katesuccess

You put in the time.
You put in the money.

You go to all the appointments and you jump through all the hoops.
You do the pre-op diet.

You have the surgery.

You cared enough about yourself to make the commitment to WLS and you physically and permanently alter your body...


And then you get mad because someone tells you not to eat the d@mn taco? Not to drink alcohol or soda 2.783 days after surgery? To put down the freaking pizza'? To stop eating bread/rice/pasta/bananas/hoagies/20oz steaks TEMPORARILY while your body heals and you get to your goal weight? To actually stick to YOUR doctor's plan?

Even better, you get mad when they only do so AFTER you ASKED????

SERIOUSLY PEOPLE?

Yes. I'd guess most of us have head hunger and cravings. I'd guess most of us had a nibble or sip of something off plan. I've no doubt that most of us were not 100% compliant 100% of the time. But I'd also guess that those of us who have done this, gotten to goal weight and stayed there have been compliant the majority of the time. I'd also guess that many of us who have been successful would appreciate a swift kick in the rear if/when we ask a question I bet we already know the answer to.

It's not rocket science and this isn't Romper Room. Make good choices, stick to your doctor's orders or don't, but don't get mad if you fail to get the results you want when you refuse to do what you are supposed to do. And don't get mad when someone tells you that what you are putting in your mouth isn't the best idea in the world even though you want it right now.

Value yourself more than that. Seriously.

I am over three years out, above my goal by about 5 pounds and happy. I could (fairly) easily get down to my goal by tracking, measuring and weighing my intake, or I can eat sensibly, enjoy a daily treat and maintain effortlessly. I choose the latter for now because I have a LOT of other stuff going on in my life. The minute my size 8 AEO jeans start getting too tight, I'll go back to option one.

My restriction is super great. I can rarely get in more than 2/3 cup in volume or 3ish oz of firm protein'. My oldest went off to college (go Hoos!), my youngest is a junior in high school and is busy with show choir, volleyball, martial arts, a part time job and with a new driver's license, she is rarely home. (BOOOO!) My husband gets home pretty late and is a grown man, so I've gone from making a sit down dinner every night to making sure there is something in the fridge to eat when anyone gets home and making special "little plates" for myself. I don't have @@Dub cooking for me (jerk!!), and I prefer rich, flavorful foods.

Why am I posting this? I have no clue. I am going to throw out a few of my favorites and I would love to hear your suggestions for more. Most of these can be thrown together in minutes and most components are staples in my house.

Seafood salad and and a few soy wasabi triscuits is an amazing combination.

Cheddar, a few apple slices and a bit of good quality thinly sliced soppressata or prosciutto.
Grilled garlic edamame and Sriracha mayo dipping sauce.

A cluster of crab legs, hot or cold.

cheese stuffed meatballs, baked with whole milk mozzarella on top. (No red gravy for this half Italian. Weird!)

A slice (or two) of avocado wrapped in pepper jack, turkey and (pre cooked) bacon, pan browned just until cheese is melty.

Softly scrambled cheese eggs with diced onions and mushrooms.

Portabella stuffed with artichoke, spinach and feta.

Mini taco stuffed bell peppers.


What else, peeps?

So it's very obvious the new newbies want nothing to do with hearing what successful WLS patients have to say. The recent debate over the the eating bacon 1 week postop makes it perfectly clear that what they want is for someone to tell them it's OK to be stupid. They are not interested in listening to their surgeons or nuts or veterans. Self sabotage is the new fad and compliance is apparently out of style. I made the mistake of responding to the post when, as a veteran, I should have known better. Turns out I'm just a big meanie (no surprise there!) At this point it's 95% newbies posting on that thread who don't have a clue what the long term repercussions of eating off plan so soon will lead to. The blind leading the blind.
Oh well. It will be interesting to see the stats of successful EWL go down over the next few years as more and more unprepared, uncommitted people continue to have WLS. In the meantime, I'm outa here. The newbies won. As hard as it is to tear my eyes away from the car wreck, I just can't take anymore people that do stupid shit and then whine about getting their feelings hurt. Someone PM me when the grown ups start joining again.

Not for a millisecond do I regret my sleeve! Best thing in the world for me, and it got so many other joyful and healthy things going for me too. I'm two years out now, down 125 lbs, only 20 to go and happier than I can ever remember. Every day!

