Elizabeth21

Thank you for your response.

In another weight loss attempt I went on an all liquid diet for 4 months (yup months). The first week is the hardest. After that the routine was kind of set. I found it very helpful to keep busy. It was especially important to keep my hands busy. Hobbies, like playing solitaire or crochet, and physical activities that you cannot eat while doing were helpful. I also focused on just counting down the days. Reminding myself that I only had "X" number of days to go helped me focus on the end game. And water. Lots of water.
Best wishes!

like a lot of the folks here, i only had to do 2 weeks. it was 3 shakes a day for two weeks.
i had to go back to do the math, but figured out you wrote your initial post on day 2 of your liquid diet, yes? Most will tell you that the first 3-4 days are the worst of it. If you white knuckle it those first couple days, you'll likely find it gets much, much easier. I'm sure there's some science to it, but essentially your body gets used to the lower intake and does something else instead of whine loudly lol (google ketosis). But you have to try to not "cheat" during those days or you may just reset the clock, and have to do those 3-4 days of discomfort again.
Doing math again, today should be day 4 for you...how are you doing?
In terms of the 4 week road ahead of you, it does sound daunting, but maybe if you could break it down to week long increments it may be easier to bear. just get this friday and you'll have one week under your belt. then look forward to the next friday. or if a week seems too long, just get to the end of the day. whatever it takes to shrink the seemingly endless void into small manageable parts (with small victories along the way).
...and if you fall off, get up and start again. no need for shame spirals or self-flagellation.
good luck! ❤️

I decided to take a peek here today. Dec. 2014 for me. Last Spring I also treated myself to plastic surgery to remove excess stomach. I finally feel "normal" when I'm in a room. I've been exercising regularly for two years now to maintain strength and metabolism.
Yup it is work, but so was being obese. I'm glad I made this choice.

I never weigh myself anymore. Only my doctor weigh-ins and I ask them not to tell me the number. The "number" makes me crazy. I focus on maintaining good eating habits, exercise and if my clothes start to feel too tight I know that I've had too many carbs and cut back.
For me it has freed me from the obsession with food and hating myself over a number. Whatever that number is today -- it is no where near where it was 6 years ago. I just remember that.

Every thing adds up! (Good and bad, lol.) Just keep at it. Yes, living post WLS has been work, but, so was being obese. It has been totally worth it. I am now able to do things I never would have been able to do six years ago. You are worth it. Stick with it.
Good luck!

I’m not sure that there are any one-size fits-all solutions in terms of changes to make outside of the basic top ten guidelines listed by every single WLS surgeon, manual, book, and website. Those top ten are a given, based upon the outcomes of hundreds of thousands of bariatric patients. Beyond following those basics, each person is going to discover, over time, an individual approach that’s based entirely upon their genetics, personality, and history – plus current relationship – with food and eating.
This is why I love what summerset said about abandoning a fixed mindset and embracing a growth mindset. Obesity is a lifelong disease that is treated, but not cured, by WLS, so there needs to be ongoing evaluation and readjustment in order to keep the disease in remission.
In practical terms, what this means to me is that to be successful for life, I’ll need to frequently evaluate what I’m doing to determine what’s working and what isn’t. Obviously I’ll need to continue doing the things that work, i.e. the bariatric top ten. But equally important is examining what’s not working, determining what all the contributing factors are, then evaluating my actions based on those factors and figuring out the adjustments needed in order to make the that shift so that the treatment continually evolves with the circumstances of my life at any given point in time.
So: ongoing frequent evaluations, then adapting, adjusting, and pivoting as necessary. What those changes and tweaks are will be different for everyone.

For me, it was about changing WHAT I eat. Yes, portion control is important, but my challenge was always what, not how much. I used to eat tons of carbs, high fat, and sugar. I made a commitment to focus on lean protein sources and vegetables. I still eat some carbs and fat, but I've cut way back on sugar, processed carbs and bad fat.

