4 years Post-Op - and I've GAINED ~~ A LOT! I am mortified and ashamed...

[freeme]

I have anxiety issues and thyroid issues. You should definitely have them check the the thyroid. I take Depakote, Adavan, Lexapro and Xanax to sleep. When I need something to keep me awake during the day, they added the wellbutrin. I slowly over 3 1/2 yeas gained 80 pounds. The meds were all changed at different times and I have 3 different migraine meds. They all claim they don't cause weigh gain.

I have been a life time member of WW and had big swings in my weight. I have storage bins with clothes that run size 10-16. I think just about all of us at one point or another have been in you shoes. The important thing is you realize and want to take ownership and correct it. You can do it, just like when you started, even if you have to go back to basics to see a change on the scale. Go back to shakes, get those vitamins and water, water , water to fill the void you had with the extra food. Good Luck. I'll be pulling for you. I'm only just at 4 weeks so we can be newbies together

[azladyrider]

I had gotten lax with my diet too and started the "grab and go" mentality - I run my business 99 percent from home so it was easy to get up and go grab some tortilla chips or a protein bar whatever. During tax season for me at least that's the worst since I work damn near non stop from 6 am til whenever I get done so "dinner" could be at 5 or it could be not until 9. Since I wear shorts or pj bottoms most of the time I wasn't able to gauge gaining a bit. I finally saw that I got up to 122 (yeah I know I know but that's heavy for me considering where I started and where I want to be) and I HATED IT! About a month ago I actually decided to have a revision to a mini bypass - long story short it didn't happen for various reasons since I lost enough to put me in a danger zone during the preop diet. When I got home I was disappointed but it also motivated me to get back on track. I have a weekly template for meals and print one out with meal suggestions and snack suggestions. Protein shakes got amped up big time too. Last week I was thrilled to death when I went to try on some jeans that I had designated to my "skinny side" of the closet and they all fit again. You already said you eat too many carbs and eat badly while on the go so just get back to the basics and be as vigilant about this as you were right after surgery. Good luck

[aglb]

I feel your pain. I am alittle over 2 1/2 years out. I stopped losing at 6 months like a door shut! Didn't gain an ounce for a year, went on a cruise - gained 3 (from alcohol, not food!), gained a couple more over the next 5 months, a pound here and there - up a pound, down a pound, up three, down one. Ughh. Our worst fear is regaining. We have all heard the pessimists when we shared about our surgeries - everyone knows someone who regained. I am scared silly. I am up about 15 pounds. I have never exercised so much in my life over the last 6 weeks trying to get it under control. I am on the treadmill for an hour a day 6 days a week. I lost 97 pounds total - 30 pre surgery, 67 post and was within 15 pounds of my personal goal - its tough. I have never gone completely off the grid. I eat healthy, healthy - my idea of cheating is a bowl of raisin bran - sigh! but yes, the carbs creep back - even too much fruit is a bad thing. I can't eat a ton at a sitting - still 3-6 ounces depending on whether it is chicken or yogurt but I still package my little cups of food every day, still cook my chicken breasts for the week, boil my hard boiled eggs etc. Frequency is a problem for me - ? grazing ? I am always hungry and yes, I tend to eat more often if I am bored. We know this stuff - I long for the days when I could only eat one bite and be satisfied. I appreciate your heartfelt post - there are so few of us long timers who post how they are doing that it is hard to read all the new posts from newbies losing and feeling full at one bite - Lets support one another & get back on track together. I need to drink more water - (I was never good at this!) and probably just need to eat less frequently because for me, no matter how healthy of choices I am making - it all adds up to obviously more than I am burning off!! This surgery was the best decision of my life.

