post bariatric surgery but gained some back

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I lost 120 pounds after gastric bypass, but have now gained about 45 back. anyone out there like me?

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  • sheilapie
    sheilapie Posts: 40 Member
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    i had my gastric bypass on october first, so im scared!! do you know why youre gaining? what did you change? vitamins, b12, biotin, eating habits?? what changed emotionally for you? have you seen the new forks and spoons that time your eating and slow you down?? oh i have so many questions
  • LexThaSongbyrd
    LexThaSongbyrd Posts: 63 Member
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    Do you use the website obesityhelp.com? It's a support site for all bariatric surgery patients and they have a forum specifically for bypass surgery, maintenance, regain, etc...If you don't use it, you need to get on board! You can find soooo much support and wisdom to help you identify the problems and what to do to jumpstart your weight loss again and not go back. I had the sleeve done March 2012, so it's been almost a year now. I'm toward the end of my loosing phase, with about 15-20 more lbs to go to be at a "normal bmi." I'm still trying to keep my calories between 800-1000 a day, keeping my carbs between 40-60, drinking 64+ oz of water, and most importantly 70-100 grams of protein a day. You know those are the basic rules during the weight loss phase. You may really need to "go back to the basics" to shed that 45lb regain! Are you still doing protein shakes? If not, maybe add 1 back into your routine for breakfast or a snack. Do you measure your foods? I learned that we should "under eat" our smaller stomachs, measuring out 3-4 oz of protein and not going beyond that per meal; not eating and waiting to get that full feeling (usually by that time, we have already eaten too much), but feeling satisfied and them stopping. Are you a grazer (eating small things all throughout the day which builds up calorie intake without even realizing it)? If so, try and do 6 meals a day, all protein based, and if you have room left in your stomach, then a small amount of veggies. And keep drinking drinking drinking your water in between meals, especially if you get hungry before it's time to eat again. Have you noticed if you fell back into any old habits? Like caloric drinks (soda, juice, etc----if you are drinking calories, STOP!), processed food high in sodium, snacking, chips, candy, sweets, high carb foods and starches, fast food, fried foods, alcohol, etc? If so, STOP! Please go back to the basics and use your "tool." You went through alot to have your bypass and you deserve to keep the weight off! :) The small stomach you have now with the bypass will stretch if you don't put in it what's suppose to go in it. Bypass patients can also try the "5 Day Pouch Test" (google it to get the details). It will shrink your stomach back to a smaller state, so you can feel more restriction again like when you were earlier out from surgery. Log your food intake on here, see what you've been doing lately, and change what needs to be changed. I feel that eating clean is the best way to go. It's much lower calories and it keeps your carbs low. It's a great lifestyle to live :) I wish you well on your continued journey with your tool. Again, if you are not currently using it, please try Obesityhelp.com! :) I'm always on the sleeve forum, it's very active.
  • LexThaSongbyrd
    LexThaSongbyrd Posts: 63 Member
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    i had my gastric bypass on october first, so im scared!! do you know why youre gaining? what did you change? vitamins, b12, biotin, eating habits?? what changed emotionally for you? have you seen the new forks and spoons that time your eating and slow you down?? oh i have so many questions

    Hey! I just added you as a friend. It's nice to find bariatric surgery people on here. We all need to support each other! This is a lifetime journey. How is your weight loss going? Are you happy with your results so far? I was looking at your diary and was kinda surprised to see that you are able to get up to 1200 calories already! That seems like so much with you only being almost 4 months post op. I don't think I was getting more than 400-500 calories a day in my first few months.
  • astrobob76
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    i had rny on mar 17 2009. went from 338 to 213 by new years, and since new years 2010 to now, ive packed on the pounds back up to 244ish(250 last week, just started to get serious again) . i personally, know why ive re gained. i eat substantially to much, substantially to often. just found the will to try to get my nose back to the grindstone with the diet, but it aint easy. if bypass patiants dont make life changes, they will regain, its that simple
  • LexThaSongbyrd
    LexThaSongbyrd Posts: 63 Member
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    i had rny on mar 17 2009. went from 338 to 213 by new years, and since new years 2010 to now, ive packed on the pounds back up to 244ish(250 last week, just started to get serious again) . i personally, know why ive re gained. i eat substantially to much, substantially to often. just found the will to try to get my nose back to the grindstone with the diet, but it aint easy. if bypass patiants dont make life changes, they will regain, its that simple

