BestDayEver

When people get their knickers in a twist I always think "hey, it's the Internet folks, what did you expect!" It can wear you down though, so take a little BP vacay for a couple weeks and come back when well rested. It's all good.

I'm always amazed when people say it costs too much to eat healthy. I've saved a lot on my grocery bill by not buying soda, chips, beer and packaged cookies. If you buy produce in season and look for the sale items, it's a lot less than processed foods. Also, I cook most of my own meals so I save a lot by not eating in restaurants. The expense of healthy foods is always an interesting excuse.

Your story reminds me of my unfortunate escapade with a donut on National Donut Day. I lost my appetite for about five days after eating that thing. Even now, just the thought of it makes me nauseous. I would say I have full on aversion to donuts now. Blech.

I signed onto this website shortly after I had VSG and the biggest take away from the vets was don't return to old eating habits or you will regain. This really stuck with me and I worked very hard to change my eating and exercise habits from then on. I keep coming here to stay alert and motivated to stay the course. I take nothing for granted. I also want to give a shout out to Bufflehead for recommending the book The Beck Diet Solution because it changed my life. The cognitive tools outlined in this book helped me establish great habits and self control. I just don't graze. Thank you Bufflehead!

I'm a little jealous. I never experienced feeling cold. I've had tons of hot flashes and still get overheated and can sweat buckets. I do tolerate the high temps where I live better than I used to, but losing all that extra insulation helped with that!

I think some people get upset when a friend or relative loses a great deal of weight because it changes the status quo. I'm in the same boat. One of my sisters-in-law is uncomfortable with my weight loss I think in part because she could always think of me as heavier than her and now that I weigh less than her, she has become politely distant. I also let go of a long time friend (30+ years) because she was so opposed to my choice to have WLS, there were no fireworks but I just distanced myself. It does hurt but I think it's best to let it go and look forward to bigger and better things. I wrote this quote down in my calendar "sometimes you have to let things go, so there's room for better things to come into your life." It is hurtful, but I choose to move forward and try not to dwell on the negative. I hope you feel peace as you move forward.

I love summer fruit. I don't particularly care for apples, oranges or bananas so summer fruit is my time to enjoy. I was so strict in the weight loss phase, I would only allow myself a small amount of fruit for breakfast. Now that I've lost all the weight I want to lose I'm allowing myself more fruit and it doesn't seem to be a problem for me in terms of gaining.

I'm 14 months out but I remember stressing about changing everything about how I ate. In the end, this new way of eating feels comfortable now and i can't imagine going back to my old habits. My biggest struggle is going to the gym because it's not my favorite thing to do but I committed to exercising at least 3 days a week for 1 hour and I've been sticking to it. I'll slip in a little NSV here and say that after losing over 100 pounds I'm coping so much better with the 110+ weather we're having. I used to really suffer and now I bop around and think "this isn't so bad!" Yippee.

It's sad. I don't know if she chooses to do nothing because she makes more money with this stupid show or what the deal is. I feel for her, but wish she would do something before she has irreversible health consequences.

Going through this process caused me to let a long time friend go from my life. I wrote this quote down "Sometimes you have to let things go, so there's room for better things to come into your life." This too shall pass.

I like the clothing options too: leggings, shorts, swimsuit, work out clothes and all for a lot less than other stores. I buy my sheets and towels there too. The only thing with Costco is that you never get out the door for less than $100.

I thought "vomitrocious" when I heard about it. I don't think it will be a big hit with people, just too gross.

I asked my bariatric surgeon at the one year check up how long the metabolic effect of the surgery lasts and he said it's strongest in the first six months and then starts to progressively lessen over the two years post surgery. He said, and I quote "I have three words of advice regarding maintenance: exercise, exercise, exercise." I'm only 13 months out so I can only hope and pray I will maintain the loss. I've seen other veterans do it, so I hope I will be one of them too. Best wishes to you as you fight on!

