Elizabeth21

Great topic. I'm an oldie lap band. 10 years post wls. Some of us are still around
It is still work I am here to tell you. But life is way easier with a 90 lb loss.
If I'm unmindful.... I can inch up the scale. Then like Kathy said.....It is back to Water and walking and light eating.
I am still so thankful for my tool, But I am arguing with 10 lbs right now. Oh well. Life is still good!!

I'm 7 years out. I'm 116 pounds. My body picked my goal weight for me and really likes it here, so maintaining is easier than it could be. But I do have rules I live by.

I weigh at least weekly. I do not worry about tiny fluctuations but nip anything out of my maintenance window immediately. Complacency leads to larger regain. I don't avoid food groups, but I do put Protein first. I will usually choose a protein snack. I indulge when I want, because I believe forbidden foods lead to binges. I don't want the yo-yo. It works for me. I never graze. I either portion food out and eat it, or I don't, but no mindless or emotional eating.

I still have a ton of restriction, so maybe that's made my journey easier. And my tastes changed a lot. I don't care for potatoes, or sweets. I can't have milk or eat ice cream due to lactose intolerance. But just being mindful is what keeps me successful. I think before I eat. I don't have to track anymore, it's just second nature. The scale is my tracker. And it hardly moves.

I think this is the ideal. I'm happy, can't complain.

Cheri

The American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons says the following:
As many as 50 percent of patients may regain a small amount of weight (approximately 5 percent) two years or more following their surgery. However, longitudinal studies find that most bariatric surgery patients maintain successful weight-loss long-term. ‘Successful’ weight-loss is arbitrarily defined as weight-loss equal to or greater than 50 percent of excess body weight. Often, successful results are determined by the patient, by their perceived improvement in quality of life. In such cases, the total retained weight-loss may be more, or less, than this arbitrary definition. Such massive and sustained weight reduction with surgery is in sharp contrast to the experience most patients have previously had with non-surgical therapies.

I'm seven years post-op. It's true I can eat more than I could at one or two years post-op, but I still have restriction. I can eat about a cup and a half of food before becoming uncomfortable. I will say that grazing all day long will put the weight right back on. I tend to eat when I'm anxious or bored, so I had to learn how to cope with those without eating. Once your weight is stable, keep weighing yourself and for heaven's sake, take steps to lose two or three pounds rather than letting them pile on until you are looking at 50 to lose. It really is kind of an eternal vigilance sort of thing.

Nothing is perfect... it just isn’t.
I’m so happy to have many long termers.... some with fills; some not.
I’m thrilled that many of us seem to sticking with it...

and ya. I want to lose 10 more pounds But I’m ok and can navigate this world
And not worry out getting up in a room ...not feeling fat. Ok. 11 years here I come

Thanks everyone for all your responses! So great to still have a place to come to for support... I did the pouch reset last week and thought I'd share my results. I lost 2 pounds and gained them right back in 2 days.. LOL! But what I did learn is that I really have not been eating properly this past year. When I literally removed everything from my diet and started at the beginning, I was quickly reminded how eating 3 good meals with a solid piece of Protein (chicken breast, fish, etc) and some yummy veggies fills me up to the top easily, keeps me from being hungry, and I felt so much better.. more energy! Trying now to not go back to have slider foods or snacking. I am a crisis responder and work 3-12's so my meals had gone to the wayside. Just grab and go something every few hours while running from case to case. That carried over to my home life also. Not going back to that again!!

Hi All,
I understand. I've got an extra 15 I'd like to be rid of. But please... BIG picture!! I've got 15, not 115!! Do NOT beat yourselves up!! I think that only leads to depression and more weight gain.
Take some small steps. And, maybe recognize that if it doesn't change, you are STILL so much better off!!
:D

There are many on this site who can give you better advice on your post than I.
I just want you to know that I read your post. I am listening. Sometimes, I hope it helps to know that there's someone "out there" who is willing to just listening.
I know you will find a way over this "bump in the road" on you WLS journey. I realize that it's a huge bump, but with enough support and determination I am confident that you will succeed.
Best wishes and prayers going up for you, my friend.

I lost baby weight and 8 pounds regain between 3.5-4.5 years out by going back to basics. I jump started with a strict plan but only to make cravings go away and to stop myself from the tiny bit of grazing I'd slipped into. Eating by the hierarchy - Protein, then veg, carbs as you've got room and enough to feel satiety and stave off binges - will serve you far better than a liquid diet. They're preposterous at our point. I drink shakes only when I have to skip a meal or boost my protein.

Loss came far slower to me at that point, I won't lie, but man was I a slow loser the first time. But I lost it all, more than I'd intended, actually, going well under goal. I've kept it off for years.

You know the drill. Push the foods that fill you. Find what your caloric intake is at now so you can set a deficit.

Good luck. It can definitely be done. Don't torture yourself on a liquid diet uneccessarily.

Cheri

Whenever I go up a little on the scale. Just eating dense Protein for a couple days takes it right off.
Your Dr is right, shakes are useless and will do nothing for you. Shakes are like Water to me. They do nothing saiety or hunger.

Try just eating dense protein, something you have to cut with a knife, and see what happens.

