I am nearing my two year mark, and am constantly thinking about whether or not I will be one that starts to regain. Life is getting stressful right now. My husband is deploying for a year. I am facing a move in six months, just me and my teenage daughter, so that I can set up house for all of us. Yesterday my response was to forget to put on my Fitbit, so when noon came around and I realized, I decided I'd never get my 10k steps in, so I didn't even try. Top that with poor food choices and constant snacking and I am afraid I am condemning myself to realizing that weight regain fate. Here's to better choices today.

Susan

You recognized your problem right away. Instead of looking at all the changes at one. Take them one day at a time and handle them one day at a time. That is the true way to handle stress. One step, one moment, one thing at a time.

Recognizing that we all have the possibility to regain is normal. It is the bane of our new lives. but you already have an idea of what can happen if you let your situations get the better of you.

Believe it or not..you are succeeding in retraining your thinking. Before you would have not given it another thought and went for the supposed comfort.....You are already farther a head then you think.....

You got this..we are your sounding board...we are here for each other....

Thanks you. I really need the support!

I will get through this, with my waist line maintained!

Susan

I had ice cream yesterday for lunch and I also forgot to put my fitbit on which made me mad because there was no way I was hitting my 10,000 steps when I only started them at 6pm. I then had ice cream for dinner. I woke up this morning, had some oatmeal, went out for a run, and now I'm eating a salad.

I completely understand your fear of regaining, but it's ok to have a fall off the wagon kind of day. As long as you get back on, you're going to be fine.

RJ's couldn't have said it better. Part of the journey, part of what they should find out about us before the surgery, is if we have the courage to admit missing the mark now and then, and to have the stamina and strength to get back up or find help to get us back up.

Courage, fellow sister in the journey.

Thanks for the encouragement. Today was better. Got in my 10K steps and a few extra. I also met my protein goals and while doing that made much better food choices. It is great to get input from folks that completely understand!

Susan

You can do this! We all fall of the wagon sometimes. What matters is if you get back on or stay off! Give yourself a break once in a while as long as you go back to your healthy ways and stay healthy more often than not. You can do this and you have the knowledge to not stay off the wagon. Good luck!

@@HappygoSusan I know what you are talking about! I also live in fear of regain, and have to proactively prevent it every day. We all know how easy it would be, and the realization that's it is actually possible is terrorizing to me, at least. I'm also at the two year mark, and we know statistically this is when regain starts - another scary factoid! I always have been, and still am a stress eater. The difference is now I know it, I feel the difference between wanting to eat for stress and wanting to eat for hunger, and often I can control the stress eating by exercise and distraction. That's when good ole will power actually can help me.

So, you have your fitbit and the knowledge of what it takes to be thin from that past two years of experience. You obviously also have the drive to maintain it, and I think a healthy fear of regain. You also have us for support. When you think of all that, compared to what you had before surgery, you can see you still have all the tools to continue your success. You got this.

I just read "Eat It Up!" by Connie Stapleton and found it to be a great resource for maintaining weight loss after surgery. The book presents many skills and strategies to help deal with emotional issues that crop up during the years after surgery.

Thank you WL Warrior. I'm going to see if I can't take a look at that book.