VSGAnn2014

@@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!

(I get up REALLY early!) 4-5 am - thyroid pill 8 am - multivitamin/mineral, Ranitidine (150 mg), fish oil, probiotic With / after dinner - Caltrate (calcium + D3), Ranitidine (150 mg), stool softener Bedtime - Melatonin

Honestly, my success has come from simply following the rules. I haven't tried to game or cheat my sleeve or the rules. I've used My Fitness Pal to plan and track my food. I've used Fitbit (and lately a new phone app) to count my daily steps and walking distances. I've kept records and analyzed them to learn what behaviors produce different outcomes. I've not been perfect, but I have tried very hard to do what I expected of myself. I've kept a very positive, can-do attitude. I've had good support from my dear husband. I've not told anyone (except hubby, basically) about my WLS and avoided all those weird conversations about "the easy way out" with family members and friends and conserved my energies that way. I've made friends online with other WLS patients and laughed with them. And I've reveled in the non-scale victories I've had along the way. What I haven't done is worry about how fast the scale has moved. I wasn't the fastest loser (or the slowest one) in the yard. And believe me, there are so many head changes happening along the way that the slower it goes the more time you have to get used to some strange things. Just do it your way and don't compare yourself to others. Your way is just fine as long as you're honest with yourself.

I've run into your comments quite a bit here and while sometimes helpful, you're mostly sanctimonious and condescending. Well, I've never seen your posts before, and you're boring. Good luck finding online support for WLS.

@@Elode ... You are one great Head Cheerleader! Go, team, go!

I second what @@Daisee68 said. Me, too.

August 2014 sleever checking in: Highest weight - 235.6 pounds (back in early June 2014) Weight surgery day (8/18/2014) - 216 pounds Hit weight goal 4/22/2015 - 150 pounds Since have lost another 10 lbs and maintaining stably at - 140 pounds WOOT! P.S. I'm eating 1,700 calories for a maintenance budget - lots of Protein, carbs and fats.

Oh, @@LipstickLady ... you make me laugh! Every day.

Good point, @@LipstickLady .... For counterpoint, here's a four-year surgiversary announcement made here yesterday: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/354253-4-years-ago-today-i-was-wheeled-into-surgery/?hl=%2Bqueen+%2Bcrop#entry3991321

I know a woman who had RnY surgery about 5-6 years ago and lost 150 pounds. I'd guess she has regained nearly 100 pounds. She's very smart, highly educated, is a therapist herself. I say that to suggest that the monkeys on some of our backs are very hard to throw off and keep off.

Re "free candy," I would like to mention that it is a perfectly legitimate choice to throw candy in the garbage. It does not need to be repurposed or saved or used in any ways.

Whatever works for you is what you should do.

Jeez Louise! That's nearly 1,000 calories -- of nothing but alcohol and sugar. I'll say it again ... Jeez Louise!

I am so sorry you have having to endure this. And on the other hand, your tumors might also be benign. I truly hope they are and/or that they are operable and that your cancer is completely treatable. Very, very best to you!

P.S. My shrink says that after people lose all their excess weight have to find NEW motivations and NEW goals to inspire their commitment to the lifestyles that will keep them thin. After the initial weight loss, he says, the compliments stop, the thrill of being newly slim fades, boring real life pales by comparison to the excitement of watching the weight fall off. He says those who are most successful long-term are those who actively identify and work toward new goals. In other words, the most goal-oriented patients are those who have a natural advantage in keeping their weight off.

Not sure the OP will find this helpful, but here goes anyway .... I've seen many posts on online WLS forums from people who have gained considerable amounts of weight (40-50 or more pounds). In many instances they've suffered pretty bad life blows -- became widowed, became seriously ill, had family members become very ill, had grandchildren move in with them to be raised, had to move in with other family members due to financial problems, etc. In these instances they report they've just been overwhelmed by life, not had the energy to support their own health, gone back to "bad habits," etc. These are people whose new circumstances have just consumed the resources they might otherwise have used to build and sustain a healthier lifestyle. Some who've gained also report that they're now drinking a lot of their calories. In one instance I recall, a woman had become "addicted" (it seems there's really no other word for it) high-calorie coffee drinks from McDonalds and over months of posting about this problem could not seem to kick it. (She was also someone who had suffered the loss of a beloved spouse from cancer after losing her weight.) Needless to say, she also wasn't getting much Protein or other nutritional food that WLS patients need to be successful long-term. I've seen people cite drinking lots of sweet tea (there are several of those in my WLS support group), Mountain Dew, wheat thins (yes, wheat thins) as the villains in their WLS tragedies. Grazing and all-day munching is also implicated in these regain situations. Yes, the physics of weight regain (too many calories eaten, wrong foods eaten / drunk, too little exercise) are obvious. But the real question is ... what's behind the inability to create a new lifestyle that would sustain long-term weight stability and better health?

