Search the Community
Showing results for 'weight gain'.
Found 17,501 results
-
Weirdest None-Scale-Victory - I'll go first
BabySpoons replied to chiquitatummy's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
Had this happen to me quite often. A year ago I picked up a brand new pair of Jennifer Lopez jeans size 16 at a rummage sale, thinking I'll put away for a future time. Got home and curiously tried them on and they fit!! Buttoned.. zipped up and comfortable to wear. Fast forward to now, I bought a new pair of Old Navy shorts size 8 in Goodwill, In my mind I doubted they would fit but did. Amazing feeling and it's been many many years since I wore a size 8. Oh and today I put on a XX boho style shirt and wore it as a dress. 😎 I remember thinking this same thing but it was usually weight loss after any food centered holiday. That's never happened to me ..eva. Glamping at the lake every weekend doesn't seem to have much effect on my weight loss either. I'm very thankful. -
Temporary hair loss is very common after surgery. Your body is going through a lot is stress: the surgery, reduced food intake, weight loss, anaesthetic, hormonal flushes & changes, etc. The result is a temporary acceleration of your natural hair loss cycle. It actually can occur after child birth, periods of extreme stress, other more major surgeries, etc. The hair you are losing is dead & you were going to lose it anyway just not as quickly. You can’t stop it. Or slow it down. Some people will suggest adding additional supplements but this period of hair loss still lasts about 4 month -/+ regardless of taking the additional supplements or not. Those supplements won’t help hair that is already dead. As long as you’re taking the vitamins your team recommends & are meeting your protein & other nutritional goals, you don’t need to do anything else. Your new hair is still growing just at its usual rate & it is only this new growth that may benefit from the supplements. How much you’ll lose is very individual & you can’t predict it. You may lose more if it’s summer (when we usually shed more hair) or if you are in your 7 year hair shedding cycle (just went through mine again & was losing a lot more than usual). Try cutting off some of your length if you have longer hair. Many of us do this so the new growth reaches the length of the old growth more quickly. And shorter hair is always bouncier & looks fuller than long. I decided some temporary hair loss is a small price to pay for the benefits of your weight loss. Oh, and try not to stress too much - it only adds to the stress your body is already under which influences the hair loss. PS: You can update your weight by scrolling to near the bottom of this page. You’ll see a section titled Together we have lost… Add your current weight & click Update Your Weight. It will display the next time you start a thread or respond to a post.
-
Liver Function Tests and Bariatric Surgery
catwoman7 replied to MrsFitz's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
the two they usually measure for are ALT and AST. But not all clinics test for those, so not everyone knows their values (actually, my bariatric clinic doesn't test for them, either - I'd gone to my primary care provider for some reason or another (it's been eight or nine years, so I don't remember why) and she did some panel that included liver values. She freaked about it, but my bariatric clinic knew what was going on - and again, they were back down to normal once I was about a year out).. They go up because rapid weight loss is really hard on the liver. -
Let's Collect Some Data!
ms.sss replied to ms.sss's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
Hi @Yahoo! so i was updating your info in my trusty spreadsheet, but the info provided in the above two posts don't line up exactly...can you confirm the full details so i have the right info? 1. Basics: GENDER, AGE, HEIGHT 2. Total Weight lost in the 6 months BEFORE surgery (if any) 3. Weight on DAY OF SURGERY. 4. Weight at 1 MONTH POST surgery 5. Weight at 3 MONTHs POST surgery 6. Weight at 6 MONTHs POST surgery 7. Weight at 12 MONTHs POST surgery 8. Type of Surgery (Sleeve, ByPass, etc...) -
Just approved for Surgery in October 2024
BlondePatriotInCDA replied to NeonRaven8919's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
"So this is the first day of a 12 week liquid diet to lose 10% of my body weight before the surgery." Wow, 12 weeks is a long time on the liquid diet portion of the prep surgery step! Im glad mine was only a week or two. Sorry for your losses, I'm sure its very difficult. Good luck and congrats on getting your date moved up! -
Just echoing what the two very experienced forum members say above. A regain in 2nd and 3rd year post op is almost the norm. Please try not to worry about it unduly. Your set point is the weight/body composition that your body wants to hover around. The video below is short and might help. Your set point gets lowered drastically by WLS. But - processed food raises it. Eating cleaner keeps it lower. Building muscle mass keeps it lower. Might those be things you can work on a bit? Lots of people focus on cardio and that's brilliant, but lifting weights or using resistance bands (even if you never do cardio!) can add another really significant layer to that. Do you or have you ever tracked your intake? If that has slipped just tracking again might make you aware of what you're taking in and what you're using up. I am saying this as someone just about 3 years post op who regained 16lbs this year. I personally wasn't happy with that because it didn't stop as others' seems to, so I lost 10lbs by strict keto and am now back where I want to be. I had dietary lapses I needed to correct too and am working on that. I had this surgery to stop dieting - I feel like I can tweak things to keep me where I want to be without that and that I've learned a lot by stepping back and really analysing my intake the last few months. Also huge kudos to you for thinking about this with only 9lbs on. Much easier to look at what you can change now, if you even need to do that, rather than further down the line. I wish you the very best.
