*getting back on the wagon* -- let's have a thread!!!!

Hi all,

I know a bunch of us were talking about the challenges of being post 2 yrs or so out and dealing with the real life of maintenance which is avoiding regain, staying motivated, battling old unvanquished demons (hmmmmm, zombies?), and so forth.  I can't find the original thread, so i'm starting this one.  i wonder if we had an ongoing thread if it would help us all keep honest?  i've done this with a couple of people on MFP (thank you Beth!) and it really seems to help!!.

What do you guys think?  Couldn't hur!  and i know one of the big traps i fall into is letting the shame stuff overwhelm me -- screw that!  there's a crew of us out there.  i think we should band together!  ideas? Otherwise, i will just start the thread every Monday (kind of like "Whatcha Eating".

Just tracked a really crappy day (yesterday) that i have been avoiding. now i can move on!!!!!!!

my OH notifications have been funky lately, but i will check back!  and guys, it's almost FRIDAY!!!!!!!! 

I'm in!  Long story short, a little over year and a half post-op I slowly started becoming the "old" me again.  And stayed there for another year and a half, and gained back half of what I lost after my surgery. :(  Now I'm very conscious of the mistakes I made, how I let them happen, I'm back in full-force, and this WILL be back off me by the end of summer.  As I mentioned in Snowbaby's thread though, it's coming of way more slowly three years+ later, so boo on that!  LOL

I think this is great. It seems the more I focus on getting the now up to 8 lbs off the more the scale creeps up, it was just 5 that I tried to take off about 2 months ago. I feel like I am back on the duet wagon and struggling with feelings of deprivation and bingeing.

Hi Ann - I love this idea! I've seen a few posts like mine recently so I know now that I am definitely not alone! I kind of figured the reason we don't see some folks around is because they have not faired well. Remember when people used to ask why some seem to be avid posters and then disappear?! Yeah well, now I think I have a pretty good idea why! I'm sure there are some just out living their lives to the fullest once they got to goal but I also think its because they were like me - didn't get to goal and felt ashamed. It just goes to show that VSG or any other surgery is not fool-proof! It does a good deal of the work for you in the beginning but then after a certain point you have got to work at it.

I never ever thought I would be in this position - I thought I had it all figured out. Well surprise surprise - my old habits won the battle! Well, I am happy to report that I AM back on the wagon and have lost 4 lbs this week alone! The biggest thing I've learned from this (so far) is that I need to have my head totally in the game. I was not being honest with myself about what I was eating. Getting back to journaling (I use the 'lose it' app) brought it all to front and center where I could see exactly what I was doing. I thought I could eat 1200-1500 calories and still lose but that was not happening. I am averaging about 900 calories per day this week and so far that seems to be my sweet spot.

I had my surgery over 3 years ago and this is my first post in over a year.  I've gained about about 12 lbs and only lost about 65 to start with.  Do you find it difficult to stick to the 900 calories a day?  Me trying to do 900 calories a day now is like me trying to stick to a 1500 calorie a day diet pre-op - very hard!

ha!  I'm now 40 yrs old and weigh 170

I am almost three years out and have been maintaining within a few pounds. I did start noticing some weight creep and my pants getting more snug. Since I track my food, I did an honest reassessment and found that I had allowed some inappropriate or triggers back into my diet. I cut those out, tracked more carefully, and completely changed up and revamped my exercise routine. Since the end of January, I have taken off the 4-5 lbs, plus almost 2 more pounds. I am now at my lowest since I hit goal 2 years ago.

it takes clean eating, exercise, including weight training plus cardio, and honest food tracking. I eat mostly clean have eliminated processed foods, including my no sugar added fudgesicles. It CAN be done, but it is slow going and takes patience. Some weeks I have stayed the same or lost ounces, which is okay with me, as long as I am going down. For me, weight regain is unacceptable and if I need to track for the rest of my life, I will do it. Exercise, including weight training is given and mandatory for maintenance .

one has to continue with the lifestyle changes to remain successful.

gail

Ann you sweet thang! Love you!

You know my boring back story. 21 months out and I still haven't reached my personal goal of 135. I threw myself into maintenance this past January and have recently decided to re-dedicate myself to reaching my personal goal.

I am back at 800-900 calories/day, 80 grams of protein and my carbs are staying under 40. I found that all I really needed was to clean a few things out of my diet. We shall see where this takes me.

Shame is such a brain **** I know it well.

*hugs* Thanks for taking this on.

My opinion: There's no shame in ANY of this for ANY of you. Don't beat yourselves up.

Slim - you've MAINTAINED. That's a victory when things go down the tubes, ya know? Nevermind losing weight, when was the last time you maintained a weight loss? You're doing great, keep it up.

For me, I think just recognizing the issue and coming back, showing up, no matter how far along the process you are... that's what counts. xoxo

Thanks Candy. I agree, recognizing the head **** and getting back into the game is what matters.

Shame is one of those creepy, crawly things. It hides out and then becomes an infestation before we know what happened.

Learning to love myself TODAY, right here, right now, has been my greatest accomplishment. It's also my work in progress.