I gained 2 to 3 lbs

Once I hit the two year mark, it smacked me in the face...I thought I had the majority of it licked and that bounceback would have happened if it was going to....now, I hear more and more others saying around the 3-4 year mark it's more likely. Yikes...I am super rigid in the concern about the bounce that just won't budge...

Kelly,

You are so not alone in this -- in my almost three years, I have gained and lost, gained and lost a few pounds..the most was about 10. It scared me to death.

I knew what I was doing and I had to correct it. However, if your doctors are telling you this then I wouldn't worry about the actual gain. For me, the scariest part is the mental side of why I choose the junk. I will admit though, and don't care to, that I allow myself food holidays where I eat whatever and whenever I want. It works. Shari (Jupiter6) has said she does the same...it keeps me sane..

**hugs**

Me, too... to everything: gaining and losing (although 6 pounds was the most for me), food "free days"/holidays), being able yto go back to "plan" and get the weight off without too much trouble...

Lora

I really appreciate hearing from "veterans" who are a few steps ahead of me in this.

I keep hearing that the reality hits after year 2, which is approaching for me.

Now you say that it hit you after year 3.

Let me ask all of you who have walked/are walking the path....what advice would you give those who are at about that 2 year-ish point?

I think that having a weight threshold (for me it is 5 pounds) really helps.  I picked five pounds because it is high enough to allow for water weight gain, but is low enough that it is a manageable amount of weight to get back off.  I have had to drop 5-6 pounds twice in the 2 years since I hit my lowest weight (will be 4 years out in August) and both times it has taken me between one and two weeks of being very diligent about high protein, high water, and low carbs to get those pounds back off.

Of course, being diligent about what you eat will help keep the weight from creeping up in the first place.  I personally have an "all things in mdoeration" approach and allow myself one small treat every day, and that doesn't seem to be what causes my weight to creep.  What seems to cause it to creep is when I let too many simple carbs back into my diet or when I have a few days in a row where I simply am not very good about paying attention to what I eat.

Lora 

I'm in the second part of year 3.....so it really hit me in the beginning of year 3

At about the 2 year point, I think I got hit with my final hit of increased pouch capacity and I felt things "reshift" with my body. Advice (and this depends individually): don't rely on your surgery to keep you compliant - stay tuned into portion sizes, be aware of what you eat, and be at peace with your choices without beating yourself up. You can't change the past.

In addition to agreeing with Kitten,  I walso wanted to add that it was scary the first time my weight went up to my self-imposed 5 pound limit and I had to drop the junk food and extra carbs to get it back off, but it was also strangely empowering to do that... to be able to SEE that I *could* do that... to see that if I follow the protein-forward, limited simple carb diet, it DOES help me control the weight.

That's not a license to eat freely (knowing that you can take it back off), of course, because it comes off MUCH more slowly than it did after surgery... but it takes some of the fear out of a small regain.

Lora

Lora, my threshold is 5 lbs. also...and I am now right there. As I said, my low weight was 153, but I was ok with 154-55.

Patience and persistence I guess.

I would start a new thread on the advice from those 2 years out so you will get more responses

Me, too Lora.