Need to get back on track...

[katiemart1 10]

Hi, I had Roux-en-y surgery in Oct 2009. At 5'1", I weighed 194 pounds. I got to 132 pounds, a place I was very comfortable at, although 125 would probably be better. I maintained my weight for the first 3-1/2 years, but over the past 6 or so months, I have put on 10-12 pounds. I haven't been separating my liquids and solids probably since the beginning and without realizing it, I was dumping much more than I should have, and I worry that I may have stretched my pouch a bit. Looking for support and am more than willing to offer my support to anyone!

[*Misty*Raine* 192]

Katie,

Even if you did stretch your pouch a lil bit.... you can still go back to the "diet" the dr gave you. In time your pouch should return to small. If you think of it this way.... before you had the surgery.... if you got the flu and you couldnt keep anything down for a while... your stomach automatically shrinks and doesnt hold as much as it did pre-flu. Right? Im GUESSING that if you go back to the diet you were given and follow it to the T.... your pouch should be ok.

I havent had my surgery yet.... but have read more than you will ever imagine.... LOL .... and try to offer support when ever I can. I hope this rant was helpful. The point I was trying to make.... is you are going to have to get back on track and it isnt going to be easy but Im here if you need to talk!!

[DLCoggin 1,788]

Hi, I had Roux-en-y surgery in Oct 2009. At 5'1", I weighed 194 pounds. I got to 132 pounds, a place I was very comfortable at, although 125 would probably be better. I maintained my weight for the first 3-1/2 years, but over the past 6 or so months, I have put on 10-12 pounds. I haven't been separating my liquids and solids probably since the beginning and without realizing it, I was dumping much more than I should have, and I worry that I may have stretched my pouch a bit. Looking for support and am more than willing to offer my support to anyone!

Do you maintain a food log? Very, very powerful tool. I'd be glad to give you some thoughts on how to use one if you're interested. Congratulations on reaching out quickly!! 10-12 pounds is nothing compared to what you've lost and I'm confident that you'll be able to lose that weight before you know it!

[*Misty*Raine* 192]

Do you maintain a food log? Very, very powerful tool. I'd be glad to give you some thoughts on how to use one if you're interested. Congratulations on reaching out quickly!! 10-12 pounds is nothing compared to what you've lost and I'm confident that you'll be able to lose that weight before you know it!

I would love for someone to explain to me how to do a food log. I know the purpose, but I have no idea how to do it. I haven't met with the Nut yet, so this is still a learning process for me.

[DevilBlueDress 189]

I would love for someone to explain to me how to do a food log. I know the purpose, but I have no idea how to do it. I haven't met with the Nut yet, so this is still a learning process for me.

I use MyFitnessPal. I mainly use the iPhone app but it is also a website and has an Android app, too. After you create your account, you set a goal (lose, maintain or gain). Then after you eat, drink or exercise, open the app and add it as a Breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack. The beauty of MyFitnessPal besides that it is free is that the items you eat are crowd sourced so more than likely there was someone using the app before you who put in the calorie and nutrition data there is also a barcode scanner that you can use if your food has one. Easy-peasy! Another part of MyFitnessPal is a social component. You can add other users who get updates on how you are doing and they in turn will help your motivation to keep going.

Molly

[DLCoggin 1,788]

Do you maintain a food log? Very, very powerful tool. I'd be glad to give you some thoughts on how to use one if you're interested. Congratulations on reaching out quickly!! 10-12 pounds is nothing compared to what you've lost and I'm confident that you'll be able to lose that weight before you know it!

I would love for someone to explain to me how to do a food log. I know the purpose, but I have no idea how to do it. I haven't met with the Nut yet, so this is still a learning process for me.

