Weight gain after 3 years of 13pounds...should I go back on weight loss shakes?

[lemonpoppyseed2013 10]

Hi everyone..

Hoping for some advice.

I had my sleeve done in March 2013..and lost approx 66 pounds....I had done really well up until about 6 months ago where I have just been on an eating road to destruction.

I can now eat so much more...which is my downfall.I am snacking between meals now because I "think" I'm hungry...and now I get occasional hunger pangs which of course I never had initially after surgery.Up until 6 months ago I would get warning signs that I was full but now when I do get them it's way too late and I feel ill.I've been reading the tiny amounts people are still only able to et at 3 years post surgery,but I can still eat good sized meals.

I don't eat meat..and after surgery I had a lot of Protein Shakes to keep my Protein up,but thats also stopped too.I do eat fish and chicken but not that often.

I had started exercising before Christmas..after no exercise after surgery..just keeping busy with incidental exercise but fell off the wagon,so currently do not do any form of exercise except for a job that keeps me moving a fair bit.

I've also stopped taking Vitamins, not intentionally..but wonder if they make a difference?

I've tried rebooking into my surgeon but they have no appointments until April.

I've been under a lot of stress lately and have reverted back to my comfort eating which is what got me to the point of surgery in the first place.

Do anyone think i should go back on the Optifast VLCD as a kick start?

I was thinking if I did that for a few weeks for Breakfast and lunch and just have a regular meal for dinner?

Any input would be really appreciated.

[Healthy_life2 8,319]

@@lemonpoppyseed2013

Hey there,

I was instructed that Vitamins will be taken for life. Surgery can cause nutrient malabsorption. You can always get back on track. Back to basics. Track food get your Protein and Water requirements in. Find what works to make you feel full. I eat my Protein and 1 1/2 to 2 cups of vegetables with my meal. The Fiber keeps me full. I'm eating 6 to 8 small meals a day. 2000 to 2200 calories. I know many have gone without exercise and lost weight. I'm not so lucky. I have to exercise to loose weight and maintain.

Book an appointment in April. Might be a good Idea to check with your team.

Some of the vets have mentioned the pouch reset.

http://www.obesitycoverage.com/the-pouch-reset-losing-weight-after-weight-regain/

I know vets will post more information than what I have off the top of my head tonight.

[maxcimax 220]

I have the same issue. I started "grazing" & I have stopped logging in my food. I've gained back about 20 lbs! I have put myself back on Protein Shakes for a few days & then will do this 1 or 2 days a week. I'm also trying to get back in the habit of logging in my food. I'm almost 2 years post op & I've worked to hard to lose weight & I'm not going to start gaining it back! Good luck with your diet. At least you know what the problem is.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

Hi everyone..

Hoping for some advice.

I had my sleeve done in March 2013..and lost approx 66 pounds....I had done really well up until about 6 months ago where I have just been on an eating road to destruction.

I can now eat so much more...which is my downfall.I am snacking between meals now because I "think" I'm hungry...and now I get occasional hunger pangs which of course I never had initially after surgery.Up until 6 months ago I would get warning signs that I was full but now when I do get them it's way too late and I feel ill.I've been reading the tiny amounts people are still only able to et at 3 years post surgery,but I can still eat good sized meals.

I don't eat meat..and after surgery I had a lot of Protein shakes to keep my Protein up,but thats also stopped too.I do eat fish and chicken but not that often.

I had started exercising before Christmas..after no exercise after surgery..just keeping busy with incidental exercise but fell off the wagon,so currently do not do any form of exercise except for a job that keeps me moving a fair bit.

I've also stopped taking Vitamins,not intentionally..but wonder if they make a difference?

I've tried rebooking into my surgeon but they have no appointments until April.

I've been under a lot of stress lately and have reverted back to my comfort eating which is what got me to the point of surgery in the first place.

Do anyone think i should go back on the Optifast VLCD as a kick start?

I was thinking if I did that for a few weeks for breakfast and lunch and just have a regular meal for dinner?

Any input would be really appreciated.

Why not go back to basics?

I would suggest you make an appointment with your NUT to talk about strategies for reaching your goals.