Just wanted to chime in...I am 4 years out right now. I did great for the first 2 years, then had some regain. for the past 10 months I FOUGHT that regain. I searched online, I bought the 'reset' book, tried to print all sorts of meal plans, etc. I never was honest with myself to admit that my eating/drinking was completely out of control.
Then last fall, I had some sobering medical news. One of the things that I initially had surgery to combat was reappearing. And, the doctor was moderately concerned. That was ALL it took. My brain kicked in, and I was on fire.
I went strict Keto (doesn't work for everyone, but it works for me) and lost all of my regain (except about 7 lbs right now), losing about 50 lbs in 5 months. I have rejoined a gym. My medical thing has resolved.
I have been tinkering with all of the LCHF info, intermittent fasting, and reading lots of randomized control trials about metabolic disease, insulin resistance, etc.
I had to get out of my own head and just let auto pilot take over. I KNOW what to do. we all know what to do. For me, true Keto works great and I'm feeling good. Another 30 lbs and I will be at my TRUE goal and will pursue plastics.
It TOTALLY is do-able, even this far out, to get control and get back on track.

Hi All,
I understand. I've got an extra 15 I'd like to be rid of. But please... BIG picture!! I've got 15, not 115!! Do NOT beat yourselves up!! I think that only leads to depression and more weight gain.
Take some small steps. And, maybe recognize that if it doesn't change, you are STILL so much better off!!
:D

Hi All,
I understand. I've got an extra 15 I'd like to be rid of. But please... BIG picture!! I've got 15, not 115!! Do NOT beat yourselves up!! I think that only leads to depression and more weight gain.
Take some small steps. And, maybe recognize that if it doesn't change, you are STILL so much better off!!
:D

Hi All,
I understand. I've got an extra 15 I'd like to be rid of. But please... BIG picture!! I've got 15, not 115!! Do NOT beat yourselves up!! I think that only leads to depression and more weight gain.
Take some small steps. And, maybe recognize that if it doesn't change, you are STILL so much better off!!
:D

Hi All,
I understand. I've got an extra 15 I'd like to be rid of. But please... BIG picture!! I've got 15, not 115!! Do NOT beat yourselves up!! I think that only leads to depression and more weight gain.
Take some small steps. And, maybe recognize that if it doesn't change, you are STILL so much better off!!
:D

Another great Protein source that is easy to take with you and/or store in a drawer at the office are the Starkist foil pack tunas. There are various flavors. Good protein for low calories. Also, Lite & Fit Greek yogurt is a good low cal protein source.

Another great Protein source that is easy to take with you and/or store in a drawer at the office are the Starkist foil pack tunas. There are various flavors. Good protein for low calories. Also, Lite & Fit Greek yogurt is a good low cal protein source.

A hint for those who use the Quest bars: Put the bar in the microwave for 10-15 sec. It gets soft and tastes so much better! I take the chocolate chip cookie dough bar, cut it into pieces, microwave them, and it's like I'm eating chocolate chip cookies!

I used Quest Protein Bars. These bars were good in that they had high Protein, minimal sugar and also contained Fiber. One of the problems that can plague those that had weight loss surgery is Constipation. Fiber helps with that problem. These protein bars also came in a lot of different flavors.
When I compared this Protein Bar with my Protein Shake, it revealed the following: A Quest protein bar contains 220 calories and provides 21 grams of protein. A Muscle Milk Light protein [2 scoops of powder in a 16 ounce glass of water] contains 210 calories and provides 25 grams of protein. So they are comparable.

@@john925,
Some good points here!
In many cases, I think the blanket statements (“eat lots of Protein,” or “skip the carbs at breakfast”) from members come from their own post-op instructions, which are either general guidelines that work for most WLS patients, or are instructions designed specifically for them.
In general, I don’t think most BariatricPal members are kidney disease patients, and may not be thinking about those and analogous populations when giving advice. I definitely agree with you to seek medical advice rather than blindly follow anonymous posters’ advice on the boards, regardless of whether you have a specific additional medical condition that could affect your WLS or diet.
I think there are also some different kinds of advice. As @@PorkChopExpress said, some members come here because they need ANY kind of information, because their surgeon gave them none. Others who have some information but may have a medical condition such as diabetes really need to depend on their doctors for safe advice.
And no, kidney disease, diabetes, or not, you probably should not be asking if you can eat ice cream a day after surgery.

@shedo82773. We all get older. The sexiest part of our bodys are our minds.

So for my sarcastic side here goes.....I will miss asking for the extra seat belt extender on any flight...i miss squeezing into seats at NY Broadway Theaters, I miss those awkward conversations where everyone is talking about their exercise regimens and glance over at you and say nothing....I miss looking for the non plastic seat in the outdoor restaurant. ...I miss not being able to be the holder of stuff at every amusement park while everyone else is on the rides... I miss being able to breath heavy going up one flight of stairs....I miss shopping at the fat man store where the selection is very limited.... I miss getting out of a beach chair.... and lastly I really, really miss taking my blood pressure medication. Lol. I miss none of these things.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using the BariatricPal App

I miss eating more food for fun... but it doesn't outweigh the weight loss benefits.

WLS can affect absorption of nearly every med, add to that hormone dumps from rapid weight loss, and some meds are weight specific. Medicine is an 'art' as well as science. Your body, and your brain is complicated so please give your doc some grace as you work together to get a handle on this. With my ex wife, I kept a journal for her because if she went to see her doc on manic day, then "everything was great" and visa versa. The more hard data you can give your doc, the better. Good link here: http://www.drpritikothari.com/weight-loss-surgery-and-medications/ and take a look on crazymeds.us.

Dub's right usually giving up caffeine and/or coffee is only temporary. I have caffeine everyday!