This maintenance phase is a bit tricky. I met goal 4 months ago and had surgery 13 months ago. I keep losing and I'm starting to feel a bit concerned about it. My dad called me a scarecrow today (thanks dad). I can see my bones in my chest, shoulders and back. I don't want to lose any more weight but I struggle to get my calories above 1200. I've started to add some foods I was really strict on not eating before like toasted bread or even the occasional bowl of Cereal. Part of the problem for me is that I stopped eating carby/sugary foods after surgery and now they don't really taste that good to me anymore. I literally traumatized myself last week by eating a really doughy donut and it sat in my stomach for about six hours. I was so grossed out it impacted my appetite for days. Blech. I'm sure I'll figure this all out in time. I never thought I could lose this much weight. Now I have to figure out how to eat and maintain. Best wishes to you on this crazy VSG journey.

This is a tough one. When friends or family ask I tell them I had wls. When the gal that does my nails asks, it just seems awkward to give details, I really don't know the woman all that well, so I just explain the diet I'm on and exercise. I don't have coworkers so that just takes out a large number of people I don't have to explain it to. The further out I am the less I want to explain it to anyone.

I like the skinny little straws when I drink my rum and coke, otherwise I don't use straws. Ahhh, cocktails, soda, now that's another hot topic all together . . . Let's not go there.

Maybe. As long as the fight does not involve a weapon. Danger Will Robinson, Danger.

You can have bypass and still face regain. From what I've read there really is no way around it - you have to eat low carb, keep overall calories in line, and exercise to keep the weight off after the metabolic advantage of the surgery wears off. Thankfully you feel the restriction, a tool that will always help you get back on track. Best of luck.

VSGAnn2014 : after reading Facebook and BP for a year now, I've often thought how grateful I am that I was in the care of a great surgeon that has done many, many sleeves. I never had one complication. I think that a properly performed sleeve will provide restriction for life. Our food choices and ability to eat around the restriction are what causes regain after the metabolic effect of the surgery has worn off. Best wishes to all of us as we work to maintain our hard fought losses.

Congratulations! Thank you for sharing.

Check out the bariatriceating Facebook page. Many of the people using this site had bypass and struggle with regain. It's been an eye opener for me and I'm grateful I have the sleeve. My sister had bypass and has regained most but not all of the weight back but she has terrible eating habits. Long story short, you have to commit to changing the way you eat for the rest of your life regardless of which surgery you choose if you want to maintain the weight loss. I say this based upon what I read from those that are years out. I've been maintaining for a couple of months.

I cook every night. I've modified family favorites to make them healthier and everyone in my home seems pleased. My struggle is to add new things to the repertoire because bbq chicken breast can get kind of boring. But there are lots of online recipes to give me new ideas. When it comes to holidays or special occasions, I keep to the tried and true and just keep my portions in check. I think you'll find it all very doable once you get the hang of your new sleeve.

Measuring my Protein really helps me not overeat. If I overdo it I feel miserable! So not worth it. I know I'm reaching max capacity when I get a runny nose, sneeze repeatedly, or hiccup. But I prefer to stop before any of that happens. I'm one year out and figuring out "full" or " satisfied" has been a learning process that does get easier in time.

Ahhhh, now we meet the man that brings home Krispy Kreme donuts and French silk pie! Shocking!!!!

How will I maintain my weight loss? First, and foremost, learn from my past. This is the first time I've eaten a low carb diet. In the past it was all about eating less and exercising more and as soon as I got to goal, I immediately returned to old eating habits (lots and lots of carbs and sugar.) This past year I've completely changed what and how I eat. I like the new way I'm doing things. I keep my trigger foods out of the house and just keep on keep'n on. Now that I'm in maintenance, it looks just like what I was doing all this past year to lose weight. I accept I will need to eat low carb for the rest of my life and I can live with that, easily. Key points: you have to change the way you eat forever if you want to maintain. Keep reading information that inspires you to keep on the path. I will continue to track my food and weight because it keeps me accountable. I feel bad for Ali Vincent, I know her struggle well and wish her the very best. It's not easy and that's all there is to it.