[Mbenson5]

Hey aglb! So glad to have another vet here! I have come and gone, but always feel drawn back here both to support and be supported. When I first started in 2012, the boards were full of people who were just amazing. I could never have gotten through those hard times without them. I hope they have all maintained and are living their dream. Mine has changed significantly, but it is like a dream. Keep close and let us know how we can support you! One comment I have is that exercise never has done it for me. I have to be diligent on my carbs. Right niw I am going through a divorce, and as I posted in another link, it is a hell of a diet. On the bright side, I am nearly to my final goal. I got to the point of dehydration this week, and was warned if I didn't eat and drink that I was looking at an IV. So I have my water bottle by my side all the time, and last night I managed to eat half a taco. Never in my entire life was I someone who couldn't eat through stress. In fact, just the opposite - I would normally eat through it. It is a weird feeling, but just highlights how much your body changes with the sleeve. It sounds like you're eating well and planning. Keep posting and let us know how it's going!

[Ann2]

To everyone who's gaining -- are you measuring and tracking your food?

Because I don't know how anyone really knows how much (and how much more) they're really eating without measuring and tracking their food all the time.

To me, that's the place to start to deal with regain: Measure and track. You can't know what to change until you know what you need to change.

[Ibleedblue]

I don't really have additional advice to add, I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone. 😊

[Tclark]

so if you go back to eating somewhat normal portion sizes but stay away from what I call junk food and sugar you will still gain weight after the surgery? I am getting mine done in 3 weeks and I want to do this right. I can't afford a theorist full time so any good books or anything I can do one my own would be appreciated.

[Pam G]

so if you go back to eating somewhat normal portion sizes but stay away from what I call junk food and sugar you will still gain weight after the surgery? I am getting mine done in 3 weeks and I want to do this right. I can't afford a theorist full time so any good books or anything I can do one my own would be appreciated.

It depends on the cause of your Obesity, I think.

Some of us will have to live on a meager 800 cals/day, while others can eat 1700 cals/day and not gain wt.

Some people have been obese their whole lives while others may be thin people that gained wt for some reason (like depression, or pregnancies).

I've never really eaten lots of junk food, but I'm obese anyway, so junk food isn't always the culprit. Everyone is different, and what would make one person gain, may not make another person gain. You'll have to figure that voodoo out for yourself when you get there.

[Mbenson5]

I don't really have additional advice to add, I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone. ��

Hi Leah! I just noticed you are from Zsellersburg-I grew up in Madison! I actually am there right now for my family reunion which is in Greensburg. Just wanted to say hi!

[WANAGL]

so if you go back to eating somewhat normal portion sizes but stay away from what I call junk food and sugar you will still gain weight after the surgery? I am getting mine done in 3 weeks and I want to do this right. I can't afford a theorist full time so any good books or anything I can do one my own would be appreciated.

Do you have a nutritionist/dietician for VSG patients? If you do, he/she will give you eating plans for each phase post-op.

I highly recommend watching Dr Matthew Weiner videos on YouTube. They're full of useful information.

I still (and will continue to) measure and log EVERYTHING that passes my lips! With 80% of my stomach gone, I don't know that I'll ever be able to eat "somewhat normal portion sizes", without being extremely uncomfortable.

[aglb]

WANAGl - I felt compelled to respond to your post. I see you have just had your sleeve since the end of Dec 2015 roughly 6-7 month - what I would call the honeymoon phase. I am not harrassing you - because this forum is for SUPPORT. I started following this forum about a year before my surgery, had my surgery in nov 2013 so I am rounding up 3 years. Life at 6 months is different then life at 2, 3 years etc. So many successes and we are all success because we made the decision to do this drastic surgery to get healthy- but saying at 6 months you will log what you put past your lips and what the future holds in life is not always the same thing. I religiously followed these forums for about a year after my surgery. I was flying high. I looked great, I felt great. I COULDN'T EAT enough to lose control - it was physically impossible. If you read these forums long enough you will see many people wishing they were back in those early months when a bite of this and a bite of that were all you could eat. logging that was a piece of cake. I was hailed by my doctor as one of the most compliance patients they had ever had even at the end of the first year. Alas but life happens, and you get busy and you feel in control and wonderful and the weight stays off -and you stop reading the forums because it is all about the newbies who are just starting to lose - and there is little here for those of us who are further on (because we all slowly drift away after we had success) - then one day you realize that you can eat a tiny bit more and you are sad. a bit more down the road you realize that you can still gain a pound here & there - you think it will come right off but when you are consistently eating only 1000-1300 cal a day - dropping enough below that to drop a pound is a bit more difficult then it used to be. pretty soon you are up 5 pounds and you panic - how can that be? I am barely eating anything so you go back to what you know - the shakes, the protein - I am up 14 pounds and in panic. I exercise daily, I meal prep on Sundays - my hard boiled eggs, my chicken breasts, etc. I use myfitnesspal etc. for logging food intake & exercise. But there will come a time when you are able to eat more - not tons more but def more than you can eat now and from what I hear many do gain 5-15 pounds down the road. I completely understand the panic one feels because I feel it too sometimes. :-/