That's great! And enjoyed a walk along with the restoration of MVPP (Most Valuable Party Person)!

So, anyone have an odd or surprising milestone they hit AFTER they became "a vet"?
Mine is this: I went to the doc yesterday (for an eye infection), and I did not feel my gut clench when the nurse led me to the scale, I weighed in and did not make a comment about 'just having eaten/drank' to account for the weight, AND then realized that for the first time in my entire adult life, I did not consciously make sure to remember to pee before I went in to weigh! Yay!!!
The number just is not so important now, and I felt the most lovely realization that I'm finally taking it for granted that my weight/number does not define me.
Call me a Happy Camper.
Now, what yours?

I'll take that rasher of bacon with a large slab of chocolate cake and a single malt chaser...or five.

Not for a millisecond do I regret my sleeve! Best thing in the world for me, and it got so many other joyful and healthy things going for me too. I'm two years out now, down 125 lbs, only 20 to go and happier than I can ever remember. Every day!

Oh my gosh- thank you both, @Djmohr and @@VSGAnn2014 - this is so helpful, and I feel in good company with such thoughtful and seasoned vets as you.
Ann, I'm so sorry for the grief, illness and roller coast this time has been for you, and I'm in awe of how beautifully you are living from your depth and strength, and not from some of those other options. The therapeutic route is so powerful, and so often dodged or overlooked because it's really hard work. Heck even finding a good therapist you like working with is hard work. Nice to hear the story of it working so well. What an inspiration you are!
Djmohr, awful that it's so painful - and that they don't give the straight story often about how bad it might be! Thanks for your honesty. I've been feeling quietly sorry for myself because my financial life doesn't allow for even the possibility of doing it (unless of course I win the lottery, which will be especially unlikely since I don't buy tickets!). The pain sounds pretty lousy, so I should at least take heart that I won't have to live through the ouch-part, just my flapping bat-wings, droopy kangaroo pouch-like thing and my thigh skin running down my legs, (chased only by my saggy breasts).
I backslid last summer on vacation and gained 25 lbs--I was horrified and stopped myself, and am now finally past the low weight from before my lapse. No longer feel like I'm "re-losing" the same pounds anyway. I'm worried about maintenance some, since for me to lose has meant being super rigid about my macros staying consistent every day. Granted I like that it's working, just not sure how much the motivation will flag once it's to stay the same instead of see the reward of weight loss.
I'll count on you all for guidance! Thanks for starting this conversation @Julie norton - so glad we can ask you Super-Vets to weigh in on these longer term things.

I feel that way too some days when I sign on and look at 'new content'. The advice is downright scary sometimes, but mostly it feels like a tone thing. Then I switch and cruise through Rants and Raves and Vets and it's usually better.
SO - here's my recent 'years out' issue; I'm two years from my VS, and this week finally hit a number that means I'm only 20 lbs from goal, (yay!) and was surprised at some of the thoughts I've had about that:
Not much fear about not hitting it, because I'm so much happier now with my body, that if I don't get to 145 it's just not the end of the world, but still I wonder if I can. Although things are going well and not too hard right now, I'm wondering how hard maintenance will be, since I've never ever managed to do it for more than about a nanosecond it seems! I'm knowing I may not look that good at a lower weight, and am dreading people who say not to lose any more or offer helpful council about what I should weigh. If it's too low for me and I go up a little bit, will I even be able to stop going up, up, up? All things I know rationally are manageable, and yet still provoked a gut-clench response following my immediate thrill of realizing I'm getting close. And final issue now that I'm two years out--When the heck will it cease to interest people to talk about my weight!?! Good grief people, can we talk about Orlando, Dallas, Nice, and the horrifyingly long list of such things? Heck, I might even rather talk politics than weight in public. Sigh.

Maybe I'm just cranky because I just went to a big party wearing a cute dress that showed how successful this has been for me --in nice appropriate ways-- and I swear almost every person in the room felt the need to comment!

Sorry to hear that @@erp ! How's everyone doing this Monday morning?
I'm heading into some challenging weeks here with a conference, a backpack trip, a mini vacation trip and it'll be a beast to track my macros as scrupulously as I've been doing. Sigh. I have meals planned for the backpacking, but the conference I have to lead is awful that way, and the vacation time will be tough as well, since my usual foods aren't as easily available. I'll cope, but as I say - these will be challenging weeks for me. Thanks for letting me whine.
On the other hand, for the first time in 'forever' I lost two pounds this week! Yaaaaaaay!

