Renea77

Thanks Laura for reaching out to me! I started doing the 5:2 in July, dropped 7 pounds, my scheduled got crazy and I haven't been posting. I also couldn't access the group on my ipad, but I just tried Laura's tip and it truly works!! Glad to see everyone doing well and I will get on here and post. I truly thank Georgia for even introducing this to me thru her posts. I would have never tried it.

Thanks Laura for reaching out to me! I started doing the 5:2 in July, dropped 7 pounds, my scheduled got crazy and I haven't been posting. I also couldn't access the group on my ipad, but I just tried Laura's tip and it truly works!! Glad to see everyone doing well and I will get on here and post. I truly thank Georgia for even introducing this to me thru her posts. I would have never tried it.

Life is just hard today. But you're right. About everything. Went for a 4 mile run instead. I don't feel any better but the smell of donuts is gone at least.

When I use the word "diet" I'm using it the way I did prior to surgery. I mean excessive restriction, not sensible limitations we should all follow. Diet can be your usual source of food, or it can be an eating plan based upon restriction to achieve a goal.
The mental shift from loss to maintenance and back again (darn baby weight) was probably one of the most challenging things I've dealt with post op. It is not easy to walk that line of doing what you like, being normal but also avoiding the dangerous slide into bad habits.
It's important to have a social outlet in maintenance. I come here and it sort of keeps me on task. I can't stand hypocritical behavior, so coming here and giving advice about how to do this successfully keeps me on track.
I can say that at some point in maintenance I just accepted that I was at goal and gave myself that bounce window. I never got stressed about my food intake or my weight unless I hit the top end of that window - something that only happened to me during my cycle until I got pregnant. Would giving yourself that leeway help relieve some of the stress you feel?
It's not easy - we don't get to just hit goal and walk off into the sunset living our perfect, skinny lives. I know I didn't understand this prior to surgery and I'm pretty sure most people getting sleeved don't realize it. Oh, they parrot that "lifelong changes" and "always diligent" vocabulary but I don't think anyone really "gets it" until they're staring in the mirror at goal and realizing that it didn't solve all their problems, that they still have to be mindful of their eating and that they have to stay on top of this FOREVER if they want to stay at goal. In some ways, it is like a lifelong diet, even if nothing I do is remotely similar to the hellish diets I did before surgery.
Great topic. Maintenance really gets ugly and challenging when there's a regain, no matter how slight. Shedding those pounds and realizing how quickly you can pack them on is a tremendous wake up call and it's a scary experience. I gained for a baby and I'm still a bit panicked that I'm not back at goal (I'm one pound from the top end of my window and can't seem to shake the final four pounds) and I completely understand the stress to stay on top of things...and from there back into maintenance again!
~Cheri

Yea, I agree, very interesting.
However, I am not at goal, and therefore not really 'maintaining' my goal weight. But I have pretty much sat at this weight for a very long time (more recently, following the 5:2, I have broken my set point and seeing smaller numbers - still not at goal though.
What I am trying to say is that if this is the way I have to 'live' in order to maintain my weight, so be it. I am not feeling deprived or disappointed in the foods I chose to eat - and it is just that, a choice. Yea, sometimes I will indulge and have some carby goodies... and yes, the scale will go up - but as soon as I stop and resume normal eating, it goes back down.
I always look at my non sleeve, slim friends and they way they view food. Say she goes on holiday - she doesn't think 'oh God I can't eat/drink that 'cos I'll gain weight'. She just goes ahead and enjoys the food choices she makes and deals with it when she gets home. The one friend that always springs to mind has just returned from a 2 week holiday and gained 5lbs ( or that is what she told me) anyway, she wore it like a badge of honor... saying that it was 'proof' of a bloody god holiday! Now she is back she has returned to her normal eating pattern, and those 5lbs have pretty much gone!
I think it is the perception that is important here - she didn't panic or stress out... just dealt with it and the extra pounds went away.
Butter, what you said about the comfort of the losing phase rings true with me also... perhaps one way to deal with this is to find another 'challenge' where you can quantify your results; perhaps fitness... aren't you a runner? Could you use that area to take the empty space of weight loss... make yourself new fitness challenges to fill the space and to give you something to focus on and therefore a feeling of achievement.
I don't know, I might be talking cr*p because I am not at goal and my head is still in the 'need to lose weight' mode.
What I am learning though, is that maintenance is not going to be a walk in the park. Before now, I wasn't even worried about it... perhaps I should reconsider!
Sorry if I blabbed on ...lol

