Hi All, Thanks for taking time from your busy day to read this and maybe help a fellow sleever out!

Quick facts I am FEMALE, 2 years out from Surgery Sept 2014

Highest weight 347 - lowest thus far 234

currently 277 (fully clothed heavy clothes on phone/key ect.. in pocket at doctors yesterday due to a cold)

I try to eat healthy most the time, but often fail due to a few silent sabotage's or piss poor planning on my part to ensure I don't succeed. I take full ownership of where I currently stand and choosing to eat some very unhealthy things at times due to convenience. But I am worried I have stretched my sleeve, but then I sit with my tiny plate and realize no that's not the case, rather I have begun to graze!

Graze I do and on crap, I used to self soothe with food and was a huge compulsive stress binge eater, I have tackled many of those issues and talk myself down when I can but still find myself failing miserably.

I have a few friends who had surgery around the time I did and they ALL met goal or are within lbs of it, I think that is part of my problem I am trying to compare my loss to theirs. But then I know logically that cant be done as each journey is INDEPENDENT of each other!

My issue is at times I have to work 48 straight and planning with food or even the time to eat it, is at best HORRID! I used to make sure I ALWAYS had at least Protein shakes within reach and other healthy low cal things. But at 3am when NOTHING IS open but the crap place even the so called healthy items they offer are CRAP...

Guess my rant and need is has anyone else NEVER reached GOAL, FALLEN off track, somehow picked them self up and got it right the second time!

I am at the point I am looking at myself as a complete and utter failure for the lack of follow through!

HELP ME!

PS... If you did the pouch test / reset which one did you use and which was most effective!

~ChunkyChicTrying

Edited November 4, 20169 yr by ChunkyChicTrying

Surgery is considered a success if you lose 60% of your excess weight. To lose more than that requires a dedicated lifestyle change. I accept the fact that I will always be on a diet. I will always need to exercise and eat low calories or I will gain weight very quickly.

When I had to work long hours, I still preplanned my meals and made sure I had everything I needed. I weigh daily. I wear a fitness tracker and make sure I get my steps in. I measure and weigh my food and track it with My Fitness Pal.

People wake up and turn their life around every day. You have to want it bad enough.

There are two phases to weight loss surgery. The Weight Loss phase and the Maintenance phase. I had RNY gastric bypass surgery over 3 years ago and this is my approach to the Maintenance phase. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery2.pdf

Surgery is considered a success if you lose 60% of your excess weight. To lose more than that requires a dedicated lifestyle change. I accept the fact that I will always be on a diet. I will always need to exercise and eat low calories or I will gain weight very quickly.

When I had to work long hours, I still preplanned my meals and made sure I had everything I needed. I weigh daily. I wear a fitness tracker and make sure I get my steps in. I measure and weigh my food and track it with My Fitness Pal.

People wake up and turn their life around every day. You have to want it bad enough.

What she said. You have to resign yourself to the fact that you'll need to watch everything you put in your mouth for the rest of your life. You will need to be on a continuous "diet" if you want to reach and maintain a normal weight. The surgery just makes that possible - but it'll take a lot of effort on your part. On the other hand, if you're happy being above a normal weight (and some people are), then there's that....

First I must state I know this is life long, and have no issue with resolve of watching every morsel I consume, I wear a fitness watch and do well with tracking everything. My honest real issue came when I started working 110+ hours a week and not doing what I used to do everyday ie (walk 4 miles and bike 11 miles) yes I did that every single morning without fail and I know full heart; I didn't loose weight as fast as others, as I was building muscle in place of the flab. (currently i do not exercise at all!! My body joint hurt because of the even small weight gain my body is revolting literally~

I am ready to do ALL that I must! I am looking if someone has gone through this for guidance and the best fight is fought informed! SO I seek knowledge of where to start besides the fundamental basics, as I am sure I can not be alone in this!

