I'm sure there are many different reasons, but maybe common ones as well? Please share your insight & experiences!

I, unfortunately, retained some bad habits (carb heavy diet, drinking calories) from before surgery, and my weight loss has been stalled for several months now. Perhaps I was never really on the wagon as much as I should have been. I know I need to make some changes in order to start losing again.

I've fallen off too, I'm 1 year post op. Need some advice also :/

well, the only answer I know of, ya'll already know it. Surgeon, Dr Matthew Weiner states, "The only reason why people gain weight back is going to back to old/bad habits"....so, do the opposite. Stop drinking the calories, etc.

I'm 8 weeks post op...and I caught myself grazing the other day. Very bad habit for me. But it was nice to be mindful of what I was doing and thinking about why I was doing it. Today, I'm not grazing. I will not go back to those habits...and I have to constantly remind myself of it too.

Ya'll can do this...get back on the wagon trail, which is bumpy (we're not perfect and we will mess up/fall off), but we can definitely make the changes needed to stay on that trail. You can do it.

Edited July 10, 20179 yr by Newme17

Honestly, you have to find the grit and drive within yourself to do what you need to do to be successful. There just comes a time when you have to ask yourself what is more important, you or food...

You are worth it! Food is just food.

I've fallen off. I actually gained 20lbs from somewhere. My diet had been steady, my activity steady and then out of nowhere, I found myself indulging way too much. Now I am frustrated as hell and determined to get this weight off. When you have had it off for a while you know the difference. I think it's just not paying attention.

We fall off the wagon the moment we begin using food as something other than what it really is intended for: nutrition to fuel our bodies' basic activities.

Some people use food as an emotional crutch. Others use food to bestow enjoyment upon their lives (e.g., the satisfaction of feeling full after eating at the all-you-can-eat buffet). Others use food to conquer boredom or loneliness. Some people use food to deal with stress.

Some people use food as an escape mechanism because they subconsciously dislike themselves. For some, food is their drug. Here's a saying: "Addiction is an attempt to escape from yourself. Recovery is an attempt to discover yourself."

If we find ourselves regularly reaching for junk food rather than real food, it's a surefire sign we're using food for purposes other than intended.

We're trying to change habits we've had most or all of our lives--sure, it's hard. People have given different reasons for doing this in the first place, but there are a lot of similar ones--for one's family, for one's health, for comfort in places like airplane seats and amusement park rides. Think about your reasons and find that motivation again . . . you know it's important to you.

Several months after RNY gastric bypass, you will transition from the Weight Loss phase to the Maintenance phase. Eventually your weight loss will diminish and you will slide quite naturally into the next phase. I went through this transition at around 7 months post-op. Being successful in the Maintenance phase requires a different strategy than the Weight Loss phase. The following article describes my experience in the Maintenance phase. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery2.pdf

Hi Everyone, I hope you are having a nice day, the weather is beautiful here in Roseburg, Oregon but it is starting to get hot again. Now I can attest to trhe struggles of WLS and Maintance. We fall of the wagon because GUESS WHAT? We are human and we make bad choices at times. Because wer make bad choices DOES not mean we are BAD> It is a choice that we have ti becme aware of what our choices will effect us in negative ways. Now we all know what it takes to be successful, do you know why? Because we have been doing it for however long we are out from our surgery!! Just keep your eyes on the PRIZE!! Now KEEP ON KEEPING ON!!

2 hours ago, Introversion said:

We fall off the wagon the moment we begin using food as something other than what it really is intended for: nutrition to fuel our bodies' basic activities.

Some people use food as an emotional crutch. Others use food to bestow enjoyment upon their lives (e.g., the satisfaction of feeling full after eating at the all-you-can-eat buffet). Others use food to conquer boredom or loneliness. Some people use food to deal with stress.

Some people use food as an escape mechanism because they subconsciously dislike themselves. For some, food is their drug. Here's a saying: "Addiction is an attempt to escape from yourself. Recovery is an attempt to discover yourself."

If we find ourselves regularly reaching for junk food rather than real food, it's a surefire sign we're using food for purposes other than intended.

I love this comment and the quote. A few weeks after I had surgery I joined a DBT Skills Workshop offered by a local therapist. The skills of mindfulness, distress tolerance, middle path, emotional regulation and others are things we don't often learn growing up. Learning to sit with discomfort and not use a substance to numb it is really hard. Learning better strategies and then actually using them is even harder. The ongoing classes / filling out worksheets daily is really helpful and I think it's these tools that will help me maintain better habits long term. You can search DBT to learn more about it and maybe it can help minimize the "falling off the wagon"

I used to work at a horse farm. Feeding the horses can be surprisingly complicated.

Beauty gets 2 quarts of sweet feed, 1/2 cup corn oil, 2 small scoops of bee pollen, etc.

Sweet feed is made up of several kinds of grains and vitamins. The extra supplements provide the unique nutrition for that individual.

Beauty gets the same thing every day, occasionally modified as necessary.

If we think of food in the same way for us.. we make a plan and stick to it, we can get our nutrition, and we always know what we will be eating, and how much.

