VSGAnn2014

What an awesome, sensible, wise and welcome post! Thank you. I wish you would pipe up more often.

Please revisit the definition of "intermittent reinforcement."

I read everything you typed. (Yes, in future use the return character to make MUCH shorter paragraphs -- those are hard to read.) But girl, I hear you! Loud and clear! And just so no one gets confused, I'm the one in our marriage who has had WLS. And my husband is the perfect model of a supportive spouse. So I'm not coming at this from any projection that you're in my situation. Because you're not. Sweetheart, you are hooked up with a playah! And he is playing you like a violin. He's played you for money. He's played you for support. And you're not even getting laid in return. I will say one thing loud and clear. You better not marry this dude. I doubt you are perfect either (none of us is). But it's so clear to me that the two of you together are not really fighting about weight or eating or gym behavior -- his or yours. You are fighting about your needs to control each other. And he's winning. Worst of all, I find it TERRIBLE that while you're literally giving him a home and paying for all of that and while you're planning to marry this guy that you and he are not making your financial decisions together. Get the hell out of there. Now. (As always, these are my two cents. Others' mileage may vary.)

I remember feeling rather desperate pre-op ... that surgery needed to happen NOW! And I irritated numerous folks, but mostly myself. No one feels the need for speed like focused, motivated WLS pre-op patients. So be happy about your energy and focus. You'll be able to harness all that stuff post-op toward your goals. This really is going to happen.

I've got plenty of time for discussion ... on a discussion board. Farewell.

I'm 5 months post-op. I adore my surgeon and his team. They are GREAT. However, like Kindle, I assume responsibility for my own WLS success. I've also found tremendous value in many experiences and advice expressed here and other online forums. So I welcome everyone's views. But any insinuation that people should muzzle their experiences, opinions or even their instincts here is silly. BP is a message board. It's social media. It's not a source of medical advice. No one here is responsible for what others do or don't do in response to their comments here. As everyone here surely realizes, we are just regular Joes typing on the internet, expressing ourselves.

I'm five months post-op and drink (typically) 1/2 cup in the morning with 1/2 cup hot skim milk. Most I EVER drink is a full cup (a second 1/2 cup with a second 1/2 cup of hot skim milk). No problems thus far.

@@CowgirlJane ... if you don't mind saying, what kind of maintenance food "budget" does your body tolerate at your ideal weight? I realize that's not just a calories question, but also a Protein, carbs, etc. one. And exercise is a factor, too. FYI, My Fitness Pal says that for me -- at 150 pounds as a 69 y.o., 5'4" female -- my "basal metabolic rate" would be 1,190 calories. To burn any more than that, I'd have to stand up and actually move. I don't know how realistic that calculation is. But I guess I will soon find out. At http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tools/bmr-calculator BMR is defined as: What is your BMR? Your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is an estimate of how many calories you'd burn if you were to do nothing but rest for 24 hours. It represents the minimum amount of energy needed to keep your body functioning, including breathing and keeping your heart beating. Your BMR does not include the calories you burn from normal daily activities or exercise. Our calculator uses the Mifflin-St. Jeor equations to estimate your BMR which is believed to be more accurate than the more commonly used Harris-Benedict equation.

Doing great. Only 16 pounds to goal (seems unreal!). Now hitting 10,000 steps/day pretty regularly. Never thought that would happen. Arthritis pain (knees) is so much less, even without any NSAIDs. Energy is much higher. Sleeping well, too (the extra exercise, I'm sure). Damn! What a good idea this was!

@@CowgirlJane ... thank you so much for that post. Truly, thank you! I'm with Queen. It's good to be a realist. Even though I'm not at maintenance yet (am only 5 months out), I am 16 pounds from goal. I have always expected to have to be an observant, mindful, obsessive freak about maintenance. There's a guy on another forum who keeps saying, "We're not on a diet, so stop dieting!" This joker weighs 280 pounds *after* WLS and brags about drinking "several margaritas" every night in addition to the meals he whips up. His experience of what it takes to maintain his 280 pounds is blatantly different from everybody else's experience I've observed in the weight maintenance phase of this journey and is freakishly different from the experience of women who are trying to maintain a normal BMI weight. Being normal-sized after being morbidly obese doesn't mean we no longer suffer from the disease of obesity. Given what we know about the metabolic effects of lifetime yo-yo dieting and obesity, I never expected I would be able to eat as much as my normal-sized friends when it's time for me to maintain my weight. And except for a few odd friends who are lucky enough to have strangely over-active metabolisms, even my normal-sized friends who've never been obese still exercise a lot, don't overeat often, don't clean their plates, and don't graze. So let's keep it real.

Like others say ... worry about real problems.

Yeah, no. You need the surgery. Really.

6:00 am. Do much better in morning than later.

Jeez, that's discouraging.

Yesterday, I played with my friend's two gorgeous, deliriously happy dogs. They run like the wind! They made me so happy. (My best friend / beautiful dog died suddenly a month and a half ago, and I'm recovering form her passing.) Dogs, even others' dogs, make so much instant joy!

Oh. Never mind. Emily Litella

I have a treadmill and a seated elliptical (NuStep) at home. I'm using them a LOT this winter. It really is tougher to walk outside when it's at or below freezing. Ugh.

For those of you who don't want to eat "chemicals" and who favor "clean eating" .... what's stopping you? Just figure out how you will meet the daily Protein level requirements and go for it.

On day two post-op I had several hours of WTF?! And then it passed. And I was OK and back in the saddle again.

Google "5-day pouch". Good luck.

I think at 25 pound loss in 3 months has to be judged in terms of: your starting weight, your comorbidities, what you're eating, how much you're exercising, any metabolic diseases you have, and probably some other things. Because everyone wants to compare themselves to others, here's my "first three months post-op record": I was 68 y.o. when I had VSG surgery. I weighed 235 pounds a few months before surgery and lost 20 pounds before surgery. My first three months post-op I lost another 31 pounds. Post-op (after the first week or so) I was eating 700-800 calories most days, eating 60-80 grams of Protein daily, drinking 64 ounces of liquids (or close), taking my multivitamin/minerals, and walking about 5,000 - 7,000 steps a day. In other words, I was compliant with my doc's instrucs, but was not a gym rat during that time.

That is so fucked. I'm sorry.

One observation to offer ... I have NEVER in all my prior weight-loss programs or even in my life eaten this much Protein for so long. I regularly eat 80-90 grams of protein most days. Perhaps all this protein is contributing to this phenomenon?

I know I'm not addicted to alcohol or cigarettes, although I do enjoy alcohol occasionally and years ago smoked socially. However, I do have trigger foods--the more of which I eat, the more of which I want. Those are highly processed foods made from sugar, flour, oils, butter, cream and include chocolate, cake, ice cream, Cookies, breads, pizza, and pastas. They "light up" the parts of my body and brain that are not satisfied with just one taste but want to be numbed. Is that addiction?

I was sleeved in August 2014. I caught a terrible cold Thanksgiving weekend (at a staycation at a beautiful hotel / spa). Lasted almost 3 weeks. Sucked. But that's the only thing I've dealt with.