Edited November 4, 20169 yr by ChunkyChicTrying

Buy and use a Garmin Index scale. It measures weight, BMI, body fat, muscle mass, bone mass and Water weight.

I know if I gained or lost muscle, fat, bone mass or water.

@@ChunkyChicTrying

May I ask what you do? Is your job literally killing you? Is it worth it?

The job question @@LipstickLady poses is a good one.

I swear my previous job did not help me to maintain a healthy weight. When i started there i was overweight but not obese. 25 years of crazy hours, travel and the most massive stress I have ever experienced but I kept telling myself that it was worth it because the pay was incredible and I like the work itself when it wasn't a bunch of political BS.

Well, just a few months before my surgery I got laid off after all of those years. You would think that would have made the stress worse? NO....it was like a great weight was lifted off my shoulders. I will never put myself in the place of dealing with that much stress ever again. I feel like I missed my children growing up because I was always traveling and out of the state and sometimes the country.

Now they are both grown and have children of their own. I missed out......

What is worse I believe that job actually made me physically sick and broke my body, mind and even spirit.

As much as I miss that level of income I am thrilled that I got the hell out of there and can manage my stress 1000 times better.

For me, those crazy hours and political BS just was not worth it. If I had to do it over again, I likely would have quit when things got crazy. The company didnt appreciate it anyway, they looked at those of us who stayed and said, geez....we pay you too much money so you are now laid off.

Glad they did though because I could not see it while I was living in it....now I know.

Best of luck to you!

@@ChunkyChicTrying I am 2.5 years post op, and while I have not regained, I understand the issues you face. I sense that you may be looking for a quick answer to your problem where I feel there is none. You said it yourself, you're looking for where to start BESIDES the fundamental basics. That, my friend, is your answer. I don't work nearly as many hours as you do, but I do work a 70+ hour work week and I find that sticking to basics, and planning my meals, is key. If you plan and have healthy, Protein forward, on plan food available, then at 1:00 a.m. or later, you won't need to prowl the streets looking for a place to get food. You'll have it available. Fundamental basics are your friend. You want a 5 day reset? In my mind the 5 day pouch test is a load of crap. You need to reset your body by eating protein forward. When I need a reset, I eat meat . . . . basically just meat . . . . steak, ham, turkey, chicken. For five days, I'll eat as much meat as I need to feel satisfied and not hungry. Doing so will rid you of the cravings for carb heavy (I don't know if this is your downfall, but it is mine) off plan foods that will hinder not help your progress. After the five days, I'll start limiting my portion size to 3 oz of dense protein and some veggies and I record every bite I eat. Eating this was has helped me get to and maintain a 130lb loss.

I think the idea of a scale that measures body composition is a good idea. Because I think it would be very enlightening. I don't believe there is a strong correlation between weight loss and building muscle. It is very difficult during the early weight loss phase to build a significant amount of muscle, since you need a large quantity of protein to do so. It's a nice thought, but according to my surgeon, PCP and dietitian, not grounded in science.

I wish you good luck in getting back on track. I think if you go back to basics, and to the plan advocated by many surgeons you will see the loss start up again.

There are two phases to weight loss surgery. The Weight Loss phase and the Maintenance phase. I had RNY gastric bypass surgery over 3 years ago and this is my approach to the Maintenance phase. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery2.pdf

I know you want to get visitors to your site, but how would a 5'4" female weighing 277 pounds benefit from reading about maintenance? I think she still wants to lose weight not learn how to keep it on.

