Regain happens

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kat02092015
kat02092015 Posts: 36 Member
I'm 64 and had GB RNY back in 2003. Lost 140 pounds and then gained 65 pounds back. I'm now struggling to get all that back off. The surgery wasn't a magic bullet like we feel it is at first but old habits came creeping back and I opened the door and let them in. I remember my surgeon saying GB was really "surgically induced behavior modification". He couldn't have been more accurate! The rest was up to me and I failed myself. But I joined MFP over a year ago and I've lost 45 of the 65 pound regain. I didn't make a permanent lifestyle change so now I log all my calories. No matter how I look at it... there will be work everyday to maintain. Anyone else facing this nightmare years down the road after GB?
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Replies

  • Imagine_if
    Imagine_if Posts: 54 Member
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    Yes! I, too,failed myself in so many ways. In addition to not following basic wls guidelines, I also didn't take to heart the likely ease of regain. I thought that initial surgical weight loss was going to carry me to goal weight into forevermore... My vitamin use, getting pregnant within the first year post op, consistent exercise, and truly using wls as a lifestyle change (vs just a fad diet) all contributed to my never rescuing goal weight substantial substantial regain over the years.

    The good news is... My stoma is still intact, it works well and I'm already seeing weight loss after just five short days here on MFP.

    If anyone else is lurking the boards, please please post. I could really use the support and encouraging comradery :)
  • litlbex
    litlbex Posts: 6 Member
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    I had gastric bypass in 2002, lost a total of 140 lbs. I managed to make it to 140 lbs, but quickly rebound up 150. I stayed about 150-160 for quite a while. Then after a few years went to 170-180 and now sitting at 200. I am so mad at myself for not stopping it sooner, so now i want to lose approximately 30 lbs. Long term would be about 40 lbs. Old habits do come back if you open that door. So frustrated with myself.
  • hthr38
    hthr38 Posts: 1 Member
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    Feeling frustrated with myself..has GBP in 2013, got pregnant in 2014 and had my daughter in 2015. Still over 100 pounds smaller than I ever was, but the pounds are creeping, I have no motivation and no energy...help!
  • erqueenie
    erqueenie Posts: 9 Member
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    Imagine, how did you find out the stoma is still intact?
  • Imagine_if
    Imagine_if Posts: 54 Member
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    Hi Erqueenie :)

    For me, I could feel the fullness after day 3. First day I crammed liquids down my throat every five seconds. I stayed full of liquids so that I wouldn't get as many cravings. I also stayed extremely busy the first three days to help take time away from head/mental hunger.

    By the middle of day two I didn't want as much to drink, but I also wasn't craving as much.

    By the end of day three I found that I was full part way through my 3-4 oz serving of pureed meat. When I finished day five I was stuffed trying to add any green veggies in with my serving of protein.

    I will say that I worked hard to 'listen' to my stoma. I had been eating any and every thing prior to doing the 5dpt.

    I do believe there has been some stretching to my stomach because I could eat an entire thing of cottage cheese and other large amounts of 'soft' foods if I try. The more solid the food, the less I can stuff in - that leads me to believe that my surgical stoma is not leaking, nor is it entirely stretched. But I haven't had a barium swallow in many, many years so I'm not sure how it measures up according to a Bariatric Dr.

    I hope this helps. Let me know if you need an accountability buddy or a source of daily encouragement if you do the test, I could stand to do it again; I've fallen back into emotional eating and am just restarting my daily logging - AGAIN.

    Perhaps enough people are interested this time around for a group of us to check in each day.

    Best wishes,

    Marie.
  • kelly81771
    kelly81771 Posts: 3 Member
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    If anyone is going to do this test again, I would be interested in doing it. I had RNY in 2002 and went from 298 to 142. I have regained up to 243 as of right now. I am constantly obsesses by my weight and negative body image. I just rejoined MFP a couple of days ago and want to stay on track with my eating.
  • weezieweeks
    weezieweeks Posts: 152 Member
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    Imagine_if wrote: »
    Hi Erqueenie :)

    For me, I could feel the fullness after day 3. First day I crammed liquids down my throat every five seconds. I stayed full of liquids so that I wouldn't get as many cravings. I also stayed extremely busy the first three days to help take time away from head/mental hunger.

