MandoGetsSleeved

So... what happens when you stop checking out the forums every day and quit tracking? Well, for me it means weight gain. Hit my low of about 165 and then... well... then, essentially have been on a bender since then. It's been about a month. I know what I have to do, I just have to actually DO IT. I'm up 4lbs and can't seem to shake it. I'm NOT going over 170 again, but I have to find that happy medium between starving myself and gorging myself.
My solution: start holding myself accountable. I'm starting over today. Tracking, posting, and weighing daily. For others out there in the same boat, don't give up or give in. Take it one day at a time and don't let setbacks get you down.

So... what happens when you stop checking out the forums every day and quit tracking? Well, for me it means weight gain. Hit my low of about 165 and then... well... then, essentially have been on a bender since then. It's been about a month. I know what I have to do, I just have to actually DO IT. I'm up 4lbs and can't seem to shake it. I'm NOT going over 170 again, but I have to find that happy medium between starving myself and gorging myself.
My solution: start holding myself accountable. I'm starting over today. Tracking, posting, and weighing daily. For others out there in the same boat, don't give up or give in. Take it one day at a time and don't let setbacks get you down.

So... what happens when you stop checking out the forums every day and quit tracking? Well, for me it means weight gain. Hit my low of about 165 and then... well... then, essentially have been on a bender since then. It's been about a month. I know what I have to do, I just have to actually DO IT. I'm up 4lbs and can't seem to shake it. I'm NOT going over 170 again, but I have to find that happy medium between starving myself and gorging myself.
My solution: start holding myself accountable. I'm starting over today. Tracking, posting, and weighing daily. For others out there in the same boat, don't give up or give in. Take it one day at a time and don't let setbacks get you down.

So... what happens when you stop checking out the forums every day and quit tracking? Well, for me it means weight gain. Hit my low of about 165 and then... well... then, essentially have been on a bender since then. It's been about a month. I know what I have to do, I just have to actually DO IT. I'm up 4lbs and can't seem to shake it. I'm NOT going over 170 again, but I have to find that happy medium between starving myself and gorging myself.
My solution: start holding myself accountable. I'm starting over today. Tracking, posting, and weighing daily. For others out there in the same boat, don't give up or give in. Take it one day at a time and don't let setbacks get you down.

So... what happens when you stop checking out the forums every day and quit tracking? Well, for me it means weight gain. Hit my low of about 165 and then... well... then, essentially have been on a bender since then. It's been about a month. I know what I have to do, I just have to actually DO IT. I'm up 4lbs and can't seem to shake it. I'm NOT going over 170 again, but I have to find that happy medium between starving myself and gorging myself.
My solution: start holding myself accountable. I'm starting over today. Tracking, posting, and weighing daily. For others out there in the same boat, don't give up or give in. Take it one day at a time and don't let setbacks get you down.

So... what happens when you stop checking out the forums every day and quit tracking? Well, for me it means weight gain. Hit my low of about 165 and then... well... then, essentially have been on a bender since then. It's been about a month. I know what I have to do, I just have to actually DO IT. I'm up 4lbs and can't seem to shake it. I'm NOT going over 170 again, but I have to find that happy medium between starving myself and gorging myself.
My solution: start holding myself accountable. I'm starting over today. Tracking, posting, and weighing daily. For others out there in the same boat, don't give up or give in. Take it one day at a time and don't let setbacks get you down.

You will Figure out that magic balance between the two. At least you realized it now, you can do this.

Bored - Best description I can come up with. Sitting here @ about 80lbs lost and in a stall. Why? Because I'm lazy and gotten complacent!! Joined the gym... haven't gone yet.
The first 80lbs were beyond easy. I'm one of the lucky ones - No complications, no adverse reactions to any kinds of food/drink. All my friends/family are commenting on how good I'm looking and how proud they are. I'm even happy with where I am for now. Here's the rub - I'm happy (yeah, I know that sounds stupid) - Able to do more, feel better, and truly enjoying life. The problem? That's the black hole I get into. Happy = Family, friends, boating, food, etc and ultimately leads to my not following the plan. I've got at least 40lbs to go. Looking at the numbers, that means I'm "only" 2/3's to my goal.
This is without a doubt the best decision I've ever made for ME - Now I have to figure out how to use this tool for the rest of my life - Not just for 80lbs. I know what I HAVE to do, now I just need to figure out for myself HOW to do it. I'm not much of a tracker (I manage to track for a few days, goes well, I get lazy.... you get the picture). The one thing that HAS worked is getting on the scale every day. I'm acknowleding that's what works for ME - it holds me accountable and makes me more aware of the slips and their ramifications.
This forum is awesome for making me look at what I've done right and what I've done wrong. Seeing others with the same issues helps me know this is normal and often part of the process. I have a feeling that I'll be on here for a long time (if nothing else, just for reality checks).... So in closing, thank you ALL for your insight and comradarie. You've made this journey much easier to understand and relate to.

