I am now a little over 6mths out. ..I started off at 240lbs. Add of now I am 147lbs but I have gained 3lbs because I was down to 144lbs. I admit that I have gotten of track and have been eating out and eating sweets and also grazing. So I know that those 3lbs are all my fault. I think I got comfortable because I made it down to lower than my goal weight and felt like I cud eat these things now. I never wanted to have to count calories and diet for the rest of my life but I know in order to maintain I have to watch these things. I also have my family and friend in my ear saying I'm small enough and don't lose anymore weight and you need to stop now before you start looking sick. Now I'm 147lbs and still look fine and am still losing inches despite the gain (funny) because I can tell in my clothes. But I am unhappy now because I'm over my goal weight by 2lbs. Now I want to lose 8lbs to get down to 139lbs and I figure I'll stop and maintain better there. This is me February 17th

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I know I should be happy with the weight I have lost but I want to be comfortable and maintain that weight. Ugh! !

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First things first. Congratulations on you fantastic loss and getting to goal! You did it!

Now let's get your head straight..........

You mentioned that you are off-track. You're here telling us, which means you're looking for help. And you're going to get it! Support, some tough love, you'll get it all from your wonderful VST support crew!

But you know that you are the only one who can do this and keep the weight off! You reached your goal in 6 months (fantastic), but that wasn't enough time for you to retrain yourself from a lifetime of bad habits! That's how you got to the surgery point in the first place. You need to continue with logging and counting for at least another year until it becomes second nature to you to watch what you eat and know what you're putting in your mouth. Then, after you've been stable at goal weight (+/- 5 lbs) you can get a bit less vigilant.

You mention that you are losing inches still. That is normal, as you body is remodelling itself with the new weight. That is NOT a quick process! As I mentioned above, you need to be stable at goal weight and see how things "shake out" over time! Are you exercising? That could be some of the inches lost (muscle tone building, fat moving around, etc.). Even if you've been off-track eating, at least exercise gives you a bit of an offset.

Not to mention exercise has many added benefits beyond a number on the scale......

Now let's talk about the scale. We all know it's our mortal enemy. When you started this whole process, it was with a goal in mind to lose X lbs. But what you really wanted was to lose body fat. A regular scale does not discriminate between fat and muscle and bone and Water. So you could lose 100 lbs and have lost mostly muscle!

If you can, try to get a body fat reading (some scales do this and are not that expensive). You can get it done at a gym by a trainer (using fat calipers), or even possibly at your primary care physician. Body fat % is a much better indicator of how well you really are doing in your loss AND in your maintenance.

Don't let the number on the scale rule your life, your mood or your motivation! Do you physically feel better? I'll bet you do! And that was the whole point of getting the VSG. Your health is exponentially better now. So use your physical body feelings to guide you. Are you tired? You might need more exercise to build stamina and muscle base. Are your energy levels fluctuating during the day? Look at your food intake and find out what causes the changes. Are you sleeping well? If not, try drinking less caffeine, changing your nighttime routine and hours of sleep. Rest is a key component of our health and gives us the energy to tackle the new day (including the desire to exercise and eat right!).

You are driving this bus dear. You've completed a huge challenge in getting to goal. Now tackles the new challenge of living a full healthy happy life by using your new skills to keep yourself in this "happy place".

You can do it! That's what maintaining is all about! Don't obsess over it, just get yourself back on track.

I'm sure it will be different trying to maintain than it was to lose. I guess it will take some trial and error to figure out what you can have to maintain a healthy weight!

Webchickadee - excellent response. Gettinmeback - amazing that you did all of your weight loss in only 6 months - that should tell you you know what to do and you do it well. Web chickadee had a great answer, and she is so correct - we all are behind you, supporting you, encouraging you, knowing you can get to where you want and learn how best to stay there for your body. Good luck girl! You can do it.

Gettinmeback: You look fantastic! You look like you were never overweight! WebChickabee gave an excellent response.

You are on a LIFE-long journey and there will be twists and turns and as my therapist told me, there is NO ONE in control except me . . . you in your case! People in your ear will tell you don't lose any more you'll look sick. Those same people will tell you be careful you'll get fat again if they see you eat a single potato chip! Your body belongs to you and you have to do what is right for you!

This is a personal question, and you certainly are free to answer or not, but you look so good, did you have surgery to remove excess skin, or did you have a lot!

Keep your head up, do what is right for you, control what you eat or don't eat and if you need "outside" help, it's best to see someone who is objective like a counselor or therapist to help you gain insight on why you were overweight in the first place, if it wasn't purely a medical reason.

All the best to you!

Peace,

Carlygirl412

Gettinmeback: You look fantastic! You look like you were never overweight! WebChickabee gave an excellent response.

You are on a LIFE-long journey and there will be twists and turns and as my therapist told me' date=' there is NO ONE in control except me . . . you in your case! People in your ear will tell you don't lose any more you'll look sick. Those same people will tell you be careful you'll get fat again if they see you eat a single potato chip! Your body belongs to you and you have to do what is right for you!

This is a personal question, and you certainly are free to answer or not, but you look so good, did you have surgery to remove excess skin, or did you have a lot!

Keep your head up, do what is right for you, control what you eat or don't eat and if you need "outside" help, it's best to see someone who is objective like a counselor or therapist to help you gain insight on why you were overweight in the first place, if it wasn't purely a medical reason.

All the best to you!

Peace,

Carlygirl412[/quote']

Thank you so much for the supportive response!

No I didn't have surgery to remove any skin. My insurance does pay for the pandus removal but we have to wait 18mths after surgery. No I don't have any extra skin my only problem is my pandus and even that is getting smaller! By the time I wait my 18mths I might not have any pandus to remove! Lol

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I hope this isn't a completely ridiculous question, but what is a pandus? I googled it but got a bunch of links to Chinese restaurants. Lol

I think she meant Pannus . Autofill can be a pain! (the hanging pannus, or apron of skin, from the lower abdomen below the belly button.

Smiles

Yes I did mean "pannus" lol sorry but I am happy to say that I have lost those few lbs I gained and I'm now down to 143!! You guys are an awesome support system!

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You look good girl !!! Don't let a couple pound get you down ! Just get back on track .. Easier said than done . I know . But you can do it!! You look great!!

I think you look beautiful!

I have to agree with you. If you have a certain goal so long as it is not unhealthy you should go for it. Most people around us on some level like for things to stay the same, because change is threatening because it makes other people feel like they should be doing better. It's not so black and white though of course, no one sits around thinking "Oh I don't want that person to lose weight" but we do to a large extent encourage mediocrity.

So, if you want to lose those last pounds I would encourage you to do so. Try not to sit around thinking about how unhappy you are about your gain, because it was very small. Make the changes you know you need to make, or just get more serious about it in general and you will be there in no time.