I would like to start a thread that encourages long term vets to share their success patterns. It is an open discussion of strategies, NSVs and day to day habits that define your success in being able to maintain or even improve in terms of weight, health, activity or anything else connected to this journey. Life as a vet is where the real work happens so let's share in a way that motivates both new post ops for the future and current vets for the here and now. We have a whole new chapter in our lives to engage in positively as movers and shakers. Let this thread be a beacon of encouragement for all. We have a chance to make real positive differences in the lives of others we interact with.

Edited February 8, 201412 yr by Fiddleman

If there is a secret to my success it would be changing my thinking about goals. I kicked out any remnants of half-way goals such as.."I'm losing weight so I'll look good for the reunion" , "I'm getting in shape so I'll look good", etc.

My goals became permanent life directives.

Health and power for living became the primary goals.

The implementation:

For the rest of my life: eat smart...train like an athlete.

Simple but set in stone.

Eat smart always, always in training.

No more yo-yo. The sleeve gave me a powerful tool. I'm using it.

A mind made up creates a body made right.

Edited February 9, 201412 yr by gmanbat

I'm not a long time vet but as mentioned above, things got a lot easier for me when I got rid of the goal mentality and concentrated on lifetime ideals.

I never had the "never " in my plan because there was nothing I wanted to give up forever. Instead I devised strategies that included moderation and deciding that for every action there needed to be an equal reaction to keep things balanced.

This is a good thread to keep going....I am 2.5 years out and reality is just hitting me now. Losing the weight and getting to goal was easy compared to now. I have gained 6 lbs and cannot seem to get it off. I seemed to think I was invincible because I ate small portions....well, I guess they aren't small enough!

Need to get back to the gym and make better decsions.

But my one piece of advice....I got me a FitBit and I love it! Any FitBit users out there? I would like to Friend you on my FitBit site....I find it very inspirational to see how I am doing compared to others. Right now I only have two people and they are kicking my butt! (Granted they are young kids....). So if you have a Fitbit, let me know!

Thanks for starting this!

Thanks everyone for your contributions so far. I think this collaborative knowledge sharing from long term vets will help everyone with perspective.

Yes, the trials are so much greater in maintenance. And as a slow loser anyway, it can seem like an insurmountable challenge when I need to lose a "mere" five pounds. I have said it over and over again but it will never sink in to a newbie until they're there themselves. The real struggle is not losing the weight. It's keeping the weight off. Maintenance requires so much more diligence than loss.

I forget this myself at times but the very most important thing a person can do is WEIGH.

Do not avoid the scale. Weigh every single day in maintenance, or every few days at the least. If you avoid the scale, it's easy to "forget" your weight or dismiss poor eating habits until your pants get tight. And with those stretchy jeans for women nowadays, that can mean you've packed on ten pounds before you realize it!

Tracking calories and planning meals comes secondary. It's that scale (or your measurements, or how your clothes fit, or whatever you use to measure yourself at goal) that tips you off to a problem immediately. I'm not saying expect to see the same number every day. But find that happy range and stay within it, and make adjustments when overdo it and step over the line. This way you catch issues immediately and don't have a ten, fifteen or twenty pound regain to tackle.

~Cheri

Edited February 9, 201412 yr by clk

Hoo boy, CLK does this hit home to me! I DO weigh every day and I am also a very very slow loser. My eating habits are not perfect by any means; I choose the wrong things sometimes, but my portions and meals are really good. Still, I have gained 6 lbs. Today, for the first time in 6 months, I got out there and ran (my version of running) for 5 kilometers. It felt GREAT!!! So I think if I can keep the exercise going, I can lose it. But it is very helpful to be reminded that this is an effort again....just not an insurmountable one!!!

I so have to agree with you Cheri. Vigilance. I have to weigh, use my fitbit and MFP every day... when I start skipping a day or two, it can turn to three or four, and the weight starts going up. I would like to be able to trust myself to tell if Im doing the right things, but apparently, I can't, so I use my tools and this keeps me in line. I don't eat perfectly at all, but I do write the good the bad and the ugly down so I know what I am doing and the results from it and not end up with a big bad surprise. Including the 5:2 protocol twice a week really seems to be a tool that works for me too.

Yes, the trials are so much greater in maintenance. And as a slow loser anyway, it can seem like an insurmountable challenge when I need to lose a "mere" five pounds. I have said it over and over again but it will never sink in to a newbie until they're there themselves. The real struggle is not losing the weight. It's keeping the weight off. Maintenance requires so much more diligence than loss.

I forget this myself at times but the very most important thing a person can do is WEIGH.

Do not avoid the scale. Weigh every single day in maintenance, or every few days at the least. If you avoid the scale, it's easy to "forget" your weight or dismiss poor eating habits until your pants get tight. And with those stretchy jeans for women nowadays, that can mean you've packed on ten pounds before you realize it!

Tracking calories and planning meals comes secondary. It's that scale (or your measurements, or how your clothes fit, or whatever you use to measure yourself at goal) that tips you off to a problem immediately. I'm not saying expect to see the same number every day. But find that happy range and stay within it, and make adjustments when overdo it and step over the line. This way you catch issues immediately and don't have a ten, fifteen or twenty pound regain to tackle.

~Cheri

Edited February 9, 201412 yr by feedyoureye

Great thread Fiddleman!

My most important strategy is abstinence from sugar. Sigh... It's not what I was hoping for, but since I started off last year trying to lose a chunk of regain, did a face plant into a cupcake in mid-February and ended up hopelessly trapped in a sugar vortex and ending the year with 10 more pounds of regain to take off, I think it's official. I simply cannot do moderation.

