Andrew0929

Just do it. I was more afraid than anyone, partly because I'd never had surgery before.
Unfortunately, I had some complications (bleeding) and required a second surgery to fix. But, I'm down 160 pounds, 2.5 years out, and have been at goal for 1.5 years. All health problems gone and my doctor says I have the body of an athlete now.
I'd do this again even if I knew about the second surgery ahead of time.

Just do it. I was more afraid than anyone, partly because I'd never had surgery before.
Unfortunately, I had some complications (bleeding) and required a second surgery to fix. But, I'm down 160 pounds, 2.5 years out, and have been at goal for 1.5 years. All health problems gone and my doctor says I have the body of an athlete now.
I'd do this again even if I knew about the second surgery ahead of time.

Just do it. I was more afraid than anyone, partly because I'd never had surgery before.
Unfortunately, I had some complications (bleeding) and required a second surgery to fix. But, I'm down 160 pounds, 2.5 years out, and have been at goal for 1.5 years. All health problems gone and my doctor says I have the body of an athlete now.
I'd do this again even if I knew about the second surgery ahead of time.

Just do it. I was more afraid than anyone, partly because I'd never had surgery before.
Unfortunately, I had some complications (bleeding) and required a second surgery to fix. But, I'm down 160 pounds, 2.5 years out, and have been at goal for 1.5 years. All health problems gone and my doctor says I have the body of an athlete now.
I'd do this again even if I knew about the second surgery ahead of time.

Just do it. I was more afraid than anyone, partly because I'd never had surgery before.
Unfortunately, I had some complications (bleeding) and required a second surgery to fix. But, I'm down 160 pounds, 2.5 years out, and have been at goal for 1.5 years. All health problems gone and my doctor says I have the body of an athlete now.
I'd do this again even if I knew about the second surgery ahead of time.

No regrets here regarding having surgery.

I DO, however, regret 20+ years of obesity and yo-yo dieting. I do regret the irreparable damage I've done to my joints. I do regret 15 years of rarely appearing in front of the camera with my kids as they grew up because I hated seeing myself in pictures. I do regret all the vacation opportunities I missed because I was too unfit to run the dunes/ride the horse/fit in the roller coaster/hike the mountain/participate in the school 10k/etc. I regret being the fat mom in the room. I regret being a horrible body image role model to my two teens. I could go on...

No, I never regretted the idea of surgery. I was scared and nervous, but I knew it needed to be done to get my life back.

Just do it. I was more afraid than anyone, partly because I'd never had surgery before.
Unfortunately, I had some complications (bleeding) and required a second surgery to fix. But, I'm down 160 pounds, 2.5 years out, and have been at goal for 1.5 years. All health problems gone and my doctor says I have the body of an athlete now.
I'd do this again even if I knew about the second surgery ahead of time.

You're right about using different muscles Jenn1. I do 2 spin classes/week and run 1 day/week and after mountain biking a different set of muscles is sore. But I welcome it...

I chose to only reveal to siblings and very close family members. I told everyone else I was having hernia surgery. No regrets...

@@Andrew0929
I have switched from running to mountain biking. Totally different muscles used. I feel the burn. My friends have invited me to do the Seattle to Portland bicycle classic.(not ready for that yet) I have much to learn.

Getting there. About 5 years ago, I bought a rigid Redline D440 (29er). I recently started rtding it again, but only really on pavement. I swapped the tires for some Schwalbe Big Apple's (quick rolling pavement tires.) Using it as a commuter... been riding to work 1-2 times per week.
What I'd like to do is now get a hardtail for Houston trail riding. With how flat it is around here, full suspension is probably a bit of overkill... thus my reasoning for a hardtail. A few bikes I'm looking into include the Kona Honzo or maybe a Specialized Crave.

I'm the OP with an update: after cutting out Cereal as my afternoon snack and replacing with hummas and celery, I've slowly dropped 8 of the 13 pounds gained from lowest.

I'm 2.5 years out and have followed your exact pattern. At goal in 9 months and up 10 pounds after about 26 months.
I consulted with my surgeons staff and they said it very common to bounce off your low at 2 years out.
I was actually up 13 pounds from my lowest weight but have reduced calories and carbs as well as increasing exercise and am now about 5 pounds above lowest weight .
I continue to measure and log all food and exercise.

I'm 2.5 years out and have been mountain biking for about 2 years now. While I'm still somewhat of a novice, I ride with an experienced (and younger) group, so I've had no choice but to learn quickly.
Just picked up a full-suspension Cannondale Bad Habit bike and love it.
Doing mostly single-track runs and some pretty technical stuff. I wipe out a lot but learning every time I go.
My fitness tracker has indicated that I burn an average of 1300 calories each time out and the scale reflects that the morning after.
Anyone else hitting the trails?

I'm 2.5 years out and have followed your exact pattern. At goal in 9 months and up 10 pounds after about 26 months.
I consulted with my surgeons staff and they said it very common to bounce off your low at 2 years out.
I was actually up 13 pounds from my lowest weight but have reduced calories and carbs as well as increasing exercise and am now about 5 pounds above lowest weight .
I continue to measure and log all food and exercise.

I chose to only reveal to siblings and very close family members. I told everyone else I was having hernia surgery. No regrets...

I chose to only reveal to siblings and very close family members. I told everyone else I was having hernia surgery. No regrets...