Not for a millisecond do I regret my sleeve! Best thing in the world for me, and it got so many other joyful and healthy things going for me too. I'm two years out now, down 125 lbs, only 20 to go and happier than I can ever remember. Every day!

@@VSGAnn2014 - BTW, I started seeing my therapist just over two years ago when I told him I was committing to see him for three years: (1) the year of losing weight, (2) the year of maintaining weight, and (3) the year of boring real life.
That is great. I actually did the same thing when I went through my divorce and the guy was great through this process too. That might/should be added to the checklist of things people should consider before doing this.
I just went to my doctor's appointment today, and I am up 4 pounds from when I saw him six months ago. He didn't freak out, but I sure as heck did. That is unacceptable in my book. But, I looked at my food and exercise log and realized, very understandable because I have not been working out well and I'm not paying attention to what I'm eating. DUH
Now, do I care about the advice of a pre-op? NOPE. UNLESS it is freaking stupid. Then I will CARE. Other than than that, rote stuff is fine.

I truly appreciate this forum for the absolute honesty from seasoned vets!!
It is one place I can hear the real deal from those that are going through trials and tribulations of long term post WLS and plastics.
Thank you djmohr for the reality post. I almost yelled at the dr at a follow up visit from my TT.... (I recall saying " I've had two kids over 9 lbs and you never warned me how much pain I would be in in the first week ". ) He seemed surprised... Bet he never had a TT !! ( I later found out the staff are asked to speak in quiet tones at his practice..... ) I'm sure some eyebrows were raised... Oh well... Truth comes out of me loudly I suppose when I'm in severe pain.
Yes, I would do it again, but with a knowing mindset...
Anyway, I'm thankful for the banter here. I'm thinking years out of WLS, it is really up to us personally to continue this road to stay at a healthy weight.
I notice now I say I had a good month. Or I can have a better month... No more day by day playbook that was in my head for years.
Enough of my ramble

@@Valentina
LOL! You crack me up!
I remind both my boys frequently they didn't offer epidurals when I had them. Pressure my ass!

Ha! I can relate to your sage recollections.
I remember being in the end stage of labor with my 10# daughter. I went "natural" so had no pain meds (doctor convinced me it was best for the baby----arse hole! ).
I remember my OB saying, "You'll just going to feel a little pressure now, Dear".
Pressure????? It felt like he was pulling a rabid Rottweiler through a knot hole!!!!!
I have never forgotten that line----" You're just going to feel a little pressure now, DEAR".
I guess there's a reason why surgeons do their best work when their patients are asleep.

I'm in that three year place and yeah it's more of a struggle to maintain for sure. I've gained 10. No more. And gone up and down those 10 for about six months and am trying to decide whether those 10 are worth the struggle. I'm still a size 4, I can still do everything I did when I was 135. My original stretch goal was 150 so I'm still 5 lbs below that. But damnit I liked 135 better.
As for brachioplasty... Please don't assume people aren't giving the straight scoop. Just like with WLS we are all different. I had itching, but very little pain and no burning. Not sugar coating it. That just honestly wasn't my experience. I was back to mostly normal 2 weeks post op and had brachioplasty, Tummy Tuck and Breast lift/aug. I guess I'm just a good healer. I'm very sorry that hasn't been your experience

Oh my gosh- thank you both, @Djmohr and @@VSGAnn2014 - this is so helpful, and I feel in good company with such thoughtful and seasoned vets as you.
Ann, I'm so sorry for the grief, illness and roller coast this time has been for you, and I'm in awe of how beautifully you are living from your depth and strength, and not from some of those other options. The therapeutic route is so powerful, and so often dodged or overlooked because it's really hard work. Heck even finding a good therapist you like working with is hard work. Nice to hear the story of it working so well. What an inspiration you are!
Djmohr, awful that it's so painful - and that they don't give the straight story often about how bad it might be! Thanks for your honesty. I've been feeling quietly sorry for myself because my financial life doesn't allow for even the possibility of doing it (unless of course I win the lottery, which will be especially unlikely since I don't buy tickets!). The pain sounds pretty lousy, so I should at least take heart that I won't have to live through the ouch-part, just my flapping bat-wings, droopy kangaroo pouch-like thing and my thigh skin running down my legs, (chased only by my saggy breasts).
I backslid last summer on vacation and gained 25 lbs--I was horrified and stopped myself, and am now finally past the low weight from before my lapse. No longer feel like I'm "re-losing" the same pounds anyway. I'm worried about maintenance some, since for me to lose has meant being super rigid about my macros staying consistent every day. Granted I like that it's working, just not sure how much the motivation will flag once it's to stay the same instead of see the reward of weight loss.
I'll count on you all for guidance! Thanks for starting this conversation @Julie norton - so glad we can ask you Super-Vets to weigh in on these longer term things.

