4 Years out and never thought I would say this again.

Ready 4 a change, you look great.  Glad to see you. You had two major surgeries after.  Hope you're feeling better. Yea, you can jump start this again.  Just remember we have the tool. I did a modified 5 dpt.  I didn't do liquids.  I did just the basic protein and vegetables for lunch and dinner and I had eggs and rye toast for breakfast. I made sure I had a snack ie: yogurt with fresh fruit or power crunch bar in between.   It worked. UNTIL I WENT BACK TO THE OLD WAYS!!!!!!! But it was enough to get me back on track.  To halt the gain. The weather is nicer now so it also makes us want to do better.  We can do this. hang in there.  Glad to see you. Koukla

Just wanted to say I feel your pain...I am 4 yrs post op also and I have gained 30#s.  I have never been able to eat meats and the things that is good for me.  After 3 yrs of having problems I finally had and EGD today...and low and behold it is not all in my head.  I have a hiatal hernia in my pouch....That is why I can't eat.  Now I have to find out what I need to do.  Any way I will get off my soap box and say that we have come to far to lose the battle  now.  I know you can get back on track and I know I can too.  Just wanted to say good luck. Jan

I too realized that I could eat anything, could tolerate larger amounts of the easy stuff,  and was indulging in non-mindful eating.  So I decided to go back on just protein shakes for a few days at first, just to de-carb myself and gain some control.  At this time another poster was encouraging folks to join her in a five day shake regimen. I decided to make five days my goal, and I was amazed at how easy it became by day three.  First day or two I lost a lot of water of course, had a headache, but with minimum 60g of protein via the shakes, all my normal vitamins and lots of water by day three I was definitely in ketosis and I felt fantastic and really had no hunger.  A bit of feeling like I should WANT to eat, but realized I didn't.  So anyway, long story short, I've been on shakes for nine days now and feel fantastic.    Of course I'll have to resume eating eventually, but I'll play it by ear.  The only thing I'm really craving for some reason is steak. One of the interesting things, and this might be too much information, but you mentioned a colonic.  I didn't/have never done one, but I will say that I have been chronically constipated.  This past week though I had more bowel movements than I would have thought possible and uh, dislodged quite a storage of you know what from my colon.  I haven't taken anything to have this happen, it's just from being on the shakes and lots of water. My main point is that I feel really in control right now and the fact that I have no carb cravings at all, period, help me make a commitment that when I resume regular eating patterns I have the motivation and will power to make healthy choices. So, this is just what has helped me most lately, I'm not necessarily recommending it for everyone as it's a very personal choice.  My surgeon has told me that as long as I get my minimum protein and vitamins, etc. in, I don't "have" to eat.  Your surgeon might advise otherwise.  For me I just had to do SOMEthing cause I personally felt that I was letting myself and my surgery down and wanted to do what I needed to to finally lose the last of the weight. Good luck! Holly

Hi... Sorry that you are stressed over your weight gain.    Here is a reason for the "later gains", which was discussed on the Nutrition MB by one of the RDs.  After the 1st year, 1 1/2 +/-, the intestines grow from a 1' diameter to about a 3' diameter.  Sometime later, about 2 year+, the colon is able to absorb calories also, instead of its basic job of removing liquids to form firm stool.  In both situations, the body does not absorb more minerals and vitamins. You can check with the RDs to make sure that this info is correct.  I have discussed it with my Drs and their staff already.  Seems the best way to handle the "adapted RnY" system is by eating healthy foods in proper quantities, checking your labs, and taking supplements. Getting nutritional ranges / goals from your Nutritionist for calories, carbs, fats, saturated fats, and protein amounts, using a food scale, pre-portioning food in snack size baggies / freezing some also, and on-line journaling....all have been good starting techniques to losing weight further-out post-op. BTW, I drink about 64 oz water each day to stay hydrated and have normal "movements".   Drinking soda / pop robs the body of its ability to absorb calcium.  Any caffeinated products will have a diaretic effect, but then the body will compensate by "storing" as much fluid as it can to stop the water loss. Ro