Very well said Georgia.
Butter, there IS something to that 'losing high' that disappears when you see your weight stay the same week in and week out. Or like Georgia said, see it go up 3lbs after a careless weekend. And the weight NEVER leaves as fast as it came on. Never.
And while it sounds fun to say "oh I had surgery so I will never have to diet again" yeah, well, I totally agree with you, call it what you want but maintenance and losing, well it all takes hard work. Call it a meal plan, or a strategy, or the evil "D" word, or whatever you want but surgery doesn't do the work for you for the rest of your life.
And maintenance is FOR life. Losing is temporary. But at least with the sleeve I feel like I have a fighting chance!

I think we all struggle with some of the same things you mentioned, BTB. We somehow make ourselves believe that once we "hit" the mark that magically, we are going to stay there without work when in reality, nobody really can do that.
Normal, non-sleevers, have to work to maintain or else all these gajillion gyms and diet centers wouldn't be around!
The hardest for me is knowing that I can MAYBE have a few special things at special times like BDs, parties, but I'm going to have to REALLY work to get back in line. Truly, one weekend of snacking/junk food can add back 3+ pounds quickly.
Maybe it's that as "foodies" we still have that mentality and think we "deserve" to eat again?? I know in my past life (before VSG) once I hit a goal on a "diet" I would tend to then immediately let up and slowly or quickly depending on my mindset regain what was lost!
Like your signature says, "You don't have your patience removed during surgery."

The whole time I was losing, I never gave 2 thoughts to maintenance. I figured the body would find a happy weight and just stay there. Well, it kinda has. But my mind isn't coming along for the ride. Maintenance is hard for me because it's emotionally taxing. It's like there is this constant, permanent low grade stress that I can't shake. Losing weight was great. I was getting somewhere. Maintenance is like standing still.....and standing still is too close to backing up. Its disconcerting.
In my old life, if I worried about my weight, I'd have that same low grade stress all the time, always worried about my health. But back then I was able to shroud myself in denial for periods of time and forget about it. Of course, when I did that, I always gained weight. I think that's my fear now. If I relax....if I forget about what I need to do....I'll gain. And I will, I've already done it. The couple of times I've thrown caution to the wind, I gained back a few pounds very quickly. Those new habits aren't as ingrained as I'd like them to be. They still take a certain amount of effort and diligence. Perhaps they always will.
I often hear people say they didn't have this surgery to be on a diet for the rest of their lives. Well, what is a diet if not being diligent about what you eat? If that's a diet, then I'm on one and I'll have to stay on one forever. So be it. Better that than regain the weight.
It's hard yes, but worth it.
What's hard about it for you guys?

Nothing helps me work up a good BM like going for a run. I swear as soon as I get 2 miles from the house it's like a fire alarm goes off in my shorts. TMI?