-
Hi 👋 I’m right at the very beginning of my bariatric journey and I’m equal parts excited, apprehensive and relieved. I’m 55 and have had numerous attempts at weight loss (like many, many of us!) Thankfully I found an incredibly supportive GP who has helped with menopause issues and was really understanding of my frustration with my weight, and the constant feelings of guilt, anxiety and failure. She put me forward for bariatric surgery and has helped me with the initial stages. Mobility is an issue - I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoarthritis in both knees and left hip and generally feel like crap - constant pain and just a general feeling of being fed up. I’ve had my first education support meeting at the hospital and now have appointments for the dietitian, sleep test, and support group (waiting for endoscopy appointment) I’ve read, researched and downloaded what I can. I have also familiarised myself with all the information provided by the hospital and have downloaded a couple of bariatric recipe books for the different stages. I always like lots of information when embarking on something major! My plan is to start a weight loss plan come Monday and start getting my head around higher protein, lower carbs and better eating all round once again. My weight is currently 303lbs and I’m 171cm tall. I’ve taken the dreaded ‘before’ pictures (😖) and have re-started my weight loss app membership to record everything and make myself accountable. I’m looking forward to ‘meeting’ people who are on this journey too, regardless of the stage!
-
Use of Mounjaro for weight regain
ms.sss replied to Goatfarmer's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
i know several people (including myself*) who have used Ozempic and/or Mounjaro, all with great results (read: all lost probably an average of 10-15 lbs with little reported effort. From an observers point of view, it *looks* like most slowly gain weight back when discontinuing use. but some seem to keep the weight off (but it's early still so time will tell). *i seem to be part of the latter group. i took my mom's leftover Ozempic for a month in April last year (shes a diabetic and takes less than she's prescribed cuz she doesn't like how it makes her hate food...and yes i know i shouldn't be taking someone elses meds! dont judge me! it was in the name of science, ok??? 😂 ) i lost about 7 lbs by the end of it, and gained back 2-3 lbs a couple months later. to clarify, i was 122 when i stated in April, 4 weeks later i was 115, and i've hovered between 114-118 since then to today. long story short, the stuff WORKS. but you will likely experience regain without significant lifestyle changes when u stop. or not. who knows? 🤷🏻♀️ -
Okay this is long and boring at parts but here it goes. I am 3 years post sleeve and I have gained all my weight back . First of all I was on the smaller side to have the sleeve but I do still have all the same struggles and if I had waited until I was older it was just a matter of time until I was a higher bmi having the surgery. The fact that I have lost and then gained it all plus some within less than years is probably proof of that. Anyways, with the sleeve I did lose a big chunk of weight. I went from 235 to 168 which I could not have done with regular diet. But, i was always able to eat a little more than I should at every given stage and everything was easy for me. From day one I had no gas pain and water was easy to get down, then fluids and protein which were easy to keep down, I had no food intolerances and advancing through each stage. I was living my best life watching the pounds fall off but I was alway able to eat just a little more than everyone else at the same stage. Well, while the hunger hormone was gone and I was focused I was able to eat exactly what I SHOULD be eating and I measured my portions to the Amount I should be eating and I was satisfied. So lost most of the weight the dr suggested I would. i held that weight for a few months but then the hunger started creeping back and between the hunger and the extra room in the pouch I started gaining in spite of still making healthy food choices (my food was fine but my portions were too large and too frequent). Well, even though I knew I was losing control my friends and family continued to look at me as doing great..I was still on the road to getting to where I needed ti be in their eyes. I