Question:
Anyone who is post -op 2 yrs. and gained back all there weight

Hi, My name is Mary i am 56 and had rny 2 yrs ago. I lost 100 lbs.and i have gained back 55 lbs of it..I can eat a lot of food and i am just sick about it. I am disgusted when i look at myself in the mirror just like i did before i had my surgery.I am addicted to sugar, it used to make me sick and it doesn't anymore (but) i found a way to get a round it..I asked my doctor about a revision and he was nasty to me and said you failed the first time and that is your fault. He is right its just i wanted a second chance. I guess i really blew it. I gave away all my big clothes thinking i will never need them again and all the smaller clothes i bought very few of them fit and the ones that do are tight.I am back to being out of breath again and not being able to tie my shoes and all that..I know my stomach is stretched out because of the way that i can eat, anyone else in this sitution or was there and helped themselves or got help?    — satinroses (posted on May 27, 2009)

May 27, 2009
It is unfortunate that your surgeon didn't have more to offer you...as in a support group. Find one now and start attending. You've already realized that RNY surgery is not the failsafe way. No surgery is. So your option now is to get back on track with the diet and exercise you should have been doing all along. This surgery REQUIRES a lifestyle change in attitude and eating habits if you truly want to keep the weight off. That means a DIET and DAILY EXERCISE. Start with your diet plan, right after you clean out your refrigerator and cupboards. Go back to the basics of protein first, cut out the empty carbs and measure your portions. If you don't know how to do that invest in paying for a nutritionist consult(s). They can help you design a proper eating plan. To that, start walking every day and build up length and time at it. Join a gym or hire a trainer to help motivate you and get a routine established that you can do on your own. Train that brain. You can overcome this & be as thin as you were before but the main thing is your health, not the size of your clothing. Check for Overeaters Anonymous groups in your area. Put your MIND to it and you can do it. You ARE the priority!
   — Arkin10

May 27, 2009
not drinking with meals is a key factor, at least that is why I was told I stopped losing. Brian
   — johndough

May 28, 2009
ok you can do this. First you need to get back off the carbs. I can eat twice as many carbs as protien. So eat protien and veg only for two weeks. then add fruit. Eat as much as you need to not be hungry. You do not need to feel full. You may want to check into counseling to resolve your reasons for over eating.
   — trible

May 28, 2009
I am over 2 years post op and have been able to maintain my weight loss (-145lbs.) All I can offer is to get back on track. Go to a support group. Seek counseling or therapy to help you get your mind wrapped around the lifestyle changes you need to make in order to use your tool (your pouch) more effectively. Start exercising. Start slow. Walk for 5 minutes on a treadmill. Walk up a flight of stairs. Then increase daily or every other day. I live by the following food ratio: for every 100 calories - no more than 6 grams of sugar and 3 grams of fat. Living by this ratio (set by my surgeon's office), and exercise has been my saving grace. I hold steady at 150lbs. Good luck with your journey. I hope you find your way back to where you were before.
   — jammerz

