Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!

How to get back on track -13 years after my bypass?



Recommended Posts

Well, greetings all, im now 41, had my gastric bypass back in 2000. (13 years ago), and while I start out over 500lbs, I dropped down to 280.... and slowly over the last 13 years went back up to 360. im back to eating normal portions. and seriously trying to figure out how to get back on track!..... any suggestions?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Well' date=' greetings all, im now 41, had my gastric bypass back in 2000. (13 years ago), and while I start out over 500lbs, I dropped down to 280.... and slowly over the last 13 years went back up to 360. im back to eating normal portions. and seriously trying to figure out how to get back on track!..... any suggestions?[/quote']

Well I'm still new to this as well since I'm a little over 3 months out. And I'm sure theres a lot of advice that you could me as well. 13 years is a long time however and I know a lot of times when people want to get back on track they do the liquid diet all over again but if I were you I would make an appointment with your surgeon or a new surgeon who definitely has experience with your type of situation because I know that it is very common. I hope this helps and please share any tips and experiences you may have.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Well' date=' greetings all, im now 41, had my gastric bypass back in 2000. (13 years ago), and while I start out over 500lbs, I dropped down to 280.... and slowly over the last 13 years went back up to 360. im back to eating normal portions. and seriously trying to figure out how to get back on track!..... any suggestions?[/quote']

Try the five day pouch test. It's pretty much the first six months after surgery compressed into one week. I heard that it almost restarts your stomach. Just google it and the guidelines will pop up.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Do you maintain a food log? If not, now is the time to start. You will be amazed at the results. Join us on the thread "Food Logs Discussion". Just enter that title in the Search box near the top of this page on the right and select "Forums" to search. Next to your pouch, logging is the single most powerful tool you can have in your arsenal. Study after study has shown that loggers lose more weight, lose it faster, and most importantly of all, are much more successful at maintaining your goal weight long term. Join us! You're gonna love the new you!!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

DL, I know you are right about food logs. My goal is to make food logs a habit. It will take me some time to get there. How long have you been maintaining a food log? Did you find it easy to make it a habit? Did you find it annoying at first? I know food logging is natural for you now. But did you find starting to use food logs difficult?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

DL' date=' I know you are right about food logs. My goal is to make food logs a habit. It will take me some time to get there. How long have you been maintaining a food log? Did you find it easy to make it a habit? Did you find it annoying at first? I know food logging is natural for you now. But did you find starting to use food logs difficult?[/quote']

I just started a food log - DL sort of wears you down after several post - lol

I found it easy to get started and after a week it was almost an addiction. With all the new technology your food log goes with you on your smart phone. I have now been doing it three weeks and it gets easier and easier and just part of my meal now. Instead of desert I log my food.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

DL, I know you are right about food logs. My goal is to make food logs a habit. It will take me some time to get there. How long have you been maintaining a food log? Did you find it easy to make it a habit? Did you find it annoying at first? I know food logging is natural for you now. But did you find starting to use food logs difficult?

I started logging shortly after my surgery so I've been logging for almost two years. I didn't find it difficult to get started. You're excited about the surgery. You're committed. Motivated. But in all honesty, I think everyone goes through a period, sooner or later, where logging gets tedious. I've found it helps tremendously to give yourself an occasional break from logging. For example, I usually don't log when I'm on vacation. There's never any doubt in my mind that I will resume (it truly is addictive), but taking a break is relaxing and a breather from the normal routine. That's what vacations are all about!

Another thing I've found is that the longer you log, the more valuable it becomes. Logging immediately after surgery helps keep you on track following the protocol. But your choices are limited. It's when you're back on a regular diet that logging really starts to shine. And unfortunately, it's when a lot of folks stop logging. It's all too easy to fall into the "I've got this, it's all downhill from here!" trap.

It's only when you progress back to a regular diet that you begin really making your own food choices. You start to understand your new relationship with food. And logging changes that relationship in ways you never imagined possible. You discover that you really are in control. You discover that you really can enjoy that special occasion, that special meal, and get right back on track. Your confidence soars. You come to the realization, often for the first time, that you really can manage your weight. And that's reinforced, every day, again and again and again. For me, that is the very definition of the all- important - lifestyle changes.

Is it easy to make it a habit? I don't know that there's a one size fits all answer to that question. But the reality is that loggers are in the minority. Many start, get tired, bored, frustrated - fill in the blank - and stop logging. Losing weight takes commitment. So does logging. Bypass surgery is a tool. So is logging. Tools are not synonymous with "easy". They are synonymous with "easier". In my mind, the more tools I have, the easier it becomes to reach, and to maintain, my goal. I believe that logging made it easier for me to lose more weight, lose it faster, and maintain my weight. And I think that those who make the commitment will discover the same. Simple as that.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Would start slowly, make one change. Once it becomes easy to stick with, then do another. Look for a support group in your area, using this is great, but being around others face to face help ... even if you are embarrassed, it will help in the end.