was ashamed. I was failing yet They kept complimenting me and offering me food. They were saying things like your doing so good, you can have one slice or pizza or one brownie. It won’t kill you. It’s okay that you’ve gained a couple pounds I’ve gained a couple it’s Christmas. You can lose that. Well I have since learned that no I cannot just have one of anything to do with carbs or I crave them for a week but I didn’t know that back then Anyways, was still going to my surgeon asking for help but I have bipolar disorder and the meds I take for it limit what other meds I can take so I cannot take many of the weight loss meds they had to offer. And the one I can take worked wonderfully during the day but when it wore off I ate all night Fast forward a few months and I stepped on the scale and I was back over 200. That sucked but I wasn’t giving up. went back to my surgeon asking about revision to bypass. I have heartburn gerd whatever you call it and clearly the sleeve wasn’t working so I wanted to know my options. Well let’s go back. I knew I didn’t want to have surgery if I was going to just repeat the yo-yo that had just happened so I decided I wanted two opinions this time. Well the second opinion dr had a cancellation so I seen him first. He was on board. He was going to bypass a shorter amount of bowel so i had less absorption issues and my meds Would work fine he said which seemed to be his concern even though it wasn’t really my question. I just needed my dr to say that it shouldn't be a repeat of last time and I was going forward. Well even though the bypass was an option he presented to me to start he said he wouldn’t do a bypass for me. He thought it would be a bad call with my mental health issues. This was confusing to say the least because I have one dr saying it’s fine and another dr I really respect saying it’s not and I started this thinking bypass was always an okay option in terms of mental health but worried the surgery just wouldn’t work for me. I am of course concerned about my mental health so took some time to think about it. I tried for a while to find a bariatric therapiest but none near me are taking any new patients. I even asked the surgeon and he said he would look into it but be never did. Anyways I called around for the better part of two days. They all just do the evaluations now for surgery. I have had every hormone test and lab they have that could possibly be the problem. I changed all my meds in case they were the issue. I tried everything myself and my doctors could think of but I kept gaining. When I revisited the idea of surgery I was scared. Anything that was going to upset my mental health again just isn’t an option I decided. I already know what life without my medication is like and I do not want to go back there. I continued to gain. I got back up to 245 and I am miserable. I am so depressed when I look at what I have let happen to myself. I had a chance and I blew it. I am disgusted when I look in the mirror. I decided that the weight is causing me to be more depressed so I needed to get some real answers. I went back to my surgeon. Not to ask him to do the surgery but exactly why he thought it was a bad idea. The plan was to take that info and talk to the other surgeon to make sure he had considered that and see why he wasn’t worried about it. Well, surprise…my surgeon is on board now with doing a revision for me. When I asked why he said no before he said something about a nite in my chart that said I wasn’t complaint with my meds back them and he didn’t know I have a psychiatrist and psychologist and take my meds but now he is comfortable doing surgery. So, frustrated I had to wait until I gained almost 50 more pounds to get here but excited he is willing to do it I am researching the other surgery he thinks will be a better fit for me called the SADI. At the same time I am still not buying the note in my chart thing. Cause that was never true. I guess the important takeaway for those of you here that are just starting out is even if you do regain don’t lose touch with your team and don’t give up. I feel like my dr wavering in whether he would do the surgery didn’t help but I could have asked more questions sooner and I wouldn’t have so much to lose this time. Plus, hopefully you guys can take the weight loss meds and won’t be facing a second surgery.
-
I mean, at this point I give up trying to figure it out...
