Georgia

Since undoing low carb at the moment this is really relevant to me. I've found doing low carb helps me break the sugar addiction I've fallen into the past few months but also, obviously, for me I lose weight faster.
With that said I ALSO have to be very mindful of calories knowing that for me to lose I have to be somewhere around 1000 a day. To maintain somewhere around 1350 or less.
I started this last Tuesday and have lost about 9 lbs in that time. Quite amazing to me but I know a lot is Fluid retention from the holidays.
My carbs are primarily eggs, hard cheese (light mini baby bel) and chicken. Small amount of beef. I try to keep the veggies to low carb kind with a few small amounts of carrots thrown in once in a while.
For me the hardest is fruit. I LOVE fruit. I was amazed to see on my MFP how many carbs a small banana had!! ????. I do usually have a half a Fuji apple with 1 tablespoon PB2 at night for a snack. I've also had a couple cuties which are not as high in carbs
Once I get really under control and re-lose my 15 lbs I will gradually add back more carbs BUT not like before where it was a free for all.
I need more fats at the moment but scared to add much since this seems to be working for me.
Oh, yeah, and I'm doing REALLY low cal couple days a week (500) twice weekly as part of semi-5:2 intermittent fasting which has worked well for me in the past.
Oh, yeah, and I'm 5 1/2 years out from Sleeve

Since undoing low carb at the moment this is really relevant to me. I've found doing low carb helps me break the sugar addiction I've fallen into the past few months but also, obviously, for me I lose weight faster.
With that said I ALSO have to be very mindful of calories knowing that for me to lose I have to be somewhere around 1000 a day. To maintain somewhere around 1350 or less.
I started this last Tuesday and have lost about 9 lbs in that time. Quite amazing to me but I know a lot is Fluid retention from the holidays.
My carbs are primarily eggs, hard cheese (light mini baby bel) and chicken. Small amount of beef. I try to keep the veggies to low carb kind with a few small amounts of carrots thrown in once in a while.
For me the hardest is fruit. I LOVE fruit. I was amazed to see on my MFP how many carbs a small banana had!! ????. I do usually have a half a Fuji apple with 1 tablespoon PB2 at night for a snack. I've also had a couple cuties which are not as high in carbs
Once I get really under control and re-lose my 15 lbs I will gradually add back more carbs BUT not like before where it was a free for all.
I need more fats at the moment but scared to add much since this seems to be working for me.
Oh, yeah, and I'm doing REALLY low cal couple days a week (500) twice weekly as part of semi-5:2 intermittent fasting which has worked well for me in the past.
Oh, yeah, and I'm 5 1/2 years out from Sleeve

I had VSG surgery at age 68. I'm 69 now and at goal. It all went pretty easily for me.
My life is worth as much to me at nearly 70 as yours is to you now or as a 25 year old's is.
FTR, my life is soooooooooooooo much better now than it was a year ago.
It's never too late to improve our lot in life.
Never.

You all look amazing. Congratulations on your hard work and success. I get my sleeve next week.

Hi. I had the same thoughts but decided with the sleeve on 5/29/15My SW was 320. My DR told me I would lose 70 to 80 in a year To her surprise I was down 120 in 5 months. Im presently 200 and I'm hoping to reach 190 but those last 10 do not want to go away. I know it's mostly because I'm gaining muscle weight from the gym . But to answer your question everyone is different and you'll see that when you read all the post that are here from everyone. Some good and some bad. Make a decision that you will be happy with you.

My before and "in progress" pictures still need 20 more pounds to lose. "in progress . I had my surgery on 10/13/15.

Haven't posted an update in a while & thought I really should! Photos are from Nov 2014 (pre-op), July 2015 (2 mos post-op), and Nov 2015 (6 mos post-op). I haven't taken a new full body comparison photo in a little bit, so I probably should do that soon!
HW - 305
SW - 275
CW - 185 (almost 8 mos post-op)

heres mine me at my biggest of 425lbs, then a the full body was oct of 2013 and the head shot was new years eve

8 months out. 154 lbs and finally fit into that little black dress!! So happy I made this life change even though it was difficult, I've never felt better or been healthier in my life!!

Just saw my bus drive past when I was 100 metres from the stop. I ran and I caught up with it ????

I'll be honest I've been off the site for a while but felt the need to reconnect this week so glad to see your post.
I AM sad to see that the true VET forum is gone. I always enjoyed being able to communicate with many long term vets versus this maintenance thread. To me, vet was much more than maintenance. Oh, well. I'm sure that's been hashed and rehashed.
I love that u tossed the scale. I did too but, um, not same results. Ha! Too much easy slide junk food so now back on the wagon and losing 20 lbs of regain. Done it before and will again
Like you and others, almost six years out and SLEEVE did change my life! I just turned 62. 62! How is that possible? ????
Thanks for your post and continued success!!

