Question:
REALLLLY need HELP getting back on track so I can reach goal.

I am 11 months post-op(gastric bypass). Ive lost 115lbs, my goal is to lose 157lbs. Making it through the holidays was tough, i gained a pound and I will not complain. But ive been on a plateau for about a month. I want to get back on track so I can reach my goal and keep it off. Please HELP me with MENU PLANNING and IDEAS and EXERCISING. I know my tool is still working because i still feel full all the time, but I know Im pushing it. I am afraid Ive fell back to my old ways...eating for no reason!!! HELP...HELP...HELP.    — msjackson84 (posted on January 4, 2009)

January 4, 2009
Go back to what you ate the first week after surgery. This aways works to jump start my loss again. Good luck! Lesleigh07 Georgia
   — lesleigh07

January 4, 2009
I read that a lot of folks who have this issue go back to basics. Also a lot of them will do the 5 day pouch test. U can goggle it to find the link. I would think U would only need to do this a few days to kick start your metabolism again. Also I read a lot of folks change up their exercise routine a bit. Maybe try something new. Good luck.
   — chell1957

January 4, 2009
Maybe you could sit down and make a list of the reasons why you had the surgery in the first place. Then do the other things the previous writers have mentioned. You can do this. You just have to break that chain that has been restarted and get back to your "good food" Congrats on all your previous success. You have done great and deserve to win this battle. Good luck!
   — katiecakes

January 4, 2009
Hi! I don't have much advice. I can only tell you to try drinking when you find yourself wanting to graze. Many times we are thristy and eat instead. Good Luck! I am 6 months out and feel hunger now, so I am afraid too!! I belong to curves, and I walk. Walking is a great do anywhere exercise. Even walking in place. also, after rereading your letter..maybe try to keep all junk out of the house. Or whatever it is you are wanting to eat. Go back to basics and try drinking more. Maybe you are craving protein. Do you get in what you are suppose to? I hope you find the answers. Hugs, Kim
   — gpcmist

January 5, 2009
The holidays are hard for me too...With visiting company and cold weather you just want comfort and celebration...and good food fits right smack in the middle of this time of year. You have to make very conscious efforts now to end the party! (So do I!) I spent the weekend emptying out my pantry of all the party foods that were opened for guests and not eaten....All the chips and cookies...In the trash! Anything unopened went to work with hubby to leave in the break area. This week I restock with health and planned eating again...I plan out my week roughly in my head so I know what I will be making for dinners and lunches. I will buy most of the ingredients this weeks so I do not end up at the grocery store buying more crap! Even my snacks will be planned...I just bought fruits, blueberries and yogurt...I can puree the blueberries and add a SF sweetener or eat seperate...I use Greek yogurt as a replacement for veggie dips and sourcream...so it's a must have in my fridge. I got low carb roll ups (fajitas, stirfried meats and veggie roll ups...and lunchmeat...cheeses, for melting on tuna and other foods...Pickles (the big deli kind are nice and filling for a chip replacement snack it offers salt and crunch!) Apples and a cheddar cheese brick for sliced apples with cheese or with peanutbutter as a snack,,,Better than cookies! I slice up apples and put in little baking cups, add cinnamon and nutmeg and a T of oatmeal and milk and bake! YUM! Get yourself one of those mini muffin tins...They are really tiny with some 24 mini muffin holes on a sheet...You can whip up ALL kinds of fun bite size snacks...I take two eggs and start chopping veggies...and cheeses and different ingredients and make mini egg popper thingies...EXample: egg, peppers and onions...stuff cheddar in the center for a cheesy middle...Egg,tomatoes, basil and mozzarella and a dash of oregano for a pizza flavor....egg, chopped spinach, artichoke tapenade....egg, ham, pineapple and peppers for a Hawaiian flavor! See what I mean! The ENTIRE family loves these things! Get a can of pumpkin puree and make mini pumpkin bites....You can mix that pumpkin puree with SF butterscotch pudding mix and chill with SF whip cream or vanilla yogurt on top! There are so many little ways to make healthy food taste amazing...I add these little poppers as sides to my dinner or for snacks...I eat fish when I need lean protein and I am watching calories...I make chili or some sort of bean stews with a mix of ground turkey and soy meat crumbles or textured vegetable protein(TVP)...(No one knows they are eating tofu because the texture is the same but with enough meat they can taste the meat and not he soy!! It's leaner than all meat but with great protein and fat numbers! Move your body! Just move it...Take the farthest parking space...walk around a store after dinner rather than sit and watch TV (I'm guilty lately) Walking after dinner helps you digest better and burn some of that dinner as fuel! Plus you are less likely to snack from being distracted and busy and NOT bored!...I like to go try on clothes I wouldn't normally wear just to try them on! LOL I will go try on party dresses...and gowns just for fun or business suits or just crazy sexy stuff I would not wear in public (I'm a jeans, cute top or sweater and flip flops kinda girl, but it's so much fun dressing a Barbie doll (no I am not a Barbie...I'm more Barbies chubby friend) than a Pumpkin! )...Kinda like adult dress up! It's a lot of bending squatting, twisting exercise! LOL (especially if the dress is complicated and tight!) HAVE FUN being thin! Enjoy your new body...Experiment with health foods and recipes...Find fun ways to get in exercise if you don't like workouts ...Like me! I HATE exercise, but I am as active and fit as can be because I do not sit still long! Even watching TV...I take a tiny glass of water and on commercials I refill it! That makes me get up and get in my water slowly but steadily and I stay satisfied...These are some of my personal lifestyle changes that work for me...I was supposed to get a belly dancing DVD for xmas...:::Sniffles:::Santa forgot...I'm gonna go get it though anyway! LOL Please take your vits too...and just focus without making it a chore! Take time to make your food beautiful and exciting...It makes eating healthy seem decadant and fullfilling...You can do this! You did so well...You've got your life to live this new way...Make the changes you deserve so you can stay healthy and thin, but learn to enjoy it. You gotta let go of the fat girl ways and make way for that new person you always knew you should be...could be...WILL BE!!! And just be her!
   — .Anita R.

January 5, 2009
One thing I strongly recommend is going to the Health Forum here on this website and joining the Mini Challenge. This will get you a lot of support, as well as the connection with people in like circumstances. Also, if your doctor has a support group, or there is one near you, GO TO IT. Nothing helps to get you back on track than being around WLS people. Good Luck!
   — Shirley D.

January 9, 2009
One website I have found helps me is called Livivng After Weight Loss Surgery. It's got everything, including a whole section on recipes. They even have a cookbook you can purchase, and a weekly news letter called the 5 Day Pouch Test. Also a little booklet is for sale called the 5 Day Pouch Test. That will really get you back on track. Good Luck, Paula
   — paulajaneb