A Decision to Try Again, Four Years After Surgery

Last year I wrote about my weight re-gain, and realized I was no longer getting the immediate cues of satiety that force you to eat less after bariatric surgery. I had re-gained 10 or 12 pounds (depending on the day). I found it very easy to maintain that weight, and was feeling all right about where I had landed. After all, I'm healthier, I went down two clothing sizes, and I'm still enjoying eating. I maintained that weight for more than two years. So, I told myself, accept it. And for the most part, I did.

Then I gained a few more pounds. I've been having some issues with my feet which cause severe pain; as a consequence, I've been less active. I don't know if that caused me to gain these extra pounds, or if I was just plain eating too much, but I did not feel happy at this new weight. It was past my comfort threshold.

Having flirted with the idea of more weight loss for the past two years, I already had identified a few things I changes I could make. I decided to:

• return to tracking my eating, which seems to go hand-in-hand with not gaining weight,


• be very mindful of portion size,


• eat a more substantial dinner, then stop eating for the day -- which will also help reduce incidents of acid reflux, 


• and drink more! which is surprisingly difficult for me, but worth trying.

So I did all these things, and very quickly lost the additional 2-3 pounds. Now I'm using this as incentive to try to lose more of the weight re-gain. My goal is another 7 pounds. This may not be possible, but I'm willing to try.

The challenge, of course, is doing this without becoming obsessed. My compulsive behaviour -- mild by diagnosable OCD standards, but present in my life -- has gotten worse with age, so I'm not sure where this is going. But I'm feeling good about trying.