Beans, no carbs for the first six month - even nuts. What do I eat today? Anything I want.... just still small quantities. And I do have to admit that I should not eat as much sugar as I do now but I'm having no trouble maintaining so really just am keeping an eye on it and will absolutely return to my post op diet if needed.

What could/should I have done better? Absolutely #1 would be I should have done some strength training and exercised more. The loose skin is much worse than I expected it would be - so to those who feel they are losing slowly consider it a benefit that your skin won't be as saggy. I look like an 80 year old woman underneath (I'm 54). To be honest my tummy is the best of the 3 saggy areas - tummy, thighs and arms. My arms are by far the worst; I had larger than usual upper arms all of my life - inherited from generations on my mothers side. When I consider plastic surgery that is really the only part I definitely want to address. My tummy is always covered; my thighs are most of the time; when I wear a bathing suit I still wear shorts over it - which is what I did when I was heavy so no change there. I also should have done a better job of consistently using skin firming cream - I think it would have helped more. My favorite is Jergen's Skin Firming - it does a nice job and costs no more than any other lotion - and even less than most.

What do I feel I did right? I was absolutely faithful in sticking to my surgeon's post op diet. Having failed at the Lapband I was overly determined to succeed. I never want to feel the way I felt as a failed Lapband patient again - seriously! I did make sure that I exercised regularly while the weight was coming off. I used a Fitbit - I tracked my food every day on MyFitnessPal. Those were both invaluable tools. I came to coin my 'eating plan' that worked best for me as the '40/60/100' plan. What I found was that if I ate less than 40 carbs a day, 60g+ of Protein and drank 100oz+ of Water, I lost consistently every week.

I regularly read these forums as well as obesityhelp.com. I have met many new friends here - mostly virtual but even some in person. One has really become a very close friend which has been great. Another started a separate Facebook group for those of us who had surgery from January through March 2012 and it is just an incredible group of women (and one man) across a wide range of ages, though mostly younger than me - and we have become so close and been there for each other. The great thing was that as we were coming down we were going through the same stages of the post op diet and the associated challenges, successes, emotions, etc. I would highly encourage others to start or belong to a similar group after you have your surgery.

Well I really need to wrap this up now so I don't start putting people to sleep.....

To those of you embarking on this journey - I wish you much success. If you are still trying to choose which surgery you should have it goes without saying that I absolutely 100% recommend VSG and already had Lapband so learn from my experience.

To those of you who just had surgery - hang in there - the first four weeks were the worst. It really does get better... and better and better. Stick to your Dr.'s orders. Do not test foods you know you shouldn't eat to see if you can eat them - that was one of the major mistakes that I made with the Lapband.

To those of you farther out and struggling - go back to your roots - try your post op diet again - or my 40/60/100 plan for a week... hopefully it will give you the jumpstart you need.

And to the many people in this group (well really from the old verticalsleevetalk.com group) who encouraged me and led by their example - please accept my sincere THANKS!!! for sharing your experience and encouraging me throughout my journey.

Susie (2.0

Wow AWESOME! I converted from the band to sleeve on 2-5-14. Your post is so inspiring to me.....I want to do well sop bad but above all I want to keep it off! Thanks for the 40/60/100 plan I I'm carb sensitive spp this should add as I'm able to take in more Water and good period. Right now I'm not getting that much in!

Congrats to you on your surgery. I know those first 4-6 weeks were the toughest. And if you can't take in 100 oz of water yet do not despair - just work towards increasing week after week. I doubt I could drink that much that early out myself but I did work on upping it each week. For me what worked best was using a 24 oz water bottle and WalMart brand 'Crystal Light'. I bought the individual packets in various flavors and each morning I take out four packets and then fill up that bottle four times using different flavors each time. My favorite is their Fruit Punch - and I like the Walmart brand better than Crystal Light so along with saving $$ that's another plus. I carry packets in my purse at all times. I know that technically 24 times 4 = 96 but I also got in other liquids through the shakes or additional cups of water during the day. I honestly think that the 100 oz mark makes a huge difference - if there was only one change you could do that is the one I would suggest trying first. I wish you all the best and continued success in your journey. You are well on your way!!!

I'm 2 years out and freaked out because I have gained 10-13 lbs in the lady fee months. Trying to get back on track but I don't seem to be able to get thing going on a positive direction. I was a very slow loser and only lost 60lbs. I would love to lose another 20lbs.

I understand how you feel about the gain. I know others like us who are at the 2 year mark and they have gained 10+ lbs. Right now on my Facebook group several of them are trying the 5 day pouch test together and others are going back to their pre or stage 1 post op diets. I think the key is to 'nip it in the bud' and I know you can do that. Being 20 lbs from goal is amazing - think about it. I think that sometimes we have to think in the third person so to speak - if I told you I was 20 lbs from goal and had lost 60 I bet you would be telling me the same thing - talk to yourself like that. I do know that those last 20 lbs are definitely a lot harder than the first 20 but just remember it's a matter of time. You can and will get there. I encourage you to shake things up for even just a week and try my 40/60/100 plan or your pre or post op plans. If you aren't already drinking 100+ oz of Water a day and you do nothing else give that a try too. I think that higher threshold really makes a big difference then the standard 8 glasses we have been taught we should drink forever. Congrats on being 2 years out - I know you will get to your goal -- you can do this!!! All the Best!

I am 4 months in and only lost 30 lbs and in last three weeks haven't lost any weight oam getting very disappointed any suggestions thanks

Please try not to be disappointed - I know that can be easier said than done but you have lost 30 lbs!!! I've seen many people definitely go through some plateaus and so I suggest you study what you are eating to look for clues. Are you eating enough for instance? If you are eating higher carbs cut back on them; if you aren't drinking 100+ oz of Water a day that is the #1 thing I would suggest you try and see if it doesn't give you a jumpstart. What helped me is that knowing that this was a matter of physics - there was no way I could eat so little and not lose weight - some weeks were better than others of course and it's hard not to be disappointed in the weeks when you lose little or nothing. This is a huge lifestyle change so keep following your program. I originally did not cut back on carbs but as months went by I realized that weeks when I did I had better losses so that encouraged me to keep them down. I knew it was only temporary and that helped put it in perspective. And I learned that the less I had them the less I craved them. Ironically now I eat them more because if I didn't I would keep losing and I don't want to do that - I'm still 6 lbs under my goal.

There's lots of good advice on these forums and many others going through what you are so you can get some real good ideas. One other thing I did was to try new recipes here and there and that helped. One of my favorite breakfasts became cream cheese pancakes and I enjoyed and still enjoy a lot of Soups. I also typically eat greek yogurt every morning for Breakfast when I'm home. My favorite is light and lively blends - the coconut flavor to be exact. shake things up so you don't get bored with a routine.

You're off to a great start having lost 30 lbs so the best is yet to come!! Congrats!!