How many vets are actually AT goal and staying there?

[feedyoureye 3,087]

Getting ready to start the maintenance phase very soon and am terrified. Maintaining is always so much harder than losing!

You have done so well T! It may take a while to figure out maintenance, and even that may change in the future, just don't panic, even if maintenance is harder than losing, its still a HUGE accomplishment, and you can beat the next phase too!

[M2G 1,836]

Cheri you hit the nail right on the head with saying that you "don't have to be hungry to eat." Ah ha! Yes, and 2 years ago when I was 7-8 months post op I thought I had it all figured out, eat to live...duh. Isn't that was all the experts say eating *should* revolve around? Anyway, I'm still in the "moderation" camp vs. the "abstinence" camp but I do practice a lot of either or. I will either have a flatbread round for my sandwich OR a handful of pretzel sticks, but I wont' do both. Same for things like mexican dining, I will have the chips/salsa but NOT the rice. I haven't read the articles posted so I need to go do that.

My surgeons spends a LOT of time trying to eliminate the 10-???lbs regain that he sees ALL the time. When he first said that I thought "oh not me, if I work so hard to get it off I will never regain" hahaha. Best laid plans. For the most part I DO focus on the -85lbs I have lost instead of the +15lbs that I have regained that I cannot seem to make disappear.

After I get back from vacation I may have to jump on the 5:2 plan!

[tparkerc59 334]

You have done so well T! It may take a while to figure out maintenance' date=' and even that may change in the future, just don't panic, even if maintenance is harder than losing, its still a HUGE accomplishment, and you can beat the next phase too![/quote']

Thanks feedyoureye....I appreciate the encouragement!

[Georgia 2,911]

Cheri you hit the nail right on the head with saying that you "don't have to be hungry to eat." Ah ha! Yes' date=' and 2 years ago when I was 7-8 months post op I thought I had it all figured out, eat to live...duh. Isn't that was all the experts say eating *should* revolve around? Anyway, I'm still in the "moderation" camp vs. the "abstinence" camp but I do practice a lot of either or. I will either have a flatbread round for my sandwich OR a handful of pretzel sticks, but I wont' do both. Same for things like mexican dining, I will have the chips/salsa but NOT the rice. I haven't read the articles posted so I need to go do that.

My surgeons spends a LOT of time trying to eliminate the 10-???lbs regain that he sees ALL the time. When he first said that I thought "oh not me, if I work so hard to get it off I will never regain" hahaha. Best laid plans. For the most part I DO focus on the -85lbs I have lost instead of the +15lbs that I have regained that I cannot seem to make disappear.

After I get back from vacation I may have to jump on the 5:2 plan![/quote']

M2g, what does your surgeon DO regarding the 10 lb regain?

[M2G 1,836]

Georgia...you know I'm not 100% sure. I know they want people to call in and make appts when they are experiencing regain. I sort of lost touch with my every 3 month appt approach after I hit about 18 months post-op, so I have resumed seeing the NUT every 3 months starting in Jan of this year...(which is good but isn't making the regain magically disappear.) They also have a structured diet (ketogenic diet??? thinking Medifast-ish) that you use to replace food for a while. You don't just get to say "oh I'm sick of it, I'm OFF" so I think they slowly wean you off the diet and back to real food. Beyond that I'm not sure. I've thought about the Keto diet but haven't jumped in because I honestly think it will be hard to mesh eating "my food" with feeding my family etc. So not sure, but I know he speaks about the "After 2 Year Gain" in his seminar and how part of his practice is focusing on eliminating that. I think most people tend to slink away when there is a gain and that is when you NEED him (surgeon) the most. Just like people slink away from here with a regain. Sigh...

[Georgia 2,911]

m2g, I find that interesting because beyond a once a year follow up visit, I have NO support. Saw but ONCE pre surgery. I guess if I asked about they might tell me something I know there is a support group meeting once a month about 30 miles from me but most are Rny. That's why VST has been a very good place fore throughout the journey. Pretty much didn't need other help but it is amazing to me. Think it is probably because my surgeon is not specifically ONLY bariatic though now probably 80% or more.