In the meantime:

Track, weigh and measure your food.

Drink at least 64 oz of Water a day.

Make sure you reach your protein target every day.

Avoid starches, added sugars, and fried foods.

Take your Vitamins and supplements as directed.

Exercise.

You have been successful before and it sounds like you know what to do. I don't see how going on a "diet" would be more beneficial than actually following your post-op program more diligently.

Best of luck and keep us posted on how you are doing.

[LemonPoppyseed 2]

Hi everyone..

Hoping for some advice.

I had my sleeve done in March 2013..and lost approx 66 pounds....I had done really well up until about 6 months ago where I have just been on an eating road to destruction.

I can now eat so much more...which is my downfall.I am snacking between meals now because I "think" I'm hungry...and now I get occasional hunger pangs which of course I never had initially after surgery.Up until 6 months ago I would get warning signs that I was full but now when I do get them it's way too late and I feel ill.I've been reading the tiny amounts people are still only able to et at 3 years post surgery,but I can still eat good sized meals.

I don't eat meat..and after surgery I had a lot of Protein shakes to keep my Protein up,but thats also stopped too.I do eat fish and chicken but not that often.

I had started exercising before Christmas..after no exercise after surgery..just keeping busy with incidental exercise but fell off the wagon,so currently do not do any form of exercise except for a job that keeps me moving a fair bit.

I've also stopped taking Vitamins,not intentionally..but wonder if they make a difference?

I've tried rebooking into my surgeon but they have no appointments until April.

I've been under a lot of stress lately and have reverted back to my comfort eating which is what got me to the point of surgery in the first place.

Do anyone think i should go back on the Optifast VLCD as a kick start?

I was thinking if I did that for a few weeks for breakfast and lunch and just have a regular meal for dinner?

Any input would be really appreciated.

Why not go back to basics?

I would suggest you make an appointment with your NUT to talk about strategies for reaching your goals.

In the meantime:

Track, weigh and measure your food.

Drink at least 64 oz of Water a day.

Make sure you reach your protein target every day.

Avoid starches, added sugars, and fried foods.

Take your Vitamins and supplements as directed.

Exercise.

You have been successful before and it sounds like you know what to do. I don't see how going on a "diet" would be more beneficial than actually following your post-op program more diligently.

Best of luck and keep us posted on how you are doing.

[LemonPoppyseed 2]

Thanks for your replies.

Does anyone know of a good app to use specifically for weight loss surgery?

I've found others but none for WLS

[LisaLouBop 181]

@@LemonPoppyseed

Do you mean an app for logging your food? I use my fitness pal and I've not found anything better. Of course I haven't been looking either.

I too had let a few things creep back into my life since Thanksgiving and Christmas. I re-started my pre-op diet this past Monday, 4 days in and 6 pounds down. Could be Water weight, but I'll take it. I geared myself up to cut out all the excuses, back to diligently doing everything @@Inner Surfer Girl mentioned above.

So far what I've noticed, I'm real good most of the day, if I need something, I'll have another Water or a listerine wafer (yuck). Then 4pm rolls around and it becomes almost unbearable, a whole or half Protein drink/shake about then takes the hunger/craving right away and I'm able to make it to dinner.

Best to you, keep us posted

[JamieLogical 8,684]

Definitely sounds like you know what you need to do, based on your original post. Going back to Protein Shakes alone isn't going to solve anything. You need to get back to putting Protein first, taking your Vitamins, not grazing, not drinking your calories, not eating and drinking at the same time, pre-measuring your food, tracking your food, and exercising. Switching back to shakes, might be a good "jump start" but it won't change all of those other behaviors long term.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

Thanks for your replies.

Does anyone know of a good app to use specifically for weight loss surgery?

I've found others but none for WLS

I use My Fitness Pal. It is great. It also ties into my fitness tracker (Misfit Shine).

[livvsmum 2,368]

Sounds like you know what you are doing wrong and just need to find a way back on track. Maybe a couple days back on the pre-op liquid diet would help to restart things. I did that a couple of times and it made me feel a lot more restriction when I returned to full foods. Also, if you know what you are doing wrong, but you keep doing it, it sounds like there might be some self-sabotage going on there. I know I struggle with that from time to time. There are lots of books out there that can help. I can recommend a couple if you like. Or, what I found is that therapy helped me a ton. I know I would have regained a lot if I wouldn't have gotten a hold of the underlying issues as to why I started eating badly.