Hold on here -- I didn't know this was also going to be about recommitting to drinking our Water. I want a piece of that!

Thank you for this article. I can't argue that Bariatric Girl's lifestyle has helped her maintain a normal weight for many years and has obviously given her life great purpose. But these statements give me pause: She "volunteers 80 hours a week" and "... [hasn't] had cake, pie, Cookies, candy in 13 years ...." and " ... [doesn't] know very many [WLS patients] that can [maintain their weight by eating these foods in moderation]". Her rigid views and the behaviors that work for her, which she recommends for other WLS patients to be successful long-term, make her an inappropriate role model for me. I sincerely hope that my ability to maintain a healthy weight won't require a Bariatric Girl lifestyle. I should also note that I don't see myself as a "food addict," so her needs and mine are more than likely different. Instead, this article motivates me to build a different lifestyle that invites balance, intuition, and mindfulness, while leveraging the power of planning, discipline and metrics. I'll be sharing this article with my therapist and telling him it has helped me understand better his concerns about my control issues. Best wishes to us all.

Having a BMI of 35 with comorbidities is sufficient qualification for WLS. Obviously, some people (including some WLS patients) don't know this. Then there's the good chance we'll run into assholes who are also WLS patients. I'm not a fan of stereotyping, but here goes anyway: There's a "type" of morbidly obese person who's the biggest, baddest grizzly bear in the room. She or he is always right, loud, snarky, over-sharing, microphone-grabbing, heavy-sighing, head-shaking, eye-rolling, and goes all alpha-female or alpha-male when someone doesn't knuckle under to her/his opinions of what's right and wrong. They're also prone to stomping out of the room when asked to tone it down. And to borrow @@Dub 's wrestling metaphor (loved it!), women of this ilk like to find another like-minded woman to tag-team with and discipline other group members. I suppose people like this are very unhappy, and that's understandable, given their physical and emotional challenges. But jeez, I always want to ask security to escort them out.

I wish you the very best and think you have made the best decision for yourself you possibly could -- to seek treatment in a live-in setting. We'll all be thinking of you and hoping you're healing. Ann

Happy Surgiversary, Queen of Crop. Four years ... wow! You rock.

Bottom line -- at 14+ months post-op, I get hungry. Sorry you're having trouble with that. I also eat at (mostly) the same times every day -- lunch at noon, dinner at 5:00 pm. Breakfast schedule is a little loosey-goosey. Mid-morning snack around 10:00, and after-dinner dessert (usually yogurt) around 6:00 pm.

(Knock on wood!) I'm not going sugar-crazy over here, so I'll pass. Break a leg.

You sound really judgemental and rude. That's not the point of this website. This is supposed to be a supportive, helpful site. I cannot believe you are judging other people's very PERSONAL decision. What part of the "problem" am I since I'm not telling people? And yes, I am well aware I seem angry. I am angry at your comment. Do you judge me for having two surgeries for endometriosis and not telling people about that? This has been my personal struggle and battle. It is my story to share if I decide to. I think you shaming others for not telling is part of the "problem." And by problem, I mean obesity. We know we are being silently judged at all times just walking into a room. We know how hard it is to stick to a diet and exercise regimen and fail over and over again. For most of us, surgery is the last ditch effort. And we are still afraid of failing. Everyone has their demons, issues, and their right to privacy. I'm glad you feel so confident in telling everyone about your surgery. But do not try to shame me and make me feel like I'm doing something wrong by keeping my experience to myself. Obese people suffer and their suffering is made worse when people who had weight loss surgery lie about it. That's what I mean that if you lie you are part of the problem by promoting deception and that all that one has to do is just diet and exercise. You don't have to shout it on the rooftop but you should be honest when you are asked how you lost the weight. There's no shame in having surgery but there's shame in lying. So if you are actively lying and then have the nerve to say that I'm rude then I suggest you do some soul searching. Lol calm down. I haven't even had surgery yet. So I'm not "actively lying" about anything. I'm not worried about the shame, or lack thereof, if someone questions how I lose weight and I don't give them my story. By all means, feel free to shame me for my future hypothetical conversations. LOL! Truly, laughing out loud. Thanks.

A younger woman friend of mine found her true love on Tinder. They live in NYC, where Tinder makes a lot of sense for young singles who spend time in bars after work. (Come on, we all remember what that life was like. ) Point is, Tinder is not just for a hook-up site.