Seeking tips from those 1+ Years Post-Op

[Maggie Journey 126]

I'm 13 months post-op from sleeve and hiatal hernia repair. I'm seeking tips and hope to hear similar experience from those who are at least 12 months post-op, please.

I had a visit to my bariatric office today for a routine follow-up visit. Today was the first time I felt negative about that visit, very stressed and struggling. The entire pre and post-op process has been slow and steady results (that's okay) and I've had a mostly positive experience, until recently.

I think I'm in "the honeymoon is over" phase. For months my weight loss basically stopped, but I was only 15 lbs from goal and not upset to take a pause for a few months. During the weight loss "pause" my hair finally stopped falling out, my energy was getting better, and that enabled me to increase some activity. My clothes were still indicating that I was slowly shrinking, even if the scale didn't move much. I was fine!

NOW, just in the past 2-3 weeks, I've experienced my first real weight re-gain, and additionally my clothes got a little tighter for the first time since I started this journey - about 5 lbs up. ( Just FYI, this isn't temporary hormonal/period stuff, I'm almost 58 and haven't had any of that for a long time. ;-D) Weight regain terrifies me!!!!! It's also depressing when you realize you have to live in a permanent state of serious dieting to make progress: Tracking everything daily, thinking about every bite, planning your life around dieting, etc. (fighting day in, day out). In most ways it's just like before going through this surgery..... Choose to live in a constant state of dieting and exercise, or else GAIN. *sigh* My sleeve restriction at this point isn't that much. If I let myself, I could eat a ton of food and I can see how easily and fast I could gain it all back. I fear this because I've had a lifetime of emotional eating issues. I could fail if I let myself.

• Has anyone else experienced this and felt this way at around the 1+ year mark?
  
• If you've been here and pushed through, what are your best tips that got you through this successfully?

Thank you! xo

[Introversion 1,876]

5 hours ago, Maggie Journey said:

It's also depressing when you realize you have to live in a permanent state of serious dieting to make progress: Tracking everything daily, thinking about every bite, planning your life around dieting, etc. (fighting day in, day out).

I'm 2+ years out (26 months since surgery), so take my words and utilize them as you wish. My weight loss phase was painfully slow. It took me 18 months to lose 100 pounds.

Nonetheless, I maintain my weight loss without tracking, dieting, counting, measuring, or restricting. I weigh 118 pounds and maintain on 2000+ calories daily, although I don't really track it. I'm also hypothyroid and insulin-resistant, but daily exercise has kept my metabolic rate boosted.

Here's the real deal...most of us weren't able to adhere to diets for the long haul prior to surgery, so why live like that after bariatric surgery? Dieting, counting calories, measuring food, tracking, and restricting intake are all aspects of the dieters' mentality that I refuse to partake in.

I am not on a diet. I eat freely, but stick mainly to lean Protein because it is difficult to overeat protein regardless of your lack of restriction. We can eat 25 slices of toast (2500 calories) and never feel any restriction, or eat 2 chicken breasts (275 calories) and feel stuffed. It's all about wise choices at this point in the game.

My restriction has also lessened with the passage of time. I can eat 2 fast food double cheeseburgers in one sitting even though I choose not to. I can eat 2 extra large slices of pizza in one sitting even though I choose not to. The type of food we place in our mouths matters far more than the size of our sleeves or pouches.

Sliders, a.k.a. slurry foods (crackers, pretzels, popcorn, chips, bread, cookies) are the root of most peoples' regain problems. These foods turn into a liquid slurry in our digestive systems and you'll never feel full, so you can eat unlimited quantities of them. If you eat sliders, tread carefully and don't fall off the cliff.

You'll notice nobody ever says, "I am regaining after eating 100 grams of protein each day. I eat chicken thighs, steak, ground turkey, and hard-boiled eggs, but the weight gain won't stop." Protein has a high thermic effect; our bodies burn considerable calories digesting animal-based Proteins.

Many of those who regain started incorporating slider foods into their diets. Unfortunately, sliders promote rapid weight gain since they 'slide' past the stomach into the intestines where the calories are stored as fat.

