Question:
I am 3 years post gastric bypass and Im gaining wieght like crazy.
Is there anyone out there that can help me? I mean should I go back to just my protien shakes and salads or what? — Rainehickman (posted on March 23, 2006)
March 22, 2006
I know how you feel. I was 3 years out on March 3rd but have gained about
50 lbs. in the last 10 months. A good part of it was due to some
medication that I had to be on, and part of it was lack of exercise. My
dad passed away and I didn't want to leave my mom alone all the time, so I
would skip the gym to spend time with her. I have since got off the
medication and have gone back to regular exercise and the weight is
beginning to come off again. Not as easy as it did when I first had the
surgery, but it is coming off. I'm also watching what I eat. I can't eat
sugar but I can eat carbs and my "comfort" food has been
crackers, crackers and crackers:) Try to eat sensibly and if your not
exercising, begin even if its just a walk around the block. If you have
any questions, or just want to talk e-mail. Good luck. Sue
— Sue F.
March 22, 2006
I am not near as successful as yourself but have hit a large plateau. I
started eating large amounts of nuts which have calories/fat and a large
amount goes a long way. But like my pre-surgery days I resorted to the
easy things for eating. I started to look at what I was eating and doing
and modified my routine and am now starting to loose again. I have
realized how easy it is to slowly pick up bads habits without realizing it
because it is okay to eat something. I am not saying you have just that I
have and I had to pull out my manual and re-educate myself. Exercise is
something I have to continue to work at also along with the eating. For
people who think this is easy they have no clue. People will tell you to
start logging everything and then look at it and it will tell you what is
happening I myself didn't need that because in the back of my mind I knew
what I was doing and thought I could trick my body which is my fat mind
thinking. Go back to the basics portions, not eating and drinking at the
same time, types of food and as was suggested exercise. You have come this
far and you have the tools to get back to where you were it is just going
to take a little bit of time.
— 1968 Loser
March 22, 2006
You know you will not be able to last too long on protein shakes and salad.
You must go back to basic and simple eating .(period) No drinking and
eating together. No soft drinks. Cut down your carbohidrate intake. Cut out
the FAT. Increase your protein and drink your water. 3 meals pr day plus 3
snacks. These are your basics. Id you would like to create a menu we could
do it together email me on [email protected] I will happy to help you. I
think it is very individual based on what you like. Good luck.
I hope I am able to help you
Dani
— Dani96
March 23, 2006
Hi, I think another poster hit it on the head. You (and me...I'm 2 years
and starting to gain) have to find what nutrition plan is going to work for
us in the long term. Does your insurance cover nutritional counseling? I
get that through my surgeon's office. Also, you didn't mention your
exercise program. Find something that works for you. I'm a member of a
women's gym and I run. Good luck to us both.
— Rachelq
March 23, 2006
I'm three years out, never reached my goal, but I haven't gained any back.
(Came to a dead stop losing at 8 months out after surgery.) Here is why - I
get on the scale almost every single day. When I get to a certain weight,
I know I have to get serious and stop eating some of the bad stuff I've
been into. Yes, I have bad habits. Although I try not to bring tempting
high calorie foods into the house, I am not the only one (adult) living
here. And if there is a coffee cake in the house - I am probably not going
to resist it completely. Personally, I think you need to try to get your
protein from food sources. For one thing, it takes you body longer to break
down the food into the nutrients than it does protein shakes. I try to
stick with six smaller portions per day. But, since I am so far out, I
don't consider a string cheese or a slice of turkey as a 'meal'. One thing
I do to drop a couple of pounds is to eat soup. Get yourself a hearty soup
and have a bowl in the evening. For some reason, that fills me up and
sticks with me. (a couple of crackers in the soup won't kill you, either,
especially if it makes the soup more enjoyable). I also keep some Budget
Gourmet meals in the freezer. The less I have to mess with food, the
better. Have something around you can look forward to - like some sugar
free pudding or ice cream, and plan it into the day. Evenings are the worst
for me, so my Blue Bunny ice cream is something I look forward to.
Sometimes I fix myself a hot drink - I found International Coffees sugar
free, decaffineated coffee made with skim milk to be satisfying, low
calorie and much better than diet hot chocolate! Besides, if it is hot, it
takes longer to drink it and the serving of milk is not a bad thing either.
And don't forget to exercise. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sometimes I am too busy to
work out, and walking the dog is the only exercise I get. (Work full time
job, part time job and have a family and house. No wonder my eating
sometimes gets screwed up! Often I am grabbing something on the go.) I've
tried going back to what I ate right after surgery, and it doesn't work for
me.
Doesn't it just stink that it is just as hard to lose a pound now as it did
before surgery?
— koogy
March 23, 2006
REgain at 2-3 yrs is more common than uncommon, sadly. Part of it might be
eating habits, might be mechanical, could be any number of things.
