I had the gastric sleeve surgery in March of 2013. I lost 110 lbs! Then, my mom passed away on Mothers Day 2014 & I have been struggling since then. I gained 35 pounds & can't seem to stay on track long enough to lose it. I have vowed that Jan 2 2017, I will set my mind to losing it & keeping it off for good. I do NOT want to get over 200 lbs again. Has anyone else experienced this but has gotten back on track & lost what they gained? If so, any pointers? I have rheumatoid arthritis & just had a total ankle replacement Sept 29th. I am still healing from that so I can't do a lot of walking right now. In fact, I just got released by PT to start walking but only 5 min a day, 6 days a week for week 1, then I can only add 5 min per week until I am back to where I was before the surgery. I am not big into exercise but I do have access to a gym for free. It doesn't have a lot, a couple of bikes, a rowing machine, some weight machines & free weights. These last few weeks I have been eating nothing but sweets. I am so disgusted with myself. I do NOT want to be one of these people that gains all the weight back. Any advice would be appreciated.

With your limited ability to exercise, you will need to focus a lot on nutrition. Go back to the basics and put protein first! Also, make sure you are drinking plenty of water and not drinking your calories. Are you allowed to bike at all with your ankle? That might be a good alternative to walking while you are healing up.

First of all, I am so sorry to hear about the passing of your mother, especially on the day you were meant to celebrate her. That's awful, and definitely the reason you indulged into food. Food is great for keeping our minds off some of the pain.

I have not done this, but I know of someone who has; they actually have an account here. The reason they started gaining their weight back is because one of their friends died. What they did to fix it is exactly what they did at the beginning of their journey. They buckled down, started eating healthier things, and began exercising again. They ended up losing half of what they gained back, and they were still in the process of losing the rest. It's very possible to start where you left off.

I see that you are unable to exercise as much, and that is fine. Eating healthy is the best thing to do in order to lose weight. The walking instructions your doctor gave you are great! Just take baby steps, and eventually, you'll get to where you need to be.

I'm glad you set a limit for yourself by saying you don't want to get over 200 pounds again. Some people may see this as a dangerous mindset, but I think it's great motivation to keep you from that limit. I have the same mindset. I just reached 195 a week ago, and I actually feel normal again. If I were in your shoes right now, and I saw myself getting close to 200 pounds, that would motivate me to buckle down and change what I'm doing in order to keep myself from that number.

@@shewolf143

A new year to start fresh. You have lost 108 pounds before. You can get back on the horse and lose weight again.

Things to try,

If you haven't already, You may want to consider counseling to deal with your mothers death and staying on track. Get rid of all the unhealthy food in the house. Go grocery shopping for your bariatric diet. Get back to basics. Track, Protein, Water and low carb.

Exercise:

All you have to do is move more even when you don't want to. Find out If your release allows for resistance bands and chair exercise . Give it a try. I have a group of women from age 67 to 94. They do chair workouts 6 days a week. Love it.

16 Minute SEATED Cardio + Strength HIIT | Countdown to Christmas (The Festival of HIITs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoZOpORbZUQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5NLluNkAnc

I was sleeved 20 December 2010. I went from 263 pounds to 123 pounds in about 12 months. I maintained 123 for about 8 months and then met a man and started a serious relationship. Over the course of 4 years, my weight crept up to 219 pounds. In August, I got engaged and refocused. I went on the Ideal Protein diet, which is very compatible with my sleeve. I am back down to 156 pounds since Labor Day. It is a ketogenic diet that discourages exercise.

I'm back on track and happy.

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Do you have a pool to go to? It's my savior at the ymca

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@@lodabb

Can you offer info on the Protein diet please?

It is a low carb, zero sugar, high Protein diet usually run through a doctor's office. If you google Ideal Protein, you will see clinics in your area.

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I think the Ideal Protein products are pretty tasty compared to many other products. I had some success with it but haven't used it since my sleeve. You can find information about it online..... I didn't have a local doctor in my area so I did my via phone and online check-ins.

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Some thing seems odd about discouraging exercise. This may be the first program that I have heard recommending that.

Perhaps at the onset to adjust, but even a slow walk can do wonders for a busy mind!

Thank you everyone for your suggestions & support! I don't have access to a pool unfortunately. I can do resistance bands & chair exercises. I know the key is to move, even if 10 min a day. I will probably do the 5 Day Pouch Test the 1st week to wean myself off of the carbs. I know I need to go back to my weight loss support group at my bariatric Dr's office. I just hate having to struggle like this ALL the time but I now realize, this is for life....

lodad-how much does that program run?

It varies from clinic to clinic. My food is $90 a week.

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Ok...thank you!

Why wait unitl January 2nd? To me, that just would reinforce all the old patterns of starting diets after the new year, etc. I would recommend doing some of the hard emotional work at getting to the underlying issues that are driving you back to food. It's difficult, but it's very worth it. I lost 140 pounds, then around 2.5 years, got very ill and had a little bit of regain. I gained back about 25 pounds. Since then, I've been able to lose 15 pounds that I regained, leaving me about 10 away from where I was. I can tell you that losing again after even a little regain is much different than losing right after surgery and it is a LOT of hard work.

I would start today though. You have to get rid of that "I'll start on Monday" or "I'll start in the new year" or "why bother with today, I already blew it, I'll start tomorrow" mentality. That's what got us all to the points we were at to begin with!