I'll be honest I've been off the site for a while but felt the need to reconnect this week so glad to see your post.
I AM sad to see that the true VET forum is gone. I always enjoyed being able to communicate with many long term vets versus this maintenance thread. To me, vet was much more than maintenance. Oh, well. I'm sure that's been hashed and rehashed.
I love that u tossed the scale. I did too but, um, not same results. Ha! Too much easy slide junk food so now back on the wagon and losing 20 lbs of regain. Done it before and will again
Like you and others, almost six years out and SLEEVE did change my life! I just turned 62. 62! How is that possible? ????
Thanks for your post and continued success!!

Agreed. Lifelong struggle. Others may say not but for me it's too easy to eat junk. I had sleeve two months before you. Currently re-losing 20 pounds to get back to 150. I'm 5'8" and 62 so I'm determined to keep at it because I did this for HEALTH reasons first and cosmetics next. Don't want to lose sight of that!!!

Working of the holiday gain and bloat. Was 148 on Monday. Down to 141.5 today. I knew I could regain but I am amazed at how quickly you can pack on the lbs. For a few weeks, none of my clothes fit and my edema came back, which I hadn't experienced in over two years. Now my 6s are back on but 4s are still tight. By dropping another 3-4 pounds, the 4s will fit again. The way plus size clothes are made, I could gain 15 pounds and still wear a 2x, now just a few pounds makes such a difference. Grateful to have a sleeve that still works when I work it.

I'll be honest I've been off the site for a while but felt the need to reconnect this week so glad to see your post.
I AM sad to see that the true VET forum is gone. I always enjoyed being able to communicate with many long term vets versus this maintenance thread. To me, vet was much more than maintenance. Oh, well. I'm sure that's been hashed and rehashed.
I love that u tossed the scale. I did too but, um, not same results. Ha! Too much easy slide junk food so now back on the wagon and losing 20 lbs of regain. Done it before and will again
Like you and others, almost six years out and SLEEVE did change my life! I just turned 62. 62! How is that possible? ????
Thanks for your post and continued success!!

Actually I said at first I *thought* you were a bully, but then learned to love ya!
Then I got all nervous about butting in since I'm not a vet so I deleted.

Let's see! 4 years post-op. Lost 168 pounds. Transitioned successfully through "Weight Loss" phase and "Maintenance" phase. That makes you relevant.

@@CowgirlJane ...
I really don't give a f**k about the butthurt newbies.
At 14+ months post-op and maintaining stably 10 pounds below my original weight goal, I'm here mainly for me -- not for the newbies.
But when I was a newbie, I was all eyes, all ears, sucking in everything the veterans had to say. I remember reading veterans forums avidly, even though I wasn't permitted to respond in them, desperate to understand what my future would look like. I loved everything those vets had to say.
And what the easily butthurt newbies here say about me and others who share their truth does NOT butthurt me at all.
So here's my truth about this forum: This forum is not just for newbies. It's for everyone who's on the WLS path. And that includes me and @@CowgirlJane and @@B-52 (btw, awesome post, @@B-52 !). I am most interested in what my peers and those farther along than me are going through. That hasn't changed at all.
Finally, this is the Internet. It's full of sincere people, smart people, dumb people, and asshats. It's never going to be a community of people just like me.
Oh, and one more thing -- I would like to admit that the idiots offer me not only entertainment, but they motivate me, too. It's nice to be reminded of all the stupid things I am not doing, never did, and never will do.
Buck up, everybody!

At 2.5 years out, I feel as if I am absolutely relevant, but completely **** upon because some people CHOOSE to take my words as attacks/judgmental/bullying/etc when I truly don't intend them that way.

I am not a warm fuzzy kind of girl. I never have been and I never will be. Seemingly, my personality was just FINE when I was "one of them" (newbie), but now that I am past those initial stages, I am a big old meanie. I try to remember that "newbies" are sensitive and hormonal, nervous and emotional but that said, I can't/won't coddle bad decisions. No one coddled me and I learned the most from people who told me their truths. Even when I couldn't relate, I appreciated that they shared with me their real feelings instead of justifying mine.

I, too, feel that I only "get" from the vet forums and maintenance forums, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to "give" in the other forums. Some will appreciate it, some will not. Those who do can take it, those who don't can leave it.

It's their choice, their gain, or their problem.