SleeveToBypass2023 replied to SleeveToBypass2023's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I get the iron infusions yearly because the anemia is chronic due to my lupus. Been this way since I was a teenager. I don't feel a lot different after them, but it is what it is. I felt good when I weighted between 182-185, but once I went below 180, that's when I started feeling like crap. And no matter what I say to my doctor, it's like I'm not saying anything at all. She isn't taking me seriously because my labs are fine. It's really irritating me!! -
Liver Function Tests and Bariatric Surgery
Arabesque replied to MrsFitz's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
I was thinking the same thing as @catwoman7: the rising levels could be a result of your weight loss so far. It’s very common to have rising liver function levels while you’re losing. Also worried me a bit because I had a glass of Prosecco at lunch on Sunday and then had a liver function test Monday in preparation of a surgery I’m having next week. Hope the glass didn’t throw my results out at all. Considering I was asked lots of questions at the pathologists, they didn’t ask when was my last alcoholic drink and how much and often I drink. Hmmmm. -
There is another thread about this called reactive hypoglycemia which apparently is not all that uncommon post weight loss surgery. Actually may be why my teams standard is to have us eat every three hours. I’ve never gone longer than that so I wouldn’t know if I had it. Maybe I should try it while I’m at home instead of it happening when I’m out having fun on vacation or something. Definitely try eating more often a little something. It’s also possible that it’s diabetes related so personally, I would go ahead and schedule an appointment with my family doctor and then just cancel it if eating more often helps. That’s just me because my doctor is kind of hard to get into.
-
Recap of positives and negatives one year after gastric surgery
MarisAthena posted a topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Below is a recap of the positives and negatives of my gastric surgery one year after the surgery. Positives: I am no longer a diabetic after 15 years of being a diabetic. I do not take any anti acid medication, I was on daily anti acid medication for 20 years. I no longer have GERD or Barrett’s Esophagus. I look good, I feel good, I lost 100 pounds and I am able to do things that I was unable to do before. Negatives: Lactose Intolerance: I inherited a lactose intolerance after the surgery and will never be able to enjoy dairy products like ice cream. Alcohol Abstinence: I will never be able to have a beer or a glass of wine, due to the high alcohol concentration in the body, so I have prohibition of alcohol consumption for life. Medication Absorption Issues: Significant Challenge: Post-surgery, the stomach processes medications differently, resulting in varied absorption rates. This issue is under-researched and poses a significant opportunity for further medical studies. Example: Treatment of infections such as UTIs can be complicated. Ineffective antibiotic absorption can lead to persistent infections and increased risk of complications. I had severe challenges with antibiotic absorption. I had repeated UTI incidents due to ineffective medication absorption that necessitated trying multiple antibiotics before finding an effective one that absorbed appropriately. Due to lack of research in this area, doctors have almost no knowledge of this and you have to become your own subject matter expert. Reduced Immunity: Increased susceptibility to infections, including: Cold Sores: Post-surgery imbalance in lysine and arginine levels resulted in frequent cold sores. Daily lysine supplements were recommended to manage this issue. This is one additional supplement I need to take daily. Fungal Infections: Significant weight loss altered skin physiology, leading to recurrent fungal infections in skin folds. Preventive measures include having antifungal prescriptions on standby. Nutritional Imbalances: Vitamins and Minerals: Maintaining a balance of essential nutrients is a constant challenge, truly a daily full time job. Taking vitamins, minerals and being able to change the amount based on blood test results is a life long commitment. Anemia: Despite taking supplements, anemia can still occur, this is a constant struggle for me. Mineral Toxicity: Excess minerals like phosphorus can lead to osteoporosis, indicating the fine line between deficiency and toxicity in nutrient management. This has been a challenge for me, my blood tests have consistently showed high phosphorous levels and nobody has an answer to this. I consulted several physicians including endocrinologist, nephrologist and my family doctor, with no answers thus far. Severe Hunger: Increased Hunger: Somewhere between 6 months and a year post-surgery, hunger pains became more intense than pre-surgery. The luxury of not being hungry all the time went away. Nobody talks extensively about this but lack of hunger goes away for all gastric surgery patients, hunger comes back and it is up to the individual to eat properly and not gain the weight back, which is very easy to do. Inability to Fast: Unlike before the surgery, fasting for even a day can cause severe physical reactions including shaking and an overwhelming feeling of malaise. I was unable to resolve the Atrial Fibrillation. This was the main reason for which I had this surgery since Australian studies were showing promising results curing AFib with weight loss. While the episodes are less frequent my AFib is still there. Conclusion: Gastric surgery offers weight loss benefits but comes with lifelong challenges that require constant vigilance and management. Thorough consideration and consultation with healthcare professionals are essential before proceeding with any gastric surgery. -