Fortunately, I've found some wonderful sources for recipes that satisfy my sweet tooth without creating a craving for more. And, I've rediscovered the strength that comes from being ABLE to turn down the goodies in the break room, because I've got all that out of my system and I'm not a raging cookie monster.

That's my battle, and one I suspect I'll be fighting to my last days, but at least for the moment I'm winning. And it makes everything else pay off - the vigilance on the scale, sticking to it even when I know I'm doing everything right and I'm not seeing the losses I "think" I've "earned", the regular exercise, and the establishing of new routines to keep me distracted and away from food as a source of self-soothing.

The exercise is the other key element for me. It's my stress release valve, it occupies chunks of my day I'd otherwise be spending raiding the pantry, and on days when I can get out hiking in my beloved mountain trails, it's healing to my soul. It gives me much-needed solitude and space and time for self-reflection. It's as necessary to my well-being as anything else I do. And, oh yeah, the extra calories burned are a nice bonus, though I have to be pretty careful about how I spend them (see reference to the #@@%*@%# sugar vortex above).

Weigh everyday.

Regular exercise.

Eat greens, fruits, beans, and nuts. If I get off track, I juice fruits and vegtables for a few days until I start to crave to eat vegetables again.

My top ten success strategies are:

1. Weighing daily

2. Correcting my diet to stay in my bounce range.

3. Not bringing food home that I find hard to resist.

4. Stocking the house with healthy, easy to eat foods and low or no calorie drink options.

5. Weighing and measuring foods most of the time.

6. Using smaller plates and bowls.

7. Keeping my supplements and Vitamins in a pill holder by my toothbrush so I remember to take them.

8. Coming here to offer support and get support.

9. Exercise (more for my health and happiness than weight control).

10. Changing my self talk. My two favs are reminding myself that self soothing is not self sabotage and I can't hate myself thin. With that in mind, I try to choose non-food treats such as lotion and perfume, calling a friend, or taking a walk when I am stressed or upset and I try focus on my success and planning on how to increase that instead of focusing on what I don't like about myself and what I have done wrong in the past.

Lynda

It seems everyone says weigh every day, which I find strange. I would hope we have other means to gauge progress than the scale. For example, observing body profile in mirror without clothes on or checking how clothes are fitting. And then check scale maybe once every 2 weeks or once a month. If we are eating the right portion sizes, the right foods at the right time, it would seem body weight would take care of itself. Maybe I am naïve as a relatively new vet (18 months). It seems that once we have a plan that works, the scale can be slid under the bed or put in the closet. Anyways, not meaning to discount weighing. It is just that is how a lot of people got into trouble mentally pre sleeve or drive themselves nuts during first 6 months.

My top ten success strategies are: 1. Weighing daily 2. Correcting my diet to stay in my bounce range. 3. Not bringing food home that I find hard to resist. 4. Stocking the house with healthy, easy to eat foods and low or no calorie drink options. 5. Weighing and measuring foods most of the time. 6. Using smaller plates and bowls. 7. Keeping my supplements and vitamins in a pill holder by my toothbrush so I remember to take them. 8. Coming here to offer support and get support. 9. Exercise (more for my health and happiness than weight control). 10. Changing my self talk. My two favs are reminding myself that self soothing is not self sabotage and I can't hate myself thin. With that in mind, I try to choose non-food treats such as lotion and perfume, calling a friend, or taking a walk when I am stressed or upset and I try focus on my success and planning on how to increase that instead of focusing on what I don't like about myself and what I have done wrong in the past. Lynda

These are very good.

I agree with you, Fiddleman, about obsessing about what the scale says. I think the vets here weigh everyday just as one gauge of how they are doing rather than going bonkers about it like newbies.

I weighed every day during my first year but more out of curiosity as to how my body was doing it rather than if it was doing it. In my mind it was already a done deal. Not losing the fat was impossible.

The mirror and clothing are indeed more accurate about fat. The scale weighs everything.

Edited February 11, 201412 yr by gmanbat

My top ten success strategies are:

1. Weighing daily

2. Correcting my diet to stay in my bounce range.

3. Not bringing food home that I find hard to resist.

4. Stocking the house with healthy, easy to eat foods and low or no calorie drink options.

5. Weighing and measuring foods most of the time.

6. Using smaller plates and bowls.

7. Keeping my supplements and Vitamins in a pill holder by my toothbrush so I remember to take them.

8. Coming here to offer support and get support.

9. Exercise (more for my health and happiness than weight control).

10. Changing my self talk. My two favs are reminding myself that self soothing is not self sabotage and I can't hate myself thin. With that in mind, I try to choose non-food treats such as lotion and perfume, calling a friend, or taking a walk when I am stressed or upset and I try focus on my success and planning on how to increase that instead of focusing on what I don't like about myself and what I have done wrong in the past.

Lynda

Lynda, I like this, and the other posts. I feel like a veteran since September, since my husband and I are pretty much housebound - but hoping to change that. I need everyones guidance and I really like this thread, to gain new tools and advice to keep me and my husband on track. We went to a post op seminar and was "served" a pretzel cracker. Power of suggestion, and I bought a bag and ate 5 small ones today. I thought what the heck am I doing, having vowed to forego crackers of any nature. They go to the neighbor kids tomorrow. Keep the advice coming, I need it. Linda

Lynda, I like this, and the other posts. I feel like a veteran since September, since my husband and I are pretty much housebound - but hoping to change that. I need everyones guidance and I really like this thread, to gain new tools and advice to keep me and my husband on track. We went to a post op seminar and was "served" a pretzel cracker. Power of suggestion, and I bought a bag and ate 5 small ones today. I thought what the heck am I doing, having vowed to forego crackers of any nature. They go to the neighbor kids tomorrow. Keep the advice coming, I need it. Linda

BTW, we are 65 and 66 years old.