Rogofulm

Hi! I haven't posted in several years. I'm 5.5 years out from my sleeve surgery, and maintaining at about 10 lbs above my "perfect weight" goal. Still down 105, though, and trying to exercise the ten pounds back off. So I consider my journey thus far to be a major success. I eat everything I want EXCEPT sugar and white stuff. Period. That's my secret. No refined sugar, ice cream, fruit juices, alcohol, bread, rice, potatoes, Pasta, and rarely fruit, corn and peas. Other than that, I eat whatever I want.

So here's my best tip: If you decide that you will NEVER eat any of the foods listed above, then you never have to decide whether or not to eat something. If it's on that list, it's a NO. If it's not, it's a YES. Every food decision is pre-made. How simple is that? And once you leave those foods behind for a while, you don't miss them anymore. As long as you don't ever open that door, the boogeyman can't tempt you.

Two other tips: Get your 64+ ounces of fluids in every single day, and ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN whenever you're away from home. I never go to a party, get-together, or even a long drive without bringing my Crystal Lite iced tea and a bag of almonds. Those two items can carry me through any situation. (And they have, many times!)

So that's my system. It's worked for over 5 years with excellent results, so I don't see any reason to change it.

Good luck to all in maintenance!!!

We all know what to do, right? Detox from starches and sweets and then avoid them. Five days of Liquid Protein will be a challenge. But allow yourself as many shakes as it takes to keep you satisfied, don't hold back. And keep in mind that the weight loss might not happen right away, your metabolism may need to reset before you start losing again. Good luck – You can do this!!!

I'm solidly in the "no bread" group and recommend staying away from all starches and sugar. Pretty much everyone I know or who has posted that they have started gaining weight, has admitted that carbs and sugar were their downfall. So why do it? Enjoy dips, guacamole, or hummus on carrot sticks, celery sticks or cucumber slices. Or just eat dips with a tiny spoon. You get more of the flavor that way. At parties, I load up my appetizer plate with dips, veggies, cheese, and meats -- but no carbs! I eat nuts; but even though Peanut Butter is probably okay, I stay away from it because I'm afraid one spoonful will lead to a million. Much like one slice of bread will.

Absolutely!!! But you know how we always heard that the last 5-10 pounds were the hardest to lose? We laughed at the thought of only needing to lose 5 pounds, right? Well on maintenance, that's exactly where we are. When a few pounds come on, it's a whole lot harder to get them back off. I've been fighting with the same 5-7 pounds for months now. Some days I'm winning, and some days I'm losing....... but it's a much better battle than the one I used to fight!!!!!

This topic would make an interesting psychological study. After significant weight loss, do we feel superior or empathetic toward those who walk in our former shoes. Having lost around 100 pounds three times before by dieting, not surgery, I found myself feeling superior. If I can do it, why can't they? They must be made of weaker stuff than I am, right? But this time around, after losing even more weight and keeping it off for over a year, I find myself feeling empathetic instead. Is it because this time I used the surgery "tool", or am I just more mature and less judgmental than I was in decades past? Maybe it's a bit of both. But in general when I see someone who is significantly overweight, I want to reach out and help them by giving advice about surgery. BUT.... If it's a stranger I stop myself. There's a 99.99% chance that they don't want unsolicited advice about their weight. The same is probably true for friends, but in that case I feel more comfortable saying something like... "I don't know if you know this, but I used to be a whole lot bigger than I am now. I lost 120 pounds through bariatric surgery and I just want to tell you that if you ever want to learn about it, (the good, the bad, and the ugly), you can reach out to me and I'll be happy to share my experience with you. I'm never going to bring this up again, but I just wanted you to now that I'm a resource if you ever need it. Okay?" And then I shut up.

Go for it! It gets harder as time passes, so maximize your opportunity!

@@VSGAnn2014 - Yeah baby! Congrats - two down and the rest of our lives to go. So here's an odd thing... I tend to gain a couple of pounds during the week, and then lose it on weekends. And we usually have 2-4 events involving food and drink every weekend! But being busy means less time to graze, I guess. Whereas sitting at a desk for 8-9 hours leads to trips to the fridge. So even thought I only eat food on my "allowed" list, I eat more of it. And then at night there's that midnight snack just before bedtime (usually cheese). That plus more movement and activity on weekends adds up to an inverted weight-management schedule. Now to figure out this weekday puzzle.....