When did you start indulge or give yourself a "cheat meal"
SleeveToBypass2023 replied to AmberFL's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
I really don't, and that's because it's a very slippery slope for me. I have found so many alternative foods that taste good and don't leave me feeling deprived that it's not worth the inevitable guilt, the possible weight gain, and extra work it'll take to get me back to where I am now. I'm 2 years out from my original surgery and a year out (at the end of this month) from my revision surgery. I'm so use to how I eat that I can't imagine trying to eat any of the stuff I use to eat. There's keto bread, keto bagels, keto English muffins, keto brownies, keto blueberry muffins, Legendary pop tarts and cinnamon buns, mashed cauliflower (works beautifully in place of mashed potatoes), crustless pizza, pizza with cauliflower crust, riced cauliflower instead of regular rice, monk fruit sweetener instead of sugar, sugar free tropical popsicles, Real Good Foods keto protein chicken nuggets, Atkins 1 person meals, Real Good Foods 1 person meals, the list goes on and on. We get creative with what we cook (still have steak and chicken and stir-fry), chocolate milk has now become almond milk, 1 tbsp cacao powder, and 2-3 packets of monk fruit sweetener. Use a frother and it's AMAZING. There's chips you can get at Whole Foods that are made with soy flower or almond flower and tastes EXACTLY like regular chips (I love the BBQ and the sour cream cheddar ones). For ice cream, I get Rebel ice-cream. Low to no carbs, nearly no sugar at all, low calorie, lactose free. Tastes AMAZING. I just have no need for any cheat meals. -
February 2024 Surgery Buddies?
RonHall908 replied to NickelChip's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Chicken, Turkey & Bison ground meat is the easiest for me to eat and get enough in where I can get the protein I need. However, chicken breast is another matter. for some reason I can only eat about 2-2.5 oz of chicken breast. But I can have almost two cups of ground meat. Deli meats, I can get in about one to one and a half slices before I fill up. Greek yogurt with Pbfit2 chocolate and protein powder mixed is my go to. I can eat two cups and not feel stuffed. Weird thing is when it comes to eggs, I can eat two fried eggs easily, but two scrambled eggs and I can't finish it. Only thing I'm concerned with, is how very slow my weight loss is. I'll lose a pound or two, then go two to three weeks without losing. In fact, I weighed last week and gained a pound. I'm not sure how that's possible, but I managed it. The dietician and Doctor has assured me that's normal. -
Weirdest None-Scale-Victory - I'll go first
omrhsn replied to chiquitatummy's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
It doesn't get any better than this. You are not alone. I was about to write a post about the exact same thing. I was on a 2-week holiday in Thailand and the same thing happened to me. I was 70 kg on the day we started our trip and now I'm 66.5 kg three weeks after. I lost like 3.5 kg or so which is amazing. Not sure if that is a water loss or what but I'm happy haha. I can't say the same about my wife though. She is blaming me for gaining 3 kg on the same trip. We ate like "tourists" and tried the many wonderful Thai dishes and made sure to keep hydrated. We did a lot of walking, a bit of swimming and ate a lot of fruits so that might have helped burn the calories from all the coconut milk rich dishes we tried there. I was burning more calories during the trip and more active according to my Apple Watch. The same thing happened to me on a similar previous trip so I can totally relate. -
August Surgery buddies
ShoppGirl replied to Averdra's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I didn’t do the bath or swim yet. I believe it was 6 weeks they said the outside was fully healed (double check on that though because there are different types of closure techniques that may heal slower). My team cleared us for anything but weights at 6 weeks but I noticed that some of the stuff that focuses on the core area in Yoga pulled so I just didn’t do that for a couple weeks (I needed the rest in between anyways 🤣). Tried again this morning in fact and it didn’t pull. I will be 10 weeks out tomorrow. I didn’t realize that I was that far out actually. Probably would’ve tried last week. Anyways, just with anything new, start slow and if you feel it in your tummy, stop!! That’s what I did. -
May 2024 Surgery Buddies 😁
Calli replied to Bypass2Freedom's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
5 months into GB (surgery date 5/9/24). Ive lost 44lbs in 5 months and have a goal to loose 50 more. Weight loss has reaaallly slowed down to next to nothing. Thise 3 lbs came back and i lost 1! I have started walking more. I do notice I’m craving sweets. I also notice i don’t seem to have dumping syndrome that many of you talk about so i really don’t fear eating things i shouldn’t. That scares me because i think thats part of the equation with this surgery. Today gonna start concentrating on how do i feel. Am I really hungry or just craving something. -
How to pick the right plastic surgeon!