I think the most important thing was to ditch the black and white mentality so I could starting making changes that I could keep up with even during hard or stressful times. Nothing unrealistic like "going to the gym for 3 hours 6 day a week" or "never eating food x again".
Getting rid of as much diet mentality as possible. Books about "normal eating" or "intuitive eating" helped tremendously with that, also when it comes to the issue of emotional eating and self-compassion.

Elizabeth21 thank you for that. I saw myself starting to obsess more as the process became closer and closer to my date. I weighed myself every day and the disappointment in gaining was devasting at times, even when I knew I did nothing to lose. Right now I am eating my first cauliflower steak. It is very good. I feel I need to be more in plan mode for my meals and exercise needs encouragement as well so thank you.
NovaLuna I CANT WAIT TO FEEL THAT LOOSER CLOTHING.This is the heaviest I have been in my life. I am trying to mobility issues and depression from a dog mauling two years ago. Actually I have therapy in ten minutes .thank you again

I had to do a six month monitored weight loss for my insurance and even though I actually didn't have to diet I chose to start early to prepare myself. The first month I cut my portion sizes and stopped eating seconds. The second month I cut out soda. Third month I cut out rice. Fourth I cut out pasta. Fifth I cut out bread, potatoes, bean, etc. And sixth, seventh, and eighth month I just maintained that diet (they were scheduled out so it took them two extra months to schedule my surgery). I lost 64 pounds before my surgery. It's been almost five months since my surgery and I've lost an additional 70 pounds in that time. Bad habits are hard to break so trying to break those habits early on will only help you. I wish you the best of luck on your journey!

Welcome to the journey. It will be work, but it is worth it. I think the key to maintaining is portion size and minimal carbs. Exercise is also key and strength training to keep the metabolism up.

Finally, I never pay any attention to my actual weight. I base it off how my clothes are fitting. For example, during the lockdown some things became a little more snug. So I upped my exercise and really watched the carbs. Things have improved.

Good luck with your journey!

Welcome to the journey. It will be work, but it is worth it. I think the key to maintaining is portion size and minimal carbs. Exercise is also key and strength training to keep the metabolism up.

Finally, I never pay any attention to my actual weight. I base it off how my clothes are fitting. For example, during the lockdown some things became a little more snug. So I upped my exercise and really watched the carbs. Things have improved.

Good luck with your journey!

Welcome to the journey. It will be work, but it is worth it. I think the key to maintaining is portion size and minimal carbs. Exercise is also key and strength training to keep the metabolism up.

Finally, I never pay any attention to my actual weight. I base it off how my clothes are fitting. For example, during the lockdown some things became a little more snug. So I upped my exercise and really watched the carbs. Things have improved.

Good luck with your journey!

Welcome to the journey. It will be work, but it is worth it. I think the key to maintaining is portion size and minimal carbs. Exercise is also key and strength training to keep the metabolism up.

Finally, I never pay any attention to my actual weight. I base it off how my clothes are fitting. For example, during the lockdown some things became a little more snug. So I upped my exercise and really watched the carbs. Things have improved.

Good luck with your journey!

I decided to take a peek here today. Dec. 2014 for me. Last Spring I also treated myself to plastic surgery to remove excess stomach. I finally feel "normal" when I'm in a room. I've been exercising regularly for two years now to maintain strength and metabolism.
Yup it is work, but so was being obese. I'm glad I made this choice.

@Losebig
I weigh every morning after my shower
maintenance/GOAL/fluctuations
7.5 years - healthy, happy as a clam, and cute as a button?
kathy

