How many of you are struggling with regain? I am :(

I am about 14 months out from RNY. I lost from 285 to 161 lowest. i am 170 today. This is because of my bad choices, giving in to temptation, not planning, and grazing/ overeating. Oh lord. I don't want to be an RNY failure after cutting up my guts. ARGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

Take a deep breath, step back and relax. You recognize that you are making bad choices so choose today to stop that behaviour. Go back to basics....protein first, mindful eating, no starchy carbs, you know the drill.

Keep the treats and "crap" out of your house or at least out of your sight. If you can't resist the temptation of eating something don't buy it or make it for others.

You still have a functioning pouch and I dare say you should still be in your honeymoon phase. Yes, it gets harder the further out you are but you said it, you don't want to fail after re-arranging your innards.

If you want it you can do it! Blinders on and just keep on going, you've got this!! Participate in the daily Menu thread, be accountable to us and yourself. Weigh every meal, log every portion. Know what is going in your mouth. You can obviously see the consequences of not doing so.

Keep coming back here for support!

Thank you for the kind words of encouragement, Ginny :)

I'm so glad Ginny replied.

I'm 2 months behind you and I poo pooed the Vets who said that it only got harder the further out you got. I'm not poo pooing anymore. They are absolutely RIGHT!

I knew for me that losing was the easy part for me because I've been able to lose my entire life. It's always been keeping it off that has been problematic for me.

I'm essentially at goal and have been for the past 2 months. I go up and down 2 - 3 lbs but I would be lying if I said it has been easy because it has not. The struggle is real and it's all in my head.

I have taken the last several months to practice mindfulness and to deal with my head. I always knew it would be an issue. I just finished the Craving Change Program and I had some aha moments and some very good take aways from it. I keep learning about myself and why I do certain things that I know I shouldn't.

I'm glad you have recognized what's happening. You chose to have this surgery - now choose to step back and start making the good choices that brought you this far. Keep logging. I'm here to tell you that I stopped logging for a while and then went back to it and it was shocking how much a taste here and a bit there was costing me in calories, carbs etc. Log your food. Plan your food and yes - get rid of the crap. I find that if something is staring me in the face sitting on the counter, I can barely contain myself. I got rid of it all. I changed my kitchen. Everything gets put away. I've even thrown out stuff so I couldn't tempt myself.

You can do this. And if you do find this overwhelming please call the clinic and ask for help. Maybe talking to someone (therapy maybe), will help you deal with what's going on.

Keep checking in. We'll be here for you!

Thank you so much, SweetRide1. I appreciate the encouragement.

Struggling? Give yourself some grace.

You are human. Begin again and take out your program that you were given from your program.

Look at it and live it again. Throw all the processed stuff out, focus on protein first again and vegetables second.

Use myfitnesspal and make yourself accountable again. We often think that we aren't eating much when we actually are once we make ourselves accountable for every lick, bite and taste.

Go back to your support group meetings if you have one.

Don't hesitate to call your centre and see who you need to see --- dietician, social workers etc.

We are all different. If you have an eating disorder then look into therapy.

Most of the time though we need to go back to the habits that helped us lose the weight. We slack over time and go back to our old ways.

If you need a support group like weigh****chers or TOPS try that. Use your wls support group too! That's what it is for!

Look for programs from your nearby eating disorder place, mental health has programming too and health units.

Try new things. You never know what will motivate you. The important part is to KEEP TRYING.

Be honest. Talk about it. In support groups too. The honesty with yourself and others is important. You are not perfect and you don't have to be.

The more we share when we are struggling the more we can support one another. Find mentors.

Remember too that keeping off anymore can be just as important as losing.

I'm 12+ years out and there can be times that I struggle too. "Moderation" is very tricky for many of us and doesn't come innately. It's a struggle and sometimes it's day by day. I have talked about this at bariatric conferences and a video discussing this. This is hard long term.

Remember you are not alone. There is no shame in struggling. The reality is that the longer you are out, the more challenging it is. Remember -You are worth the struggle. Be kind to yourself.

Know that today is a new day worth of starting anew. You can do this!

I'm so grateful for the response. Everyone here is right. I have to log and go back to the basics with protein first. I hope everyone success and have a great night :)

me me me and almost 7yrs out!! maintenance FOR ME is the hardest thing ever!!! but gotta get back to basics.. that's the key!!

You have already taken the hardest step by saying enough is enough and now I want to get back on track. I maintained 118-125 for over 10 years after losing 200 pounds. Due to a personal tragedy I gained and hit the 190 mark a year ago. After several starts it finally clicked and I am back to goal losing 70 pounds of regain. Here are some steps that helped me and I hope they will help you too! You may have several starts and stops but don't give up, don't beat yourself up. IT WILL CLICK!!! Our tool works if we work the tool and get back to the basics.

Planning/Preparing

Remember when we were preparing for surgery? How many meetings, classes and such did we attend? We were told the more prepared we were the better our chances were for success. And they were right. Go through the house, car and work place and get rid of trigger foods. Stock up on foods that will keep you on track. I removed every bad carb/sugar temptation and replaced it with lots of protein, veggies, grains and fruits.

Journaling

Get back to journaling. This will help you identify when you feel like eating, stress factors and any triggers in your life. Once you identify these factors, this will help you put tools in place to keep you from eating. It became clear I was not taking time for me anymore. I worked my day job and then spent the rest of my time caring for my husband. It was easy to reach for fast, prepackaged food. Since I purged my home I have to eat clean as there are no other options LOL

Use a tool to track you're eating and exercise like Getting Started with Health Tracker. Once I started to track ever bite and drink it became clear why I had gained.

Goals/Rewards

Make a list of goals for yourself. Make them realistic and small. Some of mine were move more, purge all junk from my home, eat more protein. If you didn't make a Weight Loss Surgery bucket list when you first had surgery do it now. GREAT reminder of all the things you can enjoy in life after losing weight.

Food

In general, a long term post-weight loss surgery eating plan includes foods that are high in protein, and low in fat?, calories, and sugar. Important, vitamins and minerals are provided as supplements. (if you had a different surgery adjust this to your food plan).

Water

Water is our Best Friend. I have to say I never went back to pop or any bad drinks, however I was drinking tea like crazy. What is wrong with drinking tea? I was either using sugar or 3 equals and 3 sweet n lows per 32 ounce glass. I found once I started carrying one of the metal bottles of water to keep it cold I drank water all day.

MOVE!

I can't say enough about how key this was for me. The reason I kept my weight off for almost 10 years was no matter what, I kept moving. If I could not go to the gym I would walk. Grab a cart and walk all the isles at your local box store. I loved Zumba, bootcamp workouts, lifting weights. When I stopped, the weight started coming back. So for me I am starting slow to avoid injury by walking and using some of the workouts on my Demand TV. Find something you love to do and it won't feel like a pain in the *** to do daily.

Support

If it's an option "run" don't walk to a support group. Come here on OH daily for support and participate in one of the food threads. It helps you be accountable and also great ideas for food prep.

Keep me posted on how you are doing.