AmberFL replied to AmberFL's topic in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
I am in the looking stage, I JUST had my appt with my surgeon and he was like HOLY **** (not really his words) but he said I am above the curve, but told me he wouldn't sign off on the surgery until at least a year. he said any weight that I lose right now is bonus weight loss. That I could really work on maintaining if I wanted but If I lost more it would help with the regain if there is some. He told me to wait the year, plus the plastic surgeon said she would need my WLS surgeon and primary to sign off. So I already got the NO LOL *LE SIGH* -
Here it’s a BMI of 40 or over or 35 with co-morbidities. I know it probably sounds counterintuitive but I don’t want to lose much more pre-surgery once I get to around 18 stones (252lbs) because I don’t want to run the risk of falling off the weight loss wagon and having it bounce back up again, thus putting any surgery in jeopardy. It’s just a little frustrating when I have no idea when WLS may take place 🫤
-
Yea. He said it’s definitely a more aggressive option than the bypass for revision with a few more risks but better weight loss for most people. I read somewhere that when you eat the wrong foods that it causes gas pain and bathroom issues which if that’s true I think as much as it would not be fun it may be just what I need to remind me to keep making the right choices. Also If I understood correctly it does more to reduce the hunger hormone which was definitely my biggest issue. From day one with the sleeve I was able to eat more than expected at every given stage. I just chose not to and that was easy while the hunger was gone but when it came back it came roaring back so I lost most of my weight and then gained it all back like a yo yo. In the beginning I was still eating all the right foods but I was starving so I ate more than I should have. I am really hoping that this procedure the hunger hormone remains less intense for good.
-
This was in my paperwork…I haven’t had my follow-up yet with nutritionist after reading them? She has me starting to eat every 3hrs and using a timer.! I guess that’s where the 5 shakes come in. I’ve been told by both surgeon and nutritionist that I wouldn’t have to be on a really strict pre op diet because of being 195lbs but that is 70lbs overweight for me. Plus I have so many medical problems probably related to weight. I am older but I have an esophageal hernia that’s going to be repaired at same time and doc suggested for the sleeve. Didn’t think it could be done at my age….but so thankful.
