Now that VST has been around awhile, there are a lot of us at goal who are learning to maintain.

I would like to discuss maintenance. Is it easy for you? It is not easy for me.

I fight it every day. I can eat so much more than I could when I first had surgery. I don't feel really full all the time the way I did a year ago.

I used to be able to eat a meal and feel so full for hours that I had no desire to eat again until it was meal time again.

I would say that Head hunger is more than 75% of hunger for me. I can eat a meal and thoughts of junk food enter my mind an hour later.

I am so thankful that I do have this tool to help me maintain, but it will always be a battle for me to not eat chips, candy and all the rest of the stuff that could easily pack on 20 lbs in a short time if I gave into my head hunger.

How are the rest of you at goal doing? Is eating healthy such a habit now that you have no desire to snack?

I don't believe you are supposed to use straws early on...and nicotine slows healing... so stay away, and ask your Doc first chance you get.

Feed can you move this thread to the vets forum?

There was no vets forum when I started this thread, but I think that's where it belongs now.

Done!

This is a very slippery time of year for me. My birthday is on the 25th, and it seems like from my birthday until Christmas, it's non stop trying to gather every ounce of strength and willpower to avoid birthday treats, thanksgiving treats, and Christmas party treats.

I am up more than I want to be right now, so it's protein and veggies only for awhile. I have this bad habit that once I lose what I've gained from giving into sweets and the scale says what I want it to say, that's when I think "oh one piece of candy won't hurt. I have to break this habit! I am so tired of yo-yo ing.

I gave myself a bounce range of 5 pounds and I stay within than fairly easy. I do have to be mindful of what I'm eating, thankfully I still have enough restriction. I'm 21 mo post op and have been maintaining since Feb. I have chosen to be grain free which helps me a great deal to not have the daily fight of wanting to eat junk food. I make my own "treats" if I really want something sweet. I know being grain free is not for everyone but it has been my best option. I used to crave carbs now I no longer crave them at all. I still love my chocolate though:) I have to exercise to stay in my bounce range so I have found a good balance that works for me.

Just wanted to check in. I read this whole thread and it's been very useful. I've been in maintenance since August after reaching my goal with a 140 pound loss. I went pretty low then gained three pounds. So now I am 4 pounds below goal which gives me wiggle room. I found for me the only difference between losing and maintaining is 100 cal. I lost on 1200 and I maintain on 1300. If I increase I will gain. It took me a month of trial and error to make that conclusion. My struggle now is hunger. I am hungry a lot especially in the middle of the night. So I keep protein snacks in the fridge. I'm going to talk to my surgeon about this as o have been on two different ppis and still have hunger which I think is real hunger.

I'm glad everyone is still checking in. Maintenance is so tricky. Life is different now that we are no longer obese. We socialize more, and there is food everywhere.

I am freaked out because I am having back surgery tomorrow, and I won't be able to exercise for awhile. I'll be able to sit and lay around being bored, which is a really bad idea in maintenance.

Daisy...I had about 2 months of no exercise post plastics last year and did not gain. You can do this! Thinking of you!

Maintenance is so tricky

@@Oregondaisy

hi there

what a great "ahhhh ha" moment you had starting this thread back in December 2010

you are a smart cookie

I noticed your stats are verrry similar to mine

i had my sleeve back with the dinasours

i THOUGHT once i lost my weight, woo hoo, food issues would be gone

i had the issue after years of yo yoing up and down - i never could maintain my weight loss

thus the sleeve would solve allll my problems

WRONG

as you said, maintennace is the struggle i deal with daily

problems here and there, fluctuations

but things eventually, luckily work out

sorry about your back surgery you just had

back surgery hopefully will improve your "situation"

i used to do a DVD "exercises with a chair"

people that had some problems with mobility, back, knees etc

maybe you could try this at some point???

back surgery - been there done that

don't start back to "official" exercising til you are ready

don't rush the process

gym will still be there

good thoughts being sent your way

have a good speedy healthy recovery

before you know it, you will be on the treadmill again

kathy

Edited November 6, 201411 yr by proudgrammy

Thank you Cathy and CGJ!

I'm doing okay, other than the pain pills causing so much itchiness.I'm going to the dr. to get the dressing changed and I'm going to ask for something different.

One good thing, I seemed to have lost my appetite. I hope that feeing lasts a few more days.