Not sure if this is the right place for this... didn't really want to post in the 'success' thread cos I am saving my goal post for their!
Anyhoo... yep! It's just over three years since I had my sleeve and it really has been a roller coaster ride.
Just a little pre sleeve background; fat kid - mother was and still is to a degree a 'feeder'! Nothing sinister in it, she just loves to see people enjoy food and goodies! As a teenager. although looking back I wasn't really that big, I had a really twisted sense of self image and thought I was disgusting. At 16 I started dieting and basically cut back drastically on calories with little affect! Just made me tired. Still unhappy with my body I joined different slimming clubs and over the next 10 years spent a lot of money with no results. In this time however, I was fit. I used to do a lot of sport; swimming, aerobics, steps, gym, a little running, squash, tennis... the list goes on and I loved it. Looking back I was not big and I was not fat... I was just young and very naive; wanting to look like my skinny friends who were 5-6 inches taller than me and completely different body shape!
At 28 I was preggas with my first - my beautiful daughter (we share the same birthday!) who is now 15. Gained a lot of weight and didn't lose any of it. 2 years later preggas again with my beautiful son who is now 13; same story, gained and never lost. So there I was 30 and morbidly obese I can't even describe how unhappy I was and how much I hated myself. I tried all the slimming clubs again, and had no success which really did get me to a real low place. Throughout this time, I focused on being mam. It seemed the only way to get through the feeling of self loathing was to focus on these two precious people and it worked to a degree. However, the down side was that I lost all sense of me.
Fast forward to 2009, I started researching WLS because I knew it was the only way that I would get healthy and fit again. I knew I had to pay for it because to get it on the NHS (here in the UK) it was virtually impossible at the time. Once my job became permanent, I knew I could get a loan and get the surgery. I attended a few WLS seminars and learnt about the sleeve (I originally wanted the band) and knew it was the one for me. I wanted something permanent, like I was giving myself a new commitment.
Weighing 238lbs I was admitted, signed all the papers and was prepped for the surgery the following morning, that was Friday 2nd July 2010. I wasn't nervous, I wasn't scared. I just wanted to start my new life and get 'me' back. The op went well and I stayed in for 5 days - the surgeon wanted clear drains. I am glad I did too, because the first 48 hours were long and a little painful.
The first 6mths I had a steady weight loss, with many stalls. But I was making good progress and generally pleased. I started exercising and feeling good about myself; I was getting stronger and started to like what I saw. My weight loss slowed down considerable and I went down the route of comparing myself to other sleevers in the same time frame - mistake! (Newbie alert - do not do this - it is a pointless exercise as we are all very different and our body reacts differently!) I found my self in a really dark place that was similar to the one I used to go to when I was a young girl. I did continue to lose weight, albeit slowly until Oct 2011! The it all stopped and I have been bouncing around the same weight since then.
I set myself loads of mini goals and targets and never made any of them! That was a kick in the d**k too! I had this image that on my 40th birthday I would be this beautiful slim woman, wearing a killer black dress and knock out heels - nah! I was still obese! And I was gutted.
I would read posts on here that said ' I farted and lost 100lbs' (ok, slight exaggeration, but you get my drift) and think to myself, I wish I could fart that hard! But I couldn't, so I didn't and I just kept plodding along.
My problem was that I had entered early menopause - confirmed when I was 39 and I had started taking HRT. That did one on my system and completely halted my weight loss. I stopped and started different types and didn't get on with any of them. Currently I am not on any medication and I am pretty much 'playing it by ear'!
After the 8mth mark I really upped my exercise and I started going to my son's boxing gym... my goodness me! What a fantastic work out and I really did reap the rewards; not through the scales but physically and mentally. I loved it. I went religiously for a long time - until I had a back injury that stopped me in my tracks. I went to physio and slowly it got better. However, I never really went back to exercising at the same capacity because I was scared that my back would go again. I didn't want to relive that kind of pain and I couldn't afford time off work. I took to walking and some light jogging instead.
Fast forward to today... I still haven't got to my surgeon's goal; I am just 9lbs away and I am I am 24 lbs away from my personal goal (BMI of 24 - not sure that will ever happen). However, I have not experienced a regain and I've maintained this weight since Oct 2011 (with a 2-4 lb 'bounce) - in that time I have dropped two dress sizes - funny how the body works eh? I honeslty believe that I have not regained because I never met goal and this has kept me on my toes and I remain accountable. I never take my sleeve for granted and I am very aware of what, when and why I eat. That doesn't mean I don't eat junk! I do, but rarely. Nothing is 'off limits' to me, I just make choices. The only thing I can't really tolerate is fizzy pop - I can physically drink it, but I hate the gassy feeling and the bloated feeling it gives me, so I stay away.
I am now 3 mths post TT and with the apron gone and some minor muscle repair and I am starting to feel good about myself and this body that holds me. I have started going to Curves and am I feeling the benefit - this is my way back to the boxing gym. My aim is to, with my TT surgeon's permission, get there by Sept/Oct this year. I am also following the 5:2 diet and it seems to be working as I have broken my 'set point' of 164 lbs and am currently sat at 163! Ok, it is only a pound, but after so long of not seeing any movement I feel like a new woman...lol! I am hopefully that I can at least get to my surgeon's goal and possibly even break through that?
Sorry this is so long, I just wanted to put the whole picture out there - although, I am sure I have missed a lot!
I suppose the main thing I wanted to get across is that it doesn't really matter what the scale reads! Even today I am medically obese - and although I hate that label it doesn't drive me mad anymore. I am fit and healthy and that is way more important. I have turned my life around and added 20 years to it; 20 quality years at that. I have started to accept 'me' and for the first time in a long time I quite like Coops; she's alright!
I will continue my Quest to get to goal... I refuse to give up on myself and I now realise that I am worth the effort! As cliched as it sounds but it really is a journey. And one that will never really end...
I will find some before and after pics and update them later!