-
August Surgery buddies
ShoppGirl replied to Averdra's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Good for you, that LBT workout sounds like it’s would KICK MY BUM!! I’m quickly learning in the fitness world that is considered a good thing, lol. I have a flier for a group fitness class that I was warned as a beginner would kick my butt too but the instructor said I’m welcome to come and do what I can. I still have that darn blister so I’ve stuck to my walking and yoga for this week because I know that sneakers will just aggravate it. I love that your instructor was able to give you modifications. That’s awesome. i feel the same way with the yoga. I told my husband that right now I’m not very good at all but I can already tell that it is going to help me tremendously and I can’t wait until I am able to do a bit more of the poses and be a little less clumsy going from one to the next. We will get there. The important thing for now is that whether we are in step with the rest of them or how, we are moving our bodies. Just moving is good for weight loss and cardio. If I had to guess I would say that the period thing is related to your surgery. It makes a lot of changes and hormones are not left out but if it’s possible you’re pregnant, I would do a test just in case. The surgery and the weight loss do also cause you to be more likely to get pregnant. There are a handful of women on here who got pregnant pretty early out. Well, I really hope you do get to try your water aerobics class today, that sounds like alot of fun. -
Initial Visit-Mixed Emotions
Jessie203 replied to Jessie203's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I APOLOGIZE!! It got long but I wanted to add some background. and the regret comes from nervousness that I won’t enjoy food. And no desire to be really thin but being disabled mean getting/ keeping weight off will be difficult according to the bariatric surgeon I am 5’2. Majority of my weight is my thighs. I do have a belly, apron belly. -
I'm right at 5 months, and over the past few weeks, it has become HARD. In the beginning, I was dropping weight, had zero interest in food, and was totally motivated. But since the beginning of July, I've lost a pound. Actually, I've lost and gained and lost and gained that one pound multiple times. I've started feeling hungry sometimes again, and that's triggering all sorts of bad behaviors like getting up when I'm trying to avoid work (I work from home) and looking in the cupboard for a snack, not to mention craving sweets. It's been a constant fight. Not getting that reward of watching the scale dropping all the time kind of saps the motivation, I think. And the novelty wears off and you start to realize that you're in this for the long haul and maybe you start to rebel a little. You're not alone. You say you're afraid of being judged, but you are judging yourself every time you do things you know you shouldn't do. You said it yourself. You're disgusted by what you're doing, but there's a reason you're doing it, and figuring that out is going to be the key to stopping it and changing. I feel like there is probably a voice you hear in the back of your head telling you that you can't do this. Maybe there's literally someone saying it to you in your life, but most likely it's a voice in your head from a long time ago, one that sounds like you but probably was someone else when you first heard it. For me, it's my grandmother, and to some extent my dad. Never happy, never praising. Expecting perfection and scolding "for your own good" over every little thing. Ridiculing my weight despite being overweight themselves, but also overfeeding me because that's what they knew. Food was the enemy, but also a reward from emotionally stunted caregivers who had no other way to show affection. When you can never fully meet expectations at a young age, you learn quickly that you will always fail. That may be the role you've played in your family. Maybe it's everything, or maybe just one thing, like being overweight. And when you start to succeed, it feels frightening because it challenges everything you have been taught to believe about yourself. If you're not "the fat friend", who are you? Or maybe being "the fat daughter" kept a jealous family member happy because you weren't "competition" that way. There are so many reasons we get into these patterns. But the point is, the patterns feel normal and safe. So you make sure you don't succeed and change too much or for too long. You're used to being disappointing to yourself. You can live with that. But admitting you're capable of succeeding and changing is really scary. Allowing yourself to challenge the roles other people want you to fulfill is the hardest thing you can do. At least that's my experience. As for how to change, my first suggestion is talk to your team. That's why they're there, and they know what's going on because they've seen it before. Face it head on. Nothing they say is going to be any worse than what you are saying, and doing, to yourself. If you can get set up with a therapist, even better. Second, get every source of temptation out of the house. The alcohol. The junk food. Whatever is making you stumble, get rid of it. Do your shopping online from now on, or curbside pickup because it is way easier not to give into temptation that way. You can't binge on what you don't have. But skip the gym. It's really only about 10% of your success, anyway. Focus on water, protein, and vitamins. You don't need the false guilt of the gym to make everything worse. And third, get help from people you trust who are close to you if you can. Accountability is key. If going out to eat is an issue, tell your friends or family that you need their help not letting you go out to eat. Explain why you can't be around snacks, or why you won't be ordering alcohol, and ask for their help. If you trust even one person in your life to tell what is really going on, tell them. You need another voice cheering you on instead of just your own head bringing you down. Bottom line, something about what you are doing right now feels comfortable to you. It's a pattern that you can live with, even if you hate it. Something about what you were doing when you were following the rules was making you uncomfortable. Figure out what and why. You can't change your habits until you change that voice in your head, and until you can love yourself and cheer yourself on instead of being your own worst judge. But you have to believe you're worth it and be willing to do things that scare you in order to get past this fog and get to where you want to be.