Elizabeth21

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

Everyone is different. I'm on the flip side of the approach. I do not weigh or log my food because for me it brings more focus on food, and focus on restriction. I do not weigh myself because it is just a number and my head goes a little crazy over the numbers.
That being said, I do focus on trying to get 60 g of Protein a day and to avoid snacking. I avoid calorie beverages. I do exercise. I'm basically wearing the same size clothes. Oh sometimes things are little looser or a bit tighter, but my "normal" weight friends go through the same thing.
The difference is I am not the biggest person in the room. If I'm getting stared at it's because I am looking good not huge. I fit wherever I need to go.
In short, I'm focusing on LIFE not weight. I find joy in many things and not just food. I'm four years out. It works.

Yeah, "easy way out" is total BS. Sheer ignorance.

Everyone is different. I'm on the flip side of the approach. I do not weigh or log my food because for me it brings more focus on food, and focus on restriction. I do not weigh myself because it is just a number and my head goes a little crazy over the numbers.
That being said, I do focus on trying to get 60 g of Protein a day and to avoid snacking. I avoid calorie beverages. I do exercise. I'm basically wearing the same size clothes. Oh sometimes things are little looser or a bit tighter, but my "normal" weight friends go through the same thing.
The difference is I am not the biggest person in the room. If I'm getting stared at it's because I am looking good not huge. I fit wherever I need to go.
In short, I'm focusing on LIFE not weight. I find joy in many things and not just food. I'm four years out. It works.

Everyone is different. I'm on the flip side of the approach. I do not weigh or log my food because for me it brings more focus on food, and focus on restriction. I do not weigh myself because it is just a number and my head goes a little crazy over the numbers.
That being said, I do focus on trying to get 60 g of Protein a day and to avoid snacking. I avoid calorie beverages. I do exercise. I'm basically wearing the same size clothes. Oh sometimes things are little looser or a bit tighter, but my "normal" weight friends go through the same thing.
The difference is I am not the biggest person in the room. If I'm getting stared at it's because I am looking good not huge. I fit wherever I need to go.
In short, I'm focusing on LIFE not weight. I find joy in many things and not just food. I'm four years out. It works.

Everyone is different. I'm on the flip side of the approach. I do not weigh or log my food because for me it brings more focus on food, and focus on restriction. I do not weigh myself because it is just a number and my head goes a little crazy over the numbers.
That being said, I do focus on trying to get 60 g of Protein a day and to avoid snacking. I avoid calorie beverages. I do exercise. I'm basically wearing the same size clothes. Oh sometimes things are little looser or a bit tighter, but my "normal" weight friends go through the same thing.
The difference is I am not the biggest person in the room. If I'm getting stared at it's because I am looking good not huge. I fit wherever I need to go.
In short, I'm focusing on LIFE not weight. I find joy in many things and not just food. I'm four years out. It works.

Everyone is different. I'm on the flip side of the approach. I do not weigh or log my food because for me it brings more focus on food, and focus on restriction. I do not weigh myself because it is just a number and my head goes a little crazy over the numbers.
That being said, I do focus on trying to get 60 g of Protein a day and to avoid snacking. I avoid calorie beverages. I do exercise. I'm basically wearing the same size clothes. Oh sometimes things are little looser or a bit tighter, but my "normal" weight friends go through the same thing.
The difference is I am not the biggest person in the room. If I'm getting stared at it's because I am looking good not huge. I fit wherever I need to go.
In short, I'm focusing on LIFE not weight. I find joy in many things and not just food. I'm four years out. It works.

Everyone is different. I'm on the flip side of the approach. I do not weigh or log my food because for me it brings more focus on food, and focus on restriction. I do not weigh myself because it is just a number and my head goes a little crazy over the numbers.
That being said, I do focus on trying to get 60 g of Protein a day and to avoid snacking. I avoid calorie beverages. I do exercise. I'm basically wearing the same size clothes. Oh sometimes things are little looser or a bit tighter, but my "normal" weight friends go through the same thing.
The difference is I am not the biggest person in the room. If I'm getting stared at it's because I am looking good not huge. I fit wherever I need to go.
In short, I'm focusing on LIFE not weight. I find joy in many things and not just food. I'm four years out. It works.

Hi there. First of all, I think the regain stories are much more about the lap band than the sleeve. The lap band does nothing to change your hunger signals or metabolism regulation like the sleeve does. So all it does is restrict amounts.
I'm sleeved and about 4 years out. I've kept most of it off. The amount restriction is still there. As for weight, I've had some fluctuations, but, so do my "normal" weight friends. I find it best if I do not weigh myself and get caught up in a number. I just stick to my same basic plan that I had post op and enjoy occasional deviations. And get some exercise. My weight does fine.
I think one of the keys here is the experience of sustained good eating habits practice during the first year especially. That and the improved quality of life leads to finding additional enjoyment in life besides food.
So, bottom line, I believe your premise is flawed. I doubt seriously most regain all weight. Maybe some of it but not all. I think (barring some unusual medical situation) it would be difficult to regain it all without making a purposeful decision to do so by consciously completely blowing your plan.
I have absolutely no regrets with my choice. It has completely changed my life for the better.
Best wishes!
Liz

I'm 3 yrs out, down 130 lbs and maintaining!!

I lost 40 pre op on my own. I think this was key for me. As it helped prove to myself that I was ready and could do this long term.

Like most above, I followed the program to the letter for probably a solid year. That really helped me totally changed my eating habits and it's "just how I eat now" so I don't think I'm on a diet.

I exercised as soon as possible. Walking shot distances at first and adding distance and speed gradually. Now I do 8-10 miles a day 5-6x weekly at a pretty fast pace. Exercise too is just now part of my life. I need it to maintain and feel good.

I still track everything, Eat Protein first, drink all my Water, alcohol only on rare occasions and then one is plenty, and I'm still and hopefully permanently off pop.

I also control the food that enters my house. So I don't keep junk food in the house. I know that isn't realistic for all. But really nobody living in your house is gonna die without junk food. The result, if I need a snack or mental eating...it's still a healthy choice.

I don't deprive or avoid any food group or type. If I want pizza I get it, I make sure it's my favorite (no point eating bad anything) I have a small piece or two and move on. The great thing is a small amount always satisfies me so I don't have to feel guilty. And guilt free pizza tastes soooo much better.

I always say.... the second bit doesn't taste any better than first. (Really think about that) So often one bit of something "bad" takes care of my craving.

I hope this helps a newbie if I can do it anyone can!!!!

Best wishes all