Weight Gained Since Having Gastric Sleeve Surgery

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

You raise some interesting questions, @@reallyrosy :

1. What limits (if any) are there to how we can control our eating / drinking / exercise behaviors post-op?

2. Does our ability to control our eating / drinking / exercise behaviors vary person to person, environment to environment, day to day, and in other ways?

3. How can we increase or improve our healthy (not obsessive) controls over our eating / drinking / exercise behaviors?

4. How great a role does self-discipline play in our eating / drinking / exercise?

Let me be clear that I think dual classification systems (either/or categories like right/wrong, healthy/unhealthy, etc.) are inappropriate ways to describe all WLS patients and their behavior. WLS patients and their situations are much too varied for that.

But there's no escaping the fact that, ultimately, our actual behaviors will determine our WLS success. (I'm defining "WLS success" as losing our excess weight, maintaining a lower, healthier weight, and becoming healthier than we once were.)

Or course, over-eating is just one behavior in what could be a long chain of preceding behaviors and immutable factors that lead to over-eating. It's up to each of us to tease out what those preceding behaviors and factors are and to improve our responses so we can remain healthy. That's what I see a lot of vets doing -- continuously uncovering and overcoming barriers to their success, whether those are surgical complications, psychological or mental or emotional challenges, or responding in healthy ways to life's constant stresses.

Sadly, I believe that some WLS patients don't have the resources to do this. I also believe that other WLS patients make explicit choices not to utilize the resources they have that might make them successful. That's another way of saying some WLS patients choose to remain addicted to food and unhealthy old habits.

Fighting for our recovery from obesity probably never ends.

P.S. I am only 19 months post-op. I imagine I'll understand this all a lot better several years down the road.

[erp 2,016]

When I gain, it is because I am not sticking to my plan. When I go 100 grams of carbs or less and exercise a little extra, I lose. Now if it was only so easy to stick to that.

[reallyrosy 161]

"immutable factors that lead to over-eating".

VSGANN therein lies the rub....your description is apt..those factors are immutable. These factors permeat our behaviors. Our beh IS changeable up to these factors. So we are doomed to be in this disappointing overweight struggle because as much as stress and trauma chip away at us, we can't conquer the immutable. We are not looking to change lead into gold. We are seeking that special formula that will permit matter (fat cells) to be destroyed. Any alchemists in this group?

[Just tongue in cheek, Ann. I should change my Quest to windmills. Provides exercise and distraction and could be more interesting to watch.]

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Thanks for the conversation,@@reallyrosy .

It probably won't surprise you that my friends think of me as Pollyanna. So my goal isn't to vaporize those "immutable factors" that can stimulate over-eating, but to keep a mindful eye on them to see what's activating them. In other words, I still try to out-fox my own immutables and make them more mutable.

The most powerful of these factors for me are long celebratory events -- parties, happy reunions with friends, great restaurant visits, a second or even third glass of wine poured by an over-generous host.

Some other factors for me are boredom and the anxiety that comes with procrastination.

Fortunately, life's truly great stresses cause me to under-eat, not over-eat.

Good topic.

[Kindle 8,667]

All complex behaviors are changeable. Especially those involving obtaining foods that make us fat. Think of all the effort that goes into the behavior of eating a few Oreos.......Driving to the store, getting out of the car, walking in, going down the cookie aisle, picking up the bag of Oreos, checking out, driving home, putting the Oreos in the cupboard, getting up later, walking to the cupboard, opening the Oreos, and eating them is a VERY complex set of behaviors that can be changed at any point if the one doing the behavior wants to. It may be difficult to do alone, but there are many forms of support to help if a person truly wants to change, And yes, willpower and discipline play an important role and shouldn't be cast aside with "it's too hard"

It takes effort to prepare and eat any type of food. It's everyone's individual choice what type of food that is going to be. No one thinks chips are good for them, and anyone who eats them is choosing them over a couple carrot sticks, knowing it's a poor choice. Choices and behaviors are what define our success or failure. There are very few exceptions where regain is not the result of the individual's choices and behaviors. You do not have to be a victim of your immutable factors.

