnutrition (vit deficiencies) is "starvation mode"...You can't
lose weight easily if your body is working against you to get nutrients it
is starving for! So go get labs for all you vit levels and make sure that
is good! Then try the 5 Day pouch test...THEN begin logging or journaling
your intake of calories, carbs, fats and protein. Add your totals daily.
Learn what it is that you are eating to make you gain weight...Then to lose
1 lb a week (nice and slow and healthy) you need to cut out 500 calories a
day from the carb and fat area! Add more leaner foods to your diet...Avoid
simple carbs or limit them greatly...Eat your carbs in fiber and fruit and
veggies! Snack on raw veggies, nuts, sf jello or puddings...Wait at least
30-45 even an hour to drink...STOP eating when you are no longer
"hungry" and drink drink drink water inbetween meals...I lost my
15 lbs in 4 months and have been on track now 8-9 months without regaining
it back! Add a little more exercise too...Make little efforts...Take a far
parking spot...Go walk after dinner, even if you gotta just get in the car
and walk around a dept store for exercise...Take the stairs...do sit-ups
and push ups right before your daily shower! Mow the lawn...rake
leaves...Join a pool or gym or yoga class...By a cool new workout CD for
winter and rainy days! Take hubby dancing! Dance with your kids! So many
fun ways to exercise! So many great ways to eat lean and healthy
too...Fish is the leanest meat you can eat. Try to eat that several times
a week...use mustard instead of mayo....yogurt instead of sourcream...cream
cheese instead of butter...Quick fry with a spritz of olive oil rather than
fry foods or bake/grill meats...Two veggie sides, fruits for dessert...Try
apples and cheese...apples and peanut butter...Look up cool fruit
desserts...Eating fruit doesn't mean you have to chomp into boring
apples...cut them up and top with vanilla yogurt and walnuts and grapes on
top...Make eating fun and beautiful to look at and HEALTHY! Take the time
to do this for yourself and by putting love into the food you eat, you
"feel" special and self loved. It makes a HUGE difference! It's
self motivating too! If you don't have time for anything.....BULL! TAKE
time for yourself to stay thin and be healthy and eat better! Well, hope
that helps! You can do it! It's a slow process and patience is
required...Not the easy way out is it? But it is easier than you think,
you DO still have an awesome tool...Just remember all the stalls and all
the time it actually takes to lose weight...and you MUST stick to the pouch
rules...It's truly the best and only really suitable and sure
"diet"....
— .Anita R.
October 13, 2008
Oh yeah, welcome to my world. I had LapBand a little over 2 years ago and
lost 135# quickly and then quickly gained quite a bit back when I stopped
putting myself first when my father became critically ill. I had to travel
a lot while he was in the hospital and just completely stopped caring about
myself. I gained weight, became depressed, ate because I was depressed and
gained weight and the viscious cycle was back in full force. I know all of
you know what I mean. Instead of having a little setback and getting back
on track quickly, I completely relapsed into the disease of obesity for
almost a year. I had to get back to that really ugly place where I had HAD
IT and ENOUGH! I made an appointment with my surgeon who I had been
avoiding like the plague and took a friend from my support group, sucked it
up and got a fill and a good talking to and got back on track.
It took everything I had to face him and the scales, there were tears and
lots of self loathing, but, the important thing was that I put what
happened in the past in the past, evaluated what happened, forgave myself
for it and got over it. I began with re-evaluating my goals and decided
what I was willing to do to get there... and set about doing it.
Setbacks and even relapses happen, the important thing is to get over it as
quickly as possible, forgive yourself and move forward with hope for the
future. My surgeon says he can only promise one thing...
"failure"... and that may sound negative but he explains that
everyone will at some point mess up, gain and few pounds and feel terrible
about it. The quicker you get over the setback, the better.
When I need to get back on track, it is because the evil carbs have crept
back into my life. I have to remove them from the house, ask the family
for help and supporot, do liquids for a few days and completely detox off
of the carbs. Withdrawal is miserable, but I will completely stop craving
them within a few days. I get back to exercising and drinking lots of
water.
I have heard some do the pouch test or the cottage cheese test to evaluate
the status of their pouch. A doctor's appointment might not be a bad idea
either to check in, meet the scales and face reality. The nutritionist
and/or an addiction specialist might be a good idea as well.
Go back to the basics- protein, veggies, vitamins, exercise and water.
Keep us posted and best of luck,
Dawn Vickers, RN, BLC, CLC
— DawnVic
October 13, 2008
I have not had my surgery yet but I saw an answer to your question on
another support group webiste recently (it is a yahoo group...After Weight
Loss Surgery) anyway it said you basically go back on a liquids only diet
for about two weeks and your pouch will shrink. They have a whole pre/post
surgery email attachment regarding pouch care they send out to new members.
It also encourages exercize. Good luck!
— Pittysmama
October 13, 2008
Hi, I am four years out, lost 100 pounds. at year 2 I started to gain
weight. By year 4 I gained 30 pounds back because I was grazing all day and
stopped walking. I joined Weight Watchers a month ago and so far lost 15
pounds. I also started back on my walking 2 miles a day. My motivation was
not wanting to go and buy bigger clothes and I didn't go through this
surgery only to have it be for nothing. I have noticed after being on WW
that my pouch has shrunk back and I'm dumping again if I eat anything with
sugar. This is a good thing for me. Email me if you want.
— smparker2
October 14, 2008
Sounds like you need to re-align what you are eating along with making sure
you are getting enough vitamins and minerals; especially the minerals. Try
a good "liquid" vitamin / mineral supplement like VEMMA. Has 65
major minerals and 1000 IU vitamin D3, very important. Go to
www.TrySomeVemma.com
— [Deactivated Member]
October 14, 2008
i am even more extreme in the amount of weight gain i've expirenced. i had
my RNY in 2002. lost 180 pounds and was about to have abdominalplasty.
they day before my surgery, i found out i was pregnant. well, 3 babies and
4 years later, i had regained 80% of my weight! originally started at 330,
started again at 296. June 1st of this year, something clicked in my head
and cause me to seriously turn things around. i began with the 5 day pouch
test and have been doing really well since! i got back to basics. no
drinking with meals, protein first, measure everything, stop the second you
feel full...yada yada yada. well, since doing this from June 1st to now,
i've gone from 296 to 229 and still moving! i can also 100% tell you, i
really did NOT stretch my pouch! i thought for sure i did. after
researching, i've discovered that in reality, very FEW people actually
stretch their pouch. if i can lose almost 70 pounds, i have complete faith
in you that you can lose your 30. all about getting back to the program!
best of luck to you and hope this helps!!
— christielyons
October 26, 2008
I am 6yrs. post-op, and have been up and down with ten lbs. after losing
about 200lbs. I have used Weight Watchers. You might also want to find a
good support group. I believe that this happens to most people who have had
the surgery. Also try to exercise more. Good luck!!
— Jane65
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