    By the middle of day two I didn't want as much to drink, but I also wasn't craving as much.

    By the end of day three I found that I was full part way through my 3-4 oz serving of pureed meat. When I finished day five I was stuffed trying to add any green veggies in with my serving of protein.

    I will say that I worked hard to 'listen' to my stoma. I had been eating any and every thing prior to doing the 5dpt.

    I do believe there has been some stretching to my stomach because I could eat an entire thing of cottage cheese and other large amounts of 'soft' foods if I try. The more solid the food, the less I can stuff in - that leads me to believe that my surgical stoma is not leaking, nor is it entirely stretched. But I haven't had a barium swallow in many, many years so I'm not sure how it measures up according to a Bariatric Dr.

    I hope this helps. Let me know if you need an accountability buddy or a source of daily encouragement if you do the test, I could stand to do it again; I've fallen back into emotional eating and am just restarting my daily logging - AGAIN.

    Perhaps enough people are interested this time around for a group of us to check in each day.

    Best wishes,

    Marie.

    Marie, did you do the 5 day pouch reset? Very interesting what you said about taking in a lot of liquids to stay full and keep the cravings down.

    Is this group still active?

    Louise
  • rhondamadison12
    rhondamadison12 Posts: 1 Member
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    I just started MFP, and want to be part of RNY regain group for encouragement, and support. Is this the place or do I look elsewhere? I had RNY in October 2012. I lost 190 lbs. Kept it stable for a couple years, but little-by-little returned to bad eating habits and have regained 80 lbs. My appearance is still way better than pre-surgery, but my joints are screaming at me about the regain. I am having a hard time reigning in my appetite at night mostly. I still have a problem if I eat too much volume, or rich foods, and days are mostly good with my eating habits, but night times are a eating nightmare. I wake up feeling famished, drink water, try to talk myself out of snacking, can't sleep until I get up and eat. That and the occasional treating myself to sweets when we are out. Anyway, MFP food and exercise diary personal accountability is a start back in the right direction. Have any of you found success in beating the night time hungries?


  • SuzyQ53015
    SuzyQ53015 Posts: 38 Member
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    I just started MFP, and want to be part of RNY regain group for encouragement, and support. Is this the place or do I look elsewhere? I had RNY in October 2012. I lost 190 lbs. Kept it stable for a couple years, but little-by-little returned to bad eating habits and have regained 80 lbs. My appearance is still way better than pre-surgery, but my joints are screaming at me about the regain. I am having a hard time reigning in my appetite at night mostly. I still have a problem if I eat too much volume, or rich foods, and days are mostly good with my eating habits, but night times are a eating nightmare. I wake up feeling famished, drink water, try to talk myself out of snacking, can't sleep until I get up and eat. That and the occasional treating myself to sweets when we are out. Anyway, MFP food and exercise diary personal accountability is a start back in the right direction. Have any of you found success in beating the night time hungries?


    I hear you, Rhonda! I'm up 30 pounds from my lowest postRNY surgery, have recently lost 5 and want to lose another 15 to 20. I am a carbohydrate addict. The simpler the sugar, the more I crave it! I'm also a nighttime snacker. What seems to be working for me is flavored, nonfat Greek yogurt. Most nights, I have a 100 calorie container that I put in the freezer for about 20 minutes. A little Splenda mixed in and it satisfies my sweet tooth. Other nights I have a container of fruit-flavored Muuna cottage cheese. Both foods are high in protein. During the day, I'll have cinnamon graham crackers if I need something sweet. Not sure if that's the best choice, but it beats reaching for the candy dish.

    It's a daily (sometimes hourly!!) struggle. I wish I had all the answers, but I don't. I know that if I want to indulge a little, I have to pay for it with exercise (and salad ;) ). And because I made pizzelles today, I have a lot of aerobics to do - starting now!!

    Hoping for the best for all of us!!

    Suzy
  • SuzyQ53015
    SuzyQ53015 Posts: 38 Member
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    Something I REALLY want to do is cut out the carbs in the form of bread and crackers (and the occasional cookie) . They are empty calories. Thankfully I don't eat pasta and rice. I can't take any credit for that - they just don't agree with me since my surgery. I also must wait longer before drinking liquids after meals.