[reallyrosy 161]

Maybe so, kindal but i havent been near a chip or an oreo or any of that ilk since dec 2011. Im still fat. You CAN overdo baby carrots. Trust me. I gain when i use them as 'fuckits' crutch.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

Don't use food as a crutch (which I already think you know), even "healthy" food (I wouldn't consider carrots a low carb healthy choice).

What works for me, is replacing things I like with low carb healthy options. They also happen to be expensive, hard to come by and sometimes time consuming to make. Which helps naturally curb my consumption of them.

You have to work with your personal limitations, and not work around them. I know when I am on my period I want chocolate (even though I don't even like chocolate), so I have one tiny square of stevia sweetened chocolate, that is about 20 calories. Or I have a Protein bar. I keep options around that make it easy for me to stay on plan.

This is a diet, it is a lifestyle, there is no cheating, just different choices.

[Kindle 8,667]

Overeating (even the good stuff) is also a changeable behavior. But like what I've said before and what @@VSGAnn2014 said, it's not the eating that's the problem. It's the reasons behind the eating that need to be addressed.

And before I piss off anyone else, I fully acknowledge that there are certain medical diseases and actual physiological ailments that can interfere with weight loss/gain. Some of these things are manageable, but some things are out of a patient's control. My comments are not directed towards those cases. However, most people that post about regain do not fall in these categories. In most cases it is a matter of choices.

[reallyrosy 161]

Outsideinside...i trult see baby carrots as cheating. I kinda hate them, right now.

But that brings me back to what i was talking about originally. I cannot seem to learn "radical acceptance " on any plane...not just food. When im in the clutches of whatever demon is wrestling at that moment: i am aware of that struggle, i try to name the demon instead of denying it. I am aware that im hungry because of that thought, i drink something,, i walk the dog (when in better control) i count collors to distract me,.i tell myself my thoughts will soon change...etc etc etc and then i grab food. "Just sit with it" has to be the hardest instruction i've ever been advised. (Oh, yeah, there's breathing involved, too)

[reallyrosy 161]

P.s.ya'all...if i could limit myself to ONE square of a chocolate bar i would not ever have become 425lbs to begin with.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

I never would have thought one square would have done it for me either, but they are $5 a bar and I can only buy them one place. I try to make them last as long as possible.

I find that a taste of anything I am craving satisfies that craving. Surgery worked really well at making a disconnect for me between my brain and my stomach. I also don't feel like I need to eat something until I am stuffed to enjoy it. Just a taste is enough. Plus if I want more it is there for later. It took a lot of mental work to get to this point.

[reallyrosy 161]

How long has it been since your surgery?

[Westfield27 54]

I can completely relate to this. I was sleeved September 11th, 2014. I was 381 the day of surgery and at my lowest reached 293 lbs at about 10 months out. Previous to surgery I was 395 lbs so to me I felt proud in the fact that I had lost 102 lbs. In the past 6 months I have gained 17 lbs. I am back up to 310 lbs which I told myself I would never let happen. Every day seems to be the same story of me telling myself that I would get back on track that this will be the day and that day has come and gone time and time again. It is very frustrating.

I am 2 years post op. I lost 85 lbs in the first 8 months and maintained that for another 3. Then I started to regain slowly at first and now I'm up 33 lbs. I am very disappointed in myself & feeling like a failure once again. I keep trying to start over each day, but haven't been successful obviously. I am so scared that I can't stop this regain. No only do I need to stop, now I need to lose the same weight yet again

I'm beyond frustrated & feel very alone.

[reallyrosy 161]

SO WHAT can we do? I started using my fitness pal again. Did u try that?

[jstachic 61]

My surgeons office gave me a book, sometimes it help to re read and start from the beginning, also go to a support group.