4 years post op and weight gain!
Hi all. I have been gone from here for quite some time. I am so disappointed in myself and I am not sure what I can do. I started off pre op at 345lbs and got down to 220lbs at my lowest. I have sense gained 50lbs and I am now just shy of 270lbs. I hate myself for it. I have been trying as of the last month, to eat right, proteins first, low carbs ect. Like we were taught. But I am still GAINING!! Not only is it NOT coming off... I am gaining! I track on my fitness pal and I am keeping my calories around 12-1500. I am pretty sedentary I admit. But I shouldn't be GAINING! I had my thyroid checked about a year ago and it was fine. Can that change in just a years time so drastically? HELP!
Yes, your thyroid can change pretty drastically in just a year if you have certain medical conditions (e.g., Graves Disease for hyperthyroidism), so getting it re-checked would be my first suggestion.
Hormone changes can also significantly affect your metabolism, so if you are in your 40s, menopause/peri menopause might be an issue.
How long have you been gaining? If it has been over the last year, some people find that the third year is when they need to adjust their eating in order to keep their weight stable.
I have also been fairly sedentary until the last few months since my second knee replacement late last year, and at almost 7 years out I have to keep my calories under 1400/day or my weight starts to creep up, so it is definitely possible that you are gaining with what you are taking in.
You might also consider how many of your calories are coming from carbs. Sometimes letting too many "white" carbs creep back in can cause regain.
Lora
14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained
You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.
I have been avoiding breads and white stuff almost totally...Ugh... Im already hungry so often on the 12-1500 calories, cutting it even further is going to be torture!
Im reaching 40. I will be 38 this year. I have also been on a slew of hormone medications for fertility treatments until the last few months. I dont have a surgeon that follows me any more. I moved across country from them.
How much of your diet is dense proteins? Things like meat, poultry, dense fish, eggs, beans, etc. will keep you fuller a lot longer than thinks like yogurt, soft cheeses, etc.
If you are eating only three times a day, though, what might help the most with the hunger would be to cut down the amount that you eat at mealtime and then eat more often. Many of us eat 6 or 7 small meals/snacks per day (for various reasons), and that really doesn't give you a chance to get hungry. (For example, I eat breakfast at 7:30, snack at 10, lunch at noon, snack at 2-3, dinner at 6, and then a small snack before bed. Even if my snack is just some nuts or a string cheese stick, it keeps me from getting hungry before it is time to eat again.)
14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained
You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.
I'll bet that is the problem right there. Fertility drugs are known to cause a lot of issues and I am pretty sure weight gain is one of them. Hormones of any kind can mess us up. Are you off them now?
Some people have to go very low carb, like under 50, to lose any weight.
Are you able to get in any activity? Even walking will make a difference. If you are hungry increase your protein. Maybe eating every few hours will help.
You said you are avoiding breads and white stuff "almost" totally. Sometimes almost isn't enough. For some of us, we are so sensitive to refined carbs that a little leaves us wanting more. It is easier for me to totally avoid them then it is to try to have a little. Give them up completely for a week or so and see if that doesn't help the hunger.
WLS 10/28/2002 Revision 7/23/2010
High Weight (2002) 240 Revision Weight (2010) 220 Current Weight 115.
Hugs. It is hard. But .... 1500 cal may be too much..
For me not only calories - but how many proteins carbs and fat I am eating may determine if I lose of gain.
I can gain on 1000-1200 cal if I get too many carbs. Bread, starches - if I have even small qty - I start gaining.
For me to lose weight - I need to put myself on 1000 cal per day, and less than 50gr carbs per day - and none from grain - starches or even fruits. Processed food - like protein bars - IMO the companies that promote them - underestimate the calories we can asbsorb.
Check : BOTT group - http://www.obesityhelp.com/group/backontracktogether/discussion/
You may find there people like you - and by reading posts - you casn find out what works for different folks.
Hala. RNY 5/14/2008; Happy At Goal =HAG
"I can eat or do anything I want to - as long as I am willing to deal with the consequences"
"Failure is not falling down, It is not getting up once you fell... So pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again...."
I am no expert but being on various hormones might be causing you problems. Hormonal issues are why I needed the surgery to begin with. I would ask your prescribing doctor if weight gain is a side effect. Are you getting in a lot of protein and water also? I agree with a previous poster, make sure you track everything you eat. I would also make an appointment with your bariatric nutritionist to figure out why you are gaining. Your pouch is still small so you should be able to eat a low calorie diet.
You may want to consider being less sedentary as well. Building muscle will help with your resting metabolism. I'm not saying the fertility drugs and stuff arent an issue just making a suggestion.
HW - 297 start of Pre-op - 290.2 SW- 279.2 GW - 145
A middle aged over the hump and over what "I'm suppose to do" woman, with the wild spirit and a nasty case of depression and anxiety!
First-- Fertility treatments themselves make you gain wait. I was one them for a few months. They mess with your whole system.
second-- I have thyroid issues. My thyroid changes every month. I am all over the place, so it is very possible that a year ago your thyroid was fine, and now it is not. Also, some Dr's go by the old numbers for thyroids and will tell you that you have no problem at all, yet you have all the symptoms of a thyroid issue. The new research coming out says that the normal range is different for each person, and that Dr's should really treat based on each person's symptoms. For instance, for me I was told for yeas that I was in the normal range, and then I had a Dr who looked at the numbers and at how I was feeling and said that what they thought at the time was normal, was not normal for me. I was on the bottom of the normal range. The meds made all the difference in the world to me and my metabolism.
third-- I would have a conversation with your Dr about your struggle to lose. Make sure you are writing everything down. You and the Dr can then analyze what you are eating and change it. I do know that before surgery, too many of the "bad" carbs even if I was within my calorie intake made me feel tired and sluggish, and I would gain.