Weight Gain - 1 1/2 years after surgery

Hi all - just wondering if its true that we can expect to regain some weight after surgery?  I have been doing so well - I use myfitness pal fairly regularly and between walking and  using Tony Little's Gazelle I would mostly do over an hour of walking a day.  My caloric intake usually 1200-1500 and occasionally more to be honest if I indulged.  I went to the drs today and my weight was up by 10 pounds.  I was hoping for 5, I knew I was gaining.  Now im feeling down about it and afraid I will gain more.  I have to lose it - my health has been better than ever and I have new clothes that I cannot out grow!  I have my 1.5 yr apt next month.  I will be hoping they can help me.  any suggestions are welcome!

Hi Merry

You are very smart to be concerned now about regain.  Somewhere between 18 months and 24 months the party ends and we begin to absorb more and are able to eat more.  Life is good and we think maybe we have this thing licked!

Do yourself a favor and track and weigh your food accurately to see how many calories you are consuming.  AND - calories do matter.

Once you track your normal days eating - see where you truly are and begin to cut back in small increments of 100 calories.  Once your weight stabilizes you will have found your correct maintenance level for you.  Often you will have a 100 - 300 calorie range where you can vary your caloric consumption different days.

Sounds like you are getting exercise which is great and MAY allow you to eat a few more calories - but in the end its all in what you eat.  Period!

Good luck with your appointment - and again - congrats on the weight loss - and so smart to get on any gains immediately. 

Thanks so much for your encouragement!  I have decided to eat less carbs and especially fruit - I was so happy to be able to eat fruit - something I couldn't do before surgery, and its mostly fruit and veggies that agree so well with my new stomach.  Your advice is well taken - thanks so much!!

Birdie Girl has given you great advice. I just want to encourage you. I know you can do this

Every single thing that Birdiegirl posted to you ^^^

Watching and tracking everything you eat is an important (and often eye-opening) step. After a couple of years post-op, it truly does come down to what you're eating. As an aside, I weigh 120 pounds and eat between 1200-1400 calories per day to maintain at many years post-op. Your "set point" may be different and as Barb mentioned, you may have to play around with different amounts to find what works for you.

Keep on it, Merry! You can do this.

K.

I would measure things for a bit too, when you're tracking. It's amazing how much we 'estimate' our portions sizes to be. I measure my regular food for a week every six months, to make sure i'm not off. Get your water in too!!

keep on tracking.. i hated doing it when i went to weigh****chers - perhaps if i did i wouldn't have had to have the surgery - who knows.. can't go back now.. but we've all worked so hard to get where we get and to "blow it" cuz we want something stupid.. is it really worth it?? read birdiegirl's post again and again.. cuz yep .. we do think we've licked it after a while .. to find that damn fat cells wake up and say more more more!

happy ho ho ho!

Back to basics.  I highly encourage most to get under goal and give themselves leeway for this reason.  Bounceback is a ***** and is generally harder to lose the longer it stays on your body.

Good luck

Dawn