[Bluegrass state]

Thank you so much to all of you for the input and support.

Things DO change after a while.

I pretty easily kept all of my -148 lbs weight loss off up thru my 2nd year post op anniversary. I had a 5 lb leeway - up and down that same 5 lbs - holding steady. Maintaining! I went to my 2 year post op appointment and my surgeon said "You look beautiful and healthy!" Praised me for how great I'd done. My Ex had died the week before and I then had a few months of taking care of certain things regarding our son and I guess it all went downhill from there.. I can't blame his death - I mean, it was sad but we were divorced, and ... I can't blame that, but.. then the next year Dad got ill suddenly and was in the hospital for a month and passed away.. And, all along, I was gaining. And, now a year later - more!

I couldn't bring myself to cancel my 4 year post op appointment that is scheduled for tomorrow - (should have gone in April) - so I will go. I actually think I will tell them that I do NOT want to weigh! YEP! "I think I'd like to skip the weighing this time, if you don't mind.." LOL! Can you imagine going to a WL appt and refusing the weighing? lol Bet they don't see that much. (I used to do that sometimes at my regular Doctor --- go because I have a sinus infection, they don't need to weigh me, I would think! )

I think I will just go in and tell the Nutritionist that I HAVE Gained, and am embarrassed, and just cannot have the OMG reaction she gave me once before, and I'd rather just talk to her without that number on our minds. I think that makes sense.. I will see if there is any new advice she can give that I don't already know.

As for Do I measure/track my food, still, at 4 years post op? No.. That stops eventually for 95% of people. Probably shouldn't stop, but it seems to.

Can I eat 'regular sized' portions? No. Not if you mean what a 'normal' person can eat, or what I used to eat. But, some times I can eat more than others. I ate 3 pieces of THIN Dominos pepperoni pizza for supper tonight. It didn't have much on it... some days, I can't eat but 2 and be stuffed.

I do NOT drink for an hour after I eat. Never with meals.

I do NOT drink carbonation ever!

I feel hungry about 2 hours after I have a meal. So, that makes me want to grab something fast. Snack? Graze? Those little bites of something because I feel hungry are usually bad stuff.

I'm so picky with food. And, quite a few of my favorite things that I ate while losing have been discontinued now!!!!! EAS ADVANTEdge Chocolate Protein shakes changed their formula and it was nasty!! (Used to be whey protein isolate, i think, and it tasted like chocolate milk! Was so delicious) And, I used to buy Jennie O Grand Champion Hickory turkey from the Deli, and it's been discontinued for awhile/permanently? Grrr...

Anywho........ Tonight, I went back over my PRE-OP diet on myfitnesspal that I lost 33 lbs in 6 weeks pre-op and wrote a grocery list. That is what I tracked online. I don't think I tracked anything on there afterwards - ate too little!

Thanks again for all the conversation. I think it is definitely NOT Something people usually come back here to report.

But, sadly, life happens and we still have eating issues, even if we lose a lot during that honeymoon phase and even IF we remove a large part of our stomachs. Once you have an issue, I think we will ALWAYS have the issue. We will ALWAYS have to work at keeping it off. There is no magic to this.

[Kindle]

I can't afford a theorist full time so any good books or anything I can do one my own would be appreciated.

