4 Years Out and I've Gained!!!! - Page 2 - ThinnerTimes - Gastric Bypass Forum, Lap Band Forum, and Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Forum

mistymee · 07-20-2009, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meaghan

and swear up and down that they won't ever gain the weight back

I *cringe* every time I see someone say this, or have in their sig something like "100+ lbs gone *forever*"

It kind of smacks of denial of what it really means to live post-operatively and what "could" happen if they're not careful on a daily basis.

Phoenix- that was one enormously fantastic post. Thanks for that.

Sid & Mrs. Sid.. I wish you all the best on your journey back to good health. Your post is a help to people like me- I'm 18 months post op and after a two week vacation found myself up 4 lbs. I've got 2 of those off and hopeful that the other 2 is gone soon (along with the 44 I still need to lose to get to goal!)

SidC · 07-20-2009, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phoenixfire

So, after my nice long novella of a post, I'm going to encourage you two by saying that it is SO easy to fail when you go overboard to the extreme and say I'M QUITTING COMPLETELY...EVERYTHING THAT'S BAD!!!!!!!!! That's a recipe for disaster and you both know it.

Make a decision of what you're cutting out TODAY. Then do it. Grow your self-discipline muscles gradually, and use your blessed pouch as a tool to help. Your brain is the problem here. Not your pouch.

Phoenixfire,

Thank you so much for your words of wisdom. I have already made some gradual changes. Venti mochas are now half caff, water loading before meals, no fluids for 60 minutes after meals, etc. I can honestly say that I feel better, and I haven't even gotten back to the gym yet. Mrs. C. and I really appreciate all your sage advice. Those of us who are long-term post op have our own crosses to bear, it's not easy. I appreciate your proverbial kick in the rear, and will keep all posted on our progress.

God Bless,
SidC and Mrs. C too!

SidC · 07-22-2009, 03:38 PM

Good News to report today! In advance of Friday's WW weigh in, I hopped on our scale and was pleased to see a 9lb. drop compared to last Friday! I've gotten back to the pouch rules, am eating better, and can feel the difference. Thanks for all your advice and support!

Phoenixfire · 07-22-2009, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SidC

Phoenixfire,

Thank you so much for your words of wisdom. I have already made some gradual changes. Venti mochas are now half caff, water loading before meals, no fluids for 60 minutes after meals, etc.

You're very welcome Sid! Well done on the 9 lb. loss, and I told you so! neener neener.

You're exactly right...no matter how far out we are our pouches DO still work. Sometimes we just have to go back, bite the bullet, and do what you did: go back to the basics. Works EVERY TIME for me.

When I've had to go back to the basics, over the past 7 years since surgery, the volume of food I could eat was decreased. As if cutting back, just over a short period of time, "re-set" and "shrunk back" my pouch size. Strange but true!

I'm concerned about what I've highlighted in red above. You say you're water loading before meals. I've done this to GAIN weight, in that water loading expands my pouch and lets me get more food in right after I chug water.

If you're water loading before meals, and trying to LOSE weight, then I think you're making a mistake. Because if you drink a lot before eating then you can fit more food in there. It's not the opposite, as it may seem, in that loading on water does not fill us up so we can get less food in. It's the reverse. Am I misunderstanding what you're doing when you say you're water loading before meals?

Thank you for coming back and letting us all know that you'll keep posting on your progress here. Contributions like yours help so many others that visit here and are struggling a few years out after surgery.

Phoenixfire · 07-22-2009, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SidC

Good News to report today! In advance of Friday's WW weigh in, I hopped on our scale and was pleased to see a 9lb. drop compared to last Friday! I've gotten back to the pouch rules, am eating better, and can feel the difference. Thanks for all your advice and support!

Again, congrats on the quick drop of 9 lbs. Impressive! Goes to show how dedicated you are to succeeding at long-term weight loss.

Have you found Weight Watchers to be a good tool? I've never used them, but I'd like to know if they're a good tool in the arsenal for us who have regained weight.

How's Mrs. Sid doing? I'm guessing, like the rest of us women, that she's losing her extra weight slower than you, right?

Lisa E · 07-22-2009, 08:46 PM

This is my understanding of water loading - correct me if I don't have it right. Water loading is a technique that can help to hold food in the pouch longer. The idea is to drink as much as you can, as quickly as you can, about twenty minutes before eating. We aren't talking sipping casually. Chuggalugga. What happens is that this shocks the stoma, causing it to swell. And that makes the opening smaller (a temporary stricture, if you will) and the food hang around longer. This should never be done by someone who is less than six months out.

SidC · 07-22-2009, 09:38 PM

We have the same understanding of water loading as explained by Lisa E. I'm not sure why it happens, but sometimes after I water load I have very loose stool just a couple of minutes afterward. I know, gross....but thought I'd share in case others have this too.

Phoenixfire: WW IMHO is OK for post op GBS patients like us. It has a good points system, although our surgeon and nutritionist strongly advise against between meal snacks. I find the points tracking tedious and downright frustrating at times. I'm always asking my wife How many points is in that? which gets old very quick. The weekly accountability check is good too. I couldn't resist stepping on the scale first thing this morning, knowing I would "officially" weigh in on Friday. It turned out to be positive reinforcement, but could also be used as a swift kick in the rear.

Bottom line: Everybody is different. I don't enjoy tracking points, but need the accountability check. I try to keep to my points allotment, but sometimes have to estimate when I cannot easily count points in a prepared dish. WW is another tool, that if used correctly, can help us stay on track.

Hope this helps,
SidC

mistymee · 07-23-2009, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lisa E

This is my understanding of water loading - correct me if I don't have it right. Water loading is a technique that can help to hold food in the pouch longer. The idea is to drink as much as you can, as quickly as you can, about twenty minutes before eating. We aren't talking sipping casually. Chuggalugga. What happens is that this shocks the stoma, causing it to swell. And that makes the opening smaller (a temporary stricture, if you will) and the food hang around longer. This should never be done by someone who is less than six months out.

This is how I understood it to work and is how it is listed in the "pouch rules for dummies" in the sticky thread here on TT (not sure what section it is stickied.. probably in the post-op section?)

Phoenixfire · 07-23-2009, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mistymee

This is how I understood it to work and is how it is listed in the "pouch rules for dummies" in the sticky thread here on TT (not sure what section it is stickied.. probably in the post-op section?)

It's strange how we can be different even if we have the same surgery! Makes me wonder, again, if my surgeon did something different 7 years ago than how it's done now.

My body, or stoma, doesn't respond the way described above. When I guzzle water right before eating (like 5 minutes before) then I can put more in my pouch.