I'm a complete newbie here. It's been over two years since my surgery and it has been great up until the past year. Old habits start to creep in, and so forth. I've gotten out of control so to speak and weird as it sounds, it's hard to stop and gain control again. Problem is I haven't been to any support groups at all. The nearest group is over 1 1/2 hour drive. Talk about frustrating and the fear of gaining back weight. Any tips on coping?
Just trying to get back on track!
- Thread starter aebers18
- Start date
TwoMas
Member
Hi A Ebers, I would say get to a support group but that sounds difficult, if you could make it once a month and set up a ride share for folks that live along the way that could help.
You need to find a way to get some control on your eating, at least that is what it sounds like to me. I have an idea on how you feel but I lost control of my intake of alcohol and I have AA for that. You need to find a group like TOPS or Weight Watchers that can help you and be your support group between bariatric support group meetings, I know that these groups are all over the country so hopefully there is a group near you, I dont know much about TOPS but I do know both men and women are welcome in Weight Watchers.
The good thing is you have caught yourself before you gained all your weight back, I see how it can be so frustrating because you have worked so hard and only to start back sliding. I do have a few suggestions but you must be diligant and honest with yourself.
1. Don't beat yourself up for getting off track, these things happen, learn from it and move on. Then call your nutritonist for some healthy eating tips.
2. Look at the 5 day pouch test it can help give you a jump start getting back on track: http://www.americanbariatrics.org/content.php/80-Roux-en-Y-Gastric-Bypass-5-Day-Pouch-Test
3. Start journaling or at least tracking- what you eat, how much you eat, when you eat and how many times a day you eat. (I eat 5 to 6 small meals a day)
4. Do the same with your exercise routine and if you don't have one start one, a good start would be a 30 minute walk 4 to 5 times a week and build off of that as you start feeling better.
5. Weigh yourself once a week and no more often, just try and do it at the same time every week.
6. Drink at least 64 oz of fluids a day and remember no liquids 30 min. before and 45 min after your meals, that is very important to remember. The fluids wash the food out of our pouch making us feel hungry again.
7. Keep checking in with us and get to know others on this forum, we can be a great support group, we are all here to help each other but it only helps if you check in regularly.
I hope that helps a little. I know you can do it.
Tom
You need to find a way to get some control on your eating, at least that is what it sounds like to me. I have an idea on how you feel but I lost control of my intake of alcohol and I have AA for that. You need to find a group like TOPS or Weight Watchers that can help you and be your support group between bariatric support group meetings, I know that these groups are all over the country so hopefully there is a group near you, I dont know much about TOPS but I do know both men and women are welcome in Weight Watchers.
The good thing is you have caught yourself before you gained all your weight back, I see how it can be so frustrating because you have worked so hard and only to start back sliding. I do have a few suggestions but you must be diligant and honest with yourself.
1. Don't beat yourself up for getting off track, these things happen, learn from it and move on. Then call your nutritonist for some healthy eating tips.
2. Look at the 5 day pouch test it can help give you a jump start getting back on track: http://www.americanbariatrics.org/content.php/80-Roux-en-Y-Gastric-Bypass-5-Day-Pouch-Test
3. Start journaling or at least tracking- what you eat, how much you eat, when you eat and how many times a day you eat. (I eat 5 to 6 small meals a day)
4. Do the same with your exercise routine and if you don't have one start one, a good start would be a 30 minute walk 4 to 5 times a week and build off of that as you start feeling better.
5. Weigh yourself once a week and no more often, just try and do it at the same time every week.
6. Drink at least 64 oz of fluids a day and remember no liquids 30 min. before and 45 min after your meals, that is very important to remember. The fluids wash the food out of our pouch making us feel hungry again.
7. Keep checking in with us and get to know others on this forum, we can be a great support group, we are all here to help each other but it only helps if you check in regularly.
I hope that helps a little. I know you can do it.
Tom
1Stepatatime
Member
Hi aebers, Even though I have not had my surgery yet, I know how you are feeling. I lost 98 lbs with weight watchers only to gain it back with more. This was back in 94 -95. It has taken me this long to get over the defeated self I have had towards myself. Support groups are the best. They are people who have been there or about to be there with their weight lose journey . It really, really helps when we can help each other with the humps we experience. I am too far away to go to a support group too, but somehow I will find one that I can attend. In the mean time, I really like all the people here on this support site. Very positive and not judgemental. Tom has some really good advice that I am going to use. I have started a journal, I like MyFitnessPal.com too. I have started walking again slowly, but feel so better about "ME".
Hang in there....1 step at a time.
Hang in there....1 step at a time.
Welcome to the forum aebers. Possibly you can find the support you need here. More and more people seem to be joining every day that are "old timers" and are having problems maintaining their weight loss after the honeymoon period is over.
I am a big fan of journaling, and I read somewhere that in addition to how much, when, and how often, that you should journal how you felt when you ate. Perhaps that would help you pinpoint weak areas and triggers.
