Back after all these years, hoping to get back on track

I became a member here in 2012 and was glued to the message boards. I found the posts very helpful on my weight loss journey but after I got to goal I slowly stopped coming around. Now, here I am back again as I have been putting on quite a bit of weight and I am looking to get back on track. I need to draw from the experiences of others who understand the struggles with weight regain. If you had substantial weigh regain, what helped you turn things back around?

Welcome back. Sorry to hear of your difficulties.

Have you returned to your post-op plan. Do this consistently and it will serve you again.

Remember your plan is for a lifetime. Don't diet. Return to the habits your plan is about.

Good luck,

Tek

Thank you Tek. In the past years, I haven't been true to my post-op commitments/plan at all.

At least 99% of us have experienced regain. It is part of the process. The first two years are the honeymoon when weight falls off effortlessly. Year three is usually the bounce back year with about 20 pounds of regain.

After that it is very easy to keep gaining weight. And taking it off feels much harder every year, The body seems to really learn how to hold on to the weight more every year.

The good news is that it is actually fairly easy to lose the weight again. Knowing how to do it is easy. Motivating yourself to do it can feel impossible.

Decide how much you want to weigh for the rest of your life. That is your goal. A good way to determine it is to go to a BMI calculator and see what weight is right for you to have a BMI of about 24. That it the highest you can go without being overweight.

Then you multiply that weight by 10 if you are female or by 12 if a male, That number is how many calories it will take to maintain your goal weight. So if you decide your goal is 150 and you are female, you will need to take in 1500 calories a day.

To lose one pound a week, you subtract 3500 calories per week or 500 per day. So you would eat 1000 calories a day and see a one pound drop on the scale. Set up or revive your account on MyFitnessPal. Track every bite that you put into your mouth. Track your water too, Track your exercise. Weigh yourself everyday and track that. A smart scale that measures BMI, water weight, muscle weight, bone weight, and fat is very helpful.

There are no secret diets or magic formulas. Technology helps a lot with fitness trackers, food tracking apps, and smart scales. You are the one who has to make a plan and decide that you are important enough to stick to that plan.

This will result in one pound a week or 52 pounds lost by this time next year. You will very possibly lose it a lot quicker but your goal is to lose it and keep it off, so 52 pounds in a year at a pound a week gives your body the opportunity to adjust to the new weight.

You are so insightful. I don't know how you retain all this knowledge. I don't have FitnessPal but will try to setup an account. I am a little technology challenged unfortunately.

Just want to encourage you, the 1st step is hopping back into the community. I am only 3 years post op however being active in the community has helped me SO SO MUCH! I faced regain and it was really really bad. I felt so defeated and like I was losing myself. I was able to regain focus and get back on track, definitely tracking everything helped as well. Know you aren't alone in this struggle and there are lots of places and communities of bariatric warriors looking to help cheer you on. Look up things like back on track, virtual support groups and bariatric support and you'll be surprised with what you find especially now during this time of uncertainty. Spread Kindness like Glitter Lezette Christine Mua

Thank you for your encouraging words and it helps to know I am not alone. I am feeling defeated as you shared you have before. I want to regain focus like you have. I will focus on your advice.