Sleeved36

-"You've lost some weight, how did you do it?"
-"I had 85% of my stomach removed."

I am pretty sure that everyone knows at work and other places as folks love to gossip. HR and upper management will know for the Health Insurance paperwork hits their desk first. If you go out of pocket that is different. I have told anyone who asks and half the time they want weight loss tips. I don't post it or brag about the surgery only the results. Many folks before me have tried and failed after the surgery. Once I started drinking the Protein Shakes, the whole office started drinking them. I don't lie or conceal as I value my integrity a bit. Some folks know and just want to see if you will be honest. My journey was 19 months (11 months after surgery) so I let folks know it was not a quick cut and the weight fell off. You have to work at it and it takes a lot of commitment. I created a pdf with weight loss tips I have learned from my nutritionist, this forum and my own experiences that I give to the genuinely interested.
Weight Loss Tips.pdf

Like @Matt Z said, I also tell everyone. I own it, I don't care what people think, I guess I'm proud of my decision. But I don't you have to say anything, but I'm sure people will ask, maybe repeatedly. Today was a coworkers birthday and they had cake, most know I had surgery but I had to decline probably five times, I may have had some, but I didn't have lunch yet and I was hungry and I'm not wasting calories and space on cake. The ones who knew sort of just gave the others the drop it face.
it's up to you, but I own it.

I told all of my coworkers and my boss about the surgery. If anyone asks how I've lost so much weight, I tell them too. I don't keep it a secret.

I tell everyone... I don't care. It's the truth, it's what happened and I own it.

Ran 5k today without stopping - first time in my life I have ever managed to do this with no stops....in under 40 mins :) training for my first 5k event next month - running in memory of my sister (great motivator!), raising money for the hospice that supported her 💕

I have managed to get rid of all of my pre surgery clothes, went on a trip to Alaska and managed to fit in the airplane seat! I have also managed to be able to fit my formerly big behind into any and all roller coasters at the local theme park!!! That alone was an amazing feeling since there were only a few rides that I was small enough to get on. I am currently halfway into working my way up to being able to jog a 5k in less than 25 minutes with my golden doodle and when that happens I will be doing cartwheels! By far one of the best decisions of my life to have this surgery!!

I can actually see my feet on the scale without bending over‼️

I am stepping up my workouts and starting to work with a trainer today, and I’m looking forward to it‼️

I ordered new bras ... started as a 42G and down to a 38 DDD ‼️‼️‼️

A couple of NSV this past week...
1. Fit into my old favorite bathing suits (size 12s & 14s) - Was able to retire my "new" big girl suits for my old fashionable ones
2. Bought a appropriate US size (#'d) Harley Davidson capris (reality, they were US size 12/14 - and must've been UK sizing) a couple years back and they never fit.... tried them on for giggles the other day and they buttoned

3. tried on a pair of old jean capri's today - haven't been able to wear in 3 years.... FIT....:D

My new to me skinny jeans that were given to me a month ago (and we’re super tight!) are now too big.

Oh, no! Please don't hear me wrong. I was not criticizing you.
I LOVE my workouts and they are totally essential for both losing and maintaining. I am NOT criticizing gym goers.
We all know people who go a little extreme with both diet and exercise and I don't want that to be me.
We all have a friend or coworker that doesn't stop talking about every meal or thier gym routine. I don't want that to be me.
Worrying about every calorie and obsessing about every workout isn't really healthy in the long run.

I never drove a car. Never. Ever in my life. Not for 18 years. And then there was the day when I drove a car for the first time.
I never stented a carotid artery. Never. Ever in my life. Not for 41 years. And then there was the day when I did it for the first time.
So the answer to your question is: If you never learnt good food habits in the fist place - learn to have them now!
This is not about magic! This is about learning new skills by practicing them! Practicing them over and over and over and OVER again, until they feel like second nature to your brain.
Honestly? Some people have to learn the hard way that this particular way didn't work for them. You can provide help/guidance along the way but in the end people choose their own way and that is not always the way that works out fine.

