Small Weight Gain, Part 2 (Update)

Thank you to everyone who commented on my previous post, both in comments and by email. 

Confession: I was reluctant to write that update, because weight gain feels like failure. And thinking that weight gain feels like failure, is in itself a failure. This is how thoughts of my weight become obsessive. I'm fighting against it. I'm telling myself all the things I would tell any friend who was experiencing this.

Here is why I'm concerned with even a small re-gain: this is how I gained all the excess weight in the first place, a small increment at a time. 

Yes, I am getting lots of exercise, eating healthfully, and not overeating. But what if the amount I am eating causes me to continue to gain weight, a bit at a time, until all my hard work is undone?

I'm not saying this will happen. But it's what I'm afraid of. 

A few folks have suggested getting in touch with Wonderful Registered Dietitian who is available locally. That's a great idea: more support, and from an expert. I recall that the last time I felt panicked about eating, a session with her was very helpful. I will contact her this week.

Thank you as always for your support.

17 Months Post-Surgery: Small Weight Gain and Trying Not to Panic

In January, I decided to stop tracking my eating. My intake was so consistent over days and weeks and months that tracking felt useless. I had been planning to update this blog with that information... and now there's some new, less pleasant news. I've re-gained some weight. 

I'm concerned, and trying not to panic or obsess.

Since hitting my lowest weight of minus-50 pounds, my weight has fluctuated within 3 or 4 pounds of that weight. From everything I've read, that is normal. The lowest weight after bariatric surgery is not usually the final destination; most people re-gain about 10% of their total weight loss, and settle there. Since I lost 50 pounds, I thought gaining 3 or 4 was not a big deal. 

But now I've gained a few pounds over that. And this is really scaring me. 

Some people do re-gain weight after gastric sleeve surgery. How much weight, and the cause of the re-gain really varies.

Is this new, slightly higher weight my "true" new weight, and I need to accept that? Or have I been eating too much? Did the few times I was uncomfortably full after eating stretch my stomach pouch? That is possible to do -- but I imagine that everyone who has had bariatric surgery sometimes gets uncomfortably full, while they are still adjusting to their new capacity. How much repeated fullness would it take for the pouch to permanently expand?

These questions are spinning around in my head, and there are no clear answers.

I'm still getting a lot of exercise, and still eating well and healthfully. I have identified a few eating habits that I can tighten up, a few little eating habits that have gotten away from me. Those are easy enough to tweak. But my past experience with the effect of small diet tweaks have on my weight are not at all good.

I guess the only thing I can do is ensure my diet is meeting the post-surgery standards, and try not to obsess on the number. The former, easily done. The latter, a much greater challenge.