Lost my way, need friends/support....
I had the RNY in 2008 after tipping the scale at 360 lbs (and I'm 5 ft 7). Shortly after that, I got severe pains in my side and they ended up discovering that I had a cyst on my ovary and it needed to be removed. I thought all hope was lost of me having children. In 2012, I got pregnant and had my son. I noticed that I didn't gain weight until I was about 7 almost 8 mos pregnant. I also noticed I was becoming a bottomless pit. As I started eating what I wanted again, I noticed I've stopped losing weight and I'm terrified to step on the scale again but I suspect I'm gaining.
Before my son, I'd lost 160 lbs and was only 20 lbs away from where I wanted to be. Now I'm 70 lbs away from where I want to be. On top of that, I have NO energy and can't seem to motivate myself to get back on track. I'm an emotional eater and I have NO ONE to turn to. So I returned here...only to find that all of the friends I made back then, disappeared (as I did) from here after we lost the weight.
Hi there :) I've been on and off here as well, but we're all here for support! Glad you've come back in order to help yourself get back on track.
Now I'm no professional, and still just 16 months out from surgery, but my suggestions would be:
1) find a support group in your area, it helps to have people to talk to and gives you increased accountability. Or perhaps seek some kind of counseling that can help with emotional eating.. Much like we had to do pre-surgery.
2) track every little bit of food that goes in your mouth.
3) go back to basics, remember, protein first!
4) perhaps most importantly, take personal responsibility. You are the only one who can decide to make the right choices for yourself. It's hard, and will probably always be difficult for most of us, but we can do it!
Hang in there!
Welcome back! There are lots of new people waiting to be your support and friends. You can do this just like you did before. Clean out the cupboards and cut the white carbs from your food plan. Eat plenty of dense protein and measure your food again. My doctor recommends no more tnban one cup of food per meal. Try to eat about every three to four hours and have protein for your snacks too like string cheese,jerky or yogurt or cottage cheese. Make sure to drink at least 64 ounces of fluids a day and get some exercise too. Even something simple like walking would be great. I have so much more energy when I exercise! If eating out of boredom is an issue,find other things to do with your hands like puzzles,knitting or sewing or other crafts. Make a list of things you could do at your lowest weight and can't do now and post it on your frig where you will be reminded before you eat of why you are doing this. I have also found keeping a food journal and recording every bite I eat and every bit of exercise I do has helped me to be accountable. And keep coming here too for support and any questions.
I just started my journey June 25 had RNY but before I did I was attending support groups I found them to be highly beneficial return to support group you are not the first and will not be the last to gain weight return back to basics, believe it of not they are your family, I remember there was a lady there you was starting to gain weight-and the support group unanimously agreed that starting from the beginning should put her back on track. good luck
Some of us from before 2008 are still around -- and most of us believe that staying here has confronted to us maintaining our loss -- so welcome back.
First of all, get on the scale so you know how "bad" it is AND so you will have some way of knowing when the changes you make are working and the weight is coming off. Personally, denial and refusing to step on the scale is one of the ways that I got to over 300 pounds!
Going back to basics -- high protein, limited carb diet; limited portions; no drinking with, or right after, meals -- is your best bet. It is really easy to let the carbs and portion sizes creep up over the years, and those are usually the primary culprits. You already know that eating whatever you want (and probably as much as you want) just means trouble. If you have been snacking/grazing, stop that immediately.
We cannot give you the motivation, but we can certainly encourage you to start right away taking small steps to try to motivate yourself (or just DO IT even if you don't feel motivated, LOL).
I am currently tying to get off the last of the 8 pounds I gained after having knee replacement surgery, and although I know 8 pounds doesn't sound like much, it is beyond my self-imposed 5 pound "weight creep" limit, and giving up my small treats in favor of protein to get those few pounds off is just as hard as if I had 20 or 40 pounds to lose. One meal at a time, one day at a time.
Most of all, don't beat yourself up over the regain. That just makes you unhappy and feeds the emotions that cause you to want to eat.
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.
