• American Bariatrics is a free online Bariatric Support Group. Register for your free account and get access to all of our great features!

Maintenance - Tips, Tricks, Advice?

missyinacage

missyinacage

Member
I have passed my year anniversary and have been within the same few pounds for a few months now. So, it's looking like maintenance time. Which is the goal, right? Get where you want to be and then stay there. But, I really cannot help worrying about a backslide. So, what are your tips, tricks or whatever that you use to make sure you are not sliding back into unhealthy habits?

All this drama over trail mix LMAO - I ate a lot of trail mix on my road trip since as far as gas station food goes, it's pretty good. Now I'm in love with trail mix and apparently cannot stop feeling bad about the 3 M&M's in a serving :rolleyes: I was really hoping that the inherent guilt over food would lessen .. but not too much, if you get me.
 
I’m in the same position as you Ive been stuck with the same weight for a month now . I’m a year and a half out from surgery. I’m not complaining that I’m staying the same weight but I’m also worried about gaining weight back . I’m also watching what I eat and if I go above my weight I’ll really be careful of what I eat because I don’t want to go back to eating the way I used to
 
I’m not even a year out and I’m pretty sure I’m done losing which is fine by me. Also can’t help but worry about getting back into old habits. I found some strawberry yogurt Chex mix and it was delicious! Ate the whole bag in 3 days, yikes. It was a small bag though. I’m really trying to shift from the mentality of post surgical eating to eating for life. I make sure I get in over 80grams of protein everyday, I’m careful about my carbs and sugar, but my biggest thing to watch is portions. As long as my portions have been controlled, and I’m doing all those other things plus getting my water, I feel like that’s just how food life is going to work for me.
 
I'm hoping the habits I've worked on for the past year will carry forward. The times I have the most difficulty is when I'm going through a high-stress time. I'm going through a period right now where my stress level is through the roof, and I can feel it influence my normal decision-making around food. I really have to be super-mindful and it's not easy. Today, I ate too much and I'm paying for it. Lump in the chest, almost panicked feeling. A good reminder in some ways, but the last couple of days were a struggle, or I guess a fight, really. It is days like this that get me afraid of "the old me" even though I've been pretty rock solid with developing my new relationship with food. I am confident tomorrow I will make better choices, especially as I pray for the extra bites I took to pass, 'cause right now, it's not feeling good.

There will always be tests, I suppose. We are human. We are fallible. We make poor choices sometimes. I definitely made one today. Ugh.

I guess it comes back to one of the things that have worked for me: forgive, praise, plan...forgive myself for the poor choices and learn from them, praise myself when I make a good choice, and plan to make good choices tomorrow. I can't hold on to the guilt I feel right now about the food that isn't sitting well at the moment. It doesn't erase all of the good things that came before it.

We certainly don't want to hold on to guilt, but some self-awareness that many of us will always be sort of on the edge of a slippery slope after having been obese isn't necessarily a bad thing. I think in some ways our bodies are just looking for the right moment to head in that direction again, and we can't forget where we came from lest we head down that road again. I think we can have that awareness without feeling guilty, or at least we should. Sometimes it's not easy, for sure.

In addition to mental care my maintenance pathway centers around food choices with a bit of exercise mixed in as follows:
  • Avoiding processed foods
  • Avoiding foods with added sugar
  • Avoiding artificial sweeteners
  • Avoiding refined grains
  • Adding in 20-30 plants per week
  • Staying well hydrated
  • Meeting protein goals
  • Exercise
My maintenance also includes staying involved in the communities of people who are also going through the same things as I feel supported and also get value from supporting others the best I can. Sometimes I do think, before I make a decision, "I wonder what the community would advise I do here?" and sometimes that steers me in the right direction.

Sorry, I rambled....
 
Stress does it for me too Ryan. And I find I can easily get sidetracked and find old patterns are just waiting to take over again. But I think as long as we recognize it and readjust as necessary, we will be fine. And I 100% believe that staying in this community and others like it helps us stay focused and correct anything that needs correcting. I think my husband doesn't quite get that. Not that he complains but I don't think he realizes that the support group isn't just for pre-surgery and recovery just after surgery but should be a life long process.
 
I am almost 3 years out and I feel that I am out of control. I have regained 20 pounds and feel like I am going to go back to where I was. it is like my entire brain and body forgot how to do this. Carbs-yes, sugar-uhh sorta, pop-yes, eating bc I want too-yes, working out--no...I need some help with redirection and motivation!
 
b2qt4u6 said:
I am almost 3 years out and I feel that I am out of control. I have regained 20 pounds and feel like I am going to go back to where I was. it is like my entire brain and body forgot how to do this. Carbs-yes, sugar-uhh sorta, pop-yes, eating bc I want too-yes, working out--no...I need some help with redirection and motivation!
Click to expand...
Well durn I hear you and want you to know you have the ability to correct your path before it goes downhill. Worst case meet with your dietician. Best case log what you are eating. Add why you are eating it. How you feel is it a treat or is it meeting daily requirements? Log how often you are putting something in the tummy. You can do this.
 
I'm still over 6 weeks from surgery and sooo appreciate every one posting about their struggles after surgery. I know I'm going to have my struggles and then some. Stress is a killer for me as well I do have to admit there is less now that I'm retired. But, there is more time in my day to eat if I'm not careful.