Going down the Water slide on a cruise ship without getting stuck! (Yep, I did it about 10 times!!)

Going down the Water slide on a cruise ship without getting stuck! (Yep, I did it about 10 times!!)

Going down the Water slide on a cruise ship without getting stuck! (Yep, I did it about 10 times!!)

Going down the Water slide on a cruise ship without getting stuck! (Yep, I did it about 10 times!!)

Going down the Water slide on a cruise ship without getting stuck! (Yep, I did it about 10 times!!)

I can’t wait to be able to ride roller coasters again. I used to love riding when I was younger and thought that I would never be able to enjoy that with my son. Now that I am post op and losing I can finally look forward to it again!

Hi Liza, yes - I travel quite often for work and travelled a LOT starting a few weeks after surgery. For me, as soon as I could start eating "real" food, it was HARD to resist the temptation to order whatever looked good off a menu vs. what I should eat. For the first few months, I got most of my food to go and just went back to the room, ate what I could in 20-30 minutes and then threw away the rest of it. Why? Because I eat when I'm bored and if I left it in my fridge, I would hav gradually eaten all of it over the course of several hours.
Now, honestly, it's even harder because I can eat what would be considered a "normal" portion to most skinny people (I still have lots of restriction). What I have to watch for at work when traveling is grazing. So often customer have foo or Snacks out and again... if it's there, I'll eat it. I also tend to eat much more salt when I travel (restaurants, prepared food) and find that when I get back home, I'll sometimes be as much as 2-3 pounds up even when I was good. Drink Water for a couple of days and I'll easily drop that and usually another pound. I also seem to retain a lot more water when I'm flying.
So, you're not alone.... What's worked for me:
1. Throw away leftovers if you can't control yourself.
2. Buy the large bottles of water or bring a large water bottle with you - Make sure you're actually drinking it!
3. Grocery stores are great - I love Fresh Market or Whole Foods for their prepared food (salmon and green Beans are my go to there). Publix also sells premade small salads that are the perfect size and have a good amount of Protein.

Over the course of a year, I'm pretty close to my goal weight and probably traveled at least 30 weeks of that. It takes some trial and error to see what works best for you.

Going down the Water slide on a cruise ship without getting stuck! (Yep, I did it about 10 times!!)

I agree with what everyone else has said. I'm just over a year out and about 10lbs from my initial goal. I think the "problem" with the sleeve is that most of us are able to eat anything/everything that we CHOOSE to eat after we recover from the surgery itself. You CAN outeat the sleeve. Trust me, I just did it on a cruise. However, I'm committed to MY plan and after a 3lb gain (I didn't bother to track or count calories on the cruise and fully expected a gain) I came home and went back to my new normal of eating. In 3 days, I've already lost that weight. Alternately, I could have come home and continued the things I was doing on the ship (eating like garbage and drinking my liver into a stupor). My guess (somewhat based on personal experience) is that many *certainly not all* people simply go back to back habits because they get complacent (been there, done that). It's really your choice in how you respond to the surgery - It's a tool and how YOU choose to use it is up to YOU.

I agree with what everyone else has said. I'm just over a year out and about 10lbs from my initial goal. I think the "problem" with the sleeve is that most of us are able to eat anything/everything that we CHOOSE to eat after we recover from the surgery itself. You CAN outeat the sleeve. Trust me, I just did it on a cruise. However, I'm committed to MY plan and after a 3lb gain (I didn't bother to track or count calories on the cruise and fully expected a gain) I came home and went back to my new normal of eating. In 3 days, I've already lost that weight. Alternately, I could have come home and continued the things I was doing on the ship (eating like garbage and drinking my liver into a stupor). My guess (somewhat based on personal experience) is that many *certainly not all* people simply go back to back habits because they get complacent (been there, done that). It's really your choice in how you respond to the surgery - It's a tool and how YOU choose to use it is up to YOU.

What a difference almost a year makes!!🎉🎉

Perfect timing! I’m not in Italy, but I am on a cruise ship! If meals onboard are an option, My husband and I have just been sharing everything and I’m able to eat anything/everything without issue (except maybe too much once or twice). Lots of Protein options in the morning and at lunch. I have found dinner a bit more challenging because of the number of courses. Our solution has been to order room service so there’s no pressure, I can take my time, and not feel like the odd man out at a table.

Perfect timing! I’m not in Italy, but I am on a cruise ship! If meals onboard are an option, My husband and I have just been sharing everything and I’m able to eat anything/everything without issue (except maybe too much once or twice). Lots of Protein options in the morning and at lunch. I have found dinner a bit more challenging because of the number of courses. Our solution has been to order room service so there’s no pressure, I can take my time, and not feel like the odd man out at a table.