To answer you question, the answer is NO! I am no longer relevant!
I have been through the basics, completed the process..and have moved onto living a normal life again with no worries about dieting, gaining or loosing weight...I can eat and drink foods people on diets would never dream of...
It seems like every other post is about whether someone can eat a cookie, or what do I use with dip....how about chips? Or crackers? That's what I use, but people starting out can't hear that, nor would they understand.
Sometimes, it seems like I have stumbled upon a Jenny Craig or weight watchers website....Over the last 30 years or so, I have been on every diet known...and it's all the same old mantra, and I am reading it here every day again and again.
The latest is strategies dealing with Halloween ????? I happen to like Reeces cups or Hershey bars...and the thing is, I don't expect people to understand what I just said.
There is huge gap between veterans and people starting out....like babies learning to walk and marathon runners....
Bottom line, I have come to a place that people just starting out can never dream of being a reality...We simply cannot relate, and honestly they are probably better off not knowing half the things I have discovered...(There is a life after weight loss)
It only confuses and distracts them.
Only thing me and people starting out have in common, is I can say "I've been there, done that" And know this, it will take you to places you never dreamed possible....IT DOES WORK!!!!
Sooner or later you will (Have to) finish this and move into a new realm.
All Journeys (I don't like the term) must come to and end sooner or later, otherwise your wandering around the wilderness forever....(making everyone in this business rich)
Everyone on this forum today, was not here when I first came (with the exception of one or two)
Where did everybody go???? Did they ALL FAIL? I don't think so...Like graduating from High School they have all moved on to bigger and better things...why would they want to hang around? (I keep asking myself that question)
Sad part about this is, when you come to this forum, all you do hear and read is people just starting out with no first hand experience, people complaining, lost, frustrated, confused looking for answers...and/or just having major, serious complications.
It would be easy to think that this is all there is to all this....when in reality everyone here is a minority...a very small segment....there is a whole world out there of "Veterans" you don't even know about and never hear about.
Not everyone has had problems...not everyone has found this difficult....and sometimes all that can be interpreted as negative...and when you're up, you don't need to be around that all the time.
Yes, there is a Veterans section here...but is it really?
To a very large extent I have to keep my mouth shut, keep my opinions to myself.
Many just would not understand.
I have definitely become Irrelevant....

This discussion is aimed toward people who are several years post op - NOT toward people early in their journey.
Are we relevant anymore to the new people posting?
More than once I have been "grouped" with some unknown (to me) group of people who are mean and dogpile on others. While I am unrelenting in the truth of my experiences I don't intend to cause harm. After awhile one does have to question if this is the case since the accusation is made both openingly and veiled and by more than one person.
I can discount it to some extent (opinions aren't necessarily shared by others, people can be a bit on edge in the early days etc) but lately I have questioned my involvement in these forums. I get something back, but to be honest I could probably get that support by posting in vet and maintenance forums only. I try to help because if it weren't for others - who have long since left- I probably would have not been sleeved nor found the lasting success. But, they have left,the next wave left, and others have replaced whilst I hang on.
I am asking this question, not just about me, but across the board. When I am feeling cynical I am reminded of my experience when banded when I was told I would just be satisfied to "eat dainty portions" and like magic I would become trim and slender. I feel that now the sleeve is being mass marketed with similar questionable advice. I am especially empathetic to those like me who had so much to lose and were pretty deep in the obesity disease process. Ann had a thread about how little value nutritionists added and I am keenly aware of how...useless...some of the guidance people are given in the mass marketing of the sleeve.
This sounds like burn out but it is actually a different question - at 4 years post op is my experiences relevant? Just because I needed to shift my whole dang world to maintain this huge weight loss - is that even useful/relevant now?
Part of why I ask here is because I have received some direct criticisms that I don't even understand...I feel like the hard of hearing granny who cannot understand why everyone is mad that I announced my grand daughter's bra size in public (yes, my granny did that as she was astounded at my girth!)
Again please respect that this question is directed to fellow vets.

...and this is why I stay on these boards. Even if I don't post anything, I don't leave. I've seen too many vets disappear and just like @@McButterpants, it seems they do so when things go south. As much as we like to think folks are successful and fade away into the sunset, and their lives, I am even more convinced that a large portion go away because they are struggling.
I refuse to do this. I'm still about ten lbs. heavier than I was at my 'happy place' of 115 but every morning I remind myself it's a new day and do my best to stay on track.
Glad to see you here again @@McButterpants and hoping this suggestion by your doctor helps you to get back on track. This just shows me that the fight against bad choices is a daily struggle and some days we do well and others not so much.
If I've said it once, I'll say it a hundred times. Don't tell me that food is not an addiction. We're all addicts and the hunger monster is always lurking.

