feedyoureye

I think there is a line were what you need to do, and what you can do may clash. Not as easy as saying "just get your head in the game" or "Just eat less" or "Just exercise more". Of course these things count... but it looks to me like there may be some other factors at play here. Brain chemestry? Biome health? When I decided to get the WLS I knew that I would have to do something different than I did before surgery. The lifetyle change. I also knew that I couldnt go so far out of my current lifestyle that I would be falling off the wagon at every turn. I decided I would focus on Portion Control, not super low carbs.... I am a vegetarian, and very low carb is pretty hard to maintain with limited low carb Proteins. I could however eat less carbs. I reworked many recipes to better meet my health needs. I would try and eat everything I wanted too... but keep an eye on the numbers at all times... write it down, weight and measure, get enough Protein, drink my Water, maintain consistancy with my exercise.... Every day is a work in progress. When stress and tragidy come into the picture... its just that much harder. The drug componant of food becomes a player too. I have seen others around me here going cold turkey with carbs... I can do that too, but know I can't and don't want to live that way, I have tried to make lifestyle changes that will last in the long run. This means for me that I am closer to the edge of gaining... if I graze a little too much, if I dont bother writing down what I eat for a few days, if I eat for the drug effects (sugar!) or just step out of my routein too much (eating out... vacation, house guests, parties) it all shows on the scale. I have dedicated two days a week to lower carb and calorie consumption for the last year, and I think this helps keep me from gaining more than I already have. I find it harder and harder to really get back into the downward loss mode these days. I just finished the 5 day pouch test a few weeks ago.. I lost 6 1/5 pounds which felt great, of course you know that kind of quick weight loss is a water dump from low carbs, so very easy to gain back. It value was to remember how lower carbs and higher protein can work for retriction which is a value if you have lost track of that quality of the sleeve. (or pouch). I really don't want to become a yo-yo dieter again... and am looking for a way, in the long run to keep this weight off. At 4 1/2 years, I am till in the "successfull" range, but still looking backwards to the time I was at goal and working to try and get back there if possible, in a sane and sustainable way.

Part of this post is a clip from another thread... but thought it was worth posting here....
First there was this 3 year Kaiser study... one of the largest samples done on WLS results so far....http://asmbs.org/wp/...14-SOARD-1.pdf and the numbers dont lie....
Vertical sleeve gastrectomy (n ¼ 1,079)
---------------------------- ------one year---------------3 years------
% Patients >100% EWL 3% (n ¼ 31) 3% (n ¼ 24)
% Patients >50% EWL 60% (n ¼ 556) 46% (n ¼ 384)
% Patients <50% EWL 40% (n ¼ 373) 54% (n ¼ 455)
% Patients <0% EWL‡ 1% (n ¼ 10) 4% (n ¼ 30)
This shows that after 3 years out, only 3% of patients are below the 100% excess weight loss mark.
46% are above the 50% EWL mark
54% are below the 50% EWS mark and 4% are at 0% EWL mark..... I think we all are doing very well... I am guessing even you Florinda.... try this calculator to see where you fall...
I know we ALL want to be at goal or even below goal... but the stats tell us we are swiming upstream... which is OK, but a reminder to not hate oursleves because we are not in the 3%!
Here is a percent EWL calculator.... check it out. I am down 82.5% EWL at 4 1/2 years. According to the research paper... thats damn good. Funny, look at the numbers one way and feel like a failier, look at them another way and feel proud.
http://www.percentagecalculator.net/
I used the second calculator... I put the number of pounds I have lost at this time in the first slot, and the number of pounds I lost at goal in the second slot.

I think there is a line were what you need to do, and what you can do may clash. Not as easy as saying "just get your head in the game" or "Just eat less" or "Just exercise more". Of course these things count... but it looks to me like there may be some other factors at play here. Brain chemestry? Biome health? When I decided to get the WLS I knew that I would have to do something different than I did before surgery. The lifetyle change. I also knew that I couldnt go so far out of my current lifestyle that I would be falling off the wagon at every turn. I decided I would focus on Portion Control, not super low carbs.... I am a vegetarian, and very low carb is pretty hard to maintain with limited low carb Proteins. I could however eat less carbs. I reworked many recipes to better meet my health needs. I would try and eat everything I wanted too... but keep an eye on the numbers at all times... write it down, weight and measure, get enough Protein, drink my Water, maintain consistancy with my exercise.... Every day is a work in progress. When stress and tragidy come into the picture... its just that much harder. The drug componant of food becomes a player too. I have seen others around me here going cold turkey with carbs... I can do that too, but know I can't and don't want to live that way, I have tried to make lifestyle changes that will last in the long run. This means for me that I am closer to the edge of gaining... if I graze a little too much, if I dont bother writing down what I eat for a few days, if I eat for the drug effects (sugar!) or just step out of my routein too much (eating out... vacation, house guests, parties) it all shows on the scale. I have dedicated two days a week to lower carb and calorie consumption for the last year, and I think this helps keep me from gaining more than I already have. I find it harder and harder to really get back into the downward loss mode these days. I just finished the 5 day pouch test a few weeks ago.. I lost 6 1/5 pounds which felt great, of course you know that kind of quick weight loss is a water dump from low carbs, so very easy to gain back. It value was to remember how lower carbs and higher protein can work for retriction which is a value if you have lost track of that quality of the sleeve. (or pouch). I really don't want to become a yo-yo dieter again... and am looking for a way, in the long run to keep this weight off. At 4 1/2 years, I am till in the "successfull" range, but still looking backwards to the time I was at goal and working to try and get back there if possible, in a sane and sustainable way.

