How to NOT gain weight back?

Lisa R.
on 8/17/11 11:54 am - CA

Ok, so I see posts of people worried they are eating too much or people who are 2+ years out who say they have regained some weight. Then I see posts where people say "change your eating habits" in order to not regain.

Well, I just wonder what people mean by "changing your eating habits". I just wonder what foods people try to avoid, i think I know but I just wanted people to tell me some tricks to keeping the weight off.

Thanks for your input!

The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me. ~ Ayn Rand

aseg21
on 8/17/11 11:59 am - Miami, FL

RNY on 09/14/10

I'm only a year out but I can tell you that for me, it's 4 days a week in the gym. Any less and I feel a little bit bad about not religiously watching what I eat. The 850-1000 calories I burn there are the only reason I feel like I can eat and not feel horrible about it or worry that I'm going to gain. Either burn off the calories or be very rigid about what you eat, when and how much you are eating. The best advice anyone ever gave me was on my friends who is 6 years out - she said never let 5 lbs become 50. So each week I'm on the scale and if it's 5 lbs, I step it up and work a little harder so I never wake up one morning and find it has become 50. Good luck!

Lowest Weight: 145 lbs
Current weight: 148.6 lbs

Total Loss: 226 lbs

LBinSC0712
on 8/17/11 12:10 pm

RNY on 03/29/11

I have read a couple of things about regain being caused by drinking and eating at the same time. I dont know how true it is but I am going to try and stick with the 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after rule.

poet_kelly
on 8/17/11 12:38 pm - OH

RNY on 11/04/08

The reason drinking with meals can lead to weight regain is because it washes food out of the pouch so you get hungry again soon. If you get hungry soon after eating, and so eat more, you can end up getting too many calories in a day.

There's really no reason not to drin****il right before you eat, though.

Kelly

Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.

Lisa R.
on 8/17/11 1:36 pm - CA

I do drink all the way up until I eat (my doc even said that was ok), but I watch close and do not drink for 30 minutes after a meal. I will admit that there have been a few (very few) times that I have taken a sip while eating to move food that I feel is stuck, but just enough to get it down.

So if I just stick to the way I eat now, low carbs (only good carbs), no junk food, no fried foods, lean proteins, no grazing, no sugar, watch my portions.....I should be ok and not regain weight.

If I begin to eat white carbs, snack more often, eat fatty or sugary foods and graze between meals then I expose myself to regain.

That is what I am understanding. Right?

Is an "everything in moderation" a realist attitude? Like, can I eat pasta on a rare occasion? Not 2 times a week, but maybe once a month? Or pizza, can I have a piece every now and then just not every Friday? If I can't I can't and I will just live with it, I have for almost 4 months. But if we can learn to moderate those foods is it possible to do that and keep the weight off?

The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me. ~ Ayn Rand

poet_kelly
on 8/17/11 1:55 pm - OH

RNY on 11/04/08

A sip of water if something is stuck is fine. And yes, if you stick to the way you are eating now, you should not regain weight.

Eating stuff like pasta or pizza once in a while would be fine. Some people find that when they try to eat some things in moderation, they can't do it. It just leads them in to eating more and more of things. Like, I can eat one cookie, or half a blueberry muffin, or something like that. However, I have found that I cannot eat things like crackers and chips in moderation. Once I eat a few, I just keep on eating. I finally decided I could not buy crackers anymore because it was too hard for me to have them in the house and not eat them. If they were here, I'd eat them.

Anyway, it's certainly possible to keep the weight off if you eat "treats" in moderation.

Kelly

grannygrape
on 8/17/11 3:38 pm - Gervais, OR

All i got to say is good luck ladies,I hit the gym,6days a week and i meen hard I eat the right way ,Do every thing by the book,for 11 yrs now and still i have gained 30 lbs.I cant get off,I have tried every thing,Dr.thinks its my age and it is mint to be,But it just ****** me off,so good luck with your new life hang in there.

Price S.
on 8/17/11 12:27 pm - Mills River, NC

RNY on 09/09/10

I can eat the same number of calories and if they include carbs, like over 30 net, I will gain or bounce around. Keeping carbs down, low, helps. And of course, all are good carbs, like veggies, dairy.

66 yrs young, 4'11" hw 220, goal 120 met at 12 months, cw 129 learning Maintainance

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poet_kelly
on 8/17/11 12:40 pm - OH

RNY on 11/04/08

I think what people probably mean by "changing your eating habits" is not to eat out of boredom or stress, but to only eat when your body needs food. I think they also mean to eat slowly, to pay attention to portion size, and to eat "junk food" in moderation if at all. I

Kelly

flyingwoman
on 8/17/11 1:16 pm

RNY on 12/29/10

Don't think of the post-op eating plan as a "diet". It's not something that will end. Portion control, protein first, then veggies then whole grain carbs, minimize crap, no drinking while eating, mindful eating. None of that should ever change, even when you get to goal.