Question:
Help! 3yrs post op and gaining weight!!!!!!!!

17 March will be my 3 year mark. In the past 6 months I have been gaining weight. I have went from a size 3/4 to almost an 8. I don't get on the scale because it's too upsetting. I have been battling depression, and fatique. I have been on celexa for years so I don't think that is the problem. When I started gaining weight, (a couple pounds) i cut back on eating....could that be the problem? Am I just not eating enough and my body is fighting back by packing on pounds??? I need help.... It's hard enough for me to battle depression because of my own personal demons, but to loose soooo much weight only to be gaining it back it sinking me deeper. Any thoughts??? Anyone??    — Jillisa R. (posted on March 1, 2007)

March 1, 2007
Jillisa, I just made my 3yr mark in december, and what I think helps me keep my weight under control is exercise. I try to do 45-50 min of cardio 3x a week. I dont know if you exercise but it releases those things called endorphines which may help you in your depression. Are you able to join a gym? If not even getting outside to walk will do wonders. Are you still taking your protein shakes? I find that helps with appitite control.I tryy to do 2 daily, but sometimes that doesnt workout I definately get one in. Also drinking water is essential, I find that if I drink pure water at least a liter a day, it helps me with my appitite as well. Dont get depressed, try to watch what you eat, everything should be healthy, try to eliminate the bread, pastas, the bad carbs, and sodas, if you havent already, and continue with your vitamin supplements. I wish you the best..trust me your not alone, we are all in the struggle together..Stacey
   — msstacey

March 1, 2007
Do a google search on "celexa and weight gain". You can find some helpful info on the internet but remember it is not necessarily true just because it is on the 'net.
   — ** Judy **

March 2, 2007
Jillisa, thanks for writing. I am 3 years out on the 16th of March, so congratulations. I also understand your issues with fatigue and depression. I have had a year of "death" in my family, and it has been difficult. I agree 100% though with the prior post that you received. Obesity, Jillisa is a head issue with a body consequence. You have to battle the head issue. The best way to do that is diet, exercise, water and protein. These things will put you in check. I am feeling my clothes, for the first time, not be so loose. I know that this issue is coming my way as well. Don't wait for another size to pass you by without fighting for it. You fought to get this far, don't lose your benefit. Even though I am a size 4/6, I am still an obese person in my head. I still lust for food, I still desire to fight against what I should eat. I still face those issues every day. I think that is not unusual. This will seem like a harsh statement, but I really liked it. I was watching the program "Numbers" with my family, and one of the detectives was visiting with a counselor. The counselor said to him "If you want to feel good, take a pill, if you want to get right, face the truth". Gruff, but true. As you face the truths in your life, you can battle to get past them. Whether it is obesity issues, or personal issues, you can face them and work to get past them. I mean this tenderly. I know that some people really need medication for depression, please understand that is NOT what I am saying. I am saying, for anything in your life, if you face it, you can battle it, no matter what tools you use. You don't need to sink another day. I am sorry you feel you have to be content with "personal demons". I am a Christian, and even though I do believe that the enemy chasing after me with issues and problems, I don't have to be content with them. As a child of God, I stand behind Him and He rebukes the enemy in my life. The Bible says "Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you". I am working hard at submitting to God so that very thing will happen. If you have an interest in knowing the love of Christ and Salvation in Him, I would be glad to share with you. Just ask. I wish you well, and hope that you get the help you need. It sounds like you worked really hard to get where you are. I really hate to see you lose that success. Take care, Patricia P.
   — Patricia P

March 2, 2007
i have not had my wls yet, still in the working progress, but i surely do know about the depression, i have started counseling and it has made a world of difference, i have started with a weight loss counselor someone who knows the struggles we go through with this obese stuff, and man has she helped me alot, i also find that if i have at least one protein bar a day that i get the "feel good" feelings, not that its got a lift me up drug in it or anything but i feel good because i just chose a healthy thing for me, maybe if you do like the other poster have said and up your protein intake with water and if you arent going to a councelor now see if there are any in your area that specialise in weightloss, i know that in our town the place i go to has a sliding scale fee if you qualify you may not even have to pay anything... please know that your in my prayers and you have done an awsome job getting down to wear you are, some of us are still at the 300 mark :( God bless you Paula
   — japaad

March 2, 2007
This happened to me at about 3 years post op. I was so successful in taking off the weight...and maintaining it for that period of time, then, all of a sudden, out of the blue....I started gaining. I wasn't eating enough to gain....nor was I eating the wrong things. Try to convince others of that...it just took me back to the years before surgery that I wasn't believed. Anyway...I digress.....I put on about 40 lbs....went from a size 4 to a 12. I was scared out of my wits. But, as suddenly as the weight came on...it stopped coming on. I began eating a bit more, and to date..nearly 7 years post op...I have lost about 15 of that...am into a size 10...which is a livable place for me...and I'm maintaining. I'm not as nazi like with my eating as I was...but I'm still careful. It appears that every time I get on the scale....which is about once a month or so....yes, I even stopped obsessing about the scale...it appears that I am losing like 1/8 lb per month...but I have never gone back up. So that is my experience for what it's worth. I think our bodies realize what we have done to it after about 3 years....call it the WALL....and it frantically tries to store up what it thinks it's been missing. Once I started being a little less strict..and I mean...a very little less....and it has turned around...almost. I wouldn't be surprised if after a year or two...I'll be back into my 8s....I'm not giving all my clothes away like I did. But if I never get down to that...I'm happy. My friends that were around me when I lost the initial weight....said to me after I had gained that I looked better. Between you and me....they were right! I looked skeletal, and not nearly as healthy as I appear today. I can't tell you not to worry....but it might help to not obsess...as that's what helped me. Regards~ Jacque
   — Statuesque