"The emotional first aid kit" by Cynthia Alexander
"Eat it up" by Connie Stapleton
"Get out of your head and into your life" by Steven Hayes (this is not bariatric specific, but a good read for general mental health issues....which is what obesity is)
And check out Www.smartrecovery.org

[MamaGavu]

I have been on zoloft for years. I have never had any problem with weight gain on it. Pre-surgery the weight gain was simply because I ate to much and moved to little not the zoloft.

[tinman]

WANAGl - I felt compelled to respond to your post. I see you have just had your sleeve since the end of Dec 2015 roughly 6-7 month - what I would call the honeymoon phase. I am not harrassing you - because this forum is for SUPPORT. I started following this forum about a year before my surgery, had my surgery in nov 2013 so I am rounding up 3 years. Life at 6 months is different then life at 2, 3 years etc. So many successes and we are all success because we made the decision to do this drastic surgery to get healthy- but saying at 6 months you will log what you put past your lips and what the future holds in life is not always the same thing. I religiously followed these forums for about a year after my surgery. I was flying high. I looked great, I felt great. I COULDN'T EAT enough to lose control - it was physically impossible. If you read these forums long enough you will see many people wishing they were back in those early months when a bite of this and a bite of that were all you could eat. logging that was a piece of cake. I was hailed by my doctor as one of the most compliance patients they had ever had even at the end of the first year. Alas but life happens, and you get busy and you feel in control and wonderful and the weight stays off -and you stop reading the forums because it is all about the newbies who are just starting to lose - and there is little here for those of us who are further on (because we all slowly drift away after we had success) - then one day you realize that you can eat a tiny bit more and you are sad. a bit more down the road you realize that you can still gain a pound here & there - you think it will come right off but when you are consistently eating only 1000-1300 cal a day - dropping enough below that to drop a pound is a bit more difficult then it used to be. pretty soon you are up 5 pounds and you panic - how can that be? I am barely eating anything so you go back to what you know - the shakes, the protein - I am up 14 pounds and in panic. I exercise daily, I meal prep on Sundays - my hard boiled eggs, my chicken breasts, etc. I use myfitnesspal etc. for logging food intake & exercise. But there will come a time when you are able to eat more - not tons more but def more than you can eat now and from what I hear many do gain 5-15 pounds down the road. I completely understand the panic one feels because I feel it too sometimes. :-/

OMG....this is written by someone who has been there and done that. I'm coming up on four years. I gain and lose the same 5 lbs week in and week out. The only thing I track is protein and water. Nothing else. Why? Because if you eat your protein, take your supplements, DRINK YOUR WATER, and participate in some moderate exercise, you will not gain. Oh wait....I forgot the most important thing. You must never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever over eat......ever.

It's not about what you eat. It's about how much of it you eat. Here's the lesson. We all have to learn how to live like a sleeved person in a non sleeved world. Does that mean we have to spend the rest of our lives measuring our food and tracking portions? It might for you, but, it sure as hell doesn't mean that for me. For me, I want to eat what I want, when I want and made just the way I like it. I just don't over eat. I pay attention to 100 oz of Water a day and no less than 65 oz of protein. How I get the protein in my body means nothing to me. It could be rib eye steak and shrimp, or fried chicken with gravy. Either way, I eat what I can and never over eat. I eat five times a day so I'm never hungry. And, on those occasions that I gain weight, I go back to the mother ship and count my protein and water....religiously. The weight will come off about twice as fast as it went on and I go along my merry way.

I too have a problem with 4-6 month "vets" who come on here and regurgitate something they read or heard without really knowing if it works. How would they know? Well, they would have to have lost all of their weight, kept it off for some time, gained some weight back, lost that, zip lined down Fremont Street in a Speedo....wait....I digress.

So, to the OP. You already know how to lose it. Just do it.

PM me if you need some help. I'll be glad to give it.

By the way...August 12th is my 4 year anniversary. I plan on posting a nuclear bomb of a post. I have been mostly lurking on here for the last year or so and this place has gotten as stale as 3 week old bread.

Gonna shake that up.