@@ChunkyChicTrying I am 2.5 years post op, and while I have not regained, I understand the issues you face. I sense that you may be looking for a quick answer to your problem where I feel there is none. You said it yourself, you're looking for where to start BESIDES the fundamental basics. That, my friend, is your answer. I don't work nearly as many hours as you do, but I do work a 70+ hour work week and I find that sticking to basics, and planning my meals, is key. If you plan and have healthy, Protein forward, on plan food available, then at 1:00 a.m. or later, you won't need to prowl the streets looking for a place to get food. You'll have it available. Fundamental basics are your friend. You want a 5 day reset? In my mind the 5 day pouch test is a load of crap. You need to reset your body by eating protein forward. When I need a reset, I eat meat . . . . basically just meat . . . . steak, ham, turkey, chicken. For five days, I'll eat as much meat as I need to feel satisfied and not hungry. Doing so will rid you of the cravings for carb heavy (I don't know if this is your downfall, but it is mine) off plan foods that will hinder not help your progress. After the five days, I'll start limiting my portion size to 3 oz of dense protein and some veggies and I record every bite I eat. Eating this was has helped me get to and maintain a 130lb loss.

I think the idea of a scale that measures body composition is a good idea. Because I think it would be very enlightening. I don't believe there is a strong correlation between weight loss and building muscle. It is very difficult during the early weight loss phase to build a significant amount of muscle, since you need a large quantity of protein to do so. It's a nice thought, but according to my surgeon, PCP and dietitian, not grounded in science.

I wish you good luck in getting back on track. I think if you go back to basics, and to the plan advocated by many surgeons you will see the loss start up again.

I was not nor am looking for a fast answer what I was looking for your provided EXACTLY, I was and am seeking others who understand have been their or are their; I know it boils to the basics but I seek what others have done in addition to fundamentals. THANK YOU

"@@ChunkyChicTrying

May I ask what you do? Is your job literally killing you? Is it worth it?"

Funny but its the nature of the what all my 12 yrs of schooling was for, I specialize in Cardio/pulmonary medicine, it is worth it, yes and NO, huge double edge sword I help save others but at the cost of myself! and I have begun to think about private practice

Edited November 4, 20169 yr by ChunkyChicTrying

ChunkyChickTrying, I hear you!! I am 3 years out and I run scared all the time that I will gain my weight back!! I even have nightmares about it. But...I also know that my exercise is my key to keeping my 124#'s off. Of course, I can eat more than I did before. And you probably can too. I know most of us thought that we would be less focused on food but in, reality the WLS makes us more aware!! RIGHT Like was said before: in order to be successful, we need to plan, plan and plan. Make sure you have the foods you need to be successful. Take whatever you plan on eating at your job. Take some Protein drinks with you, buy drinks that have protein added. PROTEIN is the key!! We all know this. I'm so sorry you are struggling with all of this. Maybe, you can get the time to exercise. It doesn't mean you have to kill it at the gym. Just make time for yourself!! You have TOO, no one else will do it for you. Ask for help from your loved ones, maybe if you can cut back some on your hours at work. You definitely are not a failure!! You CAN do this, heck you have done it before you CAN!!!

Preparation, preparation, preparation. Not having food prepared, or having a plan for healthy things to get while you're out and can't get home, is DEATH to weight loss. As you have seen, surgery didn't fix your mind. You are not a different person after surgery. The behavior part is on all of us to fix.

The grazing is going to create so much calorie creep in your diet, you'll be shocked.

"@@ChunkyChicTrying

May I ask what you do? Is your job literally killing you? Is it worth it?"

Funny but its the nature of the what all my 12 yrs of schooling was for, I specialize in Cardio/pulmonary medicine, it is worth it, yes and NO, huge double edge sword I help save others but at the cost of myself! and I have begun to think about private practice

Good. Thank you for understanding the intention of my question.

When you are in your 70s, 80s, 90s... what's really going to be important to you? That's what we ALL really need to think about.

There are some frozen meals I take to work all the time in case of food emergency. Try Lean Cuisine Sweet Sriracha--180 calories and 15g of Protein. Or get Healthy Choice Honey Balsamic chicken. It's 210 calories and 14g protein. Their Beef Merlot is 180 calories and 15g protein.

Even if you can't cook, you can still stock up on meals at work.

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