Oh No weight gain

I have not been on the forum for a year. This could explain how easy it is to gain weigh-no support-bad habits creep back.  I had surgery Sept 2010-lost 83 pounds, went back to college-gained about 30 pounds.  I recently graduated, I am now working on losing those pounds so I can get back on track and head towards my goal.

I have been keeping track of my food again.  Started exercising more.  Cutting carbs out of my meal plan.

I have disappointed myself because I let myself gain that weight.  It was easy to do-I hadn't stepped on the scale from my one year anniversary  until that next spring. Before I knew it, wow!  Bad food choices came back easily.  I do know that I can choose bad things to eat right before bed.  I might also graze through the day.  Anyone have this issue? I take my lunch to work but sometimes I do not bring enough. Then I am very hungry when I get home.

Cindy

I gained before I knew it, too.  I revamped my eating and started holding myself more accountable. I thought I was doing everything right but evidently NOT or I would not have gained!

I know we can do this! I know it will take longer than normal to lose it since we have been at above our goal weight for some time. WE CANNOT LOSE FAITH! ARE YOU WITH ME? 

I don’t intend this to sound preachy to anyone because I have been there myself on other diets. I am now at goal and working on maintaining.

I really believe one of the big problems and this was confirmed by my surgery team when I met with them a few months ago is that we lose the weight we want or close to it, and think in our minds “well I have done it now”, I can go on with my life. The weight loss has stopped now and that is it, done, finished.

My surgeon told me they are starting classes for people who had that attitude and have gained weight back again, to get them back on track.

We still have modified bodies no matter what we have done on our weight. The tool is still there. We just have to go back to  basic rules, and I am sure I do not have to tell anyone here what they are.

But the big thing is that we MUST be on a DIET for the rest of our lives. If you think “well I am normal, now and can eat like my husband, wife, friends, rest of your family, the skinny person down the street, or anyone else”, WE CAN’T. We are not those people we are who we are and obviously have had problems with food and can never think we can just live and forget our condition we have which is obesity and that condition is incurable for most of us. We have to treat it like any other life threatening disease because it surly is just as bad. More people die of obesity related diseases each year than any other condition.

Now we can do this, we know we can. We have been given this wonderful tool, and it is up to us to use it. If we have a set back, fine we have had a set back but we have the opportunity now to use it as a schooling event and pick ourselves up and start over and use it as a learning experience, not a failure. After all Thomas Edison found a thousands ways that a light bulb would not work before he found the one that did.

We are not failures because we gained a little weight back we are just still working on our LONG RANGE plan and are NOT done yet.

You have hit on the exact reason the OH Keynote Speaker for their convention offends me.  He is a doctor and he is preaching to people that are mostly post-ops here that eat less move more doesn't work.  WTF???  We are not early outs that no matter what we do we lose, we are real people living with altered bodies that can easily gain weight and who have to "DIET" or whatever you want to call it, but can't eat everything in sight and not gain weight.  I know plenty of normal weight people who can easily eat twice as much as I do each day and maintain without much exercise at all.  But that doesn't work for me, so I have to keep my calories very low to maintain or get more exercise, which I do by walking.  But the only thing that does work is eat less, move more and now we have a "supposed" doctor saying it doesn't.  I am so sick and tired of used car salesmen posing as doctors, seriously, we are not cattle, nor are we stupid, so why treat us like we are.  Unfortunately just like cattle we represent $$$ to these doctors and nothing more.  Ugghhhhh annoying.

I'm with you, Heidi!! We cannot go back to our old habits and expect to stay thin. Very annoying!!

I had regain--a little bit more than what you're describing. I looked in the mirror one day and thought, "Don't waste this. You got your chance to relearn how to eat. Now USE IT." So, I took small steps each day and eventually got all of that weight back off, plus the 10 pounds beyond that to get myself to a healthy weight for my height. I apologize if this advice is redundant, as I've copied and pasted it from my blog before, but this is what I tell people who are experiencing regain:

So...you're 2+ years out and the pounds are creeping back. You're ashamed, you feel like you've failed at WLS, you're afraid of judgment, and you might even feel some self-hate. What is that going to do? Nothing. But if you say out loud, "Look, this is what happened and I need help," then you can get some advice, or get that off of your chest and not feel so alone in the struggle. Everyone on here has been there, stuck in a body that makes them feel unhappy and unhealthy. And so from time to time, we have to remember that our bodies require maintenance and healthy treatment.

My advice to long-term post-ops looking to lose re-gained weight or lose more weight to reach a goal (I wanted to be considered in the 'normal' weight for my height) is pretty static. It's about taking simple, small steps, and adding new ones in as you become comfortable with the steps you've taken thus far.

