Have gained a few lbs back

Well my four year anniversary from RNY was April 17, 2011.  And in the last two months I have gained approximately 11 lbs; and I am not sure why.

What I CAN eat has pretty much stayed the same over the last four years: yogurt, cottage cheese, tuna, raw veggies, small amounts of meat, protein bars. 

Every day it is 60 calorie light yogurt for breakfast and a Balance protein bar (if I can find them discounted for under 75 cents).  My system cannot tolerate milk and eggs are "iffy".  Sometimes I have whole grain toast/oatmeal but probably only 2-3 times a month.

Lunch is cottage cheese, canned soup, or salad with tuna.  Sometimes  I have an orange or apple. 

Midafternoon snack is usually Austin peanut butter crackers.

Dinner 3-4 ounces of some sort of meat, maybe 1/2 cup potatoes or rice, 1/2 cup of a vegetable.

I have insomnia so 3-4 times a week I find myself having 4 ounces of wine to get myself drowsy.    With this I have saltine crackers to settle my stomach.  I know this is not good but I have tried Tylenol PM (no good), do not want to be on RX meds, have tried yoga, meditation, hot showers....nothing will turn off my mind and allow me to sleep other than the glass of wine.  I am so sensitive to the wine that just this amount basically makes me "pass out:".

I have tracked calories...even with wine I seldom exceed 1500 calories. 

I am 4'11 inches, weigh 121 (was down to 110) and BMI is 24.4.  Online calculators say my body needs 1171 calories daily just to operate.  And even though my job is sitting at computer all day, I do get up and move at least a little bit.

So how is it possible to gain 11 lbs in 2 months?

There can be many reasons for the gain. Are you getting enough protein and  water?  Have you changed your exercise?  What does you pcp think? You might want to talk to your nutritionist and see what she/he has to say.

I try to get enough protein...probably don't.  I drink more coffee than water unfortunately because of the insomnia and then having to work ten hour shifts.

I have never had a nutritionist...had surgery in India so no one but my pcp for general health care.  This website has been my support group, follow-up care, and main source of help.

Regain is part of RNY.  Eventually the body learns how to absorb calories again.  Don't panic and don't blame yourself.  Weigh daily, and work on getting it back off.  Congrats on catching it right away.  It will be very hard to lose, so don't expect quick results.  If you can get down a pound a month you will be doing better than most of us.

Lack of sleep also causes weight gain, so maybe you need to talk to the doctor about a sleeping pill for a while.  

Thanks--didn't think of insomnia causing weight gain!

Guess I will have to medicate for that....less stressful than seeing the scale creep up..that;s for sure!

Not sure I like the idea that my body will learn to absorb calories again....of course I still get sick daily from trying to eat normal food.   Yogurt, soup, and cottage cheese are what I basically survive on....every evening when I eat a "meal" I get sick afterwards and have to drink Mylanta or chew on Tums. 

Funny thing that snacks like wheat thins, the cheese crackers, pretzels don't bother my stomach even a little bit but eating animal protein (meat), eggs, even beans sometimes really do a number on me.  Fish is okay too but I get so tired of living on tilapia and tuna!

Oh well, I will find something besides a glass of Pinot to put me to sleep!  Thanks Mary Catherine!