Two Year Follow Up At TWH

I  had follow up appointments at TWH Wednesday  , I'm two years out , needless to say I cannot post happy things about my visit , my weight has climbed from the lowest of 181 to 206 in the past year, my bmi has climbed back up to 34 . I have a hernia which they figure may be affecting my bowels so it's upper and lower scopes at the same time in October. The reason... Because I didn't utilize the tools I was given, I have zero food intolerances including sugar and fats, I consume carbonated beverages including alcohol . Needless to say you must use your tools wisely , journal your foods , follow the diets and it will work , if you don't you get to where I am today in the midst of a gain and trying to reset it. Don't let anyone say the "5 day pouch test" is effective , it's not , only thing that works is sticking to the plan, protein first and foremost , make sure you get all your fluids (water) in daily , I truly am messed up right now dealing with a number of emotions and such , that I'm thinking of stepping out of this group for a while to refocus . Please don't experiment , don't believe it's gonna be ok to wander away from the plan , it really isn't ...

Thank you for sharing your experience. It's a good cautionary tale for the rest of us. I'm confident you can re-focus and battle back. Good luck. Cheering you on!

Hi Derek,

Thank you for sharing your story.  Knowledge really is half the battle, and the other half is emotional.  Please stop beating yourself up so much now and focus back on the plan.  In a way, I was lucky that I was under a lot of stress lately (and still am), and I stopped tracking my food, and counting carbs and protein, etc., and I just didn't eat much and when I did, I did not get in half as much protein as I should have, so I pretty stopped losing weight.  But, like you said, I learned just how important it is to follow all the rules and especially to get in a lot of protein and keep my carbs low..  I learned my lesson earlier than some people.  Maybe, if I were 2 years post-op, I would have gained some weight.  I also learned that my emotional head hunger can't be soothed by eating anything I permit myself to eat either - that I've got to divert myself when I'm feeling sad and stressed out, and that was another good lesson learned.  You've helped people today by telling us your story, now look after yourself and be as kind and forgiving to yourself as you'd be to one of us who went astray.

Jenn.

Hi Derek

You haven't asked for my advice but here it is anyway....

1 - DON'T leave OH....you don't have to post....but read it daily.....read the early outs.....read the pre-ops so you can remember the total misery of what life was like before you had WLS

2.  RESILIENCY - yup....you gained......so you need to figure out how to get your head back in the game....because its all up there....both the failures and the knowledge how to fix it

3.  Have a look at what I am eating on the WAYE daily thread....I am far from perfect......I finally caught myself 18 months ago and figured out how to maintain my weight....now I am working on losing my regain.....look at the calorie and carb totals and their ratio's......as a guy you will be higher.....but figure it out and try to commit

ITS HELLISH....but do-able.......and it ain't going to happen overnight........

BOOZE - empty calories and encourages you to eat ****we get impaired so quickly....and its not just driving impaired but how we rationalize our food intake while drinking....( cheese and crackers are soooo goooood with wine.....you get my drift)

I am not saying to never have a drin****rtainly intend to.....and I am on holidays next week so I sure will be having some glasses of wine and maybe a beer........but.....I also have to remember how friggin difficult it is to get myself back on track

LAST.....we all have **** to deal with.....and we all have different ways to cope......I know you have had a tough time of it with your wife etc......but seriously.....most of us have had some toughies the past few years......if we don't figure  out that food is not the answer then we are doomed.....because stress will enter our lives and likely on a regular basis.....dont give yourself permission to use food to soothe.....its a cop out......and it will make you feel worse in the end

OK....get back on the horse.......one day at a time.....once you get past the first day of good eating....go on to the second etc etc.....if you slip.....start at square one again

Good luck

Indeed Barb, indeed. Everyone needs to read this!!!

I hope you haven't left the board.  The advice from the others here is great.  Being pre-op we need to hear stories such as yours and I thank you for sharing it.

We're a community of people with an issue - being overweight - strength in numbers helps everyone in every stage through the tough times.

I wish you the best of luck and I know you can turn this around.

Thank you all for your kind words , your encouragement, and your well wishes , needless to say , 12 hours after posting this , im really at a loss right now on how to proceed , i truly want to be the best person i can be but i heard a term today that i think describes it best "buyers remorse"  , granted i know that these feelings today are just that feelings , perhaps the settling in of what i need to do and get going on it , but i wanted to ensure all of you that took time to post , that i truly appreciate the words and the taking of your time to post on my behalf 

Derek,

If I had known you were in the Army, I would absolutely not have quoted from the intro of my favourite 1980s cartoon - GI Joe!   I hope that wasn't offensive...

Remember, you have not blown it, you've made some mistakes and we all make mistakes since we are all human and as such we are all so subject to stress and sadness and slip ups.

You haven't gained back too much weight to take it back off - it will come off.  I know it will be more difficult and take a longer time than before.  But, you can do it!

You've identified where you slipped up, so you can correct your problem areas when you feel that you are able to begin again.  Just take a little while to prepare yourself to start anew.

Jenn.  :)

First off Derek thanks for sharing your story, it's important that you let people know its not all highs post op. 

Secondly i wanted to add that your story and your experience working for the military really helped me along the way and that come my surgery on Sept 10th you are included in those that gave me support, knowledge and honestly along the way and for that I thank you. 

Lastly i think the best thing you could have done is admit to yourself you've made mistakes along the way and that your not content where you find yourself right now.  Really is the first step to getting back on track.  I know you can work thru this in your own time and your own terms. If nothing else take comfort in knowing you have a non judgmental place of support here in OH.

If you still need a buddy to run the Army Run next year count me in!

Hello Derek,

None of us what to think we will go back to old habits. But before you beat yourself up give yourself credit for saying "STOP" and making a plan to get back to the basics.  We are here for you and hope to hear from you soon