Some people need a second chance because they messed up first. If these people are honest with themselves they should realize that they made mistakes along the way and now they have a chance to do it in another way. If they choose to make the same mistakes... well, not everyone will be successful. In the end it's just as simple as that.

What rubs me the wrong way is that so many people seem to come back with a regain after they were quite successful and are on their way to make the same mistakes again, fueled by the "advice" to "go back to basics" and to "try harder". And because they were so successfully losing once they try to do the same thing they did back then - not realizing that they're making the same mistakes by going back to these same old strategies that didn't work in the first place for them.

You're gung-ho about it, you eat low carb/lowfat/keto/lowcalorie/whateverrocksyourboat, you go to the gym five times a week, you follow all these fancy rules, you do this, you do that and more and then... something happens, whatever that something might be for this person and BOOM - things go down the drain.

And what are you going to do then? Trying again to live a lifestyle that's obviously not going to make you happy? Or are you taking a leap of faith and try something different?

Just my thoughts as someone who has used a food tracking app for years... I have been successful at weightloss until the last 3 years...

I am most successful when I consistently log my meals. It wasn't until I stopped logging, or keeping accountability of my intake did the weight creep back (Add other medical issues and here we are today).

When I allowed myself to get "slack" I found it hard to get back on track even though I thought my portions were OK.

I think I can say for me personally, keeping myself accountable will be a lifelong chore. But I also look at as, if i have 5 minutes for social media, I have 5 minutes for logging.

I don't log my exercise to allow me to keep ahead of myself with daily kcal goals.

I work with some "healthy" women, they don't always log their food, but rather their exercise.

I think long term, much like our trial and errors here, we have to find what works best for ourselves.

I also know long term, I'll never be able to eat carbs like I once used to. The effects from carbs and gluten are horrid to my body and that's one habit I know I don't want to relive.

Did I miss something?
I thought this thread was about how to achieve balance in the maintenance phase? And how we order our lives.
I am allowed to speak about how I want to order my life.
Calm down. I thought the main person who liked to start arguments left this site.

Listening to this podcast at the moment. Extremely interesting. A lot of scientific big words but even I understand it.

Dom D’Agostino, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, and a senior research scientist at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC). Layne Norton is a renowned prep/physique coach and pro-natural bodybuilder/powerlifter with a PhD in Nutritional Sciences.

Today I went to the doctor and weighed in at 146lbs down since prior to the pre op diet in January. Surgery date of 1/19/18. Original weight was 332lbs at 5’4 and today I’m 186lbs. Initial BMI was 57 and today 31. I started in a size 4X top and a size 26 pants. Today I am a large top and a 10-12 pants. I am six pounds away from the initial goal that the surgeon and I set at my first appointment. Ideally, I’d like to lose another 40lbs on this journey.

For those who come to this site to look for validation to do this surgery....let me say this:
1. This process does work IF you put the work in.
2. This has been the hardest and most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my life.
3. My only regret is I didn’t do this sooner. I’m truly living my best life now.

These are my current pictures. I’m not posting before shots because I’m not interested in the past, only the present and future. This is me today. (There are pictures in an album on my profile if you want to compare where I started)

Still far from goal but I think about this a lot. I had success 10 years ago losing over 40 pounds and only had about 25 to go to reach my goal. After that I gained 110 pounds in about 8 years....
It started slowly, maybe eating a couple of french fries off husbands plate or "a few" Kettle chips at a party. Then it was the Atkins bars which are candy but somehow seemed acceptable to delusional MIZ. Then maybe a margarita instead of vodka soda when out with friends.
I tell myself every day that there are certain foods and food groups that I will NEVER have again since I know the slippery slope they create. I try to concentrate on mindful eating and learning that I am the only person who determines what goes in my body. So far, for 6 months, I have been successful with this but I know it will be harder as time goes on.
Went to Breakfast last Sunday with a group of 7 biker friends to a small town diner. This place is really good. I ordered my omelette and told the waitress no bread and no potatoes. I asked for a box when she brought my food and ate the amount I wanted and took the rest home. I do not think anyone in the group heard me or noticed. We were having a great day and it is not about my eating or what I could not have.
This is what I know it will take for me to maintain. If I can go 9 years without a cigarette I can go the rest of my life without potatoes, sugar and other things I do not need.