Hope every one is injury free . Every one seems to be doing a great job..
It's getting very hot here in south Tx.
At this race they handed out ice cold towels.. It was very helpful as it was getting hotter and humid.
I ran my 2nd 10k this past saturday with a time of 1.11.31 a bit of improvement from my very first 10k.
I made a huge NO NO I ran with some newtons they had for anyone to test out. NEVER EVER AGAIN..
I will stick to my merrell or new balance..
Since November 2012 I have ran 9 5 k's and 2 10k's.
my next goal is a half in Dec or Feb.

Well, in all honesty, I hope that NO ONE ever told you "this will solve all your problems" because that just isn't the truth. Everyone says (and repeats) this is just a tool. And yep, here I am getting close to 3 years later and guess what? I still have to weigh and measure my food, I still have to be ON my game, or some weight can slip back on.
So on one hand sure it can be frustrating sometimes to have to remain diligent. I did NOT get skinny from this surgery and did not pick to be in maintenance when my body decided to quit losing. But I have made peace with being where I am. (I am battling a bit of a regain +15lbs which I AM refusing to accept and will continue to battle until it's gone) but I have made peace with the fact that I will not have a "normal" BMI. I'm okay with that.
On the other hand, this is ONE piece of the big puzzle. Why did I eat, when did I eat, and what did I eat pre-surgery? And because of having surgery and dealing with some of the issues around my own eating puzzle, I'm forever grateful for having this surgery. Would I have ever been able to lose -85lbs and KEEP IT OFF for 2 years? Nope. Not this girl. I would have already gained it all back by now.
So the answer to the question is the rose colored glasses are MY CHOICE and how I want my journey to be. I've learned that there is NO finish line, there is no DONE and now I just get to eat whatever I want and not gain weight. So I've accepted that this is MY battle MY cross to bear and I refuse to accept defeat. Attitude counts...it's really all up to you and it always has been. The surgery is the tool to help you, not do it for you.

Love your birthday picture too FYE...you look amazing!!

I am going to join in on this for the 4:3 days. I have a high bounce of a couple of lbs and it's frightening. I got in my head that I was in maintenance and everything went to heXX! So back on track. I know I can't relax on this ever. So tuesday, thursday and saturday will be my fasting days.....Got my hubby doing this too. He read the article on how this could help diabetes and he couldn't eat dinner that night, came home, drank Water, didn't use his insulin and woke up the next morning with bs levels at 88. He's in now. Yayyyyyyyyyyy! Thank you so much. Now let's see if I can get back on track...

Ok I'm over myself a bit now. I don't know what was going on this morning. It's funny I stepped on that scale intending to see a gain after two days of celebrations only to see one of the biggest losses I've had since starting this.
I don't know I just lost it and cried it just was confusing this whole thing is confusing somedays!
Anyway I got out and faced the day wearing something I bought a couple of days ago in a smaller size.
A little sun some deep breathing and some shopping/ errand running put me back into the right frame of mind!

Here is my Birthday Picture ... and dog walk stop at a Walnut orchard... on the way to Gray Lodge Wildlife preserve in Northern California.
By the way, down one more pound after a regular eating day... that makes 3 1/2 lbs in 6 days. It really does cut the craving for junk in the bud on regular days. When I get full, I feel SO full, and really could stop eating before I get to my alloted calories, I have to make myself eat more on regular days, and at that am not eating the last of my calories. Something else. I do have to really plan my meals on "fast" or rest days, to help keep on plan, but at this early stage, its not that hard to do. I continue to lift weights, take walks and take dance lessons, with enough energy. I am very thirsty, and love to drink Water and teas and such... after months/years of not meeting my Water levels many days.

