Question:
2 years out, gaining weight
I am 2 years out and am starting to gain weight, like 15 lbs. I was down 100lbs. I seem to be hungry all the time. I eat one meal and can be hungry in 20 minutes. Could there be something wrong or am I just out of control? — tturner (posted on January 14, 2005)
January 14, 2005
Tammy, I have the same problem, I also lost originally 100 lbs and it has
been 2 years for me. I all of a sudden have gained 12 pounds.I feel hungry
all the time too..I know part of my problem is I crave sweets..but I try to
get my protein in..I am anxious to see what you find out
— NANCY P.
January 14, 2005
Another two year post op here and I eat constantly. I am 10 lbs above my
lowest weight. It is as if someone turned on a switch and I can't stop
eating. I still get full quickly most of the time, but and hour later or
even less I want to eat again. It is very frustrating to me, I feel as out
of control as I have ever felt in my life. I wonder if it is something yet
to be discovered that is affecting us this way.
— sherry H.
January 14, 2005
Try a web spot or something I came across, it was pouches for dummies. It
sounds insulting but had helpful tips for post ops. Like, no drinking
liquids before and after eating, etc. that we forget or take for granted
or were never told. Good luck!
— becky53916
January 14, 2005
It's time to join the Grad list. No guarantee that you'll get the rest of
the wt off, but there's also the trick of maintaining the loss you have
achieved. There is a lot of combined long term experience on this list and
I'd recommend it in conjunction with this site and any local lists you
use.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Graduate-OSSG
— vitalady
January 14, 2005
I'm about 2 weeks short of 2 yrs PO and am experiencing similar issues. If
I eat till I am full/comfortable, like I should, I find I am looking for
food a short time later. If I eat till I am miserable then I'm fine for a
while. Most likely I need to "starve" for a week and get my
pouch back to being less stretchy. By starve I mean eat what I should
quantitywise and ignore the urges to eat before the next meal and water
load or something to solve it. If my pouch gets back to being tighter to
stretch then it's not as likely to allow me to eat the larger quantity.
I'm sure the food is moving through my stoma easier also, which it does in
time but maybe it's faster than it should be. It doesn't help when I drink
too soon after eating or drink a little with my meal. Those habits will
all work against us. I ideally should be about 190 after all the PS I've
had but I keep hanging between 198 and 202, so I'm struggling with about 10
lbs also. In direct answer to your question I think we, the majority who
find ourselves in this situaiton, are somewhat out of control. Not judging
you here at all, as I am in your shoes too. I find myself playing russian
roulette with what and how much I can eat. Not because I want to fail but
because so many of the old eating habits have returned and I haven't been
able to kick them back into remission. Then again I haven't tried super
hard but am working on it. I see something that I know will taste good, I
eat it. If it tastes good I need to eat it all. These were my biggest
issues pre-op and 23-1/2 months PO they have returned. I did very well and
hit goal in about 13 months. At my max I've lost 252 lbs. But for some
reason when I had my first PS at 12-3/4 months it turned a carb monster
loose and it's been a struggle ever since. The amount of carbs and sugar I
consume some days is insane and I know it, but it doesn't necessarily stop
me. It might slow me down. Then there are days I live on 99% protein.
Balance is the key for me and I just have not found it in my eating. I
struggled with it in my life for a long time and have finally found the
balance I need for everything else, but not the eating. I continue to work
with my counselor and am considering joining Overeaters Anonymous. I know
what I need to do eatingwise but I need some other source of support to
help me do it. At least I am aware of the situation and trying to figure
things out, but it doesn't make it any easier. We all need to look deep
inside ourselves and try and figure out why we do what we do and how we can
find a mechanism to cope with it. Good Luck to us all!
— zoedogcbr
January 15, 2005
Have your thyroid checked.
