5 years out. Need help

I'm 5 years out. I need to get back on track. I have gained big time. Do I have hope or is it to late. Who has gained the weight back and got back on track?

Where do I start?

I haven't been in your shoes, but there is always hope. You know what you need to do... go back to your high protein lifestyle and start walking/exercising. You CAN do this.

Protein for sure.

Yes I can do it.

Protein for sure.

Yes I can do it.

There is always hope.

when my eating is out of control I know it may take time. if you can find a good dietitian and a therapist to help with the head part of losing weight. Start being active on OH. Post on daily menu posts for accountability.

When at one point I regained some weight- my first step was to stop the regain, limit cravings (de-carbing), then =get really serious about losing the regain. Losing 100 lbs after my WLS took me 10 months.

Losing 30 lbs regain - took me 3 years. First 15 lbs i lost in 3 months... after taht - I become more complacent and less dedicated/ motivated. I maintained that loss for a while .. then got motivated again and lost the rest. But- it was a slow process and it was not easy. But I learned not to allow more than 2-3 lbs of re-gain now. I am back to eating mostly good foods, I gave up grains, starchy veggies and alcohol.

I do allow myself one "meal" a week that I can have anything and everything... but that is one meal. any other times - if I want something not on my plan - I tell myself - I can have that, just not today. so I don't feel deprived. That really helped me.

exercise makes me feel better abut myself. But too much of it makes me very hungry...so I use that in moderation...

good luck.

read some of the OH articles.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/articles

here are some that talk about regain, emotional eating, etc...

http://www.obesityhelp.com/articles/stay-on-track-with-20-ti ps-tricks-from-a-registered-dietitian

http://www.obesityhelp.com/articles/3-things-you-can-do-this -minute-to-stop-weight-regain-after-wls

http://www.obesityhelp.com/articles/emotional-eating-after-w eight-loss-surgery-what-it-is-and-how-to-conquer-it

I don't have insurance. Sad to say.

Yes. Being on OH did help me in the pass. This will help me again.

Exercise will help.

It's been 4 months my knee been swollen. I can't bend it to put weight. So running and long walks are out of the question.

But I know their can be a way. Just need to find it

As much as I have to pay for insurance - I as m sure cash paid doc visit if I need would be much less. Plus am sure my insurance would not pay for any weight related visits.

But I believe that if you second time in OH - there is so much info here - plus you got a lot of great info from people *****sponded to you ,- that as long as you really want - you can find what you need to do to lose weight.a

As for exercise - that just makes me feel better. Exercise contributes maybe 5% to a weight loss? As I mentioned - I increased exercise to get more appetite and to eat more after I lost too much weight.

Ditch the carbs, dairy, protein bars, grains, etc. Eat meat, and no straight veggies with good fats like avocado, olives, butter, bacon. . No alcohol, soda. In no time you may find your hunger diminished and you may need to remind yourself to eat.

When you are decarbing - it may be really hard, our body craves the sugar, and carbs.

But if you can last 3-5 days without cheating - you may find that it gets easier.

Fyi : I am often sad to see people stop using their tool. They have their insurance insides cut and mutilated then got back to eating the same way they were eating before.

You never know - maybe eating very clean keto-paleo diet would help your knee?

My body is very sensitive to grains. My joints ache when I eat too many of them. 99% of time I avoid that. The 1% - I know I still have work to do.

Good luck.

A long journey starts with one step. For me a one step, when my eating is out of control, is typically 3-4 days. It works. It really works.

Long-time knee patient here... if you have access to a pool, I strongly suggest trying it out. Depending on the knee issue you have, the kicking for swimming may aggravate it, but if it does you can just walk back and forth in the shallow end. The cool water and increased circulation can help with swelling, and the water lessens the weight the knee carries for walking. I had essentially a reconstruction done in 2008, and it wasn't until I got in the pool that my rehab took a turn for the better. It's always my go-to when I'm out of shape and need to just get started moving.

Good luck!!

Of course there is hope!

If you aren't already, the first thing you need to do is start tracking every single thing you put into your mouth using something like MyFitnessPal. This requires measuring what you eat with a kitchen scale so that you know, exactly, what you're consuming. From there, you can figure out where you need to change your diet.

Then? Work on getting back to your basics. Here are mine, yours might be slightly different but these should give you a good place to start.

1. Prioritize protein and water
2. Deprioritize carbs, especially the refined and processed ones
3. Make the most of healthy fats
4. Eat three meals a day with no snacks
5. Avoid liquid calories (protein shake for breakfast is my exception since I've never liked putting solid food in my stomach first thing in the morning)
a. Don't drink with meals or for 30 minutes after eating
6. Weigh portions and track/log what you consume
7. Eat mindfully and with no distractions aside from real live people
a. Try to eat at a table
8. Move as much as possible
9. Weigh yourself daily
a. But focus on the trend of your weight, not the day to day fluctuations
10. Be kind to yourself

I can't add much to what others have said except you are not alone. Many of of (me included) struggle with this. Track your food. Also, join the vsg maintenance group and scroll through the older posts. There is a lot of discussion about addressing regain - particularly those by Kairk which are well written and insightful. Stay in tough here on OH. Its a good support system. Its never too late. Diane S