Dang, @@Babbs, I seem to agree with everything you say! I overshot my stretch goal and worried that I'd keep losing until I disappeared. Didn't happen. Still eat pretty much the same food as before, I just eat more of it and more frequently. So like you, I've gained about 5 pounds and am within 4 of my original goal, a.k.a. "Neveragainland". I'm two years out from surgery and I've heard that that's where it starts getting tricky. What used to cause me to go into ketosis and the weight to fall off doesn't work anymore. And as we know, the lower you are, the harder each pound is to lose. So trying to lose 5 pounds when my body thinks I'm just fine is hard. But I'll admit that I'm less regimented now that I used to be. So my message to @@Hello new me is to do exactly what you said. Just keep on keepin' on. I suspect your body will turn it's own corner. But if it doesn't, talk to your doc. Congratulations!

Okay, @@CharlotteKat, this is nuts! I happen to agree with you that weighing daily is the key to successful weight loss and maintenance. Like I said, I've weighed myself every single day for the past two years. I liked reading your links to medical resources that confirm my opinion and I appreciate you sharing them. But that's where it stops. I could tell from your very first post on the subject that this thread was going to blow up. Diplomacy is what's needed here, not bullying. Kindness, not judgement. Sharing information is great, but if you piss off the people you are trying to inform by ramming it down their throats, it's useless. Who's going to listen to advice after just being insulted? Try sharing your lessons learned with a more friendly and supportive attitude and things will go much better.

Just sayin'.......

Just tell them. My daughter was 9 when I had my surgery, and she knows exactly why I had it. Now she's 11 and she can reach around me. She can even pick me up!!! The surgery wasn't a big deal to her. We expect major events, like the death of a grandparent, to have a huge impact on out kids, but they don't. The kids may react strongly at first, but they quickly move on. It's the adults that worry about their little psyches. They're far more resilient than we give them credit for being. Just explain gently that you're going to have surgery to help you get smaller and healthier so you can do more things with them. Unless there are other issues you haven't mentioned, I suspect they'll be okay.

I'm two years out from surgery and over a year into maintenance. I've weighed myself every single day since surgery. That's the only way I can keep an eye on things and make necessary adjustments. In the past 6 months my weight has gradually increased by 3-5 pounds, but I'm able to keep it in my acceptable range by working at it every day. If I bury my head in the sand for a week or a month, I'm afraid I'll get on the scale one day and have to lose 15 or 20. That's WAAAAAY harder than 5!!!

Wow! @@Babbs is killin' it with her tough love. And she's absolutely right. This is your gig, and yours alone. You need to learn to control yourself under all circumstances. Whether he is trying to sabotage you is a character issue that you'll have to figure our how to deal with (or not - get my drift?). But what goes into your mouth is entirely your responsibility. The tips you're getting about staying away from tempting foods are spot on. Just ignore them, even when they're right under your nose. I know that's hard, but the longer you resist, the easier it gets - honest! Good luck!

Hi @@leliwhoaoh, If you're midway through your pre-op journey, you should be attending support group and/or nutrition classes once a month, right? How about making some connections there? Start conversations with people who are going through the same journey and exchange contact info with them. And by all means invite your boyfriend to the support group meetings. Tell him it's important to you that he attend at least one so he can see that lots of people are going through this just like you are. And search the web or ask your bariatric coordinator for statistics that support your decision by comparing success rates after surgery vs. "the old-fashioned way". It's not "the easy way out", it's a commitment to a new way of living where you will have to make good decisions every single day about what goes into your mouth. The surgery helps, but it doesn't do it all. Good luck with your guy! And go make some new girlfriends in Maryland to help you not feel so alone.

Wow, @@sweetie716, you're reminding us all about the slippery carb slope! Thanks for that, although I'm sorry you're struggling. I'm almost 2 years from surgery and my weight jumped 5-8 pounds over the last 6 weeks or so -- with no carbs. Grazing on nuts all day, and washing them down with tea was my problem. I'm in day 4 of the 5-day pouch test, and I think the restriction is coming back, but I haven't lost any weight. Of course, the pouch test is not for weight loss, it's for resetting restriction, breaking bad habits, and relearning the rules of the bariatric road. If you haven't already, you might give it a shot. Here's a link to the website which is shorter in duration but more restrictive than the other version already linked above. Good luck!!!