[swizzly 901]

If you're at goal, how long have you been maintaining within a 5 pound window?

If you're not at goal, how far do you have to go?

How do you transition your mind and eating from loss to maintenance or back to loss from maintenance? Do you go back to basics, restrict calories, get more active, etc.?

I'm just seeing this thread now (and this forum, how did I miss it? Awesome!!) and I'm answering your questions before reading the thread to keep my thoughts unbiased, so apologies if I'm repeating what anyone else has said.

First of all: Goal weight. I never really had one -- certainly nothing from the surgeon or doctors/clinic, they just want 'healthy' to be the outcome. That said, my first 'goal' was to get to a double-digit weight (I weigh in kgs, don't be alarmed LOL), which happened very quickly as I started out at roughly 110. My second 'goal' was to get to 75kg cos that is the weight that turns out to be the average for elevators here -- i.e., the limit is 750kg or 10 people, so I wanted to not over-contribute to my share of the elevator weight, having been sensitive about being The Fat American LOL. I got to 75kg roughly nine months post-op I think? Then I wanted to get to 70, check -- I think I was there by 13-14 months post-op? I can't remember well and I suck at tracking anything in a very specific way. I still sort of have this notion of getting to 65, but 68 has been my low so far and 70-ish is my normal range now. My bounce range is 2kg, which is pretty close to your 5-lb range. I've been maintaining in that 70 range for at least a year now.

That said, I did gain a bit after a long string of holidays and visitors and overeating and drinking and it wasn't coming right back off again. BUT there are a couple of other intervening variables. One is that I went to a more primal/paleo eating style at least six months ago and gave up all wheat, grains, legumes, so my carbs went way down when I did that. (My sweet tooth suddenly shot up and and I still need to get that back under control, sigh.) I also went low-Fiber cos of digestive issues. But I eat a lot of fat, dairy, meat and veg. I do NOT eat low-cal and I'm against it on principle. I want to keep my metabolism revved up!! So I eat 1500+ every day and more than that on some days. So when I did gain a bit, I also started 5:2 fasting, which I really sort of love. I've been doing that for three weeks and have lost about a kilo doing so. I love the 'refresh' feeling I get from a fasting day, even though they are not a walk in the park, and I love that it's do-able cos I can eat normally again the next day already. If I do lose down to 65kg by doing this, I will switch probably to 6:1 to maintain. I prefer it to restricting on a daily basis, cos calorie counting and denying myself when I'm hungry (oh yeah, I get super hungry -- always have, sleeve never took that one away...) are the pathway to obsession and stress for me, not a recipe for success.

So yeah, reached goal, more or less maintaining there, and still in a sort of losing mode at least at the moment. It's much harder/slower to lose at this point, that's clear. But I totally believe that 1kg becomes 3kg becomes 5 becomes 10, so i want to nip things in the bud now, instead of gaining a bunch and having a weight-loss mountain to climb...

I work out 3x per week, but not in a massively ambitious way, pretty moderate by American standards, but I also use public transport and walk a lot. So I don't depend on exercise for burning a lot of calories, I eat how I eat regardless of my workouts.

Now I'm going to read the thread! :-)

[Supersweetums 1,164]

Georgia...you know I'm not 100% sure. I know they want people to call in and make appts when they are experiencing regain. I sort of lost touch with my every 3 month appt approach after I hit about 18 months post-op, so I have resumed seeing the NUT every 3 months starting in Jan of this year...(which is good but isn't making the regain magically disappear.) They also have a structured diet (ketogenic diet??? thinking Medifast-ish) that you use to replace food for a while. You don't just get to say "oh I'm sick of it, I'm OFF" so I think they slowly wean you off the diet and back to real food. Beyond that I'm not sure. I've thought about the Keto diet but haven't jumped in because I honestly think it will be hard to mesh eating "my food" with feeding my family etc. So not sure, but I know he speaks about the "After 2 Year Gain" in his seminar and how part of his practice is focusing on eliminating that. I think most people tend to slink away when there is a gain and that is when you NEED him (surgeon) the most. Just like people slink away from here with a regain. Sigh...