    So, these are my two goals to work on over the next couple of weeks. Family vacation coming up next week, so we'll see how things go!! :)
  • weezieweeks
    weezieweeks Posts: 152 Member
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    I just started MFP, and want to be part of RNY regain group for encouragement, and support. Is this the place or do I look elsewhere? I had RNY in October 2012. I lost 190 lbs. Kept it stable for a couple years, but little-by-little returned to bad eating habits and have regained 80 lbs. My appearance is still way better than pre-surgery, but my joints are screaming at me about the regain. I am having a hard time reigning in my appetite at night mostly. I still have a problem if I eat too much volume, or rich foods, and days are mostly good with my eating habits, but night times are a eating nightmare. I wake up feeling famished, drink water, try to talk myself out of snacking, can't sleep until I get up and eat. That and the occasional treating myself to sweets when we are out. Anyway, MFP food and exercise diary personal accountability is a start back in the right direction. Have any of you found success in beating the night time hungries?


    Welcome!! Hopefully you will add this spot to your support area! I had RNY in April 2008 - most lost 130# - for the most part was stable at around 100# off. In the last 2-3 years, the weight has crept back on - this year I hit an all-time high of 249.6 - my weight before surgery was 335 (or so). I have been faithfully exercising for over 9 months and I thought I was eating okay. After I gained another 10, bringing me up to that high, I talked to my doctor and she sent me to the dietitian. I was skeptical b/c I figured the military staff would not be WLS knowledgeable. Prior to my appointment, I logged my food for two weeks - that was really an eye-opener how much I was really eating! Just the logging made me eat less and really give some thought to my eating history. The dietitian was great! She was very knowledgeable and gave me some sheets for calories and eating. She said that after WLS, our total calorie needs are less. For me she said that might be 1000-1200. My logging was probably running in the 2000 area (of course I was eating the exercise calories I gained). I told her I would probably have to work my way down because I did not want to feel like I was starving or back on and off a diet rollercoaster. So I tried 1800 for a few days, but could not get that recommendation out of my mind, which I did verify. So now my goal is 1500 - some days I have gone over into the exercise calories. I am losing on 1500 and am very happy with my progress. Part of my plan is to check in here - I also belong to an over 50 weightloss support group and I have been trying to use the blog. I am also trying to plan better for how the day is going to go, especially if I am going off my regular routine. Sometimes I take food with me so that I know I have something good for me to eat. Nobody cares. In restaurants, I am pretty much only eating half - which is what I did when I was losing after the surgery.

    Sorry to go on and on - so glad you are here. Right now, Suzy and I are the active ones, but I know more will come.

    Louise
  • weezieweeks
    weezieweeks Posts: 152 Member
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    SuzyQ53015 wrote: »
    Something I REALLY want to do is cut out the carbs in the form of bread and crackers (and the occasional cookie) . They are empty calories. Thankfully I don't eat pasta and rice. I can't take any credit for that - they just don't agree with me since my surgery. I also must wait longer before drinking liquids after meals.

    So, these are my two goals to work on over the next couple of weeks. Family vacation coming up next week, so we'll see how things go!! :)

    Suzy, I think I was reading on one of the 5 day Pouch reset groups that chips and salsa are a slider food and that was really where I had a moment of clarity. I had been eating those a lot, like pretty much every day! I did buy the Sara Lee bread that has 90 calories in 2 slices and I keep it in the freezer. The other night we made BLT's and I used those and it was perfect! The bacon, lettuce and tomato hung over, but I had something to hang onto.
  • SuzyQ53015
    SuzyQ53015 Posts: 38 Member
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    Louise, I've been wondering about bread. Yesterday, I was reading an article from a bariatric website. The author said that there should be no bread, rice, pasta, ...! I was surprised by that and more than a bit depressed. Is bread, in moderation, that bad?? There are times when I just want a sandwich. Today I was able to work in one slice of bread, but no graham crackers. Lots of Greek yogurt for protein.

    Any thoughts on the great bread debate??