Heres a couple I liked....

Heres a couple I liked....

Heres a couple I liked....

Heres a couple I liked....

Heres a couple I liked....

Heres a couple I liked....

I think there is a line were what you need to do, and what you can do may clash. Not as easy as saying "just get your head in the game" or "Just eat less" or "Just exercise more". Of course these things count... but it looks to me like there may be some other factors at play here. Brain chemestry? Biome health? When I decided to get the WLS I knew that I would have to do something different than I did before surgery. The lifetyle change. I also knew that I couldnt go so far out of my current lifestyle that I would be falling off the wagon at every turn. I decided I would focus on Portion Control, not super low carbs.... I am a vegetarian, and very low carb is pretty hard to maintain with limited low carb Proteins. I could however eat less carbs. I reworked many recipes to better meet my health needs. I would try and eat everything I wanted too... but keep an eye on the numbers at all times... write it down, weight and measure, get enough Protein, drink my Water, maintain consistancy with my exercise.... Every day is a work in progress. When stress and tragidy come into the picture... its just that much harder. The drug componant of food becomes a player too. I have seen others around me here going cold turkey with carbs... I can do that too, but know I can't and don't want to live that way, I have tried to make lifestyle changes that will last in the long run. This means for me that I am closer to the edge of gaining... if I graze a little too much, if I dont bother writing down what I eat for a few days, if I eat for the drug effects (sugar!) or just step out of my routein too much (eating out... vacation, house guests, parties) it all shows on the scale. I have dedicated two days a week to lower carb and calorie consumption for the last year, and I think this helps keep me from gaining more than I already have. I find it harder and harder to really get back into the downward loss mode these days. I just finished the 5 day pouch test a few weeks ago.. I lost 6 1/5 pounds which felt great, of course you know that kind of quick weight loss is a water dump from low carbs, so very easy to gain back. It value was to remember how lower carbs and higher protein can work for retriction which is a value if you have lost track of that quality of the sleeve. (or pouch). I really don't want to become a yo-yo dieter again... and am looking for a way, in the long run to keep this weight off. At 4 1/2 years, I am till in the "successfull" range, but still looking backwards to the time I was at goal and working to try and get back there if possible, in a sane and sustainable way.

I think there is a line were what you need to do, and what you can do may clash. Not as easy as saying "just get your head in the game" or "Just eat less" or "Just exercise more". Of course these things count... but it looks to me like there may be some other factors at play here. Brain chemestry? Biome health? When I decided to get the WLS I knew that I would have to do something different than I did before surgery. The lifetyle change. I also knew that I couldnt go so far out of my current lifestyle that I would be falling off the wagon at every turn. I decided I would focus on Portion Control, not super low carbs.... I am a vegetarian, and very low carb is pretty hard to maintain with limited low carb Proteins. I could however eat less carbs. I reworked many recipes to better meet my health needs. I would try and eat everything I wanted too... but keep an eye on the numbers at all times... write it down, weight and measure, get enough Protein, drink my Water, maintain consistancy with my exercise.... Every day is a work in progress. When stress and tragidy come into the picture... its just that much harder. The drug componant of food becomes a player too. I have seen others around me here going cold turkey with carbs... I can do that too, but know I can't and don't want to live that way, I have tried to make lifestyle changes that will last in the long run. This means for me that I am closer to the edge of gaining... if I graze a little too much, if I dont bother writing down what I eat for a few days, if I eat for the drug effects (sugar!) or just step out of my routein too much (eating out... vacation, house guests, parties) it all shows on the scale. I have dedicated two days a week to lower carb and calorie consumption for the last year, and I think this helps keep me from gaining more than I already have. I find it harder and harder to really get back into the downward loss mode these days. I just finished the 5 day pouch test a few weeks ago.. I lost 6 1/5 pounds which felt great, of course you know that kind of quick weight loss is a water dump from low carbs, so very easy to gain back. It value was to remember how lower carbs and higher protein can work for retriction which is a value if you have lost track of that quality of the sleeve. (or pouch). I really don't want to become a yo-yo dieter again... and am looking for a way, in the long run to keep this weight off. At 4 1/2 years, I am till in the "successfull" range, but still looking backwards to the time I was at goal and working to try and get back there if possible, in a sane and sustainable way.

