Two years and three months out and gaining

The last time I logged in OH I weighted 183. I was happy with that number. Yet a year later I'm up to 208 as of today. That scares me tremendously. I knew the pitfalls to look out for and the triggers that were there. I think the classic addiction transfer and going back to old habits got me here. After a year of drinking more than I should that leads to over eating, I'm torn. I guess I thought I could manage this all with exercise and moderation but something is still eating at me. I'll never be 319 again but I still have goals and eventually need a lower body lift. How can I get back on course and focus on my goal. It seems my mind may need more work than my body. I don't fear gaining all the weight back because I know in my heart I CANNOT do that.

Regain happens to almost everyone.  Even without drinking, the body adjusts to the surgery, the pouch gets bigger and can hold more food and malabsorption gets less.  The only way is to manage with diet and exercise.  Log your food and get on the scale every single day.  Set doable goals, one pound a week would be fantastic.  Don't expect to diet and have big losses again.  The body gets much better at holding onto weight and there will probably never again be a week where you watch your calories and lose eight or ten pounds. 

It takes much longer now.  Weighing daily keeps you aware of your weight and out of denial.  Start working on your plan and take it one day at a time.  You can do it, but you have to make the choices that will work for you.

You are absolutely correct. It's every single choice that is important. I know I can do this. All of your suggestions are doable. I'm stronger than this and I know that I'll get through this. It's hard, I won't lie but I'm worth this.

I would suggest two things: back to basics as far as eating and getting in to see a counselor to deal with the emotional/psychological issues that are at the heart of the overeating and drinking.

The best way to get the regain back off is to go back to the way you were eating at about 6 months out, but with larger (but still limited) portions.  Focus on protein and limiting the "white" carbs (try to limit carbs to those from dairy, veggies, whole grains, legumes, and some fruit); drink plenty of water between meals (but never with, or right after, meals).  When my weight starts to creep up (I have a self-imposed 5 pound limit), that is what I do and within a couple of weeks I usually have the 5 pounds back off. The weight loss won't be fast as it was during the first year post-op -- it will be more like losing weight before you had your surgery, or even a bit slower if your body has permanently dropped your metabolism because of the surgery -- but it WILL come off if you eat fewer calories than you burn. The other advantage to going back to basics is that it reinforces the new healthy eating habits that will help you keep the weight off even further down the road.

Being more physically active will also help, of course.  Even a little bit of additional activity (doesn't have to be formal exercise)  helps.

It is common for people to discover that the psychological/emotional issues that contributed to their obesity in the first place are still there once they lose the weight.  Adapting to the new way of eating and focusing on losing the weight usually causes those issues to get pushed into the background for the first year or so, but the issues usually resurface eventually.  Many people (myself included) find that counseling can help both with those core issues and with behavioral issues (dealing with food triggers, etc.).

You can get the weight back off.  It is still a very manageable amount of regain, so hopefully you can gain extra motivation when you see a few of the pounds come off.  Coming here for support and reinforcement of the healthy habits also helps.  Most of the people I know IRL who have regained stopped coming here and/or going to local support groups.

Lora

Thank you Lora. You have wise advice and I'm going to take it. My physical activity is not an issue. I dance, run, swim and walk all the time. I was a dancer in my skinnier years and my new body allows me to get back to what I love.

It's the food really. See I was a binge eater. Those years if being a big boned ballerina lead me to hide food. I was the drive thru queen and 7-11 lady. I never kept those foods in my house for my family.

I went to 7-11 recently and realized that I'm not that woman anymore. My battle with food will always be an issue. I know the underlining issue was loving myself truly enough to care about what went into my body. I'm not going to go back and my goals are sill there.

White carbs are my downfall but I always eat protein and all of the other items you mentioned and I'm strict with my vitmins, 30/30 rule and still enjoy a nectar protein shake daily. I'm going to read and reread your post. You don't know how much it helped. Thank you. Joanne

I am now two years out and ive gained about 5 pounds. and i to am so scared of packing on the pounds... although i don't eat alot during onw sitting. i find myself getting hungrier more often....ive worked so hard to get here i don't want to go back. in fact i would love to love more weight....