Newbie

[PsychoWriter 1]

Hi there. I'm a newbie to this site/forum. Used ObesityHealth for all my pre/post op journey. I hadn't heard of this site though so giving it a go. You can never have to much support!

My story, very briefly is that come Nov 2nd I'll be 4years post op from having a VSG. I just turned 31 on the 22nd of August, was 27 when I had the surgery though wanted it forever. I was always the fat kid even in high school when I suffered thru Ana/Mia/EDNOS.

Had crazy co morbitities before surgery. High BP (took meds), type 2 diabetes (took needs and SS insulin), high cholesterol and my triglycerides were SO high my Dr couldn't get a read on the blood work-we tried numerous times. I was 6'4" and at my highest weight 435 lbs. I was 410 by surgery. My goal for myself was between 200&180lbs though I went and still go more by inches and measurements and how I feel more so than the scale. I quickly dropped to my lowest post-surgery weight of 220lbs within about 14months.

However, I cross addicted and returned to old patterns of EXCESSIVE excersise to fill the other voids in my life I didn't want to face. It was to the point where if I had to work at 9am I'd be getting up at 2:30/3am to workout before work. And I always worked out at home. I'd start with a 15min Oxycise session (an aerobic breathing program that focuses on isometric/isotonic and stretch positions) then I'd move to weightlifting for an hour then a 30-40min session of Hip Hop Abs followed by 2hrs of Tae Bo and I'd finish it all off with an hour of Power Vinyasa Yoga. I did this daily for months on end and often without rest days.

Eventually life happened and I started to realize how crazy I was being and tried to adjust. At this point I was happy with my body-in retrospect I was happy with myself but at the time I still saw the fat guy in the mirror who's Dr wanted me down to 170, I would have made peace with 200 at that point bc I was almost art my personal goal. Still, as fit as I was by scientific standards I was still obese, had a Dr pushing more loss and friends/daily worried I was "too skinny" and through all this I never took a breath to actually ask myself what I thought, where I wanted to be and where I'd be comfortable. Yeah, stupid.

Then, started going out with friends, experiencing restaurant foods and things I'd never touched since surgery...including alcohol. Started dating and now living with my partner but in my comfort, indulgences and dealing with a back injury that limits my workouts now-prob for the best-I managed to gain back about 90lbs over the next 2 years or so which brings us to present day.

I'm back looking for support from others who may have regained and are in the same boat and hopefully finding a friend(s) to lose the regain with. Also hoping to continue to help other post op newbies from making the same mistakes I made. Its quite easy if you're not careful.

Anywho, that's my Story and why I'm here. Hope to chat with some of you and see you around the boards. Anyone else in this room in the regain boat?

[joatsaint 2,814]

Hi Psychowriter,

Welcome to the board. I too am fighting weight regain. But I think I caught it early and have it under control. :-)

If I can be of any help, feel free to PM me.

I started dating about 4 months ago and SHE likes to eat well and drink a bit of wine. Needless to say, I too started eating higher calorie foods and drinking along with meals and while watching TV with her. I added about 17 lbs.

I combat the extra weight by being more careful on the non-dating days. I've cut back a bit on how much I eat for Breakfast, watch the snack calories I'm eating and have switched from eating sugar coated Raisin bran for a snack to eating fruits like apples, nectarines, and pineapple.

My biggest hurdle is eating at night. I haven't cut back on my night time eating, but I have made a major substitution. I was eating 2 (1 cup size) meals and having a Protein bar as a snack. I've since switched to eating a smaller portion of my normal food and eating sugar free jell-o as a replacement. Jell-O is incredibly filling.

When I get home, I normally eat 1/2 cup of Jell-O, wait an hour, eat my meal, wait an hour, eat 1/2 cup of Jell-O.

So far it's working for me.

I've dropped 4 lbs in 2 weeks after substituting for 1 meal, with this sugar free Jell-O recipe.

The recipe is simple:

8 ounces of cream cheese

4 small boxes or 2 large boxes of your favorite sugar free Jell-O (enough to make 8 cups of Jell-O)

Mix the Jell-O with 4 cups of WARM Water, add in the cream cheese, mix until the cream cheese is completely and smoothly blended into the Water, add the remaining 4 cups of COLD water, let it set up in the refrigerator.

I sometimes put it in the freezer for an hour or so to speed up the setting process.