Rogofulm, thank you for your encouragement and support, it is meaningful. My success at getting myself "back under control" isn't quite the point I was trying to make, however. I was trying to be very clear and frank with all the sleevers out there who have less time on the sleeve than me about what life and weight management and even what "working your sleeve" actually look like when surgery date is a distant memory.

You are reading the wrong posts here. We are all way past the first year. Our gains mean something different from yours.
Your gain is just an anomaly stemming from the body adjusting after surgery. You didnt gain anything really. Hang in there. Stick with sleevers who share your surgery date. You will find similar no worry experiences. U dont get yo panic til waaaaay later.

I hear your feelings about this, I just do not have the same response. When I dump a bunch of pounds very quickly from eating low carbs/calorie and high Protein, it is mostly from Water weight... no self depreciation at all.... it still feels fantastic, I am happy about it, and know that later weight loss (probably slower) will be fat, if Im eating and exercising right, and not muscle or water. No prob..... really what that statement means to me, is if I don't keep up the good work, it will show up back on in about a minute... still just water.

Hahaha! Love it!

Thanks for sharing Globe! It helps to get all sides of the story.

I reached my surgiversary yesterday (june17). I wish I could say that I am a 100% success story, but that would not be an accurate description. Like many of us that walk this journey there are struggles along the way. I have not reached my goal. At one time I was 15 pounds from that 'desired' goal weight we all set for ourselves. 12 months into this I am 21 pounds from goal! Yup, up 7 pounds from my low weight so far. Discouraging for sure! I have to admit my head hunger and poor eating habits were not cured by the surgery. Saying that the WLS is a tool and not a cure is sooooo true. I am not giving up! I will get there. I can attest to how much better I feel and how much I enjoy my new active lifestyle. ????. Just gotta get around this snacking habit and carb cravings!!!! ????????

Well that does seem like something changed as that was only a year ago. I don't think there is any blame to be placed in losing slower, it sucks. However losing slower is still losing! Whether you ever got to goal or not I have seen pix and you look amazing.

At your stage, that is normal. Don't worry.

these vintage styles look super cute.... http://www.unique-vintage.com/unique-vintage-black-ruched-mansfield-halter-one-piece-swimsuit.html

Kim, I saw that other post. Interesting and I agree - you have done AWESOME! We are so self critical at times...
I didn't download the article but one of the crazy things is the weight they use for ideal. My NUT told me
142 is what they would use for me, i did get down to 140 but I was really quite thin and not healthy feeling (that was last year when I was struggling so much). In my mind I have lost 100% of my excess because I think my goal in the 150s is more realistic, but I get that mathematically I am more in the losing something like 90% of my excess. I'LL TAKE IT!!!!!
I went on a girls weekend this last weekend and one of them is a dietician. She claims that many many people have a complete regain about 10 years out - I haven't seen studies of that type so I was curious about it. I didn't press her because I didn't really want a big group discussion AND dieticians are not necessarily that educated about these things. Just curious if anyone else has seen it?
Saw a very young elk calf this weekend. A "late born" calf still had his spots and was wobbly legged. My hunter friend said he was a week or less old. He was well camoflauged and just stood up next to us on the trail when our horses startled him into moving. Thank goodness my horses just looked and thought same things we did - that is a MIGHTY BIG DEAR FAWN - ha! Then my friend and I were like... wonder where mama is... I don't want to be between that baby and anyting big enough to have given birth to it! It was very cool though. We also startled a number of grouse, flew right up under my horses and they were both awesome. Got to see their eggs too. We heard a bear huffing, never saw him, that is an unnerving feeling since with the hills it was hard to tell how close it was. We listened and could hear it moving along a ridgeline next to us so we calmly made our way... making a quiet but deliberate exit from the scene. Bears don't want to attack, but it is cub season.... and I know that huffing is a warning noise "you are in my space and I don't like it"....
My younger horse Mia can be a pill and she isn't the best trail horse in my mind, however she was AWESOME through all this. Especially compared to this lady that joined us (an aquaintance of one of our little group). She was arrogant about how her horses had this advanced level of training but you would have never guessed that based on what we saw this weekend.... bolting, disobeying, crowding other horses etc. Made Mia look like a champ.

