Weight gain and can't lose it! xpost

I am 3 years out. After my surgery I lost 120 lbs and over the last year I've gained back 40. I've tried so hard the past couple of months to lose weight and I am having a really hard time. I eat lean meats and veggies and LOTS of protein. I go to the gym a couple times a week and go hiking at least once a week. I am eating really healthy and I cut out alcohol. I just feel hungry ALL the time. I can basically eat anything (except lots of sweets or fat). I regret not truly changing my habits during the year after my surgery. I would love some tips. I wish I didn't feel hungry all the time. I eat about 1500 - 1700 calories a day. I am feeling VERY discouraged. I would love tips and suggestions or just some support from people who have experienced this. 

I remember you and your first year ...  sorry about the regain.    This isn't rocket science, moderation can only be your choice if it truly IS moderation.  

You need to cut your calories to lose your regain - probably to 1200 - cut the carbs and up the protein, that will help you not feel so hungry.

Hi, Katie!! Glad to see you posting!! I agree with Kim. cut back to 1200 calories a day. Get out the measuring cups and food scale. Get reacquainted with what a real service size looks like. Forgive yourself for the gain and move on from here. You can do this, you just have to decide to do it. Stick around here for support!!

Good luck!!

I eat 1000 5 days a week and more on weekends and that is to maintain with no exercise besides walking at 49 years old at 130lbs.  You are gonna need to cut calories and move much more.  It's easier to never gain then re-lose so don't forget and gain it back again once you finally lose it.

Please see my profile page if interested. I share my experience with weight loss surgery there.

Katie I just came back to the boards to get some guidance on this same issue. I lost down from 327 to 169 and am now back up to 224. I'm panicking because I don't eat a lot but the weight is just coming right back. I've been using Sparkpeople.com to track my food and according to the website I should be losing but I haven't been. Have you started losing again?

Ok call me cuckoo but I have a theory.

With RNY part of why we lose weight is because the parts of our intestines with the longest villi, which are most capable of capturing macro-nutrients, is bypassed. To heal, our remaining intestines have been shown in studies to grow longer, stronger villi. It is therefore my contention that if you manage to gain weight after your magic window closes the combination of this longer/stronger villi AND the mistrust of our metabolism can make relosing harder. Not impossible, but harder.

If I were you I'd employ the services of both a nutritionist and a trainer. Exercise like a demon, eat like a bird. It will come off.

For my part, the inner peace I feel is sorta worth the extra poundage I picked up to get here. For ME, returning to that life would bring about unhealthy thoughts and habits. So until such time as I feel better equipped to take on regain (I've regained 40 as well but have lost about 10 of that), I will accept my regain and work on loving myself as I am. 

I agree to disagree with that point.  I gained 40 lbs - 15 - by choice - the rest - just tagged along when I started eating food full of chemicals and not really proper for me.and my body.  Finally I got the motivation to lose it.  I got on a plan, eating proper foods (no quest bars or junk like that - real food... ) and I already lost over 13 lbs (2 months) with a very moderate exercise... (I do yoga some days - more not that I do). I limit what I eat and how much, but I am not really hungry, and as the weight keep falling off I have day that I have to remind myself to eat.   I don't feel like I am starving - I am foodie and I cook great food, eat burgers, meats, avocado nuts - etc etc - all on my "diet" . 

Ragain can happen but it does not have to.  the regain happen when we allow that to happen.  When we don't follow the plan or when we eat things that are not good for us.  Or drink with meals.  

Well I don't think what you said disagrees with what I said. When you are in the magic window you could eat lard and still lose weight. You eat lard at 2 years out and - because of anatomical changes - you are more likely to regain. So I don't actually think we are disagreeing.

But I will say more than half of my bounce came at a time when I was still about 97% compliant and a gym demon. I have a friend right now who is still a gym demon and her weight is incrementally creeping up. I think it's because I didn't change the way I was eating from my losing phase. I still don't like a bunch of crap food. Most of what I eat is balanced and fairly healthy (I've even knocked off the Frankenfood!) but if your eating is out of whack with your body's caloric needs, changes in weight will happen.

So...I stand by what I said. I think in the long term anatomical changes make it easier to put on weight and harder to take it off.

as a matter of fact - I eat lard and bacon and  red meat, etc etc as I am losing weight.  But I don't eat potatoes, grains, and starchy stuff... or as you call them - and "frankenfood"..

I also chose wisely my bacon and my burgers..  the quality vs qty... my pouch is still small.. and I am losing on a similar level as I did 10+ month post op... due to low body fat% - the "last" 10 lbs is a ***** regardless of everything else.