Regain woes

I had surgery in 2010 and did fairly well, but after hitting maintenance and staying there for a few years, life got the best of me and I started to see an increase in my weight. I joined obesity help a few years after I had surgery and just never used it for support.

I'd like to find others who have experienced some regain and maybe some who have had success in getting it off. I have about 70 to get off myself.

Anyone here having the same issue or had success in battling the regain successfully?

My surgery was 7.15.-09 so I am 10 years out from RNY. I maintained well until 2017 when I dealt with:

moving

retirement

my mom's decline and ultimate passing away

marriage issues (we stayed married but still...)

my in laws lost their home in the CA wildfires last year and continue to need a lot of help

family drama with my sister

my daughter, who I'm SO close to preparing to move across the country for her husband's job (a good move but I'll miss her and her kids incredibly).

some heavy emotional impact from all of the above

No excuses, but life caught up with me.

So now I've regained 35 lbs, about 1/3 of what I lost. I am working with the dietitian at my weight loss surgery practice, and she gave me a 30 day plan to get hold of it all again. Trust me - it's not about a liquid diet or a pouch test or an egg fast or keto or any of that. It's about focusing on water and vitamins and eating small meals and snacks and protein and natural carbs. Feel free to communicate by message if you'd like!

Thank you so much for taking the time to share. I have some of the same things going on with my life. It is nice to know that this can be common. I think that the further we get out the easier it is to slide back into the lifestyle we once knew and become less rigid about meal prepping and tracking foods. I have gone back to all that and I am seeing some improvement. I am just amazed that my appetite seems to have increased over time and while I can still only hold small amount, I do tend to get hungry a lot more quickly, so I think going back to multiple small meals will be a goal from here on.

Yep. I lost 120 and regained 20, up to 25 on a bad day (after a cruise, for example.)

This spring I got fed up and tried intermittent fasting and that did not work for me. I lost 1.8 pounds and then my body said "no."

So, I tried the opposite - ensuring I ate something every 3-4 hours, focusing on protein first. I did and do have protein shakes as well as eggs and chicken since those are my preferred protein choices. I also stick with low glycemic index veggies and fruits.

The interesting thing is that while trying intermittent fasting, I was eating well, too. It was mostly about not being heavy handed and activating my body's superior anti-famine/survival skills. So, eating often seemed to "trick" my body into releasing the extra stored energy.... although never as fast as i'd like.

The weight does come off slower the farther we are out and regain even slower and this is so frustrating for me but I know I have to focus. I am also trying the small multiple meals a day to see how I do and I am hoping this will be the key to staying satisfied. Hunger is definitely back with a vengeance it seems.

I am 11 years post op. I regained 2 times, and lost the regain. ,App 30- 35 lbs each time.

My re-gain was caused by drinking alcohol together with eating more carbs. I did not need to drink daily, but even drinking on weekends, not only added empty calories, but also affected my food choices and allowed me to eat more while under influence.

Once I gave up drinking alcohol, and became mindful about my diet - I was able to lose the regain within app 6-7 months.

I didn't have alcohol issues before my RNY, but both times when I started enjoying some alcohol, I had a problem with controlling how much I would drink if I started. I could see how easily that could turn into a full addiction. Unfortunately for me, it is either all or nothing. I don't have problem not drinking as long as I don't start. So I no longer drink alcohol. It's a too risky for me. My ex was an alcoholic and I saw what addiction can do to a person and a relationships with others.

Doing IF with Keto-Paleo is was my way of eating to lose regain. Once I got to my goal and below that, I added some lower carbs fruits like berries and some complex strachy veggies.

Wow! Thank you so much for sharing your experience with regain and alcohol. I used to be someone who NEVER drank my calories, but that changed a while back and is probably a contributing factor to my regain as well. I don't think people realize just how slippery slope alcohol is not only for regain but for addiction in general.

I am doing the same on the foods I eat. I eat low carb, moderate healthy fat and have protein at every meal, but I am still keeping my portions small and eating more frequently as opposed to 1-2 meals that are larger. I will see how this works and tweak it a bit as I need to. I rarely eat fruit due to carbs and stick to veggies and protein in my meals. I am a sweet eater, that has been my hardest battle that sweet tooth never goes away.

I am also focusing on really listening to my body now as I did in the beginning. I do get hungry and it seems like my appetite is back to what it was before surgery and that scares me a lot.

I think transference of addiction can take place after having gastric bypass. All of a sudden we are supposed to lose weight and not substitute it with anything else. Well, to me that's just not realistic. I have had a few addiction problems in my life, so I was very mindful when I started out. I chose walking a lot as my "addiction" of choice because it has become an addiction, one which I gladly accepted. It is because of my walking that I lost 120 lbs., am at my goal weight and try to eat properly and in small portions. This part is difficult for me because I still think "big" and still won't share a sandwich, let's say, with anyone else, even though I only can eat a half. There are too many things that are psychologically challenging with losing a large amount of weight and I am still gaining knowledge 13 years later. Good luck, you can do it?

I have had fluctuations in my weight, but have used Weigh****chers as a tool to maintain my weight. I had gastric bypass 13 years ago and am enjoying my life again. I have always had a weight problem and saw that gastric bypass was my last hope. I used this tool to lose 120+ lbs, listened to what everyone had to say and thought about how miserable I was before this surgery. I guess you have to feel hopeless in order to succeed with a huge weight loss and that's how I felt...hopeless, useless, lazy, and not wanting to be around anyone. I did gain around 15 lbs about three years ago and that was enough to scare me into doing something about it. That's when I joined Obesityhelp.com and other support groups. These support groups are a vital part of keeping off the weight. Sometimes I forget or want to forget to go to these meetings, but realize after I've been to them that they are so informative and inspiring that it helps me. I hope you battle the regain successfully and get back that wonderful feeling of being thin again!

Queenie

Thank you so much. I plan on sticking around and using obesity help as a support tool as I should have originally. Losing is going to be hard but I can do it. Congratulations on your success.