It hasn't been 13 yrs since I had my gastric by-pass, only 4 yrs, but I gained a good amount of weight back. But being around others going through this (face to face) is something I found to be helpful.

Good luck .... just keep trying, and don't give up.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm still a pre-surgery gal, but the counselor and nutritionist have been stressing the food logs to me, so I'm logging everything thing through my "Fitbit"and it makes it so much easier than writing it down. The suggestion of "The 5-day pouch test" sounds logical (if it really does work), I'm bookmarking it "just in case" for later.

You can lose again, look what you did last time! :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Trending Products

  • Trending Topics

  • Recent Status Updates

    • Aunty Mamo

      Iʻm roughly 6 weeks post-op this morning and have begun to feel like a normal human, with a normal human body again. I started introducing solid foods and pill forms of medications/supplements a couple of weeks ago and it's really amazing to eat meals with my family again, despite the fact that my portions are so much smaller than theirs. 
      I live on the island of Oʻahu and spend a lot of time in the water- for exercise, for play,  and for spiritual & mental health. The day I had my month out appointment with my surgeon, I packed all my gear in my truck, anticipating his permission to get back in the ocean. The minute I walked out of that hospital I drove straight to the shore and got in that water. Hallelujah! My appointment was at 10 am. I didn't get home until after 5 pm. 
      I'm down 31 pounds since the day of surgery and 47 since my pre-op diet began, with that typical week long stall occurring at three weeks. I'm really starting to see some changes lately- some of my clothing is too big, some fits again. The most drastic changes I notice however are in my face. I've also noticed my endurance and flexibility increasing. I was really starting to be held up physically, and I'm so grateful that I'm seeing that turn around in such short order. 
      My general disposition lately is hopeful and motivated. The only thing that bugs me on a daily basis still is the way those supplements make my house smell. So stink! But I just bought a smell proof bag online that other people use to put their pot in. My house doesn't stink anymore. 
       
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Oh yeah, something I wanted to rant about, a billing dispute that cropped up 3 months ago.
      Surgery was in August of 2023. A bill shows up for over $7,000 in January. WTF? I asks myself. I know that I jumped through all of the insurance hoops and verified this and triple checked that, as did the surgeon's office. All was set, and I paid all of the known costs before surgery.
      A looong story short, is that an assistant surgeon that was in the process of accepting money from my insurance company touched me while I was under anesthesia. That is what the bill was for. But hey, guess what? Some federal legislation was enacted last year to help patients out when they cannot consent to being touched by someone out of their insurance network. These types of bills fall under something called, "surprise billing," and you don't have to put up with it.
      https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises
      I had to make a lot of phone calls to both the surgeon's office and the insurance company and explain my rights and what the maximum out of pocket costs were that I could be liable for. Also had to remind them that it isn't my place to be taking care of all of this and that I was going to escalate things if they could not play nice with one another.
      Quick ending is that I don't have to pay that $7,000+. Advocate, advocate, advocate for yourself no matter how long it takes and learn more about this law if you are ever hit with a surprise bill.
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Some days I feel like an infiltrator... I'm participating in society as a "thin" person. They have no idea that I haven't always been one of them! 🤣
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • ChunkCat

      Thank you everyone for your well wishes! I totally forgot I wrote an update here... I'm one week post op today. I gained 15 lbs in water weight overnight because they had to give me tons of fluids to bring my BP up after surgery! I stayed one night in the hospital. Everything has been fine except I seem to have picked up a bug while I was there and I've been running a low grade fever, coughing, and a sore throat. So I've been hydrating well and sleeping a ton. So far the Covid tests are negative.
      I haven't been able to advance my diet past purees. Everything I eat other than tofu makes me choke and feels like trying to swallow rocks. They warned me it would get worse before it gets better, so lets hope this is all normal. I have my follow up on Monday so we'll see. Living on shakes and soup again is not fun. I had enough of them the first time!! LOL 
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Still purging all of the larger clothing. This morning, a shirt that I ADORED wearing ended up on top. Hard to let it go, but it was also hard to let go of those habits that also no longer serve my highest good. Onward and upward!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
  • Recent Topics

  • Hot Products

  • Sign Up For
    Our Newsletter

    Follow us for the latest news
    and special product offers!
  • Together, we have lost...
      lbs

    PatchAid Vitamin Patches

    ×