Any advice?

I am 3 years and almost 5 months post -op. I have gained back a teeny little bit less than 20 lbs and am definitely in (I hope) my last round of menopause. I had a partial hysterectomy in 1995 so the ovaries are still pumping a little, but have started HRT at a very low dose. I exercise vigorously; treadmill run / walk/ elliptical machine/ weight workouts AND Spinning.  I was 260lbs before the RNY and lost 100 lbs at 5' 3".
So here's the age - old, will it never stop problem. I am not losing any weight and in fact have found that I have more appetite and am gaining. I eat a pretty healthy diet, meats, veggies and fruit, BUT the bread carbohydrate monster does get me frequently. I do eat breakfast, I have a protein drink daily - I am sure I'm under 64 oz of water; that's always been hard for me. Truthfully, I am tired of being afraid of certain foods, but the scale ain't my friend either, so its not like I can afford to just eat what I want.  I've gone from a size 8 to a 10 and in some things as high as a 14. Must be the cut, it can't be me, right?  Also, those towels at the gym keep getting smaller and smaller. They must be getting a deal and using cheap ones cause they used to close in the middle when I wrap 'em around, but they don't anymore.

Anyone else in a similar boat? What are you doing to "hold the line" at least and hopefully to lose some poundage? Trying to keep it light, but I am getting desperate - I am afraid of the fat me - I didn't like her very much.
Thanks for listening.
R.

Hi Renee, I wish I had some great words of wisdom for you, but honestly, I don't think it ever gets any easier to keep it off.  I understand when you say you are tired of "being afraid" of certain foods.  I think you mean, these are foods you still want, but know they will put the weight back on.  I just try to keep things in balance.  I will allow myself to eat some of those foods occasionally, but certainly not as often as I crave them.  I know for a fact that if I don't get in an adequate amount of water daily, the scale will go up.  It also helps with hunger.  I start the day with at least 32 oz of water, before I eat or drink anything else.  I feel if I start the day hydrated, I am not fighting trying to get in enough water the rest of the day. As for the menopause, it is no fun.  I mainly suffer with small hot flash bursts.  They only last for about 30-60 seconds, just long enough to make me throw off the blankets or the sweater.  I haven't wanted to take any HRT if I didn't absolutely have to, so I don't know if that has contributed to your weight gain. The bread carb monster is horrible.  Bread has never bothered my pouch, and boy oh boy, I do love it.  But I love fitting into my clothes better.  That's the trade off for me.  When I find myself wanting to snack, and I've already eaten all I should for the day, it's either water, or usually, hot Celestial Seasonings Chai tea with lots of Splenda.  If one cup doesn't take the carb craving away, it's time for a second cup.  There's no magic.  It ain't easy, as much as I wi**** would be. I applaud the workout that you do.  In spite of having put back on a few pounds, your heart must still love you for the work you've done.  Give yourself credit for the hard work, look at how far you've come, and maybe the bread won't call your name. Debra M.

Thanks so much Debra - I always beat up on "Me" and forget that I have come a long way. Thanks for your help R.

I'm not nearly as far along as you, but I can see that it's getting harder to maintain. I've had a little regain. I'm thinking about trying the South Beach Diet. It looks fairly healthy to me, and I think it allows some good carbs, not as drastic as the Atkins Diet. I thought about WW, but it seems to allow more of the bad carbs, and they make me so very hungry. We're all different in what works for us. I think it's great that you've continued to exercise. I'm sure you would have gained a whole lot more without it. When I notice things getting smaller, I figure it's because I live in Georgia and the high humidity makes things shrink.

good luck to you n finding the best plan for your body's needs. Thanks for the reply! R.

It sounds to me like you're wondering why you feel so much fatter/bigger when you've only gained 18-19 pounds. Maybe it's just re-distributed or something. I know there is a bounce back but could it be non-muscle issues? Are you weight training or just aerobic? Muscle weighs more than fat so if fat weighs less than muscle, if you have more fat and less muscle you'll not put on too much weight but it will be bigger.

Though I do workout with weights, I could do more. The fat is definitely "fluffier" this time.  I'll try to increase the weight workouts. I love the aerobic activities because of the increase in serotonin. I also struggle with depression, so usually aerobic comes 1st but I can add. Thanks alot! R.

I'm having the same problem..see my post "dramatic? maybe, effective? Yes!"... it's extreme but it's what I have to do...I've gained back 35 lbs and I'm 2.5 years post op.... Maybe we can  help each other out on this Leslee

I wish I could lock the fridge AND the cabinets - you are the 1st person I've ever met that also has night time eating syndrome - yep, they call it at syndrome, just like metabolic syndrome, etc.!  No cure for it medically but it is categorized as a disease, believe it or not. I have an addictive personality though I don't drink. If I did, I'm sure I'd totally be in the same boat with you there too. I think you're right; we need to stay in touch to help each other out. Thanks alot Leslee - don't hide any extra keys. R.

lol well and that's the thing, I won't hide extra keys. There are TONS of ways around this, I can go to the store anytime I want, stash snacks everywhere, drink my alcohol with cold water that I keep in my upstairs fridge, go to the bars..etc. I'm not looking for a way around it, I'm just looking for something to interupt my behavior pattern long enough for me to go "ok..so I don't need a drink, or a peanut butter sandwich'. If at any point I don't want to do this I'll just tell my husband, it's totally my choice. I had a counselor tell me once to wear a rubber band around my wrist and just flick myself every time I wanted to snack, to help interupt the thought process...that just gave me a sore wrist! LOL  But if you can't GET to the food or drink...truly within ten minutes or so the urge passes, I keep very low cal protein drinks on hand (100 calories for 17 grams of protein) I have a couple of those during the day, and one before bed and it helps curb my legit apetite, then the locks just keeps me a way long enough for the head hunger to subside.  Last night was my  fourth night with the locks and i slept through the night 100 percent, didn't wake up ONCE thinking of food. My body is starting to learn to sleep through the night, and not wake up wanting to eat...it was amazing! And I felt SO great after only 7 hrs of sleep..vs 12 that I usually end up getting cause I just can't wake up. But seriously, how do you get a good nights sleep if you're up every hour on the hour eating? I totally understand that it would be an actual "syndrome" They actually had an episode about it on Oprah. And this sounds kinda like I'm puting myself down. But my husband used to work with a special needs boy, and they had to lock him out of the fridge at night because he would eat all night and not during the day....I guess I'm "special" in my OWN way...and the same kind of help is actually helping. I've lost about 5 lbs in 3 days of no day time drinking snacking or night time drinking or snacking. Going straight back to my initial post surgery diet, of three meals a day (about a cup each) and no snacking. I try to make those three cups 80% "good" food..and then I can spend 20% of it on recreation food. (like my dinner last night was movie theater popcorn! haha..but I took all my vitamins and got in like 90 grams of protetin. Anyway..this was long! Thanks for the response! Leslee