Question:
What is the best strategy to help a long-term post get back on track?

5 1/2 year post-op and have resorted to old eating patterns. Now crave sugar and carbs like did during pre-op days. In last year and half, I have gained back 100 pounds after having lost 217 pounds total after wls. What eating strategies/diets can I use initially to help me get past the cravings and back on track?    — MariaHBW (posted on May 29, 2009)

May 29, 2009
I am also over 5 years post op... I had my first sugar binge which lead me to a downward spiral where I gained 10 lbs in only a month and I knew if I didn't find something to help me I was going to gain the rest back too....I got right on it. It was not easy, but it was not impossible as it felt starting, either! I too had the sugar and carb cravings (carb monster) And I wanted to eat anything that wasn't nailed down to the kitchen counter...So I totally get the carb craving-grazing thing...I felt possessed by the cravings and hunger! It was awful...I did the 5 DPT to slay that monster and it WORKED! And gave me back some restriction feelings again which was SOOOO helpful to go on and lose that gain....I realize you have a lot to work on...You've let more than a few pounds get away from you and it might seem overwhelming, but you really can do it by starting with the 5DPT and then getting serious about diet and exercise. It's good fast structured way to de carb and get you back to basics really fast and with guidelines to follow. Or you can just cut all the sugar and simple carbs on your own...I need the structure of rules to do it! 3500 calories make up one pound...If you cut 500 calories a day, you will lose 1 lb a week...Add in some calorie burning exercise and you can really get that weight moving...You have got to lay of the simple carbs and sugar though....Stop drinking any sugar or alcoholic drinks that add useless calories and do not drink liquids for a good 30-45 mintutes after each meal...Start a food journal...I love "The Daily Plate" found at Livestrong.com. I kept a journal of every single crumb I ate and learned what i was actaully eating in terms of calories, fats, carbs, protein, fiber....From there I was eating at the time some 2500 calories on some days! No wonder I gained 10 lbs in a month! I could not exercise due to I also found out I was malnourhised and had anemia at the time as well...So I had to take the stress off my heart from anemia...So I had to rely solely on cutting calories to lose weight...I cut down to 1200 calories and lost 4 lbs adn then could not seem to lose anything....That is when I totally understood the "starvation mode concept"...I started eating 1400-1600 calories and FINALLY hit that spot where my body decided I was getting enough to burn the excess fat storage! Eating too low calories slows your metabolism and that's just not useful and often leads to giveing up and binging later...jsut as we did pre-op diets...So...Cutting 500 calories doesn't shock your body and allows you to lose at a healthy pace with little sacrifice and much better results in my experience and opinion...Another thing I realied on my own was that I felt the need to feed any hunger I felt...I was so used to not feeling any...and with the carb monster it was 24/7 hunger! After I did the 5DPT, I had a calm, peaceful feeling and the hunger was so mild that I actually timed it for 30 minutes and drank water just to fill it for a second...I found that often water and waiting was enough to hold me over for a few hours! So now I welcome a little hunger and it it grws I eat some small fruit or snack til it goes away, but not til I am FULL! I learned that eating til full was an old habit that needs to die...So now I make am careful to only eat til satisfied and that has helped me maintain my weight as well...Measuring out servings and not eating out of bags and boxes is also VERY helpful...It is soooo easy to over eat a serving when you blidly eat from a bag...You want one serving of almonds for a snack...take 16 almonds for a once ounce snack...Let that sit and you wiull find that 16 almonds is enough to hold you over for hours! Where if you just eat them out of the bag, you can end up eating several extra servings (AND the calories that go with that excess) And don;t bring home stuff that you know you shouldn;t eat...It will only tempt you and if you're like me, you can't stop thinking of that stuff if you know it's in the house somewhere! I am weak! I will find it and eat! DON'T bring it home! So, just start small with a pound at a time and don't forget...even with new surgery it took a good year to lose approx 100 lbs...But you have to start somewhere and you have to expect the plateaus and stalls without thinking you are failing....I wish you much luck... http://www.5daypouchtest.com/ http://www.livestrong.com/ (then click on "The Daily Plate" to start a free online food journal)
   — .Anita R.