Why do we fall off the wagon? & How to get back on?

[bostonmama 135]

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.

[mikaylag 13]

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

[Newme17 3,444]

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, 2017 by Newme17

[blizair09 3,250]

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.

[blacktxbelle 99]

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.

[Introversion 1,876]

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.

[XYZXYZXYZ1955 675]

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.

[James Marusek 5,244]

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

[Sherrie Scharbrough 311]

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!!

[jellybean12 65]

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"

[Berry78 4,259]

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.

[Airstream88 361]

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.

[bostonmama 135]

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.

[Newme17 3,444]

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.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

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.