All This Regain Talk...

Is scaring me to death!!!  However, it's real and I need to keep it in the back of my mind always. I learned a few things over the holidays. I had not eaten candy, sweets, chips ( you get the idea) since before my surgery. During the holidays, I planned to indulged  some and I did.  I enjoyed them too!   And, if I allowed myself, I could have eaten a lot of those kind of treats.  December was a slow weight loss month for me, but I knew it would be with my planned indulgences.  However, I still lost weight (7#) and was happy!!  Now, it's back to my no junk rule until goal. I'm 2# from the century club from my highest weight. This weight loss surgery was just what I needed to do what I couldn't do before. 

Keeping it real is what I need. The regain stories I need to hear. I hope I don't have regain, but chances are, I will...I need to have a "red line" and strategies to get the weight back off.  I'm thankful for those of you who share real life!

the way to not regain when you get to goal is simply to stay on plan

Easier said then done, unfortunately.

The OP was right to have a plan. But, the truth is, this is a journey.

Being able to remove the feelings and look at our actions is a great skill to learn early out.

OP - Put the fear to use and figure out how you are going to deal with next time.

Oh yeah that worked so well preop for many of us...

Giggle...... snort!

Wow!  I wish I'd thought of that.  If I could have stayed on plan, I would not have had surgery. It's just not that  easy!

A little fear is good - the one thing I never thought about/imainged as a pre-op is that I would have to remain super vigilant for the rest of my life. I didnt expect a magic cure, but I thought it would be easier than it is. 

Maintenance is so much more complex than "staying on plan" - there is no "plan" really - there is life. That's why it is absolutely critical to make genuine life style changes that will help you deal with the bumps in the roads - social situations, emotional situations, temptations/trigger foods, etc. 

I think the one reason I havent regained weight is because I overall lifestyle is relatively healthy - exercise, plently of water, vitamins,  avoid eating out too frequently, keeping junk out of my house, protein based meals, limiting breads/pastas/rice/other crap. I am the queen of caving into temptations at work or when I'm out, but between my overall lifestyle and exercise, it keeps the regain at bay, but it is and will always be a struggle. 

How are you feeling, are you starting to come back to feeling better?  You were brave to tackle such alot of surgery at one time. I hope you are feeling better and satisfied with the results.

The only way to keep the weight off for good is to get a handle on why you overate in the first place. Get it from a counselor, or a group, or even just a mentor. It doesn't matter where it's from. What matters is that you fix or at least confront the things in yourself that made you gain the weight. If you don't understand how you got there, you'll have a harder time not running to food for comfort when things go wrong (which they will.) Your surgeon fixed your stomach, but only you can fix your head.