former_vbg

Very interesting. Thank you for sharing. Not great news, but as Dr. Phil would say, "We can change what we don't acknowledge", right?

VBG stands for Vertical Banded Gastroplasty. I had that WLS 15 yrs ago, worked for a number of years actually. You can read more about it at this link. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertical_banded_gastroplasty_surgery It's good to get lots of peoples opinions, just remember you will got lots of variations and that's not bad. Just combine that with your own research, your Dr./ NUT's advice and develop your own strategy. There is no right path on this journey. There are basic guidelines and it sounds like you have them. The people that come across all high and mighty "know it all" attitude just need to be taken with a grain of salt. Perhaps they mean well, or maybe they really think they are an expert. Either way it is a journey and it sounds like you are well on your way.

This couldn't be further from the truth. All a person has to do is DRINK their calories and that can come in MANY forms... soda, McDonald shakes, and lots of other things.

I don't think you are going to get a definitive answer on here because everyone is a little different. This is because it varies whether you are male or female, 20 something or 50 something, your exercise level, height, etc, etc... The best thing to do is be sure to weigh yourself daily and track what you are eating (carbs/ calories) and your body and scale will tell you what you need to do to continue losing. There is a big debate on whether counting calories or carbs is more important. For me, I have always chosen to count carbs and it has worked for me and I will be 2 yrs out this June. What works for one person may not work for the next. Just listen to your body, watch the scale and you will figure out what works best for you.

I would say part of what you said was correct, but there are plenty of people who have gained more than 5# back. It often takes people a lot of courage to come back to a site like this and admit that kind of failure, but we have had some people come back posting their struggles. Having a good support system is critical, but I also know someone who had the good support system but REFUSED to change her lifestyle/ eating habits. In fact, she never even came close to reaching goal because of it. When we go through these surgeries, and get through the initial shock to our body, most of us tell ourselves we will never let ourselves allow this to get out of control again, but we are all human and not everyone will succeed unfortunately. We just have to try to reach out for help when we need it and not wait too long to do it.

No, I have never even lived in TX. I had a revision and it was difficult to find a surgeon who had experience of revising VBG's to a sleeve All the surgeons within a few hundred miles of KC either wanted to do a gastric bypass on me because that was the "easy way" out for them. I wouldn't settle for that and so I had to travel there to have the surgery. The surgeon did a good job on the surgery for the most part but he has the personality of a DONKEY!

I'm sorry you are going through this. People could tell you to go back to the basics of dense protein, water intake, etc, but it sounds like you have some other things going on that you need help with. Have you thought about seeking out a counselor that has experience working w/people w/food issues and/or marriage counseling? Food can be a great friend in the sense that it doesn't judge us when we are going through difficult times, but we all know where that takes us too... I'm going out on a limb here, but I'm going to guess that there are some things in your current world or maybe some things from your past that you may need to work through. Not saying it will be the "fix" but sometimes if we understand what's going on, it can be easier to tackle how to handle these things. I will be 2 yrs this June and I am struggling myself with letting stress get in the way of healthy eating also. Just try to get in front of this before it gets any further. You know you can do this, and it's not a bad thing to ask for help.

Truly amazing!

My are you sure your only 25 yrs old? You sure have done alot in your young years! Do you mind if I ask what kind of work you did in Saudi Arabia?

Good for you! The first time I had WLS, I didn't quite reach goal, but had settled around the high 160's and was ok with that because I started at 307#. I met a guy shortly around the time I got to that weight and he had horrible eating habits. I tried to get him to not eat so much junk around me and he refused. He just didn't understand how it affected me. We lived together for a year and I gained about 30# in that time. Not saying its his fault, cuz I own my own choices, but he sure didn't make it easy. I'm still single, but one of the things I will no longer tolerate in a relationship is someone who won't respect my wishes to eat healthy and try to "get me" to eat the same way they do. Ideally they will eat more healthy so it's not an issue. Darn men!!!

I will agree with you that not all "normal" folks have to watch their food intake like we do. I am in my 40's and while it seems many of the younger ones tend to watch less what they eat, I have learned that they pay the price for that as they get older because I've seen it. Maybe not to the same degree that many of us have experienced but I also have friends up through their 60's who while they may not eat huge volumes of food, etc... they don't pay attention to what they eat and manage to stay at a healthy weight with little to no effort. Not everyone is the same. There will be a few of us who have had the WLS that will be lucky and fall into that category of it being "easy peazy" to maintain but I don't think that will be the majority of us IMO.