Good luck on the back surgery Daisy! Hopefully, it will make so that you can exercise more in the future without pain. I had a L4/5 Microdiscectomy (surgery) a year ago and it was not successful despite 95% efficacy rates so hopefully you will have better experience. Im not sure if its the same surgery but they wanted me to start exercising right away in order to heel faster. Take it easy and do what the doctor tells you though.

This a great forum. I am almost 3 years out and continue to struggle to maintain and I hover 5-7 pounds above my goal. I also feel that I have not been restricting my diet at all. I do try to have either protein drink or a homemade smoothy with seeds, protein, vegees and fruits.

I am considering doing either the 5:2 diet or a the pouch test in order to get back on track. Does anyone have a preference or feedback on these ?

I am happy that I can lean into my sleeve tool however I have been letting sliders in recently to solve emotional and stress issues. Old habits die hard.

Should I try the 5;2 or the sleeve test to get off the carbs and get back on track?

Good luck on the back surgery Daisy! Hopefully, it will make so that you can exercise more in the future without pain. I had a L4/5 Microdiscectomy (surgery) a year ago and it was not successful despite 95% efficacy rates so hopefully you will have better experience. Im not sure if its the same surgery but they wanted me to start exercising right away in order to heel faster. Take it easy and do what the doctor tells you though.

This a great forum. I am almost 3 years out and continue to struggle to maintain and I hover 5-7 pounds above my goal. I also feel that I have not been restricting my diet at all. I do try to have either protein drink or a homemade smoothy with seeds, protein, vegees and fruits.

I am considering doing either the 5:2 diet or a the pouch test in order to get back on track. Does anyone have a preference or feedback on these ?

I am happy that I can lean into my sleeve tool however I have been letting sliders in recently to solve emotional and stress issues. Old habits die hard.

Should I try the 5;2 or the sleeve test to get off the carbs and get back on track?

The "sleeve" test would be the one to get off carbs. The 5:2 is a longevity protocol that helps the body to get back to normal, improves restriction, and can set up weight loss without making a lot of dietary changes day in and day out. (only two days a week) I did re-lose weight and get to goal with the 5:2 when nothing else worked for me.. and have done a pretty good job staying close to goal using it in maintenance. (I am about 4 pounds over goal range right now)... coming up on 4 years out....

The "sleeve" test would be the one to get off carbs. The 5:2 is a longevity protocol that helps the body to get back to normal, improves restriction, and can set up weight loss without making a lot of dietary changes day in and day out. (only two days a week) I did re-lose weight and get to goal with the 5:2 when nothing else worked for me.. and have done a pretty good job staying close to goal using it in maintenance. (I am about 4 pounds over goal range right now)... coming up on 4 years out....

Thanks so much feedyoureye!

Can you share more about your experience on 5:2. It sounds like it is a permanent way of eating and not just a diet? I feel like every month I am craving carbs and making poor choices with little to no control or restriction and I've learned how to eat around my sleeve and I'm worried.

Additionally, I feel like my body fat composition is changing significantly more than my mere 5-7 lb weight gain, so it is depressing me. I used to be a size 4 and now and a solid barely size 6. Overall, I'm still happy with that but do feel "heavy" like I used to before WLS. I just feel like I can "get away with it" and therefore I CAN make the poor choices that I'm making.

Basically, I need a reality check and need to get my eating back in order so I'm thinking I need to do the Pouch/sleeve test and then do the 5:2.

Can you share your experience with 5:2? what do you eat on your 5 days and what do you eat on your 2 days? Do you have a good official website? anything sleeve related to know about doing the 5:2?

Thank in advance for sharing!

Lisa

OK, feedyoureye, I'm embarrassed to see that you have an entire thread dedicated to the 5:2. Im going to review that. Thank you so much for posting. I'm a retired vet who is coming back to this forum to get back on track so I apologize for the questions above Thanks for being so information and such a great resource!!

Maintenance is so tricky

It sure is for me. I am at about 129 lbs now which I can live with. To stay there I see a nut, go to Overeaters Anonymous and eat no sweets. The weight is gone but the obsession is not.

I tried the 5:2 and it just didn't work for me. I would binge on my food days. I know that's not what I was supposed to do, but somehow it set off my food obsession even more. It's too bad because I think intermittent fasting is healthy, but I can see that nothing is one-size fits all.