Moveandgroove,
You have had quite the journey! If my math is right, that means 3 surgeries in 2 years (wls, gallbladder, aneurysm)? Your body has gone through some pretty traumatic experiences in a relatively short amount of time! That is something that you should be proud of working through!
So, let's take a step back and look at what may be going on here. You went from running to recovering from a significant surgery. You had a period where not only could you not exercise, you also could not work. What I get from that is hearing someone that had to go from being active to sedentary very quickly - which may have triggered some of the feelings of "old habits" possibly coming back ("I am terrified...I won't stop gaining...I don't want to waste the surgery...").
What's fueling your doubt? This setback? Does it feel familiar, like a setback in a diet? If it does, step back and look at it again - this is not the same. You have a beautiful tool in your arsenal that you didn't have before. Use it. Go back to basics and pretend it is day one. I remember a very similar time in my own life, about 3 years when I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and though I was going to be put on long term steroids. I thought I was done with my weight loss forever.
Take one step at a time, one foot in front of the other. The fact that you are still reading, still posting, still asking....that says that you still want this.
You can do this. You will do this. Get back out there and walk a little. Don't focus on running, just walk. Remember, even baby steps get you closer to your goal.
Take care!
Amanda

There are 2 different phases to weight loss surgery. These are "Weight Loss" phase and the "Maintenance" phase. The approach on these 2 phases are different. I had RNY surgery 29 months ago. This short article describes the strategy that I used for each phase. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery2.pdf

Good tips. I would add:
1) Remember that this is a Marathon not a Sprint. Keep working and the results will come with time.
2) Eat healthy foods you enjoy. Eating foods you don't like is a set-up for failure. I personally hope to never see cottage cheese again!

Trust the process. Also realize that like ANY journey, you are going to have roadblocks, detours , stop signs etc. Dont stop the journey towards a strong healthy body just because you hit a speedbump. Its temporary, not forever. Again, trust the process !

Don't look back over your shoulder at the heavier person you used to be. Identify with the new, slimmer you in the mirror – that's who you are now. So look forward, towards a healthier future.

Thank you to samuelsmom, pink dahlia and Rogofulm for these additional great ideas and inspirational take-aways. BariatricPal.com is truly a community of shared ideas and insight. Great to be part of a collective of helping each other.

People who have undergone bariatric surgery know the weight loss battle does not end in the operating room. Months and even years after surgery, some weight can slowly creep back on. But this isn't a time to panic because now you have the tools to overcome a little setback and regain control of your weight.
This time, you are in charge.


One of the lessons you learn after weight loss surgery is that you are in charge of your health, diet and exercise program. The food no longer rules the roost--you do.
The truth of the matter is no matter what the scale says, 110 or 310, everyone puts on a few pounds now and then. As a bariatric surgeon in New Jersey for more than 10 years, one of the biggest anxiety triggers for patients is weight gain.
"That's it--it's over--I'm going to gain all the weight back."
Of course that's not true. To get back on pace, I’ve listed a few essential steps to help get you back on track to dropping the pounds once again:
• Go back to the beginning
Post-surgery, you probably followed your healthcare team’s advice to the letter. But as time passed, and you looked and felt healthier, you may have started to deviate from those dietary and exercise guidelines. Pull out your notes and review the program guidelines that brought you this far. Get back on the scale once a week and fire up your food journal again.
• Get thyself to the nearest support group ─ STAT
Weight loss is a personal journey, but it doesn’t have to be a lonely one. Online support groups on BariatricPal.com are great secondary resources to live weekly or monthly groups with your bariatric doctor or hospital. There is support all-around you, reach out and take it.
• Work it out
Are you using the ‘too tired’ reason for missing a trip to the gym or 30 minute fast walk around the neighborhood? If you need energy, you know how to get it—get up, get out and get moving. “Too busy,” you say? Remember, only you can prioritize your health and wellness. You matter—make time for your health every single day.
• Come to terms with the weight gain
This doesn’t mean blaming yourself. Rather, be forthright about how and why it happened and pat yourself on the back that you’ve recognized it now—not later.
There’s no need to beat yourself up. You have already done the hard part by recognizing some weight has crept back on. That in itself shows you are going to battle back. We encourage our patients at Sterling Surgicare to call us if they feel frustrated or defeated--everyone needs a pep talk now and then.
Remember there are many people supporting you 24/7 in this effort.
Life is filled with occasional side-steps and set-backs. It is part of making us who we are. Make a plan, regroup, recommit.
You can do this.

Alex, you rock.
I would love to see you and Huizenga debate this on one of the national morning TV shows.
Very seriously love to see that!