Thank you for your responses. I hate that this is happening but it does make me feel better that I'm not alone. That this is "normal" as much as it sucks. I won't give up as I can NEVER allow myself to get back to where I was before. Maybe it was just easy before and now I have to fight. It's hard pill to swallow but I will continue to fight!
Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Almost two years out here. What you are going through is very common, if that makes you feel better. Statistics show that there is a 5-10% "bounce" that happens around 2-3 years out that most people go the through. Without doing anything too differently (seemingly), we will gain some weight and it's harder to get off than before. I have almost inexplicably gained 3 pounds, and after trying for a month, it's NOT coming off. I'm afraid my 5-10% is on its way, but I'll fight it the best I can in the mean time.
I think this is where people make the decision to either accept it as long as they are maintaining and be thankful they still aren't where they were before, or fight super hard ( like you said, practically starving yourself) to get back down to their lowest. It's up to you.
My husband had RNY 10 years ago, and gained 20 pounds from his lowest weight, but has pretty much settled and maintained that weight for 10 years with a couple of gains here and there that he manages to get back off. I honestly think our bodies just settle where they are most comfortable weight wise (whether we like it or not), and as long as we keep it at the healthy range, there's nothing wrong with that. It's still hard!

I'm 2.5 years out and have followed your exact pattern. At goal in 9 months and up 10 pounds after about 26 months.
I consulted with my surgeons staff and they said it very common to bounce off your low at 2 years out.
I was actually up 13 pounds from my lowest weight but have reduced calories and carbs as well as increasing exercise and am now about 5 pounds above lowest weight .
I continue to measure and log all food and exercise.

I am 2 1/2 years out, and right there with you about logging your intake. I find that I have the best success when I weigh, measure and log. When I don't, it only takes me a couple of days to run off the rails. My tablespoon of Peanut Butter becomes six tablespoons of Peanut Butter heaped on one spoon.
One of the basic principles of scientific research is that you cannot control that which you do not measure. The bariatric doctor told me one time to stay off of the scale for a month. I gained ten pounds! So, now I weigh every day.

Ha! I'm 70 years old. I walk and hike and move more and do a lot more housework and gardening than I used to do. And I do some yoga and stretching ("rolling around on the floor"). I do fidget more than I used to, and I think that counts, too. But I don't run and am not a gym rat in the least. My number one exercise rule is: "Don't hurt yourself!"
I am newly retired (which means less work stress), but we've had a lot of family stress (death of an adult child, husband has cancer, hubby's father and my mother died) in the last year. And don't even ask about the pets!
My food is "pretty clean" -- in that I eat around 100 grams daily of animal and plant Protein, and a lot of veggies, fruits, whole grains. I hardly ever eat fast food. Most days I have one alcoholic drink and one sugar treat unless my weight is above 135. I get in 64 ounces of liquids a day.
FYI, I didn't eat like a bird when I was losing weight -- following my bariatric P.A.'s advice I averaged 800 cals/day the first 4 months, then 1,000 cals in months 5-6, then 1,200 cals in months 7-8. In all, I've lost 100 pounds, including 19 pounds pre-op. It took me 8 months to lose the last 15 pounds.
I have NO IDEA why some people can maintain while eating more than others. And I have no idea if I'll always be able to eat like this and maintain this weight. I think you just have to find out what your body likes and then be willing to do that. I also think you should have the courage to try other combinations to see if they work better for you.
I have learned a lot of things that helped me lose weight and maintain weight, including:
* Eating Protein and eating protein first works.
* Eating healthy veggies works, too.
* Sugar makes you crave more sugar. You may have to go cold turkey on sugar's ass.
* Fast food isn't very satisfying in any way.
* Eating slowly and chewing well helps.
* Grazing is the road to perdition.
* Healthy Snacks are excellent and aren't even close to the same thing as grazing.
* Taking my meds and supplements every day works.
* Weighing every morning works. Otherwise, I would wander off into the weeds.
* Positive self-talk, keeping a positive attitude and cultivating a big sense of humor (and appreciating others' funny bones) help.
* Seeing my therapist once a month helps.
* Having a spouse who constantly says, "Great ass, babe!" is lovely.
That's all I got for now. If I learn anything else, I'll mention it .

Thanks, @ ... but admittedly, that menu was a little more than I normally eat, which is 1700 - 1800 cals/day with around 100 grams of Protein.
Just be aware that I weigh every morning, measure everything and track my food in My Fitness Pal. I'm still maintaining right on the button -- 135 pounds. But if that were to change, I'd have to change my menus, too. The main thing to remember is that you have to find out what works for YOU.
Please know I didn't eat ANY chocolate or drink ANY alcohol for at least 6 months post-op. Or for 2.5 months pre-op. I've added these and other treats back in very gradually and very carefully. Sometimes chocolate does get the better of me and I have to let it go for a while. In other words, I'm just trying now to live like a normal person who's perhaps a bit hyper-attentive to what she's doing. I'm trying to be "mindful" and care for myself better than I ever have before.
Good luck to us both!

Having this surgery was possibly the best decision I've ever made. I had all of the typical health problems beforehand and all are cured now.
Additionally, I'm physically fit and considered extremely healthy by my doctors. I didn't expect the transition to be as great as it's been.

You look great! Keep up the good work.