First I want to say thank you to so many of the veteran posters on here. I hope you gals and guys know how much your experiences and feedback have helped me and I suspect many others. There's just such a fantastic mix of people and experiences - It's great knowing you aren't alone in this journey.

The first few months after surgery were easy. The weight was simply falling off, there wasn't anything I couldn't eat or drink - And better yet, I couldn't overeat because of the restriction. I felt fantastic most of the time, had all sorts of NSV's and loved my new life. From August until January I lost almost 50lbs - I was so close to Wonderland I could taste it. THEN reality struck - Suddenly I was one of those "slow losers" - It took almost 2 months to lose 13lbs. UGH, I WAS going to be one of those slow losers. OK, fine, I'm 52 and it is what it is, right? From January until May, I "only" lost 33lbs. Again, every week/month I told myself that I would lose the weight, I was just in some sort of a stall and things would magically pick up. Well, they didn't, I would lose 2-3 lbs and then I would gain 2-3 lbs. Again, "it's normal" I told myself.

Fast forward to a week ago - I jumped on here for some motivation (reading stories, etc.) and I took a hard look at what I was doing. Basically, I was being lazy - I was eating whatever I wanted and justifying it by saying "I only eat small portions" - Well, yeah, that was true...BUT I was grazing, I was drinking too much alcohol, and I wasn't tracking. I honetly have no idea how many calories I was consuming (especially on weekends with family and friends). I played mind games with myself and said "As long as I'm not gaining, I'm doing things right." - Well, that was a giant load of (@*$.

This past Tuesday (after a weekend of Mimosa's, Crown Royal, and some really great BBQ), I woke up to a 5lb gain (BTW, yes I realize some of that was Water retention). WAKE UP CALL. 5lbs? Seriously - Time to go back to basics before that's a 10lb gain. For the first time in MONTHS, I tracked every thing I tracked everything that went into my mouth (water, food, etc) - I did 3 days of liquid - In two days, those 5lbs were off. Rather than what I've done in the past, I didn't stop there - I continued tracking, I continued being cognizant of what and when I was eating. I said "no" to many things that I thought I wanted. I lost 6.8lbs from Tuesday to Sunday. What? I'm NOT a slow loser - I'm a LAZY loser.

Folks, for many of us, it's EASY in the first few months, it's EASY to convince ourselves that we're doing OK, it's EASY to compare ourselves to others, it's EASY to ignore signs that you're falling into bad habits, and it's EASY to get lazy. In reality, it's HARD to stick to your plan when you're feeling fantastic and patting yourself on the back for losing so much weight. I'm choosing to be thankful that this happened now rather than 2-3 years into it. I'm glad that reality smacked me in the face and forced me to face the fact that i wasn't doing what I needed to do. Right now it was EASY to get back on track before I let it get out of control. For those of you experiencing the same - Buckle up buttercup, start tracking, weigh yourself often if you need to, and take a good look and when and why you're losing weight and when and why you aren't.

Again, a very special thank you to you old timers for always keeping things real and giving out such fantastic advice.

First I want to say thank you to so many of the veteran posters on here. I hope you gals and guys know how much your experiences and feedback have helped me and I suspect many others. There's just such a fantastic mix of people and experiences - It's great knowing you aren't alone in this journey.

The first few months after surgery were easy. The weight was simply falling off, there wasn't anything I couldn't eat or drink - And better yet, I couldn't overeat because of the restriction. I felt fantastic most of the time, had all sorts of NSV's and loved my new life. From August until January I lost almost 50lbs - I was so close to Wonderland I could taste it. THEN reality struck - Suddenly I was one of those "slow losers" - It took almost 2 months to lose 13lbs. UGH, I WAS going to be one of those slow losers. OK, fine, I'm 52 and it is what it is, right? From January until May, I "only" lost 33lbs. Again, every week/month I told myself that I would lose the weight, I was just in some sort of a stall and things would magically pick up. Well, they didn't, I would lose 2-3 lbs and then I would gain 2-3 lbs. Again, "it's normal" I told myself.

Fast forward to a week ago - I jumped on here for some motivation (reading stories, etc.) and I took a hard look at what I was doing. Basically, I was being lazy - I was eating whatever I wanted and justifying it by saying "I only eat small portions" - Well, yeah, that was true...BUT I was grazing, I was drinking too much alcohol, and I wasn't tracking. I honetly have no idea how many calories I was consuming (especially on weekends with family and friends). I played mind games with myself and said "As long as I'm not gaining, I'm doing things right." - Well, that was a giant load of (@*$.