Good luck to you. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

[Maggie Journey 126]

6 hours ago, Introversion said:

I'm 2+ years out (26 months since surgery), so take my words and utilize them as you wish. My weight loss phase was painfully slow. It took me 18 months to lose 100 pounds.

Nonetheless, I maintain my weight loss without tracking, dieting, counting, measuring, or restricting. I weigh 118 pounds and maintain on 2000+ calories daily, although I don't really track it. I'm also hypothyroid and insulin-resistant, but daily exercise has kept my metabolic rate boosted.

Thank you for taking the time to write - excellent advice! Very encouraging. I follow a Paleo and organic way of eating, which I found on my own (not with bariatric center help) at the beginning of my 6-month pre-op dieting phase. I did really well with it and was successful even before the surgery.... Reversed health conditions, got off most meds. I don't eat bread and although I rarely eat the other junk foods you mentioned, they have snuck in from time to time. The local dietician and especially the support group person (professional; not sure what her title is) - they teach old-fashioned 90's dieting. I'm alone in the way I eat in my local bariatric community. I use FitBit and track my food there, especially to hit the daily Protein goal. Maybe someday with consistent success, I won't have to. It's never been the slow/gradual losing on the scale that bothered me, but regain terrifies me. I have been dramatically up and down all my life, and I can't go back there! Thanks for your help.

[leslaine 121]

I'm 2+ years out (26 months since surgery), so take my words and utilize them as you wish. My weight loss phase was painfully slow. It took me 18 months to lose 100 pounds.
Nonetheless, I maintain my weight loss without tracking, dieting, counting, measuring, or restricting. I weigh 118 pounds and maintain on 2000+ calories daily, although I don't really track it. I'm also hypothyroid and insulin-resistant, but daily exercise has kept my metabolic rate boosted.
Here's the real deal...most of us weren't able to adhere to diets for the long haul prior to surgery, so why live like that after bariatric surgery? Dieting, counting calories, measuring food, tracking, and restricting intake are all aspects of the dieters' mentality that I refuse to partake in.
I am not on a diet. I eat freely, but stick mainly to lean Protein because it is difficult to overeat protein regardless of your lack of restriction. We can eat 25 slices of toast (2500 calories) and never feel any restriction, or eat 2 chicken breasts (275 calories) and feel stuffed. It's all about wise choices at this point in the game.
My restriction has also lessened with the passage of time. I can eat 2 fast food double cheeseburgers in one sitting even though I choose not to. I can eat 2 extra large slices of pizza in one sitting even though I choose not to. The type of food we place in our mouths matters far more than the size of our sleeves or pouches.
Sliders, a.k.a. slurry foods (crackers, pretzels, popcorn, chips, bread, cookies) are the root of most peoples' regain problems. These foods turn into a liquid slurry in our digestive systems and you'll never feel full, so you can eat unlimited quantities of them. If you eat sliders, tread carefully and don't fall off the cliff.
You'll notice nobody ever says, "I am regaining after eating 100 grams of protein each day. I eat chicken thighs, steak, ground turkey, and hard-boiled eggs, but the weight gain won't stop." Protein has a high thermic effect; our bodies burn considerable calories digesting animal-based Proteins.< br> Many of those who regain started incorporating slider foods into their diets. Unfortunately, sliders promote rapid weight gain since they 'slide' past the stomach into the intestines where the calories are stored as fat.
Good luck to you. Let me know if you have any specific questions. [emoji4]

I really needed this today ... thank you for sharing!

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[Dashofpixiedust8 1,469]

I am 14 months post op. I have not had any real regain (only Water retention) and also fear it. I have started to eat some slider foods but am going back to focusing on Protein and vegetables. I do not track my food all the time anymore. I mostly rely on my knowledge of healthy choices. A diet mentality has never been good for me because then I feel I am being deprived and am more likely to binge. I also have much less restriction than I used to but I do still have restriction. I notice it more when I am eating meat over seafood or carbs. I can look at a plate and know how much of a portion I should be eating. This far out we rely less on our restriction and more on the knowledge we have gained about proper nutrition.