Hi! Nice to see you back!
I've used them in the past, (phentermine), and I'm in the minority because I have nothing against using them short term to jump start weight loss. And it will.
Problem is, you know once off of them again, if you don't continue to portion, eat healthier and not snack so much in between meals, the weight will come back. But since you already know the basics of the surgery, you will go back to them and keep the weight off after. Maybe it is the jump start you need again?
You will get mostly negative comments about these medications, but honestly, I wouldn't hesitate to use them again under a doctor's care and short term to lose a little regain.

My surgery was almost exactly one year ago (1/15/15), and I was already down 40 pounds before I had the surgery, and have gone on to lose another 40. I am within 15 pounds of my goal. I thought I'd share some of my highs and lows over the last year - some things I've done well, and things I want to and am working to improve upon for my long-term success.
2015: Had the surgery; lost 80 pounds; bought a new house and moved (first house in California); trained for and ran in my first 5K; lost my mother in November. LOTS of big changes and emotions and stress to navigate through. I managed to do very well and had slow and steady weight loss and/or maintenance up until my mother went into the hospital in mid-November...thus began a 6 week shift in my diet. Not a tremendous amount of crap, but ate things I had stayed away from completely for almost a full year - i.e. sugar. What happened? I gained about 8 pounds and I felt pretty crappy by the end of December. Bloated and lethargic. What I've been doing since the first of January is a re-boot to my eating. No sugar or white flour at all. And in just 4 days I feel like myself again. No bloat, no discomfort around my middle, and I'm slowly detoxing off the sugar - you know it feels worse before you feel better getting that out of your system! Lots and lots of Water too. I'm committed to getting to my goal and maintaining a healthier lifestyle with both diet and exercise. I went from a size 20 to a size 4 - I gave away ALL of my clothes from a size 8 up, and have a lovely new wardrobe that I've built. I have no intention of sizing out of my current wardrobe!
The freedom from everything that made me feel so uncomfortable and unhealthy last year has been achieved in so many ways. I can take the stairs any time I want and not pant and sweat. I get an hour of walking or some type of exericise every day and my body as a result has responded in kind. I can shop for clothes any where I want. I can comfortably sit in booths in restaurants, and can sit in a chair and cross my legs comfortably. I have so much more energy and confidence. Do I have the skin sag of a 51 year old woman? I do! But it's not anything I can't live with. You won't see me walking in a bikini on the beach - but I will wear a bathing suit that makes me feel good, and shorts and sun dresses in the summer, with no discomfort whatsoever. I used to get very red faced and sweat ALL the time. I just ran hot constantly because I was so overweight and out of shape. It's just not an issue anymore. If anything, I actually get chilly and need to stay warm where I used to have a fan on full time under my desk.
I don't take any of the medications I used to for high blood pressure. It's consistently normal. I am in a normal and healthy range with blood sugars and cholesterol, so there is no longer a threat of treating those conditions. I'm continuing to learn to cook smaller amounts for my husband and I. It's not easy to retrain yourself to cook a smaller amount! But I'm working on it. We purchased "snack or lunch" sized plates and ramikins and we use them to eat our meals. Smaller portions look normal on smaller plates. When we eat out, we share one meal (I should mention he had the surgery in November 2014 and has lost 150 pounds), and we eat half of the shared meal, and bring the other half home and re-heat the next day and share for dinner. It's mind boggling how little we eat today.
But I definitely got nervous over the holidays when week after week was going by as I was grieving the loss of my mom, feeling a little out of sorts and reaching for more and more of those foods that just don't make me feel good...a cookie here, a muffin there, it wasn't binge-worthy, but it wasn't helping me feel good either. Live and learn.
Just thought I'd put out there in the universe, on the anniversary of the best decision I've ever made (other than getting sober 23 years ago and marrying my husband 5 years ago), to heal my body and my life from the inside out and lose the weight and do things I never thought I'd ever do...let alone at 50 years old! Everyone tells me they can't believe my age - that the weight loss has taken years off my looks. Which is a lovely thing to hear.
So there you have it. I'm grateful. I'm still a compulsive eater in recovery EVERY DAY. I say with alcohol, I put the plug in the jug and never picked it up again...but with food, it's like taking a tiger out of a cage 3 times a day and then getting it to go back in after meals! It ain't easy! But it's worth it. I welcome any feedback on anything you are doing post-surgery, post-holidays to re-boot your body and mind back on track to keep moving forward.
Happy New Year!

I had my Vertical Sleeve on 8/31/10. I am 5 years and 4 months post op and I remember the day like it was yesterday. I still struggle with my past of obesity. I feel pain after every meal. I go through slumps of not losing any weight no matter how much I workout. I have excess skin in my midsection as well as my thighs. Everyday is a battle against obesity.