6 years post-op trying to get back on track- starting TODAY! anyone want to share success...

Hi everyone!  I had VSG in July 2009 and did great with it for a few years.  I lost 100# and over the past 3 years (since getting married) I have sloooowly been gaining weight. A pound here and there, then was pregnant, and am back in graduate school.  I had my daughter this past winter and thought "oh yeah, I can totally start working out on maternity leave!"....ya what a joke!  I had no time or energy with a new baby and classes.  Well, a new semester is upon me in a few weeks, I have an amazing daughter and husband, but having gained half my weight back overall is disgusting me, as well as taking a huge toll on how my body feels.  How in the world did I ever let this happen?!  btw, I only gained 15# with my pregnancy and lost 10# of it...so that is not to blame.  I actually ate great being pregnant and craved veggies, fruit, and drank a ton of water.  Ever since, I have fallen even more off track. Throw in the fact that I feel exhausted constantly, but I think this is due to my poor food choices.

How can it be that I know what to eat and how I SHOULD eat, but I just cannot gather that motivation and willpower back!?  I want to feel better, I want to get back into jogging again, I want to have energy so I can be the fun mommy I want to be as my daughter gets older, I want to not only fit into my clothes but be healthy too!

I have been reading posts here today and I can see some of my problems...I need to get back to the basics of protein protein protein!  I eat too many carbs, my husband is a carb lover and I am not strict enough so I eat what he eats (not as much at least).  I am a grazer too and that is a huge problem that I forget about.  I am also an emotional eater so when school classes or work stress me out, I reach for food- which is a bad bad bad bad habit.  

I would love to hear from those of you who have gotten back on track after a few years.  I made the best decision of my life to have WLS and loved my results, now I need to remember why I did that and spent $$ to do so and how I had a major surgery to my body to improve my health and that I cannot let that go and have to re-learn how to live with the sleeve as a tool.  I am making a list of the tips I am reading here so I can remind myself of what I need to do to be successful again.  Today is the first day I am dedicating to getting back on track.  One day at a time.

Just wanted to pipe in to say that it is really good that you have a clear picture of specific areas you need to adjust (carbs, grazing, etc.). That should be your priority to fix. I was not heavy prior to being pregnant for the first time, and did not gain hardly anything. BUT, with each pregnancy I gained 40 pounds after giving birth- for 3 kids. I think that the hormonal fluctuations, the change in routine, the exhaustion, etc. so be very aware of that. I have a blog post on getting back on track that goes over very specfic things that I do. Oh, and ice cream... just stay away compltely. I just went back in for a follow up and to address stomach issues that I was experiencing. When she asked me what I thought contributed to my regain I told her hands down ice cream. She replied saying that this is the number 1 culprit patients report for regain. Good luck!

This is one reason I will never be able to have ice cream in the house.  I've never been able to stop at just a couple of bites, and I'm sure that won't change now that I've had surgery.  Thank you for the reminder.

So sad about your ice cream issue. Luckily, I can have just one spoonful. I'll have a spoonful after school sometimes and then one before bed. What I don't understand is how half the carton is gone by the time I go to bed. Oh yeah, it's all the other single spoons full in between! I'm so with you on the ice cream! I love it, but it is definitely a substance that I abuse!

Hi I had VSG surgery two years ago and have gained 15 lbs back. I lost 100 lbs on my honeymoon, but that's over. I have to confess I LOVE ice cream I know I have to stop this situation from happening. I just joined You-Fit. to start my return to my set goals, just like you I did this surgery to feel better, but for now I am failing. Your story has helped me to get back on track. thank you. I wish you the best.

God Bless, Lou  ( FL )

I'm only halfway to my WL goal (sleeved in Feb. of this year), so I can't offer any advice. But I do wish you well and hope you can resolve your weight gain. 

I do want to say thanks to you and other sleeve veterans who post here for showing us newbies that even with the sleeve, the problems we have with food and compulsive overeating are going to be life-long. They won't end when we hit that seemingly magical goal on the scale. Good luck with getting back on track!

 

psychoticparrot

This is a post I wrote the other day in response to someone who asked basically the same thing. Hope you will find it helpful in some way.

Best of Luck to you! Keep coming back for all the help you need. Also, no need to be disgusted with yourself. A bit of regain is simply part of your journey. You can take it off. It's a choice you can make. Also,once you're off the carbs, you will find it much easier to stick to a plan.

Here it is:

So, I'm one who has walked that walk. Like you I lost 108 pounds and put about the same amount back on. I used to be a volume eater, but turned into a grazer and a sugar-holic post VSG. I have done a lot of soul searching to figure out what the heck was going on inside my head causing me to eat the way I was eating. I certainly know how to eat properly, so why wasn't I? Right????