You can have the success that you are looking for, I promise. You have to believe that you CAN. Say out loud "I WILL!" and start with something small. Whether it be taking the stairs in lieu of the elevator, picking a hard-boiled egg or string cheese over a sugary granola bar for a snack, or just taking some time to meditate past a head-hunger craving, every single small step counts.

These are the steps that I took, and those I suggest to others who have goals that they are determined to achieve. Please remember that what I write here is what worked for me, so please consider it in the context of your own limits and expectations:

-Eat whole foods and avoid things that have been heavily processed (i.e. bagged sandwich breads, frozen foods--too much sodium and preservatives, and boxed mixes.) The cleaner and more local foods you eat, the better satiated your body will be. Make friends with some of your local farmers and go to local markets if you have them.

-If you eat starches as I do, be sure that you are eating whole grain ones that have a high fiber content. These are more satiating and you will find that you crave a little bit less, and every little bit counts. If you are so inclined, learn to bake your own bread and have even more control over what is in it. High fiber will also aid your digestion, as will things like yogurt with live active cultures. It is my opinion that denying carbohydrates in any amount or thinking of certain foods as "bad" leads to feelings of resentment. For me, that triggered binges, so I focus on balance now.

-Pick one day a week to make meals ahead of time. The worst problem I encounter is when I don't have options for meals and make quick, not ideal choices. I usually slow cook something, make some noodles, soup, and a cold salad and keep those in the fridge or freezer for easy access to pre-portioned meals.

-Exercise! If you're already exercising, try increasing the length or doing something different. I found that my body gets used to a certain kind of exercise if I do it for awhile and I'd end up stalling my progress. Now I alternate yoga, running, being on the elliptical, and some strength training for maximum benefit.

-Remember the basics: Protein first, veggies second, starches third. If my plate were to be divided into four quadrants, two would be taken up by protein, one by veggies, and one by a healthy whole grain like brown rice, bulgur, quinoa, whole grain noodles, or homemade bread. The starch only gets eaten once I get enough protein at the meal.

-Measure your portions. You might think you're eyeballing it correctly, but it takes a whole extra 10 seconds to toss it on a kitchen scale. I like my portions of bread to be 2 oz. or less, and my protein to be anywhere from 4-6 oz. I also log my food and exercise daily on a tracking website to assure that I am getting adequate protein and other nutrients. This also helps me see long-term trends in my weight loss and maintenance.

-Be compassionate. Some days you will want a cookie. Eat a (small) cookie and move forward. Don't take the time to beat yourself up, because all it will do is start a binge. Be kind to yourself.

-And finally, come and vent here when you feel frustrated. We are always here to listen and support you.

Thank you for this; I really needed it.  I am, gosh, I'm not sure how far post-op I am!  Nearly 4 years?  I did great; lost just about what I wanted to, but then I moved, my routine changed, I didn't like my new job a whole lot, moved in with the boyfriend, got engaged, got happy and stressed, and started getting fat.  He struggles with food, too, and we seem to have a hard time getting going on a healthier track.  Just yesterday, I was telling him how I hate the 30-35 pounds I have gained, how it makes me feel like a failure, like the "best me" that I was is fading away into that person I used to be that I don't love all that much.  But, I can do this!  I have to!

Unfortunately we see this more often than not.  WLS is a forever situation......the honeymoon time of losing rapidly and having very few consequences for food choices sometimes gives people the feeling they've beat obesity when in fact that is just not true. 

You can lose those 30 though, you have to focus on the RNY rules and stay active in the WLS community.  I'm sure some get tired of the long-term vets on here saying one of the big tools we continue to use and maintain is staying active in the WLS community. 

Start logging, moving (any little bit helps), no drinking at least 30 minutes after your meals, 64 oz or more of non-caloric liquids, protein first (always), measure your foods and log or write down your intake.  It's fairly easy to be in denial on how much you can eat once the pouch matures and you can intake more.

This is exactly the post I needed to read.  I've gained weight for the first time since having RNY, three and a half years ago.  I'm probably up 10-15 lbs and I can tell it's mainly around my middle, as my clothes are much tighter.  Since losing the weight, my health has improved so much (no more diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure) and I just cannot let myself gain back the weight!  Like many others, I've fallen into bad habits.  I do not have dumping syndrome and can virtually eat anything without getting sick, so it's been easy to eat junk food without consequences.  But of course, there are consequences - weight gain.  I'm good about not drinking with meals, try to get my protein in at each meal and I'm a cook so I can monitor what goes into my meals, but I need to drink more liquids, stop snacking, watch the portions and start to exercise again!  I live in Minnesota and we just had our second snow storm in a week (It's April 23rd!) and am waiting for spring to finally come so that I can get outside and start walking.  I like the suggestion about starting with small steps and going from there.  That's what I intend to do, beginning today.  It was so much fun when I was losing  and it is so "not fun" to gain and find your clothes getting tighter!  Thanks for the post!  It is exactly what I needed to read!