We all love you and want you to succeed.
I am a big fan of journaling, and I read somewhere that in addition to how much, when, and how often, that you should journal how you felt when you ate. Perhaps that would help you pinpoint weak areas and triggers.
We all love you and want you to succeed.
hi tom, i havent had my surgery yet, but i know it will be rny. dont ask me why but i am more fearful of rny than sleeve. my question is this. you stated that you eat five times a day. would you mind sharing with me why. what are you eating. and what are you eating. i am trying to develop a plan for how and what to eat after surgery.
TwoMas
Member
Hi Polo,
My daily meal plan consist of:
Breakfast a protien shake or bar, sometimes with a piece of fruit
Snack nuts, protien bar, granola, yogurt, cheese & Lunch meat with a few crackers or something along those lines
Lunch yogurt and cottage cheese with some mixed nuts or peanuts
Snack something I want from the frist choice of snacks
Dinner a taco (4 oz meat 1 tortilla) with some mixed nuts
(optional) Snack something I want from the frist choice of snacks
The beauty of this meal plan is, every meal is interchangabe, the snacks are the same size as the meals, it is also not limited to what is on the list, any 4 oz of meat will do along with a 1/4 cup of two side dishes of your liking. For the first yaer I ate a lot less than this and depended on protien shakes and bars to get all my required protien in after the first year my appatite came back and I had to start planning out what was easy and adjust my meals seasonally, I don't burn as many calories in the winter. This is what works for me other have 3 meals a day and a snack before bed. Tom
My daily meal plan consist of:
Breakfast a protien shake or bar, sometimes with a piece of fruit
Snack nuts, protien bar, granola, yogurt, cheese & Lunch meat with a few crackers or something along those lines
Lunch yogurt and cottage cheese with some mixed nuts or peanuts
Snack something I want from the frist choice of snacks
Dinner a taco (4 oz meat 1 tortilla) with some mixed nuts
(optional) Snack something I want from the frist choice of snacks
The beauty of this meal plan is, every meal is interchangabe, the snacks are the same size as the meals, it is also not limited to what is on the list, any 4 oz of meat will do along with a 1/4 cup of two side dishes of your liking. For the first yaer I ate a lot less than this and depended on protien shakes and bars to get all my required protien in after the first year my appatite came back and I had to start planning out what was easy and adjust my meals seasonally, I don't burn as many calories in the winter. This is what works for me other have 3 meals a day and a snack before bed.
Tom
Pat99
Member
Polo-Tom has the 5 meals a day well covered. Once you have your surgery you will need to work your way up to eating these things. You will be given written material that will define a 4 phase meal plan starting with clear liquids then full liquids then pureed foods then soft foods. After completing the 4 phases you will gradually re-introduce "normal" foods back into your diet. Excluded from your diet forever will be foods that are high in fat and those that are high in carbs and sugar. Your focus will be on lean protein first and then veggies. In the written material you are given there should also be a list of foods with a timeline suggesting how long you should wait before trying them. For example, my instructions state to wait at least 5 months after surgery before eating roast beef. I still can't eat roast beef comfortably and my surgery was over 7 monhs ago. Instructions will vary from surgeon to surgeon so someone else may have different instructions.
The reason you need to eat 5 times a day is because after surgery your tiny pouch can only hold a tiny amount of food so you need to eat 5 times a day in order to get adequate nutrition along with taking your daily supplements.
The reason you need to eat 5 times a day is because after surgery your tiny pouch can only hold a tiny amount of food so you need to eat 5 times a day in order to get adequate nutrition along with taking your daily supplements.
Gaining Back Weight
It is hard, I found I had to do a total life change and stop thinking of food as a reward or a crutch. I still use the small plates and bowls for my meals and weigh myself twice a week, Friday morning before the weekend to remind myself of where I want to be and on Monday morning to see how well I did over the weekend! I have a support group about 45 minutes away, but it's at night in a place I don't feel comfortable going at night so I don't go. I have been told those who have had the most success are ones who attend a support group, so I try to go at least once every 2-3 months. I also try to get out and walk or swim a couple of times a week. I need to do some muscle strengthening exercises, but I am struggling with that. I hope you can get back on track. I still use protein shakes for at least breakfast. Don't give up - it is hard.
Good Luck!
Robin
It is hard, I found I had to do a total life change and stop thinking of food as a reward or a crutch. I still use the small plates and bowls for my meals and weigh myself twice a week, Friday morning before the weekend to remind myself of where I want to be and on Monday morning to see how well I did over the weekend! I have a support group about 45 minutes away, but it's at night in a place I don't feel comfortable going at night so I don't go. I have been told those who have had the most success are ones who attend a support group, so I try to go at least once every 2-3 months. I also try to get out and walk or swim a couple of times a week. I need to do some muscle strengthening exercises, but I am struggling with that. I hope you can get back on track. I still use protein shakes for at least breakfast. Don't give up - it is hard.
Good Luck!
Robin