May 28, 2009
I learned something this year after watching the Biggest Loser this past season...One contestant was "Ron" as a failed gastrc bypass patient who was over 500 lbs when he had surgery and he never lost his weight...He said that he was just one of those people it didn't work for...I felt sorry for him...It must be hard to be Super MO to make all the changes we have to make...I almost believed him...But then he began dieting and exercise on the show (as he should have done when he had surgery anyway) and he lost more weight than he ever lost since High school and more than most other contestants this season...He did it EXACTLY how he should have done it in the first place...DIET AND EXERCISE...He was not one that could do much because he had very bad knees and other medical problems...so he was NOT your typical Biggest Loser doing 6 hours a day of super hard training...He couldn't physically do what the others do...But he did what he could and he pushed himself... That proved to me that if he had just followed the basic rules of RNY and exercised, he would be exactly where he is today...My point is this...I too can eat quite a bit and would probably shock people if they watched me eat...but it's my choices of food that make all the difference...I choose wisely what I eat...and when I don't (I am far from perfect), I work for it....I either get out the pilates tapes or the sneakers and walk ...Or I swim an extra several laps...I will cut calories for a few days to compensate...But I don't keep eating like everyday is a party...I have my party and eat what I want and then the party is over! You have to start each day fresh and willing to try. I'm not a light weight at 165lbs...But I kept my weight off for 5 years by making good choices. Not over eating...Not drinking with my meals, keeping sugar and fat low and eating like a regular small person. So eat a lot if you do...watch the calories and eat leaner not necessarily less! That's what I do! I eat a lot of food sevreal times a day in small meals/snacks! But my food is as close to natural as possible...Fruit, veggies, meat, beans, cheeses, yogurt, nuts, whole grains, good fats, like olive oil, avocado, omega 3's....Fish is the leanest meat...Soy and beans the leanest veggie protein...So I eat those things several times a week...Red meat is the highest in sat fat so I limit red meat to 2-3 times a month...I eat ground turkey mixed with tofu or TVP(textured veggie protein) I make chili using half meat and half TVP...I use very little butter or fats...I quicky fry stuff veggies in a spritz of olive oil...and season to taste (no butter) Parm cheese makes a nice flavor rather than just salt and olive oil... I eat no fried food...no skins of meats, fish 2-3 times a week...fruit for sweet snacks...I have several different fresh fruits at any given time in my house... I have almonds, walnuts, yogurt, SF puddings...You can make all kinds of desserts with fruit, nuts and yogurt/puddings! You didn't blow it! You just need to make better choices... Just because you can eat a lot of food doesn't mean you have to eat a lot of junk! So throw away the junk and make a list of natural foods which are low fat, low sugar....high protein and high fiber...eat whole grains if you want to eat any carbs...Choose whole grain crackers over fried chips...Make soymilk or tofu shakes with fruit! Vanilla yogurt with walnuts grapes and apples topped with a few cherries/cranberries or! Looks like a decadent dessert but is about as healthy as healthy gets! Still hungry shortly after dinner...make a salad, but take the time to put all kinds of things in your salad to make it visually pleasing as that makes you feel like it's more a treat! I put in dried cranberries, walnuts, crumbled goat cheese, chopped apples...and I puree some raspberries and add to my balsamic vinegarette for a really gorgeous and light salad dressing! Take time to make your healthy food look really decadent! You spend more time standing when you are preparing nice snacks (better than sitting on the couch with a bag of chips! LOL Yes I have!) thinking of food in healthy ways that are satifying in every way...and you begin to love treating yourself to the way you SHOULD be eating in the first place! By no means am I judging...I have found my hand in a bag of cookies or potato chips more than a few times...I have eaten things that would make my Nut cringe...Perfection is not as important as moderation...We're human and we have eating disorders that lead us to surgery in the first place...But darlin' LOVE yourself enough to respect your flaws...Just as you would wildlife on a camping trip...You deserve to be healthy and thin...And very simply, being healthy and thin means eating healthy and lean... Over eating=over weight... MOVE your body...it doesn't have to be anything horrible or routine...Just move...Stand...garden, walk, go bowling, swim, go to the park with the kiddies or pets...Find active hobbies...But whatever you do, don't give up on yourself...because you can still do this! AND you deserve it! Don't just diet for a week...make little changes that are easy to transition to and find better choices of foods that you like...DON'T bring home food that you know will tempt you! I can't bring home cupcakes and ignore them...I cannot do it! LOL So I do not bring them home...I admire them in the store and walk away! FAST! Start small and work your way to better habits...Start a free online food journal too at Lifestrong.Com at "The Daily Plate"...Learn how much you are eating in calories/fats/carbs and that will also help you understand what you are eating and where you can make improvements...Good luck!
   — .Anita R.

May 28, 2009
Hi Mary, I had an RNY 4.5 years ago. Around the 3 year mark I started to gain the weight back. More than 30 pounds. I didn't want my 100 pound weight loss be just a dream that I woke up from and found myself fat again. I joined weight watchers and started running. The 'Couch to 5K program'. The program gets you off the couch and running in 9 weeks. I am in week 8. Before I started I couldn't run across the street to the mailbox. Now I'm running 2.5 miles every other day and loving the effects. I lost 23 pounds and feel great. It is my new addiction. Before you say you are too old, I am also in my 50's. Email me if you want.
   — smparker2