I am glad that your surgeon has this for his patients and he is realistic. Sometimes I feel that the sleeve is sold as a "magic bullet" and that the lose will be forever. When in reality, it still takes work!

[Ms skinniness 3,003]

I love this thread.....I will be 2 years out as of Oct 4. Now a days i find myself eating when I'm thirsty and now that I know that, I still have days where I eat still. Yesterday was of those days. Today will be a normal day where I will drink my fluids. But this is going to be my constant struggle and I need to make some changes right now. I do fluctuate about 5 lbs and will be doing my fasting day tomorrow when I'm busy and no one else is home.

This is a lot of work......I have developed a horrible habit of reaching for Quest Protein Bars and had eaten 2 of them yesterday. They are addicting to me. I'm also not in the habit of preparing my own foods as of yet but am working on it. Last night I met with a friend and went to eat Mexican food. I ate a bunch of chips and salsa and a little of my chili colorado with 1 bite of rice. I typically don't eat breads, rice, pastas, and potatoes. The last few times i ordered dinner with a veggie and the veggie was corn. I don't eat corn either. Apparently I do in chips at Mexican restaurants . I do look at labels and don't buy products that have any corn products in them. I don't buy products with any type of sugars. I'm am so resistant to cooking for myself because I don't eat that much. My husband is eating the same way I do and his blood sugar levels are good. Typically we eat Protein and veggies.

My dilemma is when I eat the protein bars and shakes. I will be changing over to preparing my own meals due to the control I have over what goes in them. This is my struggle and I think the 5:2 days will help me get back on track too. This is a great thread, thank you everyone.

[feedyoureye 3,087]

Ms.S, I do a lot of my own cooking. My husband cooks for himself most of the time because we eat so differently, and I cook for him once in a while. Cooking can be fun, and you don't have to make a big meal or sometimes I make enough to have left overs for lunch or dinner the next day. (Then I dont have to cook then!) I make stir fry, non Pasta lasagnas (using stips of yellow squash). When its hot, I just make it on the stovetop in an Iron skillet... in winter I turn on the oven. It tastes so good! I am a vegetarian, and really, if your not eating a lot of pasta, bread and carbs, then it makes it hard to eat out or get stuff to go. I have to cook if its going to be healthy, at least most of the time. I have found a couple of websites and cook books that get me going in the right direction, and really, I make the same things for weeks on end, then switch to something else if I get tired of it. Salads, Soups, stir fry, layered skillet casserols, crock pot dishes....oatmeal based dishes (sweet or savory) I also have Snacks around that wont kill my diet... walnuts, genisoy crackers and a variety of cheeses... pickles... I just made Yuba (soy skin) BBQ ribs... they are pretty dry, like jerkey, and high in Protein, veggie, and a great snack. They are as close to junk food as you can get without being junky! I just pop them in a lidded jar and have one when I really want something not so good for me. Even if you just cook once a week, and eat from that, with planing it really works well. Make it fun, a new hobby!

[tparkerc59 334]

Is it bad to eat a Quest bar everyday as one meal? I find they help me get my Protein in and they are so much easier for me to digest then other protein?

[Ms skinniness 3,003]

Quest bars are good to eat and nothing wrong with eating them on a daily basis........However, I do find that I am addicted to them. LOL But they are really good.....

[Supersweetums 1,164]

Quest bars are good to eat and nothing wrong with eating them on a daily basis........However, I do find that I am addicted to them. LOL But they are really good.....

They are like crack to me, I can't eat just one and they trigger all sorts of crazy cravings...I have learned not to buy them anymore!

[Ms skinniness 3,003]

They are for me too.......

Need to work on not having them in the house too.......

[tparkerc59 334]

Thanks for the info on Quest bars. I, too, love them but at least for now, one totally satisfies me and fills me up. I will monitor how they make me feel.