I feel that way too some days when I sign on and look at 'new content'. The advice is downright scary sometimes, but mostly it feels like a tone thing. Then I switch and cruise through Rants and Raves and Vets and it's usually better.
SO - here's my recent 'years out' issue; I'm two years from my VS, and this week finally hit a number that means I'm only 20 lbs from goal, (yay!) and was surprised at some of the thoughts I've had about that:
Not much fear about not hitting it, because I'm so much happier now with my body, that if I don't get to 145 it's just not the end of the world, but still I wonder if I can. Although things are going well and not too hard right now, I'm wondering how hard maintenance will be, since I've never ever managed to do it for more than about a nanosecond it seems! I'm knowing I may not look that good at a lower weight, and am dreading people who say not to lose any more or offer helpful council about what I should weigh. If it's too low for me and I go up a little bit, will I even be able to stop going up, up, up? All things I know rationally are manageable, and yet still provoked a gut-clench response following my immediate thrill of realizing I'm getting close. And final issue now that I'm two years out--When the heck will it cease to interest people to talk about my weight!?! Good grief people, can we talk about Orlando, Dallas, Nice, and the horrifyingly long list of such things? Heck, I might even rather talk politics than weight in public. Sigh.

Maybe I'm just cranky because I just went to a big party wearing a cute dress that showed how successful this has been for me --in nice appropriate ways-- and I swear almost every person in the room felt the need to comment!

Hmmm. I also don't identify as a WLS patient now (2 years out). Perhaps a former one, or a WLS 'beneficiary'', much like I was a beneficiary of a C-section once and of early detection and intervention with cancer. It's like they're my history, not part of my current story in that 'film at 11' sort of way.
And yes, my WLS still impacts me daily for all the same reasons it does any of us re eating/drinking and so forth. I also didn't have much help in the way of follow up care after the initial loss. When I asked for more help, they really didn't have anything helpful for me, and seemed disinterested at that point. I feel like that part of the journey where I was someone's patient is really over.
Not sure I'll ever recover from that desire to eat buckets full of Reese's Peanut Butter cups though. No, I won't eat them, just dream about them!

Oh my gosh- thank you both, @Djmohr and @@VSGAnn2014 - this is so helpful, and I feel in good company with such thoughtful and seasoned vets as you.
Ann, I'm so sorry for the grief, illness and roller coast this time has been for you, and I'm in awe of how beautifully you are living from your depth and strength, and not from some of those other options. The therapeutic route is so powerful, and so often dodged or overlooked because it's really hard work. Heck even finding a good therapist you like working with is hard work. Nice to hear the story of it working so well. What an inspiration you are!
Djmohr, awful that it's so painful - and that they don't give the straight story often about how bad it might be! Thanks for your honesty. I've been feeling quietly sorry for myself because my financial life doesn't allow for even the possibility of doing it (unless of course I win the lottery, which will be especially unlikely since I don't buy tickets!). The pain sounds pretty lousy, so I should at least take heart that I won't have to live through the ouch-part, just my flapping bat-wings, droopy kangaroo pouch-like thing and my thigh skin running down my legs, (chased only by my saggy breasts).
I backslid last summer on vacation and gained 25 lbs--I was horrified and stopped myself, and am now finally past the low weight from before my lapse. No longer feel like I'm "re-losing" the same pounds anyway. I'm worried about maintenance some, since for me to lose has meant being super rigid about my macros staying consistent every day. Granted I like that it's working, just not sure how much the motivation will flag once it's to stay the same instead of see the reward of weight loss.
I'll count on you all for guidance! Thanks for starting this conversation @Julie norton - so glad we can ask you Super-Vets to weigh in on these longer term things.