There are many ways to go about finding out why you are over eating and choosing to eat the "wrong" things. I would recommend that you do some work in this area in conjunction with getting back on a structured food plan. If you want some book recommendations, send me a PM.

As for a food plan: What I had to do to finally break the cycle for me was eliminate all added sugars and refined carbohydrates from my diet. (Please notice that I said refined carbs, not all carbs.) I'm 3.5 years out. I have great restriction, though at times I wouldn't have known it because refined carbs slide right on through the old sleeve. I can eat 1000+ calories of crap food in a single sitting, if I allow myself. When I eat VSG appropriate foods my meals usually stay in the 250-350 calorie range.

The other thing you need to understand is that you are not a NEWBIE. You won't be able to follow a newbie food plan. Don't even think about trying to follow a 600-800 calorie a day plan like you did before. It won't work. Eating that way will feel punitive and you'll get resentful and probably lose it and binge. Depending on your height, body structure and activity level and being in your early 40s, I'm going to suggest that you start at 1100-1200 calories per day and go from there. (I'm 51, heavy boned, muscular, but short. My NUT has me on 1300-1500 calorie range per day.)

Gwen gave you some good guidelines. I'd like to add a meal plan example that might help. It's what I'm doing and I'm on my way back to goal. (My surgeon says a goal of losing 20 lbs. every three months this far out is realistic and achievable.) I do not like eating in the morning. Never have. That is why I do the protein shake within an hour of getting up and have my real breakfast a little later.

Breakfast 1 - protein shake made with almond milk

Breakfast 2 - Greek Yogurt with 1/4 cup berries and 1 TBS chopped pecans or a 1 egg omelet with 1.5 oz meat and 1 oz cheese.

Lunch - 3-4- oz of lean, dense protein and 1/4 - 1/2 cup vegetable a serving (tsp-TBS) of healthy Fat.

Snack - cheese stick or 1 oz of nuts (if I'm particularly hungry I will add a low carb fruit or a salad.) On days that I am craving something sweet I have been given permission to eat a Quest bar, but the NUT suggests limiting to 4 per week. 

Dinner - Repeat of lunch

Evening Snack (if desired) - I usually have Greek yogurt again with some nuts. Whatever it is you choose, it needs to be protein centered, not carb centered. This is huge. You don't want to spike your blood sugar before bed if you are a grazer.

Of course, water, water, water! 64 oz minimum of straight, clean, unadulterated water.

I think you'll find that if you eliminate the processed and highly refined foods from your diet and commit to no added sugar in your foods you'll find that your restriction comes back with strength and your appetite will lessen tremendously. You may find it very, very hard to get rid of the sugar and processed foods. A good way to do this is by eating as much protein, vegetables and low sugar/low glycemic index fruit, nuts, and fat as you like for three days. After three days reduce your calorie intake and stay centered 100% on the protein and vegetables, dairy and nuts and just a little tiny bit of fruit.

I hope this helps coming from someone who has been exactly where you are today.

Funny (or not) thing for me is..

i was an Ice cream ADDICT, BEFORE surgery 

easily going thru a 1/2 gallon container every 2 days..

after surgery..no desire whatsoever, 

have I had it, yes, do I look for or crave it...NOPE!

what I do crave now however are cookies and popcorn..BIG TIME

and it has gotten me into a world of ****!

i have been fighting a 20lb regain..summers been hard, what with summer vacation

an my general lack of regimented eating schedule..but my hardest thing to break has been hands down 

Is me ALLOWING stress eating to re-enter my life..

I have broken and conquered (for now) those bad habits

and have lost 4lbs in 3 days ( but I've been doing this every week)

then weekend comes, friends want to get together,

I go off my water schedule and eat too much high salt high carb foods

and I put back what I took off during the week...SIGH....

It's nice to know the restriction is still with me BIG TIME and the weight does come off..

AS LONG AS I PUT THE EFFORT IN!!!

i want to visit a plastic surgeon and discuss taking off my excess skin,

but REFUSE to do so, until I take off 10 of the 20....

stay the course, get out of your own head and do what you know needs to be done!!!

this is what I tell myself everyday...

good luck...keep us posted!!

I bought an ice cream maker and made my protein shakes into ice cream.  For many of us I consider doing the surgery without planning for a daily ice cream fix to be setting up for failure.

To truly lose the weight give yourself a year.  Count calories and weigh every day.  A pound a week will get you there.  Quick fixes do not work.