[Dr-Patient 830]

"Eat more chicken" [like the commercial says].

You don't eat steak, etc., so I think you should eat as much fish, chicken as possible for a bit. Protein only. You need to break your carbs completely. Cold turkey. No carbs. No sugars (not even in fruits, etc)

I don't lose weight, and didn't do well, with the shakes or anything with Splenda/sucralose in them. Maybe cut those out and see how you do.

But you've activated your carb-craving cycle and it can be a bear to break it. (I had a potato chip thing for a good bit; still fight with them when driving long distances).

Fill up on Water, tea, etc., and Protein flesh. A few days of steack and bacon sound good to me, but that's not your thing; so fish, crab meat, chicken, eggs. No CARBS. NO SUGAR. Water, tea.

[Dr-Patient 830]

"Eat more chicken" [like the commercial says].

You don't eat steak, etc., so I think you should eat as much fish, chicken as possible for a bit. Protein only. You need to break your carbs completely. Cold turkey. No carbs. No sugars (not even in fruits, etc)

I don't lose weight, and didn't do well, with the shakes or anything with Splenda/sucralose in them. Maybe cut those out and see how you do.

But you've activated your carb-craving cycle and it can be a bear to break it. (I had a potato chip thing for a good bit; still fight with them when driving long distances).

Fill up on Water, tea, etc., and Protein flesh. A few days of steack and bacon sound good to me, but that's not your thing; so fish, crab meat, chicken, eggs. No CARBS. NO SUGAR. Water, tea.

[Dr-Patient 830]

excuse duplicate post; they weren't loading.

Edited March 17, 2016 by Dr-Patient

[ProudMomof2 51]

Haven't found one single app yet related to weight loss surgery . I'm still looking. Let me know if you find one LemonPoppyseed. I use the lose it app now but it recommends my calorie range to be at 2300 so everyday I'm basically negative calories. Because of the VSG at only 7 months post op there is no way I can eat that many calories, some days I barely get 900. Whoever creates an app for post op WLS would be a goldmine genius

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

I think I see your problem:

YOU'RE GRAZING … I am snacking between meals

YOU'RE EATING TOO LITTLE Protein … I don't eat meat..and after surgery I had a lot of Protein shakes to keep my Protein up, but thats also stopped too. I do eat fish and chicken but not that often.

YOU'RE NOT EXERCISING … I had started exercising … but fell off the wagon, so currently do not do any form of exercise ….

YOU'RE NOT TAKING YOUR Vitamins … I've also stopped taking Vitamins ….

YOU'RE EATING SLIDER FOODS AND SELF-MEDICATING WITH food … I've been under a lot of stress lately and have reverted back to my comfort eating

Every single person who does what you're doing now will not lose weight. And most people who do all that will gain weight. You didn’t eat like this when you were post-op in months 1-6. And that’s when you lost weight.

Instead of doing something unusual, why can’t you just go back to WLS basics? Eat at least 80 grams protein daily. Eat protein first at every meal. Eat 3 meals a day. Drink 60-70 ounces of Water daily. Do not drink before (15 minutes), during or after meals (30 minutes). Chew your food fully and wait between bites – to eat more slowly. Take your vitamins daily. Move more than you’re moving now, e.g., buy a Fitbit and get in 10,000 steps a day. Do all those other things you knew you were supposed to do right after WLS.

I have lost 100 pounds and kept it off for a year now. I didn’t do anything wild or weird or crazy. I just did the basics. And I’ve kept on doing them.

Oh, and since my WLS 19 months ago I’ve had four deaths in the family and my husband now has cancer. S**t happens to us all. We can’t avoid it. IMHO, we should just plan on it happening and accept it. What we can do is do what we can – which is make every day the best day we can.

P.S. I have used (and still use) My Fitness Pal. It's a great tool. You don't need a special WLS app -- just go back to basics and log all your food and drink.