I can totally relate to how you are feeling and what you're going through.   Like you, I am and continue to be a foodie.  I love recipes, I love cooking, I love baking, I love talking about food, I love all the different textures, flavors, spices, etc.  I just love food.   Also, like you, I love being thinner.  I love being able to move with an ease and grace that's never before been possible.  I love being able to run up a flight of stairs, to carry a 40 pound basket of laundry up 2 flights of stairs without getting winded, to being able to go, go, go all day and still have energy at the end of the day.   A couple suggestions about how to balance these two competing interests.  First, stop thinking of yourself as being on a "diet."  That term has such negative connotations, such restrictions, such bad vibes, or at least it does for me.  I think of what I'm doing as working to eat more healthily, and I do not think anything is off limits.   By freeing myself, giving myself permission to eat whatever I want, but requiring myself to be mindful about generally eating healthy, it's gotten much easier.  When I tell myself "you can't have chocolate, cookies, ice cream, cake or pie" that "you must  always say no to bread or pasta or white rice," I just want those things that much more.  By giving myself permission to have some of those things some of the time, somehow that makes it okay and I find myself wanting those things less and less.   You've got the right idea about assessing what you've been doing and replacing some of those things with better choices (like yogurt and a breakfast bar instead of a bagel w/ cream cheese).  You can still have a bagel once in a while, but the yogurt/breakfast bar combo is a better day-to-day choice.   When you talk about eating "full portions," what do you mean?  Are you talking about a restaurant-size portion?  Or a regular portion of food (5-6 oz. lean protein, 1/2-1 c. veggie, ~1/2 c. carb)?  I think many post-ops that are a few years out can eat a regular portion of food - I know I certainly can.  If you think your portions have gotten too large, go back to measuring and weighing for a while.  See if you can be satisfied with just a little less food; I know I can, so I continue to measure and weigh some of my food even at 2 1/2 years out.   If you can, ditch the Diet Coke habit.  It's not good for you and you know it.  The sweetness of it can trigger other cravings, just like regular carbs.  I've also read a couple things about diet soda messing with my metabolism and insulin, because your body thinks it's sweet and release insulin to deal with the sugar, but then there's no real sugar.  Can you find something else you like to drink and cut back on the Diet Coke?  It'll help in a variety of ways if you do -  In terms of how to be a "looser" again, it's all still about calories in vs. calories out.  I've done the 5-day pouch test as a jump start; it helped me detox from carbs and become more attuned to the signals from my pouch again.  It's not a long-term solution, but it can be an okay starting point for becoming more mindful about what you're eating.  You can also go back to early post-op eating plans - lots of protein, very limited carbs, lots of water, as much exercise as you can get in.  That usually gives me a good jump start, although I can't do it for very long (I workout a lot, so get a little wonky without carbs).   I hope some of this is helpful, and I wish you good luck in getting back on track.  As they say, the surgery is just a tool, the rest of it is up to us.... Kellie

colonics are just a method of cleaning out the system, which can be done much more easily with drinking more water and limiting cheese, cottage cheese etc. There is a detox tea. called get clean made by the Republic of Tea that you can buy at any Whole Foods or any natural food store that will help do the same thing without the side effects of the colonic (the system's dependence on the colonic to be regular, the cost of a colonic, etc) Good luck!

I think we all go through that very thing at some point and often times more than we would like.  At 5 1/2 years out, I still have to be mindful and stay on top of things.  I gained 10-15 pounds back slowly, and had to realize that when we get lax on the things that made us successful in the first place, then we will see a regain almost everytime.  Just because we got it off, doesn't mean we are guaranteed to KEEP it off.   I do alot of ongoing research, as I now work with a surgeon in surgery and do alot of pre-op education and support group meetings for WLS patients.  I have read alot of research about diet sodas and the effects they have on the body.  It is thought that they do  trigger the body into believing it has been subjected to sugar, thus a release of insulin.  Insulin increased hunger, so this may be why people that drink them find that they crave food, esp. carbs.  I also was recently introduced to a nutritional cleansing and fat-burning system that helps detoxify the liver and the fat cells.  This is unlike colonics that are making a "mark" on society now.  The toxins are excreted through the urine, but I used it and lost the 10 pounds that I had tried to get off for over a year.  I actually felt my energy levels get better after about the first 4 days.  I now recommend them to patients that are struggling with plateaus to help jump start them. Alot of my nurse friends are also using them to look and feel better, whether or not they have weight to lose.    I too have avoided ever using the word DIET again in my life.  I have to know that this is a way of life for me now and always.  I do allow myself to have things that I want, but must manage them.  Smaller portions, not making it a week long, month long indulgence, and maybe increasing my activity too.   Good luck to you, you can do this!!!! Stefanie

Can you tell me more about the nutritional cleansing and fat-burning system that you use?  Name?  Cost, etc? Thanks, Kootenay

There are several webistes that have invaluable information. 

www.drdrgivemethetruth.com

www.stefaniebailey.isagenix.com

Dr. John Gray who wrote Men are From Mars, Women are from Venus endorses the products, as well as there are success stories covered in Chicken Soup for the Health Souls book.   Email me if you have questions, or need assistance after you check out the websites.   Stefanie