I feel that way too some days when I sign on and look at 'new content'. The advice is downright scary sometimes, but mostly it feels like a tone thing. Then I switch and cruise through Rants and Raves and Vets and it's usually better.
SO - here's my recent 'years out' issue; I'm two years from my VS, and this week finally hit a number that means I'm only 20 lbs from goal, (yay!) and was surprised at some of the thoughts I've had about that:
Not much fear about not hitting it, because I'm so much happier now with my body, that if I don't get to 145 it's just not the end of the world, but still I wonder if I can. Although things are going well and not too hard right now, I'm wondering how hard maintenance will be, since I've never ever managed to do it for more than about a nanosecond it seems! I'm knowing I may not look that good at a lower weight, and am dreading people who say not to lose any more or offer helpful council about what I should weigh. If it's too low for me and I go up a little bit, will I even be able to stop going up, up, up? All things I know rationally are manageable, and yet still provoked a gut-clench response following my immediate thrill of realizing I'm getting close. And final issue now that I'm two years out--When the heck will it cease to interest people to talk about my weight!?! Good grief people, can we talk about Orlando, Dallas, Nice, and the horrifyingly long list of such things? Heck, I might even rather talk politics than weight in public. Sigh.

Maybe I'm just cranky because I just went to a big party wearing a cute dress that showed how successful this has been for me --in nice appropriate ways-- and I swear almost every person in the room felt the need to comment!

I feel that way too some days when I sign on and look at 'new content'. The advice is downright scary sometimes, but mostly it feels like a tone thing. Then I switch and cruise through Rants and Raves and Vets and it's usually better.
SO - here's my recent 'years out' issue; I'm two years from my VS, and this week finally hit a number that means I'm only 20 lbs from goal, (yay!) and was surprised at some of the thoughts I've had about that:
Not much fear about not hitting it, because I'm so much happier now with my body, that if I don't get to 145 it's just not the end of the world, but still I wonder if I can. Although things are going well and not too hard right now, I'm wondering how hard maintenance will be, since I've never ever managed to do it for more than about a nanosecond it seems! I'm knowing I may not look that good at a lower weight, and am dreading people who say not to lose any more or offer helpful council about what I should weigh. If it's too low for me and I go up a little bit, will I even be able to stop going up, up, up? All things I know rationally are manageable, and yet still provoked a gut-clench response following my immediate thrill of realizing I'm getting close. And final issue now that I'm two years out--When the heck will it cease to interest people to talk about my weight!?! Good grief people, can we talk about Orlando, Dallas, Nice, and the horrifyingly long list of such things? Heck, I might even rather talk politics than weight in public. Sigh.

Maybe I'm just cranky because I just went to a big party wearing a cute dress that showed how successful this has been for me --in nice appropriate ways-- and I swear almost every person in the room felt the need to comment!

Oh I would absolutely do it, @@Djmohr, in a heartbeat! If I ever win that lottery.... now if I did, I'd know the real scoop too.

Oh my gosh- thank you both, @Djmohr and @@VSGAnn2014 - this is so helpful, and I feel in good company with such thoughtful and seasoned vets as you.
Ann, I'm so sorry for the grief, illness and roller coast this time has been for you, and I'm in awe of how beautifully you are living from your depth and strength, and not from some of those other options. The therapeutic route is so powerful, and so often dodged or overlooked because it's really hard work. Heck even finding a good therapist you like working with is hard work. Nice to hear the story of it working so well. What an inspiration you are!
Djmohr, awful that it's so painful - and that they don't give the straight story often about how bad it might be! Thanks for your honesty. I've been feeling quietly sorry for myself because my financial life doesn't allow for even the possibility of doing it (unless of course I win the lottery, which will be especially unlikely since I don't buy tickets!). The pain sounds pretty lousy, so I should at least take heart that I won't have to live through the ouch-part, just my flapping bat-wings, droopy kangaroo pouch-like thing and my thigh skin running down my legs, (chased only by my saggy breasts).
I backslid last summer on vacation and gained 25 lbs--I was horrified and stopped myself, and am now finally past the low weight from before my lapse. No longer feel like I'm "re-losing" the same pounds anyway. I'm worried about maintenance some, since for me to lose has meant being super rigid about my macros staying consistent every day. Granted I like that it's working, just not sure how much the motivation will flag once it's to stay the same instead of see the reward of weight loss.
I'll count on you all for guidance! Thanks for starting this conversation @Julie norton - so glad we can ask you Super-Vets to weigh in on these longer term things.