    Suzy
  • weezieweeks
    weezieweeks Posts: 152 Member
    edited June 2017
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    Suzy - Luckily, I am not a huge graham cracker fan...now I really need to do some research! Thanks, teammate!!

    Wow!! More items for me to seriously consider!

    https://www.bariatriccookery.com/slider-food

    Slider foods are foods that “slide through” the pouch after gastric bypass surgery. Because gastric bypass patients no longer have a pyloric valve between their pouches and their small intestines, very wet, slippery, or liquid-like foods slide right out of the pouch. Imagine your pouch as a funnel with a very small opening in the bottom. If you pour something like well-chewed chicken or well-chewed beans into that funnel, it will take a while for that food to leave the funnel. However, if you pour something like yogurt, mashed potatoes, or soup into that funnel, it will not take long at all to leave the funnel.
    Since slider foods don’t stay in the pouch for long, you’ll get hungry soon after eating them. Avoid slider foods if you want to feel full longer.

    Partial List of Slider Foods

    Yogurt
    Pudding
    Ice cream/frozen yogurt
    Gelatin
    Cottage cheese
    Mashed potatoes
    Cream of wheat
    Soup
    Chili (especially if it has much liquid/broth in it)
    Cereal with milk (including soy milk or almond milk)
    Smoothies
    Applesauce
    Pasta, if combined with a lot of sauce

    http://www.gastricbypasscoaching.com/list-of-slider-foods/

    http://www.livingafterwls.com/Library/white_carbs.html
  • SuzyQ53015
    SuzyQ53015 Posts: 38 Member
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    Oh, great! I live on Greek yogurt and cottage cheese! So what the heck are we supposed to eat? The article I read seemed to be encouraging protein shakes as meal replacements. Maybe I need to go back and re-read. http://www.bariatriceating.com

    I'll check out the links you posted, Louise. Thank you!!
  • weezieweeks
    weezieweeks Posts: 152 Member
    edited June 2017
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    Thanks for that link - it had a link to regain!! I did buzz a protein shake with ice - it was good but how is that not a smoothie? maybe they are referring to fruit only or something...I use protein, chia, greens and fruit...

    Right after my surgery, once I could eat, the Wendy's chili was recommended - I bet it was because it was not liquidy...1/2 a cup had a lot of protein.
  • SuzyQ53015
    SuzyQ53015 Posts: 38 Member
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    Same here with Wendy's chili - I still enjoy it!! I'm not going to stress myself over things - just watch my simple carb intake, protein and calories. Little steps at a time! My big hurdle is exercising regularly!!! :p

    I also do eat five small meals a day. I guess I'm lucky that I can't consume much food in one sitting. I've read mixed reviews on three meals vs more frequent, smaller meals. I can only do what works for me.

    My downfall leading to weight-gain was stress-eating a bunch of junk during the day. And not exercising. I know what I have to do, so that's what I'm going to do. What actually helps keep me on track is a sense of accountability to this group. We can do this, one day at a time!
  • weezieweeks
    weezieweeks Posts: 152 Member
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    The bariatriceating.com has a link for regain. There is also a Facebook page that has a lot of traffic, with people asking questions, some recipes suitable for their Back on Track plan, etc. I joined it. I have never tried the Inspire protein powder, but I might order some.
  • weezieweeks
    weezieweeks Posts: 152 Member
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    So, I am on day 6 of the BOT (back on track) program on the bariatriceating.com site. The first couple days were not bad, day 3 was hard and 4-6 have been pretty good. I ordered a bunch of protein from several sources so that I would have many flavors on hand. I will report back. I am continuing to lose!!
  • IsMollyReallyHungry
    IsMollyReallyHungry Posts: 15,350 Member
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    Thanks for invite Louise...... I will peak in from time to time, but I am going another route right now. I also have seen a gastro doctor about a new procedure to . I am giving myself until January to lose 50 plus pounds. and if I am a good candidate for this new procedure I am going to do it. It will be a another tool to help me keep my weight off this time. If I don't qualify I will keep at it without it. Either way I am determined to get under 300 pounds one way or another. I will have an upper GI test in January.

    Everyone keep up the good work and believe you can do it!! We can do it!