Helpl 16 years out - regain is REAL

[LMR422 2]

Hello everyone - I need advice.

The 16th anniversary of my surgery was yesterday. It's been a wild and wonderful sixteen years. I have lost 90 pounds. Many changes during these years. Mostly all good.

I turned 60 years old in April. I have noticed in the past few months that I feel hungry more often, and I've seen my weight go up. It's not going up by much but just the fact that it seems to be increasing is concerning to me. All these years I've been able to literally eat ANYTHING I want with no gain at all. I don't know if my insides have changed or it's the fact that I turned 60, but I want to put a stop to whatever this is RIGHT NOW.

For those of you out there to whom this has happened, what did you do? I would appreciate any and all suggestions and tips you might have...

Thank you,

Lisa in Scranton PA

[SomeBigGuy 108]

Congrats on the 16 years of success! As we get older, our metabolism likes to mess with us, haha, but this is common. My surgeon told me that after a while, some weight regain will occur, but the best way to restart things is to redo your pre-op diet for 2 weeks, just to jumpstart things.

His plan is at least try to get 64oz of Water a day, start with 2 Protein Shakes for the two meals a day where you typically eat less. On the "big meal" each day, try to get in 6 oz of meat/protein of your choice along with as much leafy greens/broccoli, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers as you can. Cut out breads, starchy veggies (potatoes, carrots, etc) for the 2 week duration. Target 60g-80g of Protein, and under 50g of carbs per day (not quite Keto levels, just reduced). Calorie target was around 600-1000 per day, but it is meant to be temporary and not long term, just a jump start.

From my personal experience, sugar/starchy carbs tend to send my cravings off the deep end for up to 3 days after eating them. I'm having to avoid bread, Cookies, cake, candy, tortillas, wraps, potatoes, carrots, rice, and oatmeal whenever I start to regain. Some artificial sweeteners seems to set me off too, but I am a recovering Type 2 diabetic. I haven't isolated which ones affect me yet, but I can drink Fairlife protein shakes without having that sugar craving, and it has Monk Fruit, Stevia, and Sucralose. First day is absolute hell, but after 3 days it eases up considerably.

Give that a try for 2-3 weeks and see if that helps with the weight loss. After that time, start working in your normal foods again, but give them a few days to see if any are triggering the new weight gain to happen again to see what's worth keeping. Slowly increase your calories to find the amount that works best for you long term. You want the range that lets you have the energy you need without weight gain. Some people may be only 1000 calories, others 1200, and others may be closer to 1800, so there's no exact number that works for every single person.

Good luck, and I wish you well on your journey!

[learn2cook 509]

I so agree with the above comment especially the “recovering Type 2 diabetic “ part. Anyone of us past 2 years out is there with you, I know I am. I definitely partook of the holiday cheer this year and I’m so “puffy” right now.

I’m concentrating on wellness for the new year. I do look for inflammatory foods that trip me up and eliminate them from my orbit for a while to get back to evenness. (Don’t know what else to call it?)

Aside from food and movement changes, I struggle with stress. I noticed if I journal, walk, talk to a friend, goof off on a guitar, extra Water weight just falls off. Sometimes I need an extra mineral or Vitamin (Magnesium and Vitamin D I’m looking at you.) I don’t know if any of this helps, but keep trying. There even could be a metabolic reason behind the weight creep. It doesn’t hurt to ask a trusted medical professional. You are not alone in this.

[LMR422 2]

Thank you to both of you! Everything you say makes absolute sense and I think the jump start will help me. I don't think I realized or remembered the true carb count in so many of the things I eat, ate and continue to eat. I guess for the longest time, maintaining was effortless. Getting older or time having past since surgery has shown me that it is NOT effortless and I've got to put some effort forward - with thoughtfulness.

Again, thank you - I'm going to continue to check in here and keep myself in the "zone" of being accountable.

Happy New Year!🍾🍾

[FatToPhat 83]

I'm feelin' you too. I'm over 5 years out from surgery and have gained back 40 lbs. over the past 2 years. It seems like it just keeps creeping up on me. But I definitely know why it's happening. I've been allowing those bad habits sneak back in and now I'm struggling to get back on track. I appreciate SomeBigGuy's suggestions, though, and will give those a try! LMR422, how are you doing so far with it?