Question:
If I get back to the good habits will it work?

I am almost two years out now and have lost all my good habits including sticking with all my support groups. Candy and carbs have become a daily thing. I made my resolve today to get back to the good habit and have now made it thru 2 meals. Will my tool kick back it and allow me to eat the little amounts again? Or will this alwas be the fight I had before WLS. — Christine A. (posted on September 2, 2004)

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September 2, 2004
Christine, thanks for your question. In the past few times I have checked this site quite a few "long term" WLS are posting questions related to regain and return of old bad habits. I am struggling with this issue as well. I can eat anything without dumping and I am tolerating larger portions for the first time in almost 2 years. The bad part for me is I have not started to put the weight on despite the increased intake. I know from other posting that it is only a matter of time and the gain will come if I too do not get back to the basics. The support we all get from this site I hope will curb the regain and keep us motivated to utilize our tool for what is right for each individual. Good luck to us all! It is a life-time battle but it is for my thin friends too!
— cathy G.

September 2, 2004
Although I'm just over 6 months out, these are some of the things my surgeon told me. My pouch will eventually hold more, and I will start to absorb more. The body just learns how to do it again. The pouch won't ever be as small as it was when it was made. In order to remain successful, I need to continue with a good diet and exercise program. I think that if you return to good eating habits and a good exercise regimen, your pouch will work. Follow the rules like you did when you were newly post-op and I am willing to bet that the weight will come back off. You just need to be resolved to have good life habits. I'm probably not much help, but some of these things I see on the main board sometimes, and others are what I was told by my surgeon. Best of Luck, Linn
— Linn D.

September 2, 2004
YES IT WILL WORK! See my profile. Last summer fall I got addicted to Oreo cookie bars. One a day wasnt so bad, buty 2 boxes a day:(:( Gained weight fast got to 205. Went cold turkey on those cookie bars and back to basics. The weight dropped off fast!:( See my profile. Its good you realized the trouble and are working to correct it before it causes a 50 pound gain.
— bob-haller

September 2, 2004
From what I have herd fro ther posters yes you can but got to be very strick on your self and go back to the basice of having liquids the puree and so on I have got to start watching my self also cause ave been doing some of the same and have got back to drinking reg MT Dews again to any a day gonna cut back to just 1 a day again Take Care Huggs
— wildbrat

September 3, 2004
The answer is yes, if you go back to good habits, it will work. However, you will never be able to go back to feeling full on the little amounts you ate as an early pre-op. Your pouch naturally stretches over time and altho you can eat more, its still no where near what you could eat as a pre-op. For instance, I am 2 1/2 years post-op and used to get quite full on 1/2 a sandwich. Now I may eat that 1/2 sandwich and a handful of chips and a pickle, or even eat an entire (not thick) sandwich. As a pre-op, it would have been a foot long sub. You need to come up with a plan that works for you. Your good habits should include regular heart pumping exercise (trust me, this works the best to get weight off and keep it off!). Join a gym, take the stairs at work, walk around the block, get a treadmill at home, whatever it takes, JUST DO IT. My plan includes the exercise but also several mini meals a day. I've learned that if I let myself get hungry I can reach for the wrong things, so eat something small and good at the first signs of hunger. I am also a sugar and carb addicted person, and I made the decision to incorporate some of each into my daily diet. That way I do not feel deprived or as you put it "always have the fight I had before WLS". I found that if I eat healthy during the day I can expend some calories on mini candy bars or licorice sticks or 1/2 a donut or whatever I feel like. Now for some this is suicide as 1 mini candy bar leads to a whole bag, so you have to find what works for you. And drink lots and lots of water, carry a bottle with you EVERYWHERE..you can do this. Just find the plan that works the best for you.
— Cindy R.

September 3, 2004
I read your postings--- you are very honest with yourself and that will go a long way toward getting back on track. You are definitely right to think of just getting through this rough patch one meal at a time. A few suggestions to make it easire. First, you really do need to avoid the carbs-- the increase in blood sugar levels they promote just motivate further cravings. And, because the body doesn't treat all calories the same, eating the same amount of calories in protein as you might in carbs will prompt weight loss, where the carbs will prompt weight gain. Secondly, you may want to think about just giving yourself a very bright line for limiting your snacking or other bad habits--- maybe it's just a period of time in which you won't cave in under any circumstances, or you measure out a small amount of nuts and put them in a container for your only snack for the day. Lastly, the issue really isn't whether your tool will kick in--- your pouch is still there, right below your esophogaus where your surgeon left it. The question is whether you'll let a new mind set kick in. Given that you're asking for help in such an honest fashion, you should feel very confident that you will re-orient yourself and succeed.
— SteveColarossi

September 4, 2004

— Rebecca D.

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