Sometimes protein drinks + salads (for a few days) will put you back in the
driver's seat and let you get back on the right program for you, but the
ideal is to check out your mechanics and make sure you've still got a
working surgery. The other thing would be to talk with ppl who are more
than 2-3 yrs out and are doing or have done this battle.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Graduate-OSSG
— vitalady
March 23, 2006
what kinds of food do you eat on a daily basis...i am almost 3 years out
myself now and find that i tend to eat like those girls i always hated. the
ones who ate doritos and didnt gain a pound...for me it works...i lost
about 180 lbs in total...but i am only 23 and was 19 at surgery...help is
here if u need it
— princesss3802
March 23, 2006
You should see your doctor for follow-up. It may be necessary to have an
upper GI to see if your surgery is intact. Was your stomach transected?
Your staple line may be disrupted and the upper GI would either confirm or
rule that out.
I had RNY in 12/02 and initially lost around 80 pounds. I was able to eat
way too much early on, but my dr. assured me that all was well. Then the
dr. moved out of state. I gradually regained 60 of the 80 pounds lost.
Finally got up the nerve to see another dr. who ordered the upper GI. This
test confirmed that my staple line was totally disrupted. (I was not
transected---from what I understand, those who are transected do not have
as high a rate of disruption, so this is the way to go---if you know enough
initially to ask for it--which I didn't!!!) Any of you out there
considering WLS, PLEASE BE SURE to ask this question!!!!
I am now investigating revision surgery. I wish you the best---please get
yourself checked out.
— asumamma1
March 23, 2006
There's a great Yahoo Group called OSSG_Off_track and it's helping me with
my 30-pound regain. You need to get back to basics - protein shakes, high
protein foods, water, supplements, exercise. Because of hypertrophy the
villi in your intestines may have grown and now absorb much more calories
than you did with your initial malabsorption.
— j_coulter
March 24, 2006
I am 3 1/2 yrs post gastric bypass and I have gained back 20 pounds. I am
not going to lie to you, I have been eating the wrong foods. I started
eating sweets again, though not too much at one time, but I should not have
even tasted sweets. I quit exercising, and I was falling back into my old
pre-gastric ways. I got a picture out when I was my heaviest (300 pounds)
and read my journal (the one that I had written right after the surgery) to
remind me how far I had come. I do not want to get back to that stage in
my life. I quit the sweets, joined curves, and started eating healthy. I
started eating oatmeal for breakfast and I found that I have to force
myself to eat lunch. I eat a small dinner also. I started my new healthy
diet last week and I have already lost 3 pounds. It takes discipline to do
this and I am willing to do this. I buy the small packets of crystal light
to dump into my water and I try to drink 4 - 20 oz bottles a day. It's
hard and there is no easy way to do it, but it must be done. Hang in
there, and you will see it will pay off.
— Gretchen A.
March 24, 2006
I'm 3 1/2 post and have also gained. A lot. Very depressing. And very
hard to get back on track. If I had the willpower, I wouldn't have needed
this to start with. Apparently that initial golden period just wasn't long
enough for my brain to actually form new patterns, it's so very easy to
fall back into bad habits. I'm not giving up, though!
— jen41766
March 25, 2006
My lowest weight was 195lbs. and that was when I was 11 months post-op. I
had the flu and very sick from it. I got over the flu and got my appetite
back and gained back up to 212 lbs. It took 3 months to get there and I
have not been able to get it back off since then. That was 2005. Here it is
2006 and I am staying at or around 210 to 212 lbs. I never made it to goal
of 190 as I want, but am eating as right as I can get. I still can't
exercise as I want to due to I have Rheumatoid arthritis and the meds keep
me with an appetite as well as fluid retention. Along with a couple of
surgeries also that has kept me immobile for a few weeks I still try to get
in some exercise and eat sensibly. I do protein shakes when i do not want
to or feel like eating. I drink still 80 ozs or more of fluids a day (Water
with crystal light or sugar free cool-aid). I drink coffee everyday early
and use splenda. I am 2 years and almost 2 months post-op and it is getting
harder to eat healthy and snack. I do indulge in a chip every now and then,
but a very small bag and thats it. If I want something I taste it and give
it to my kids. My cravings are not hard to satisfy with just a bite or
taste and I dump on almost anything with sugar and or is greasy so that
also keeps me grounded. Salads have to for me consist of just lettuce and
tomato without any dressing. The dressings make me dump. Just do what you
have to to not gain anymore and get in as much exercise as you can like
walking or riding a bike. As someone said you will get tired of the salads
and the protien shakes all the time so I would just eat sensibly and
nutritious and exercise. It is harder now and it will make you discouraged,
but you have a tool and it will work for you if you let it.
— mspisces
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