I also use My Fitness Pal but others on the forum give Spark People very good reviews as well. The first thing you'll do with any of the apps is your settings. You'll enter height, weight, gender, age, etc. etc. and then you'll enter your goal weight and (at least with MFP) how much weight you want to lose per week. From that data the app will calculate a recommended daily calorie intake. Remember that number is just a "one size fits all" calculation based on the info you've entered. Every one of us is different and there are a lot of variables like exercise, calories burned in your job, raising a family, duties around the house, etc. Do not hesitate to experiment a little. Make adjustments to your calorie goal until you find "your" number - the one that works best for you and your lifestyle.

So let's say that MFP "recommends" 1200 calories a day based on your settings. That's a good starting point but what you want to do is follow the recommendation for a week or so and see what happens. If your weight loss goal is a pound a week and you lose a pound, great. If you don't lose or even gain, then adjust the calorie goal down by say 100 calories and try it for another week. The point is that with a little experimentation you can fine tune the app for the calorie count that produces the results you're looking for.

You're just a few weeks post-op. Perfect time to start logging! The longer you use it, the more you learn. But you're unlikely to be able to consume the number of calories that your app will recommend. That's fine - just adjust your calorie goal to either the number of calories your doctor recommends or if he or she hasn't made a recommendation, adjust the goal to whatever number you think you can achieve based on where you're at in your journey.

Perhaps the most important thing to understand is what I call "The Law of Average". It is crucially important to understand and treat your calorie goal as an "average". Regardless of what your calorie goal is, you are not going to meet that goal every day for the rest of your life. Ridiculous. Unrealistic. And unsustainable. More importantly, you don't need to! When (not if) you exceed your calorie goal for a given day, all you need to do is reduce your goal by 100-200 calories for a day or two and you're right back on track with your - AVERAGE. It's easy, it's fast and it works like a charm. I've done it not once or twice but many times. And you don't have to do it too many times before your confidence soars. For what may be the first time in your life, you're managing your weight (and your diet) instead of your weight managing you.

Food logs also make you accountable to the only person that matters - YOU. Logs educate you regarding the effects various foods are likely to have on your weight loss or weight gain. Logs "train" you to recognize what meals will lead to weight loss and which ones will lead to gain - and how much. They also allow you to track the macronutrients (Protein, fat and carbs) and see what effects (good or bad) increases or decreases have on your weight. They also allow you to track your exercise as well as many of the micronutrients aka Vitamins. That's a LOT of information all in one place and the app doesn't cost a dime.

Finally, it has been proven again and again by countless studies that folks who maintain a food log lose more weight, lose it faster, and are more successful at maintaining their goal weight than those who don't log.

Versatility, confidence, education, accountability and greater success in less time - all pretty compelling reasons to use food logs. You're gonna love the new you!!

[*Misty*Raine* 192]

Oh DL! I can't thank you enough for taking the time to spell it all put for me! I really appreciate it. I just d/loaded the app and I'm goin to go explore it now. I had no idea how this all worked. I had seen many people talking about it... But felt stupid not knowing what it meant or how to even go about it. :-/

I agree that keeping a log would make me more accountable! I'm the mom that finishes off her kids plates in order "not to waste" food. Well I have spent the last week teaching/reminding myself that wasting is just fine, and no ones ever does of wasting a half of a plate of food... Lol

I look forward to learning a lot from you and everyone on the boards. I have been lurking for sometime now and noticed that you seem to have a lot of useful and educated information! You are a real asset to us all. Thank you again!

[*Misty*Raine* 192]

Dies of wasting*** not does*** ugh auto correct! Hate it!

[DLCoggin 1,788]

Thanks for the kind words Misty. There are many very knowledgeable folks here and everyone is more than happy to share their experiences. You're in the right place!!

[*Misty*Raine* 192]

Thanks for the kind words Misty. There are many very knowledgeable folks here and everyone is more than happy to share their experiences. You're in the right place!!

Thank you! You and so many others have made me feel right at home here. I prob in true reality spend way too much time on here just lurking am reading... Lol.... But can't think of a place better to gather so much useful info!