Help/advice plz

I am a successful gastric bypass loser in 2009.  I lost roughly about 169lbs.  and may I add during a hip fracture which made me immobile and the death of my mother and divorce, homelessness.. I have had some great achievements like finally graduating college and remarrying.. the biggest stressors are my job which I hate, as a correctional officer in a state prison, and finances are rough.  But I believe my biggest weight gain has come from my hysterectomy in 2012 which threw my hormones crazy as well as being over 40 now.. I was at my lowest 142 and now im steady at 194.. way too close to that 200 mark and frightens me terribly.  I am looking into the possibility of revision but not really sure that is the road I need to go on.  journaling is out of the question as my life is way tooo complex with my work schedule and household responsibilities.  i have been doing the protein drinks (whey protein powder blened with milk) and high protein foods.. my diet really hasnt changed much since surgery.  no or little sugar and low-no carbs..no soda/juice, ect.. sugar free tea or coffee.. no fries/potatoes/bread/rice/pasta/ect.. yet i am still in a regain and desperate for a kick in my weight regain butt!!  i appreciate any and all suggestions and ideas to help me conquor this disease that is now put me in a state of depression from feeling like a failure..thanx in advance

Unfortunately, the aging process and menopause has probably done to you what it has done to many of us: dropped your metabolism down and made it MUCH harder to keep the weight down.  It probably (and unfortunately) means that you will simply have to find ways to cut down in the number of calories you eat and/or limit the number of carbs more (even if they are from healthy foods).

i woudk suggest tracking everything you eat for a week and see how many calories and carbs you are actually consuming. You should alos double check your portion sizes. As time passes, it is VERY easy to let the portion sizes (and therefore calories) creep up.  I had my RNY in 2007 and started tracking recently to lose a few pounds gained after a knee replacement surgery, some crazy work hours last year, and decreased metabolism. I found that I am still really good at solid protein portion sizes (e.g., 3 ounces of chicken or beef) but I was kind of hit or miss on things in a bowl or in a pile like chili or vegetables. I wasn't off a huge amount, but underestimating volume by 50% also means underestimating calories by 50%. 

Lora

Thank you for your reply.. Your right on so many levels.. I was and will always be an addict.. And sadly my body is aging , not so gracefully!  Journaling is so hard for me but I will try my best for a week.  Maybe I need to start measuring my portions again?  I feel like my full switch is broken again.. I miss the full feeling after a couple bites of anything.. 

I know the idea of journaling sounds like so much time, but honestly if you don't carve out these 1 to 2 minutes after every time you put something into your mouth for you to focus on what you just digested you will never really know what the absolute reason is.  And if you are not ready to take the time to do that are you sure you are ready to go through more surgery?  

Most of the time we need that hard wake up of the journal to make us see where we are slacking.  There are several great phone apps, and you just need something that will show you where you are making poor choices and where you are making good ones.  You don't want to fall into the pit of just doing protein shakes and meal replacements.  You just need that slight shake up and eye opener i bet and you can get back on track.  Then start focusing on being protein forward.  My doc's diet is eggs, meat, cheese, leafy greens.  Nothing else.  Nothing preprepared.  Just natural foods and carbs only from leafy green veggies.  Weight has been MELTING off of me, and its a natural diet that makes me feel good.  

Good luck on getting back on track!!!

So eggs, meats(I'm assuming all proteins like chicken, fish, ect) cheese in moderate amounts,and green veggies which are low in natural sugar and carbs.. Nothing else?? What about milk ?  Ect.. And other veggies??

All meat (beef, pork, fish, shellfish, poultry, game, lamb, etc.) and he does not preach watching fat.  Eggs and then cheese he says you want to just be careful of constipation.  Veggies must be green (though you can do multi colored peppers, and cauliflower).  No more than 1/4 avocado a day, and no more than 1/2 large onion a day.  Chart all of it.  No other veggies and no fruit.  And no milk.  There is a lot of sugar in milk and you can get fat and calcium from other sources.  This is his weight loss diet.  No paying attention to fats or calories.  But you have to get over 90 grams of protein and less than 40 grams of carbs.  When I get to goal I am to add 1 serving of any veggie or fruit and 1 serving of dairy to my diet.  I am never to eat bread, pasta, or grain again as it is useless nutritionally.  This is my doctor's plan.  

Now he expects me to follow the weight loss portion of the diet.  He realizes that I will stray once I am at maintenance.  All of his documentation states that if I start gaining I am to go back to the weight loss diet.  I started this diet 1.5 months ago, and 18 pounds of my current weight loss was from this diet, with a major stall in week 2 and 3.  I get lots of fiber from broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach.  I eat a ton of spinach because I LOVE how it tastes.  Sometimes I crave more fat and sometimes I crave very lean meats.  I use olive oil and different vinegars for dressing.

Sounds very doable with one problem.. My protein powder has to be mixed with milk.  My doc says small amount of milk is ok it's lactose sugar.. But yours says none at all?? 

Are you on that particular protein powder for a reason, or do you still need to be on it?  I use protein shakes, but I use Premier Protein and it is premade.  And my doc says no milk at all after the full liquids stage until maintenance.  Again, this is what my doc has me doing.  Your doc may have you doing something else due to something he knows of that I don't.  Plus he's a doctor.  But yeah, my doc says no milk.  Only hard cheeses for dairy.

Ok well I have to have powder. The pre mixed drinks can't be brought into my work.. I can't do it with water, I tried.  

You had surgery in 2009?  Why are you still on protein powder, if you don't mind me asking?  Are you able to bring in solid foods instead?