Florinda, I'm no dietician and I know you know your body better than anyone but is your daily low calorie count enough for your body? I can hear your frustration at the slow weight loss. Would it help to have a couple of days at higher cals to see if it shakes things up?
My own weight is up and it is totally my own fault, I have had a weekend in Turin (Italy) and we ate and drank. It was the drink more than the food- it goes down too easily. The weather and the atmosphere was great and we took advantage of it, glass of wine before lunch, same at dinner and then sitting out in the squares people watching with a drink later. I think it is no alcohol for me this week so that my poor liver can recover.
We went to Turin to see the shroud and it was an amazing weekend, made all the more amazing by meeting a Muslim lady and her elderly mother who were also there to see the shroud. We were able to discuss with each other the things our religions had in common. It was really special. It also follows on from an amazing exhibition I saw in Marseille recently which was about the things that the Christian, Muslim and Jewish faiths have in common. One fact I took from that is that Mary (mother of Jesus) is mentioned more in the Koran than in the Bible! And that the Muslim faith have a deep respect and reverence for Mary because she is The mother of Jesus who they acknowledge as a prophet (as does the Jewish faith). As humans that is what we should focus on - the things we have in common, not the things that might/could divide us.
Anyway a lean day for me I hope!

Research tell us that most weight gain happens after 3 years. I think there are both mental and physical reasons for this. Some of the reasons are unknown by medicine....they are looking into it more than ever. Lots of new research thinks that changes in the biom have something to do with why we lose, and if we start back into eating those refined foods we used to eat, the biom slowly changes back to how it was before surgery. (Some research suggests that when you eat lots of refined food, you grow more bacteria in the gut that processe that kind of food, and the bacteria has an imperative to get you to eat even more of that food FOR THEM. Creepy hugh? Our gut floura tells us what to eat. So if you stick with the right foods long enough, the gut will want you to keep eating them. Slip up for long enough and the gut will trigger chemicles that scream EAT CAKE! Not kidding. That is only part of the story, but those primitive voices that call us to eat cake are real and hard to ignore. There is thought that the surgery sets the gut biom in a new direction and gives us a boost towards a healthy reset... that combined with a smaller stomach helps the initial weight loss. I am at 41/2 years, have struggled with my goal... took 3 years to get to goal, and have bounced around a bit there... I am about 14 pounds above goal right now... and holding... always going back to maintaining consciousness about what i eat and how I move when I slip up... lots of good habits I keep up all the time...I consider myself a success (and so do my docs)... of course I would rather be at goal... but its still a work in progress.
Why couldn't I just lose it and keep it off before surgery? I wonder why too, but seeing the stats about how many people can lose and keep off the weight withought surgery is reason enough for me to have gotten surgery. This is the very firt time I could get it all off or stay anywhere near goal this long in my entire life. I have achieved many things in my life, lots of travel, interesting jobs, notariety in my field.... really, the only thing that has been the bane of my life and health has been being fat and not finding success taking it off or keeping it off. Like most of us here, I spent at least half of my life trying without success. This surgery has been the tool I needed to have some success there as well.

Research tell us that most weight gain happens after 3 years. I think there are both mental and physical reasons for this. Some of the reasons are unknown by medicine....they are looking into it more than ever. Lots of new research thinks that changes in the biom have something to do with why we lose, and if we start back into eating those refined foods we used to eat, the biom slowly changes back to how it was before surgery. (Some research suggests that when you eat lots of refined food, you grow more bacteria in the gut that processe that kind of food, and the bacteria has an imperative to get you to eat even more of that food FOR THEM. Creepy hugh? Our gut floura tells us what to eat. So if you stick with the right foods long enough, the gut will want you to keep eating them. Slip up for long enough and the gut will trigger chemicles that scream EAT CAKE! Not kidding. That is only part of the story, but those primitive voices that call us to eat cake are real and hard to ignore. There is thought that the surgery sets the gut biom in a new direction and gives us a boost towards a healthy reset... that combined with a smaller stomach helps the initial weight loss. I am at 41/2 years, have struggled with my goal... took 3 years to get to goal, and have bounced around a bit there... I am about 14 pounds above goal right now... and holding... always going back to maintaining consciousness about what i eat and how I move when I slip up... lots of good habits I keep up all the time...I consider myself a success (and so do my docs)... of course I would rather be at goal... but its still a work in progress.
Why couldn't I just lose it and keep it off before surgery? I wonder why too, but seeing the stats about how many people can lose and keep off the weight withought surgery is reason enough for me to have gotten surgery. This is the very firt time I could get it all off or stay anywhere near goal this long in my entire life. I have achieved many things in my life, lots of travel, interesting jobs, notariety in my field.... really, the only thing that has been the bane of my life and health has been being fat and not finding success taking it off or keeping it off. Like most of us here, I spent at least half of my life trying without success. This surgery has been the tool I needed to have some success there as well.