I have lost a total of 291 pounds and still have 49 to go until I reach my first goal.

I know this can be hard but we can do it.

Just get back to basics and increase your activity and it will come off again.

Good luck to you!

[clk 3,519]

I am 7 years out. At 2 years out I had a sleeve baby. I had my only regain after, of 8 pounds. My father passed and I had lingering PPD. I simply let my habits slide, began grazing and didn't put Protein first.

I refocused. I did 10 days of a strict jumpstart and got back on track. I lost my baby weight, regain and went under goal. I've maintained there for over 2.5 years.

I always put protein first. I eat anything, but I'm balanced. If I indulge, it's wisely. It's never a binge and I eat good choices the rest of the day. I eat protein focused Snacks. I eat small, frequent meals and snacks. I stay hydrated. I don't avoid foods, because if I do, I'm more likely to feel deprived and binge. I never graze or eat simply because I'm bored or feeling emotional. I weigh weekly, I never hide from the scale. Now it hardly moves.

I have a lot of restriction. It helps a lot. That's why I eat so often. My tastes changed. I worked to change my habits. The whole of it helps keep me successful. Thinking before I eat. Remembering that this is for life, not a diet. When I thought of it as a diet, it got tiresome. Now it's just how I live. And I love it.

Being mindful about small regain, like you are, is how you prevent big problems. Get back on track with the basics, and you'll shed it.

Good luck,

Cheri

[IveGotThePower 395]

I'm 13 months post-op from sleeve and hiatal hernia repair. I'm seeking tips and hope to hear similar experience from those who are at least 12 months post-op, please.
I had a visit to my bariatric office today for a routine follow-up visit. Today was the first time I felt negative about that visit, very stressed and struggling. The entire pre and post-op process has been slow and steady results (that's okay) and I've had a mostly positive experience, until recently.
I think I'm in "the honeymoon is over" phase. For months my weight loss basically stopped, but I was only 15 lbs from goal and not upset to take a pause for a few months. During the weight loss "pause" my hair finally stopped falling out, my energy was getting better, and that enabled me to increase some activity. My clothes were still indicating that I was slowly shrinking, even if the scale didn't move much. I was fine! [emoji4]
NOW, just in the past 2-3 weeks, I've experienced my first real weight re-gain, and additionally my clothes got a little tighter for the first time since I started this journey - about 5 lbs up. ( Just FYI, this isn't temporary hormonal/period stuff, I'm almost 58 and haven't had any of that for a long time. ;-D) Weight regain terrifies me!!!!! It's also depressing when you realize you have to live in a permanent state of serious dieting to make progress: Tracking everything daily, thinking about every bite, planning your life around dieting, etc. (fighting day in, day out). In most ways it's just like before going through this surgery..... Choose to live in a constant state of dieting and exercise, or else GAIN. *sigh* My sleeve restriction at this point isn't that much. If I let myself, I could eat a ton of food and I can see how easily and fast I could gain it all back. I fear this because I've had a lifetime of emotional eating issues. I could fail if I let myself.

• Has anyone else experienced this and felt this way at around the 1+ year mark?
  
• If you've been here and pushed through, what are your best tips that got you through this successfully?

Thank you! xo

Nail on the head! My weight loss pretty much stopped at 10 months but I still went down another size without the scale moving over the next few months. Also my hair started growing when the weight loss stopped. I went from one phase (honeymoon) to maintenance without my permission. I think Introversion has the right answer. Protein, protein, protein. I would love to be more plant based but have to constantly do a mental check to add/include protein. The more I learn, the more I believe eating the protein first is a big part. As well as focusing on the healthiest low carb, nutrient dense choices. I also do not count anything and I love Paleo and try new recipes all the time to keep things fun. I will take Introversions advice and add more protein. I am also experimenting with intermittent fasting 16/8 after reading the Obesity Code. Don't give up, Don't go bananas, find your balance.

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