My wife is 2 weeks out today and doing better than I expected. She has some low energy days although I think we both expected her gas to be worse than it was. I will be having the RNY as my wife did.
 
b2qt4u6 said:
I am almost 3 years out and I feel that I am out of control. I have regained 20 pounds and feel like I am going to go back to where I was. it is like my entire brain and body forgot how to do this. Carbs-yes, sugar-uhh sorta, pop-yes, eating bc I want too-yes, working out--no...I need some help with redirection and motivation!
Click to expand...
Hi. I want to tell you that you don't have to go back to where you were. You can take control right now. For me the biggest hurdle seems to be the spiral of negative self talk that happens if I "cheat" or gain a pound or two. So I always start at the assumption it's the same for most of us.
First, accept where you're currently at. Ok, you gained 20lbs. Does that suck? Yep. Does that mean that you have to gain the rest? Absolutely not.
Then, back to the basics.
  • Measure your food.
  • Track your intake.
  • Protein first.
  • 64oz of water - flavor it if you need to. Crystal light packets are still better than soda.

And I am a big fan of engaging with the support group. It keeps me focused on positive behaviors. I put pretty much everything out here. Once you admit you're messing up, you have to fix it. I'm not going to come back on here and say I can't. Everyone knows better, myself included. And I certainly am not going to give up on the group or on myself. So, I fix it. Talk it out with us. Let us know how you're doing. It's just an extra form of support and accountability that can help you. Best of luck!
 
missyinacage said:
Hi. I want to tell you that you don't have to go back to where you were. You can take control right now. For me the biggest hurdle seems to be the spiral of negative self talk that happens if I "cheat" or gain a pound or two. So I always start at the assumption it's the same for most of us.
First, accept where you're currently at. Ok, you gained 20lbs. Does that suck? Yep. Does that mean that you have to gain the rest? Absolutely not.
Then, back to the basics.
  • Measure your food.
  • Track your intake.
  • Protein first.
  • 64oz of water - flavor it if you need to. Crystal light packets are still better than soda.
And I am a big fan of engaging with the support group. It keeps me focused on positive behaviors. I put pretty much everything out here. Once you admit you're messing up, you have to fix it. I'm not going to come back on here and say I can't. Everyone knows better, myself included. And I certainly am not going to give up on the group or on myself. So, I fix it. Talk it out with us. Let us know how you're doing. It's just an extra form of support and accountability that can help you. Best of luck!
Click to expand...
Wow, thank you so very very much! This is considered a support group right?
 
When I arrived here on 5 March 2019, it was a ghost town. Then one, then two people joined and the conversation started, and was brilliant. The voices who've spoken here have shared wisdom better than bars of gold. We're the only ones who can talk to each other about eating, not dieting, because we had surgery to change our biology.

We are so freaking lucky this group exists and keeps growing. You have all made this, IMO, the best support group on the internet. So much truth, so much fact, so safe to share. Two years and four months after landing here, I still can't adequately express my gratitude. This group saved my life and EVERY ONE OF YOU has been part of that.

Best of all, this group has integrity rarely seen in other support groups dealing with our unique physical and mental states.

We are robust, and regardless of disagreement or lack of every thread in our tapestry, every member is capable of weaving in a golden treasure.

Please share when you can. You'll never be judged, or told you don't get it. We belong in JAMA, and many experts from groups like that have learned from US.

You make our group the best support group on the Internet. You add to our knowledge base and that's because YOU are an expert.

Even if you don't think you're on the leading edge, believe me, you are. You had your body cut into and looked at and permanently changed. I'm certain even expert groups get lots of their facts from us. Us includes YOU.

Your knowledge sustains me.

Thank you for being here.
 
I’m almost a year out. I’v reached my goal weight and then some. I’m terrified of gaining the weight back. So far I’ve remained diligent, focused on protein, exercise every day, and I weigh myself daily (which is probably a bad idea but I do) if I gain one pound I reign in for a day or so. I realize that the pound could be water or just the normal fluctuations of weight people have but I don’t ever want to go back to before. I’ve heard of people regaining the weight. I figure maybe if I catch it right away it won’t happen to me. Do other people feel this way?
 
b2qt4u6 said:
I am almost 3 years out and I feel that I am out of control. I have regained 20 pounds and feel like I am going to go back to where I was. it is like my entire brain and body forgot how to do this. Carbs-yes, sugar-uhh sorta, pop-yes, eating bc I want too-yes, working out--no...I need some help with redirection and motivation!
Click to expand...

20 pounds isn’t a lot! You can catch this in time if you take control immediately! I’m no expert, but here is what I would do. (I hope) I would go back to the pre op diet for a couple of days just to shrink your stomach a little bit. Then I would back to basics. Focus on protein. Eat slowly so you enjoy it more and feel satisfied. Exercise, walk every day! Make it a priority! Even if you don’t feel like it, just get up and do it.

Nothing tastes as good as you will feel when you start going back in the right direction! And for heaven sake, POP? No way! Pop doesn’t even taste good and it’s loaded with sugar. Drink water or sugar free beverages. If you have to have pop drink diet. Don’t buy any junk food or high carb anything. Don’t even bring it in the house. Make a list of foods you enjoy that are good for you and only buy those. Stay on the periphery of the store. That’s where the real foods are.

You can do This! You’ve done it before and you’re not that far gone!

I wish you the very best of luck. I hope I was able to inspire you a little.....
 
Qweensgambit said:
I’m almost a year out. I’v reached my goal weight and then some. I’m terrified of gaining the weight back. So far I’ve remained diligent, focused on protein, exercise every day, and I weigh myself daily (which is probably a bad idea but I do) if I gain one pound I reign in for a day or so. I realize that the pound could be water or just the normal fluctuations of weight people have but I don’t ever want to go back to before. I’ve heard of people regaining the weight. I figure maybe if I catch it right away it won’t happen to me. Do other people feel this way?
Click to expand...
Congrats on reaching your goal weight! And I love your new picture! My worries a year out is that I get to goal :rolleyes: But I totally get what you are saying. Try not to be overly worried but I think a little worry so you are on top of it is a good thing, right?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top