    This is soooo true! I realize that i will never be normal. I still consider myself a "fat girl" in my head. I will forever make concious decisions and an effort to choose the right things and in the appropriate quantity for my small tummy. Do you attend support groups or use online tools for bariatric patients? I mentioned to the OP that obesityhelp.com is a great site. I'm on there everyday just like MFP because I always need reminding about what I should and should NOT be doing. I'm glad you found the will to get back on plan :) Like I told the OP, going back to the basics is all we need to get back on track and we have been through too much with having surgery to not be at the weight we desire. I wish you much success!
  • trishwitch
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    I had my surgery about 9 years ago, not 4 months. I think I am gaining because I just eat too much. Slowly over the years your stomach can stretch out more than you'd like. To get it stretched back out you just slowly increase the amount of food you eat each meal. You're not supposed to do this but it happens. I still can't eat the volume of food I used to (thank goodness). Also after my bypass I was supposed to be on a liquid diet for 6 weeks but found out (after suffering with horrible diarrhea) that I could not tolerate the whey protein in the powdered protein replacement I was supposed to be relying on because I am lactose intollerant. I had to start on pureed food almost immediately after my surgery instead of the powder. So I didn't get the 6 weeks of huge weight loss start up like others did. I think that contributed to my not losing quite as much as I wanted initially, and I think it also helped stretch out my stomach faster.
  • trishwitch
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    I had my surgery about 9 years ago. I think I am gaining because I just eat too much. Slowly over the years your stomach can stretch out more than you'd like. To get it stretched back out you just slowly increase the amount of food you eat each meal. You're not supposed to do this but it happens. I still can't eat the volume of food I used to (thank goodness). Also after my bypass I was supposed to be on a liquid diet for 6 weeks but found out (after suffering with horrible diarrhea) that I could not tolerate the whey protein in the powdered protein replacement I was supposed to be relying on because I am lactose intollerant. I had to start on pureed food almost immediately after my surgery instead of the powder. So I didn't get the 6 weeks of huge weight loss start up like others did. I think that contributed to my not losing quite as much as I wanted initially, and I think it also helped stretch out my stomach faster.
  • angelaruti
    angelaruti Posts: 4 Member
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    12 years post-op I too found I was regaining:( it is extremely hard but I remind myself daily the surgery was a tool.
  • chrissyb820
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    Hi, I had my surgery 12/10/2010, I started out at 350lbs, lost 151lbs, I have gained back 32lbs. Not happy about it. I need to get back in the groove. I got on the my fitness pal, but it wants me to have 1200 calories. I can't accomplish that! I eat my proteins, not a problem. I am thinking it is because I have been on a hiatus from the gym. I had some work issues I had to get through, it has gotten better, stress has gone down a little. Over-time has gone down as well. It was a major roller coaster at work. but the problem has gone.
    So my husband and I are going to get back into the gym.
    I was doing really well, even though my husband and son like eating foods I should not eat - burgers, pizza, etc, I just try to make better choices. Although, I did not do well during Christmas baking season. Cookies and chocolate are still my fail. I can eat some, just not a lot, I don't feel well after. I never had the "dumping syndrome" they warned about. Does anybody have any suggestions that has gone through this and has accomplished what they have set out to do? I am looking to find a person who can talk to about this and hopefully can work through this together.
  • Sasrn
    Sasrn Posts: 1
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    Hi I had my surgery in 2002, got a divorce a year later then remarried in 2005. I lost 110 pds and felt great. Never have had dumping...only occasionally vomited. But over the last couple years I have gained back about 40 lbs. :( I have tried everything...... But not hard enough. I am going to do the 5 day pouch test and get back to the basics of my gastric lifestyle... Here goes.
  • summerbreez1132
    summerbreez1132 Posts: 4 Member
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    Hello everyone. Whew... did I need to read your comments. I am at an awful point right now. 1 1/2 yrs out of a GB that I only lost 50 lbs from because I broke all the rules. I recently began looking into going back under the knife for a revision or switch. However, I quickly realized that I never dealt with the addictive and emotional issues that I had with food. Now I'm gonna give it another shot from the beginning; protein shakes with one soft meal a day. Please send you positivity and wise advice to me. I need a ton of mental re-wiring and motivation. Remember right now I don't believe in myself so don't be a stranger. Thx.