Remove the question, "what am I having for dinner" from the equation, and you won't fall off the plan.

Go back to eating your protein first. If you do that, there is no room to drink or eat too much of anything else.

The July 4th weekend was full of wonderful food and I found myself putting too much on my plate. I then slipped on the eat protein first rule and ate too much of the side dishes before finishing my protein. So the new rule for me at party like events will be to get the protein first and eat it, then go back for the side dishes.

I really wish that initial restriction could last forever! I can't eat as much as before surgery obviously, but I think I can overeat by a little bit if I don't stop myself.

14 hours ago, Berry78 said:

Remove the question, "what am I having for dinner" from the equation, and you won't fall off the plan

This is good.

Honestly from reading forums for years, people that "fall off the wagon" never seem to get back on it. It isn't like AA, you can just give up alcohol. You can't give up food and if you would never learn to control your eating and food when it was easy post-op, you probably never will.

Post-op life shouldn't be on a wagon or off. You have to find a way to eat that is easy, normalized to your and HEALTHY. That way you don't fall off the wagon, don't feel deprived and don't cheat.

If you really can't eat right, finding a therapist to help you work through your feelings about food might bring you some success.

Here's some tough love people... STOP !!! You've gone through so much (as far as surgery and recovery goes) and why do you want to sabotage that? Yes we are all human and that can be tough. However... please...you MUST make a conscious effort to eat healthy. BE STRONG!! don't let the devil do it I know you can

quick story...out with friend for lunch in a food court not a lot of healthy food options. However I found a bowl of chili at a Tim Hortons...(personally I like Wendy's better they have hot sauce... but I digress) and my friend had Burger King. I so wanted to reach over and grab a french fry...but the good little angel on my shoulder (and not the devil ) said NO Jeffrey you have come too far !

I have made a conscious decision to stay away from carbs/gluten and of course sugar (especially if you have type 2 diabetes like me) . That means NO NO NO pasta, rice, and bread unless it's gluten free. There are so many options out there now to sub for all that. Not to mention blogs and websites dedicated to cooking for bariatric patients. You would be amazed how cauliflower has subbed for so many recipes for example. And tastes great really

So PLEASE !! even if I don't know you...I respect you for having gone through the same physical anguish I have and don't F**K it up. Here are a couple of recipes...try and good health

Cauliflower Fried Rice-like

Ingredients
1 small head cauliflower
2 teaspoons olive oil, plus more if serving with eggs
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 scallions, thinly sliced at an angle (separate white bottoms and green tops)
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted and drained
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
Two 1-inch pieces fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound Chinese barbecue pork, diced (optional)
4 eggs (optional)

Preparation
1. Halve the cauliflower through the stem. Cut out and discard the tough,
leafy parts and cut the head into florets. Rinse in cold water and dry.

2. Working in batches (do not overcrowd the bowl, fill it only about halfway),
add the florets to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until it resembles rice,
about 30 seconds. Repeat with remaining cauliflower. Set aside for immediate use or store, covered,
in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

3. In a large nonstick pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot.
Add the carrots and the white bottoms of the scallions. Season with salt and pepper and cook,
stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes.

4. Add the peas, garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the cauliflower rice and stir to combine.

5. Add sesame oil and soy sauce and continue to cook, stirring to combine,
about 2 minutes (do not overcook or cauliflower will become mushy).
If using pork, add it to the pan, and toss to heat through. Taste to correct seasoning;
add salt and pepper if necessary. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with remaining green scallions.

6. If serving with eggs, in the same pan that you cooked the rice,
add about two teaspoons of olive oil and heat over medium until warm.
Add eggs, one at a time, keeping them separate. Cook until whites are set and yolks are to your liking,
about 5 to 6 minutes. Serve egg on top of rice.

Sticky Cauliflower

1-2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups unflavored soy or almond milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 large cauliflower crown, broken into florets
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup maple syrup (low sugar/or fake syrup low sugar)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tsp. sesame oil
2 tsp. fresh grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. sriracha
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
2 scallions, chopped
toasted sesame seeds
cooked rice, for serving
Instructions

Preheat oven to 450° (preheating is crucial here, so don't skip it).
Use about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to coat the bottom of a large roasting pan or oven-safe skillet.
Stir milk, flour, salt and baking powder together in small bowl.
Dip cauliflower florets in mixture to coat, shaking off any excess batter. Arrange in a single layer in roasting pan or skillet.
Bake 10 minutes.
While cauliflower bakes, combine soy sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic and sriracha in a small saucepan.
Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir cornstarch and water together in a small container until cornstarch is fully dissolved.
Add to soy sauce mixture and stir to blend. Remove from heat.
Remove cauliflower from oven and flip. Lightly brush florets with remaining tablespoon of oil.
Return to oven and bake 5 minutes more, until they begin to sizzle and lightly crisp.
Remove from oven and pour sauce over florets.
Return to oven and bake 3-4 minutes more, just until sauce becomes very sticky and coasts florets.
Serve over rice (optional) and sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallions.
Notes

You can also skip the rice and serve the cauliflower as a wing-style appetizer.

Edited July 11, 20179 yr by Jeffrey Stern