Glad to hear it! I expected they'd tell you you were doing fine.

For what it's worth, I don't count calories but I'm sure they're pretty high. I eat lots of meat, yogurt, guacamole, nuts, Jerky, and cheese. And veggies when I have room. My fat calories must be off the charts, but my weight has remained steady within a 3-4 pound range for a year now. No starches or sugar is my mantra. Good luck in maintenance, just keep on keeping on...

Congratulations, @@JamieLogical, that's just fantastic!!! You are an inspiration in both the weight loss and fitness sides of this new life we're all working toward! Amazing!!!

I do think completely differently about food than I used to. Before if you offered me something that tasted good or something that was huge I would go for the huge item. But now I go for quality over quantity and I appreciate what I eat so much more now.

Yeah, who knew that 4 large scallops were a delicious meal and not just an appetizer? This life is waaaaay better!

Hey @@axlr8n, By my calculation, you are only 5 lbs into the "normal" BMI range. Don't know how you feel about using BMI as a guide, but if you gain about 6 pounds, you'll be back into the "overweight" BMI range. [i'm probably going to get killed on this because people HATE the BMI calculations, but it's the de facto calculation used by medical and insurance professionals to assess weight-related risks.] My way of thinking is that I went through too much to get here and never want to see "overweight" again. So I try to stay 5-10 pounds into the "normal" range. That way if my weight creeps up a bit, I have time to catch it before going over that magic line. Also, I've done several "ideal weight" calculations, one from a medical website and one using my doctor's rule-of-thumb, and both of those come in below the BMI "normal" line. One is 8 pounds lower and the other is 12 pounds into the "normal" BMI range.

So, IMHO, you're fine where you are. But, by all means consult with your nutritionist and doctor for confirmation and advice. I'll bet they say you're fine too! Let us know....

When I hit stretch goal, I continued losing for a few more pounds and people started freaking out about how thin I was getting. Then it just sort of stopped. Gradually I regained 3-5 pounds to get where I wanted to be, and have remained pretty much in my "sweet spot" for a year now. I haven't really added much back. Basically I still eat the same as before, except my capacity is a little more. I do let myself have a bite of someone's else's "no-no" food every once in a while. But only one bite. I get on the scale every single morning, and if it starts creeping up, I try to deal with it immediately. Unfortunately (or fortunately) there's no such thing as "taking the weekend off". Good luck! I think your body will help you figure this one out by finding it's comfort zone.

So the hair is falling out from the actual root? Is it in Patches or all throughout? I heard that Biotin doesn't really help or does it depend on the person?

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm afraid I can't speak to how it falls out. I was fortunate not to have experienced Hair loss. Whether that's because I eat 80-100 grams of Protein, drink about 120 ounces of fluids, and take a Biotin supplement daily, or because I'm blessed with strong hair genes, I can't say. But I'd suggest it's worth going the protein/fluids/biotin route. It's kind of what we're supposed to be doing anyway, right? Good luck!

I ate lots of Protein, drank over 100 ounces of Fluid daily, and took a Biotin supplement. I never lost my hair. Maybe I'm just blessed that way, but maybe it was all that Protein and fluids that helped. Either way, they sure helped with my weight loss!

hair loss is a common bodily reaction to severe calorie restriction and rapid weight loss. A higher than usual portion of our hair follicles go into a dormant state for a while. I think this happens mostly between months 3 and 9, but it varies. The good new is that they wake up again. What can you do to help fight or shorten it? Lots of Protein, lots of fluids, and take a Biotin supplement daily.

The calculator predicted 74 lbs for me. Guess I overshot it by 46 lbs. or 62%. I'm okay with that.

For dessert, I enjoy a big cup of low-calorie hot chocolate – with a shot of Miralax.

Congratulations! You have reached The Dreaded Week-3 Stall. It's perfectly normal, and just about all of us have suffered through it. You're not crazy, and your doctor didn't screw up. In fact, you might not lose any weight for two weeks or even longer. But don't worry – after that, the pounds will start falling off if you stick to your program. And, the inches will continue to come off even while the scale isn't budging. Here's a good article that explains why it happens and why we all have to go through it. Hang in there. Pretty soon it'll be in the rear-view mirror and you'll be dropping weight again!

(Apologies to BP regulars who have seen this repeatedly, but it's a big deal to those who are going through it!)