Not sure what more information I'm able to provide. In the end it's just some thoughts and opinions based on personal experience.
As for changes I believe that when hard times are coming your way you need your energy for something different than the food/exercise/self-control world. And there seems to be a lot of proof that this is true. Just look at the posts on this board in which people talk about regain and when the regain started to happen. There usually seems to be a stressful event that started the "old habits" again.
I also believe that a lot boils down to trust issues in the end.
Do you trust yourself with food now? Do you think that you can e. g. ever eat something "bad" at a party or bring "bad" food home and eat it without blowing the whole WLS thing because you're afraid that you will want MORE tomorrow, next week, next month? Do you trust yourself enough that you will take up exercising again after you paused for a week or two because you had a cold? Do you think that without an arbitrary set of strict rules somebody else set for you, you will gain back all the weight and more within the blink of an eye?
It might raise your heart rate significantly if you only think about that someone actually suggested that you should "trust yourself" when it comes to issues that have something to do with your body after the whole world told you for decades that you "cannot be trusted". It will definitely throw you out of your comfort zone to trust yourself with body/food issues.
Learning to have a certain level of trust in yourself takes work and a big step out of the comfort zone. It's like beginning a new job and acquiring the new skills needed to do that job properly. However, I firmly hold the opinion that it's worth the hassle.

Oh, no! Please don't hear me wrong. I was not criticizing you.
I LOVE my workouts and they are totally essential for both losing and maintaining. I am NOT criticizing gym goers.
We all know people who go a little extreme with both diet and exercise and I don't want that to be me.
We all have a friend or coworker that doesn't stop talking about every meal or thier gym routine. I don't want that to be me.
Worrying about every calorie and obsessing about every workout isn't really healthy in the long run.

Did I miss something?
I thought this thread was about how to achieve balance in the maintenance phase? And how we order our lives.
I am allowed to speak about how I want to order my life.
Calm down. I thought the main person who liked to start arguments left this site.

Clothes! Clothes! Clothes!
Besides necessity, there are a few reasons it is fun:
1. I am no longer limited to plus sizes. Exploring stores and having more options is amazing, whole new world of possibilities. 🤩
2. My body has a better shape so it is actually possible to look good in clothes. I don't feel like a blob anymore 😊
3. If done right, shopping is decent exercise. Lots of walking. Bring a water bottle and get to work! 😉
Side note: I do love pedicures, but have actually gone less since losing weight bc it is also kinda exciting how easily I can reach my toes! No more huffing and puffing!

Clothes! Clothes! Clothes!
Besides necessity, there are a few reasons it is fun:
1. I am no longer limited to plus sizes. Exploring stores and having more options is amazing, whole new world of possibilities. 🤩
2. My body has a better shape so it is actually possible to look good in clothes. I don't feel like a blob anymore 😊
3. If done right, shopping is decent exercise. Lots of walking. Bring a water bottle and get to work! 😉
Side note: I do love pedicures, but have actually gone less since losing weight bc it is also kinda exciting how easily I can reach my toes! No more huffing and puffing!

Because I shall have to be spending money on clothes later, I try to find rewards that don't cost too much, like a weekend camping, or ten pin bowling or crazy golf.

I have bought many clothing rewards. It is hard not to if you’ve been shopping in plus sizes for years and years!
I have also bought two new bags and a new watch.
I have a vacation planned in March, and that should be pretty close to me at or beyond my goal.
It is so important to reward yourself with non food items, whatever it is you love instead....you deserve it!

Vacations to exotic places in so I save these for big milestones...