This past Tuesday (after a weekend of Mimosa's, Crown Royal, and some really great BBQ), I woke up to a 5lb gain (BTW, yes I realize some of that was Water retention). WAKE UP CALL. 5lbs? Seriously - Time to go back to basics before that's a 10lb gain. For the first time in MONTHS, I tracked every thing I tracked everything that went into my mouth (water, food, etc) - I did 3 days of liquid - In two days, those 5lbs were off. Rather than what I've done in the past, I didn't stop there - I continued tracking, I continued being cognizant of what and when I was eating. I said "no" to many things that I thought I wanted. I lost 6.8lbs from Tuesday to Sunday. What? I'm NOT a slow loser - I'm a LAZY loser.

Folks, for many of us, it's EASY in the first few months, it's EASY to convince ourselves that we're doing OK, it's EASY to compare ourselves to others, it's EASY to ignore signs that you're falling into bad habits, and it's EASY to get lazy. In reality, it's HARD to stick to your plan when you're feeling fantastic and patting yourself on the back for losing so much weight. I'm choosing to be thankful that this happened now rather than 2-3 years into it. I'm glad that reality smacked me in the face and forced me to face the fact that i wasn't doing what I needed to do. Right now it was EASY to get back on track before I let it get out of control. For those of you experiencing the same - Buckle up buttercup, start tracking, weigh yourself often if you need to, and take a good look and when and why you're losing weight and when and why you aren't.

Again, a very special thank you to you old timers for always keeping things real and giving out such fantastic advice.

First I want to say thank you to so many of the veteran posters on here. I hope you gals and guys know how much your experiences and feedback have helped me and I suspect many others. There's just such a fantastic mix of people and experiences - It's great knowing you aren't alone in this journey.

The first few months after surgery were easy. The weight was simply falling off, there wasn't anything I couldn't eat or drink - And better yet, I couldn't overeat because of the restriction. I felt fantastic most of the time, had all sorts of NSV's and loved my new life. From August until January I lost almost 50lbs - I was so close to Wonderland I could taste it. THEN reality struck - Suddenly I was one of those "slow losers" - It took almost 2 months to lose 13lbs. UGH, I WAS going to be one of those slow losers. OK, fine, I'm 52 and it is what it is, right? From January until May, I "only" lost 33lbs. Again, every week/month I told myself that I would lose the weight, I was just in some sort of a stall and things would magically pick up. Well, they didn't, I would lose 2-3 lbs and then I would gain 2-3 lbs. Again, "it's normal" I told myself.

Fast forward to a week ago - I jumped on here for some motivation (reading stories, etc.) and I took a hard look at what I was doing. Basically, I was being lazy - I was eating whatever I wanted and justifying it by saying "I only eat small portions" - Well, yeah, that was true...BUT I was grazing, I was drinking too much alcohol, and I wasn't tracking. I honetly have no idea how many calories I was consuming (especially on weekends with family and friends). I played mind games with myself and said "As long as I'm not gaining, I'm doing things right." - Well, that was a giant load of (@*$.

This past Tuesday (after a weekend of Mimosa's, Crown Royal, and some really great BBQ), I woke up to a 5lb gain (BTW, yes I realize some of that was Water retention). WAKE UP CALL. 5lbs? Seriously - Time to go back to basics before that's a 10lb gain. For the first time in MONTHS, I tracked every thing I tracked everything that went into my mouth (water, food, etc) - I did 3 days of liquid - In two days, those 5lbs were off. Rather than what I've done in the past, I didn't stop there - I continued tracking, I continued being cognizant of what and when I was eating. I said "no" to many things that I thought I wanted. I lost 6.8lbs from Tuesday to Sunday. What? I'm NOT a slow loser - I'm a LAZY loser.

Folks, for many of us, it's EASY in the first few months, it's EASY to convince ourselves that we're doing OK, it's EASY to compare ourselves to others, it's EASY to ignore signs that you're falling into bad habits, and it's EASY to get lazy. In reality, it's HARD to stick to your plan when you're feeling fantastic and patting yourself on the back for losing so much weight. I'm choosing to be thankful that this happened now rather than 2-3 years into it. I'm glad that reality smacked me in the face and forced me to face the fact that i wasn't doing what I needed to do. Right now it was EASY to get back on track before I let it get out of control. For those of you experiencing the same - Buckle up buttercup, start tracking, weigh yourself often if you need to, and take a good look and when and why you're losing weight and when and why you aren't.

Again, a very special thank you to you old timers for always keeping things real and giving out such fantastic advice.

This is just my opinion, but going back to basics resets the cravings many of us have from eating higher starchier sugar-laden carbs. It really does reduce that desire and make it easier if you can tough it out for two weeks. But... that is a form of dieting, and can set up a cycle when it's meant to get you physically and mentally back to noticing what you have been consuming that causes the regain. It's mental for sure, but physical too.