Hello and Happy Fathers Day to those of u that r papas! I returned from an action packed 4 day stay at the local reservoir! My son and I participated in the Recon Run- a 5k obstacle course. The events were okay- I expected more challenging obstacles, but we had a blast nevertheless. There were two huge walls- one with a drop, some barbed wire, a mud pit, some mid sized walls to hop over, and a swim. Swimming in tennis shoes is TOUGH! We had lots of fun. We also kayaked and kayaked and kayaked some more. Lol! Best part was watching the sunset while out on the lake in relatively calm waters. I'm loving being fit. Camping is so much more fun! Love it! Here's a pic of my youngest and I after the run.

WTG BTB!!! You endured a lot to finish that half!!! Way to be a trooper and get your 2nd half under your belt! Love the race pic and medal. Your shirt is too awesome! The whole carb loading before a race is still hard for me to, it's tough to know how many carbs to eat to not end up with an upset tummy and needing to use the port a John during the race. I know over time as we continue running we will figure out what works for our bodies. Congrats again!!! My 2nd half for this years scheduled for September...training begins in 2 weeks! What's next on your list, now that you have 2 halfs under your belt???

Thanks Nannie! I totally agree with what you said...glad we are in this together!

Congrats, Renee! You are exactly where I was and SHOULD BE. Working on it. About 10 mo pounds to be back to goal range.
I'm like you and FYI, been through many "eating plans" and then sleeve came along and changed my life. 3 years out and glad to be here.
I think that's what is working for me right now because as someone said earlier today you get to where it is constantly on your mind and you find yourself wanting to eat or graze all the time. Having A period of real Rest From food has made me really conscious of what goes into my mouth and the fear of regain makes me really think twice about when and what!

Happy BirthdayFYE and Laura...I will be celebrating mine next week on the 20th!!! Like Laura, I too waited to move my ticker or even say anything on here because I wanted to see if the pounds stayed off for more than a day or came back(water weight). Happy to say I was 153 on Monday and weighed in at 149 this morning!!! I do like that the 5:2 has made me think about the fact that my body needs a daily rest from food, a period to really tune into whether I'm actually hungry or just eating out of habit and to stop having my late night snack. I will continue to give my body a 12 hr fast daily, for me that means not eating after 8pm and having Breakfast at 8am. I will drink Water during these hours if I feel I want something and am hoping this will break my late night snacking(when I say late I mean a snack at 9:30ish lol)
This will truly be a lifelong journey for me. I may no longer be 230 physically, but the emotional scars are still there and will take more than one year and a 84 pound weight loss to cure. I have truly been paying more attention to what I eat and how I feel when eating it. I have been drinking a minimum of 64 oz of Water since Tuesday and getting a lot of Protein in along with some carbs (need them for fuel during my workouts). Don't want to get too excited but am soo happy the scale move again.

Happy BirthdayFYE and Laura...I will be celebrating mine next week on the 20th!!! Like Laura, I too waited to move my ticker or even say anything on here because I wanted to see if the pounds stayed off for more than a day or came back(water weight). Happy to say I was 153 on Monday and weighed in at 149 this morning!!! I do like that the 5:2 has made me think about the fact that my body needs a daily rest from food, a period to really tune into whether I'm actually hungry or just eating out of habit and to stop having my late night snack. I will continue to give my body a 12 hr fast daily, for me that means not eating after 8pm and having Breakfast at 8am. I will drink Water during these hours if I feel I want something and am hoping this will break my late night snacking(when I say late I mean a snack at 9:30ish lol)
This will truly be a lifelong journey for me. I may no longer be 230 physically, but the emotional scars are still there and will take more than one year and a 84 pound weight loss to cure. I have truly been paying more attention to what I eat and how I feel when eating it. I have been drinking a minimum of 64 oz of Water since Tuesday and getting a lot of Protein in along with some carbs (need them for fuel during my workouts). Don't want to get too excited but am soo happy the scale move again.