— ChristineB
January 15, 2005
It must be something about that 2 year mark! I had not gained, but never
have gotten to my goal. I felt dangerously out of control with my eating,
however. I really think everyone has to find what works best for them. I
was doing the protein shakes, drinking enough water to float a battleship,
exercising, and nothing was working. I finally said to myself, "I just
can't do this anymore!". So, I devised my own plan. I cut the protein
shakes (and over 300 calories per day) and try to get all my protein from
food. I also cut back on what I eat, but I eat a variety of foods. We are
told to stop eating when we are full. Why? Why did I need to feel full? I
don't! Now I pick a portion, and that is what I eat. If I'm not full, I
stop anyway. I has something to do with calories! In the process, I really
think I have gotten my pouch back down in size, because I notice I can't
eat as much as I used to. I drink enough water, but I am not constantly
guzzling (and I know that goes against everything that we are
"supposed" to do!). My skin is not dry, my urine is pale in
color, so I am not getting dehydrated. I feel great, I have changed my
exercise routine, and I am losing again! (Also gaining muscle).Another
benefit is that I no longer crave the junk and sweets I used to. I do try
to get the protein in first, then vegetables. But I also eat good carbs and
sometimes I have a few M&Ms or some candy when I really want it, and I
don't feel like I have to keep eating it. (Now, that is just plain weird,
for me!)So, that's just my $0.02 worth!
— koogy
January 15, 2005
I'm 2 1/2 years and I KNOW I'm out of control. I can eat all the time, but
even worse is WHAT and how much I'm eating. I can't seem to rein it in and
get back on track. I gained throughout last year, so now I have to lose
all that again plus the rest of the way to goal. I'm going the low-carb,
high-protein route, but I am having a hard time shaking the sugar habit
again.... We can do this, though! We haven't come this far to not get to
the finish line!!!!
— jen41766
January 16, 2005
Having the same problem and its HELL! I'm grazing too much and not getting
enough protein in. Best wishes --glad we have this web site!
— debmi
January 16, 2005
Gosh. I feel like I'm not alone anymore. I am nearly 3 years post op. I've
regained nearly 50 of the 84 pounds I lost. I stopped losing too soon,
didn't have the right support, and fell back into my old habits when my job
became too stressful. I waited too long to go back to my doctor with the
problems I was having. Now, I'm back to square one and don't know what to
do. My surgeon is no help. He says alternative in duodnal switch which
seems too risky and he wasn't sure he wants to do. What do I do now?
— Jamy V.
January 17, 2005
Glad to stumble upon all of you, was feeling like I was alone, only to
realize that you all are at the same place as me. I'll be 3 years out in
July, and in the past year, I've gone from having lost 120 lbs. and a low
weight of 143, back up to 171 lbs., bringing my loss back to about 90 lbs.
What's really scaring me is the quickness of the weight gain. Again, alot
of it is my own fault, not watching carefully what I put in my mouth,
eating between meals, everything all of you here have talked about, but
it's sure discouraging. I joined Weight Watchers this week, go for a weigh
in tomorrow night, their new Core plan is pretty good, no charting and
measuring, just sticking with WHOLE foods, and hopefully, I'll see some end
to my being out of control. The first two days I was in intense withdrawal
from chocolate and sugar, but I'm feeling so much better now, and am
starting to experiment with healthy versions of things. Good luck to all
of you.
— L. Brown
January 17, 2005
I am also 2 and a half years out and having the same problem. I thought my
problem was related to the last 4 months of taking hormones(BCpills), but
after reading the other postings I'm getting the idea that maybe this is
VERY common among WLS folks. I lost 165 pounds and now weight 145. I gained
the 10 pounds in the last 4 months. I am going to approach this by drinking
more water and exercise. I eat more protein then anyone I know, but my
water and exercise need work. I think that we must rethink what we are
eating and why. Stef Rand
— Stef R.
January 17, 2005
I had surgery back 2002 and i did gain weight due to my old habits coming
back again. But I changed my diet to south beach diet permerntly it has
been about 6months ive lost a considerable amount of wieght and have kept
it off. Mind you I do still eat normally I toast and cottage cheese I eat
low carb pizza's and the one thing that i love is chocalate but my body
hates it so I only eat a tiny amount of that. I quite drinking alcholic
beverages it makes my stomach burn. But am down to about 165lbs.
writer to me for tips
[email protected]
— sheri B.
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