I'm 1 yr and 8 mths out and I have been struggling with this some as well. The key is that you realize what is happening and ready to put on the brakes. I'm still about 10# to get back to when I reached goal, but it doesn't come off as quickly as it did that first 6 to 8 months. I'll offer just some thoughts you might consider. 1. Remove all the "bad" food from your house. If you have others living there, try to work it so that "those" food items are in 1 or two cuboards that will just have to be off limits. 2. Think about what started your gaining trend. Are you going through some stressful events in your life that is causing you to find food again? Maybe find a counselor to try and identify those things and work through them. 3. Do 3 to 4 days of no carbs to get your system cleansed of the processed foods, sugars, etc. Then, go back to the dense Proteins, try to drink lots of Water. And, depending on whether you went low carb or focused on calories (whichever path worked for you) and follow that to guide you on your eating plan. 4. If you aren't incorporating some form of exercise into your routine, try to start this. Whether its walking a couple miles a day, doing aerobics at home (you can buy different exercise DVD's at Walmart or about anywhere), or if you have the time / money, join some exercise classes at the YMCA or local gym. Just remember, this is a journey and I think the majority of us all have to remember that food will always be a challenge for us.Coming here to the boards is a great start.

Wow, a COBOL programmer? I did that for a very short stint and hated it. :-) I have still worked in the IT field, but quickly moved into other roles that didn't involve development. I hated the isolation and all that went with being a programmer. Welcome to the boards!

You are not alone in your struggles! I have gained back 15# and I am a little more than a yr and a half out. I have gotten control from it getting worse and need to be diligent about exercising because it doesn't come off as quickly as it did before. We all have stuff that happens in our life that can side track us despite best of intentions. I was recently laid off my job and I knew it was going to happen about 2 months before it did. I reverted back to some old habits which is the reason for my gain. Like you, it's not a good excuse- but things are what they are... I am going back to setting goals for me to get back to my original weight loss. It's a learning process, one I know will be life long.

I apologize first- this probably shouldn't be posted here, but I'm just hoping maybe someone might be able to help send me in the right direction on this and everyone on here is always so great about helping one another. I need to figure out how 2 people I know are related. I know them in a professional setting, and so the information I have is somewhat limited. I'm willing to do the research, but I don't want to get caught up in spending lots of money on tons of different reports of website subscriptions only to come up dry. I'd even be willing to pay someone who has access to this information if they could help me. Feel free to PM me if you want or just reply back to this thread.

Thank you Carol!! I will add that to my list!!

I can ask whatever I like. As for whatever I choose to research, I can research anyone I like- even YOU if I wanted to. If it's available publicly, its FAIR GAME! So, get off your high horse. You know nothing of the situation. I am now blocking you as I have no use for someone who likes to make statements that are so ignorant. btw- I see you are new to the boards. Having an attitude like yours won't make you very many friends around here. See ya! BLOCKING YA!!

I didn't ask for your opinion on whether I should or shouldn't be doing this. You don't know the details of this situation. I simply asked for people's advice on doing research. There is nothing inappropriate about what I'm doing. If you don't like it, then don't read the thread.

Thanks. I'll see what I can find from some of the libraries around here. I don't think either of them were born where they live now. It's kind of a dicey situation and I don't care to publish the details in a public forum. I just want to see if I can trace how they are related.

I would like this as well! I live in Cleveland, MO which is 30 min south of KC. I had my surgery down in Dallas, and so I too don't have any local support groups. I could use the extra support from fellow sleevers due to going through some very difficult things with work. It's scary how fast the weight can come back when I'm not staying focused!!! Lee's Summit or preferably South KC would be best for me. I will do my best to join up if its not there. Evenings during the week are not good at least during the winter months. I say, let's see how many people are interested, figure out where we all live and try to pick the most accessible location from there.

Hey, a girl after my own heart. We are in the minority here as horse enthusiasts. I own a small farm and show Arabians. I'll send you a PM and we can share more about our love of the horses and country life if you want.

I'm just 6# from my final goal and while I don't have the $ for plastics anytime soon, I'm ok with that, may end up borrowing from my 401k next year. But, this will also give my body a chance to adjust and stabilize. If money were no object, I would have a full body lift, but that's not likely. Anyhow, just curious for those that had plastics to remove loose skin, was looking to know how much weight you lost afterwards. When responding, please tell me what procedure(s) you had done, weight before/ after.

First of all, welcome to the board! I have horses also and like you riding was not comfortable. Among the normal things I hated about being fat in public, I hated not being able to enjoy what I love most and that was riding my horses. I love being able to climb in the saddle and not hear my horse grunt, or when I was on his back have him shifting the weight between legs because I probably shouldn't have been up there... As for any resistance you may get from your family or friends, I would really try to focus on doing what you know you need to for your health and well being. It sounds like you are well on your way. Remember that sometimes the resistance that comes from others is the fear that you will change or that the relationship between you and that person will change and maybe they aren't sure they are ready for that. Those are things you can deal with all in good time, but please do NOT let those things deter you. Good luck to you and I hope you are able to literally climb back in the saddle again soon!!!

I feel weird saying it, almost like I'm being unhealthy- but I know I'm not. But, I like seeing my bones too, my collar bone, my wrist bones. And, even cooler when I stand with my feet smack together and my thighs or any part of my legs don't touch!!! Not sure I ever remember that happening for me!!!

Welcome!! Just remember that you are a beautiful person regardless of your weight. The only difference is not everyone else sees that, but I'm certain your family and close friends already do. I am sure you will have great success with your journey!