Please, veterans some advice here. I am 2 yrs post op. I made it to my goal of 167 in about 15 months. It was slower than most but I did not exercise due to other issues. I gave myself a 3 lb leeway, 167 -170 . Today I weighed 171 and am really scared. As a lifetime obese person I can only think I will gain it all back. I know I will really try for this not to happen but the fear is still there. I am so thin in my eyes and I enjoy every minute of it. I have loaded my closet with all clothes in my size now, all the rest are gone. Please is anyone else having these thoughts and problems?

You are 1 pound over your acceptable range- don't freak out yet. Believe me, I am the same way, however that one pound could easily have been from Water retention if you ate something salty. I know that if I gain a pound, I can spend the next day being very careful with what I eat and it is inevitably gone by the next morning. That's why we weigh everyday, so that we see a pound and fix it, instead of getting on the scale and being 15 pounds heavier. I completely understand the terror of getting fat again. Everytime I eat something there is a twinge of fear, but I can rationally assure myself that if I gain a pound, or in your case 4 over my goal weight, I just need to refocus for a few days or a week and I will likely be right back to where I was. You will be fine, just eat really well this week and I bet you're back to normal in a few days.

You are doing the exact right things! You are noticing the little weight gain and trying to figure out what to with that....I don't know about you, but I rarely did that when I was 200+ lbs.....I just thought it was a lb or two, and I did that every year for 25 years, so 50 lbs later (on top of being a heavy to begin with got me to 223). Thin people have a little fun, indulge a little bit like we do as veterans, but like them, we must say....whoa boy, a couple of lbs; I need to cut back for a few days or work out a little harder at the gym and get them off. For me, I do the 5:2 fasting (basically you eat 500 calories or less 2 days a week). But when I don't do that, I at least do two days a week where I call it my NO COOKIE, NO WINE DAY).

Don't freak out....just try to think like a thin person; and you are! You will be just fine. Don't go back....that other place 2 years ago was not fun....I don't know you, but I know it wasn't fun.

You may want to read my last post on my blog to help inspire you to move forward. I have gotten lots of comments from people that have told me it was very encouraging to them. Just click on the link below and good luck!

I have a continual and healthy fear of gaining weight. Notice I said healthy. I think we all know how easy it is to have that happen. It's a continual and conscious effort to maintain my weight. It's the recognition that we can't exceed a number we've set for ourselves, and doing something about it immediately when it happens. The healthy part comes in when we recognize it's time to course correct and do so, rather than ignoring it, or letting it send us into a tailspin of either over-eating or under-eating. So now you are course correcting - good for you!

It's good that you're scared. People are under the impression that once you get to goal, the fight is over. The truth is, it's just begun. Keeping the weight off is a challenge you will continue to face from here on out.

Maintenance is very tricky and you must just keep doing what you've done to lose the weight. 3 small meals and at the most 2 small Snacks. Protein first.

There are a lot of us who are fighting regain, but we're doing it together here. This place is your best place for support and encouragement.

I'm 5 years out now, and I am still at goal, but I did gain 15 lbs back when I started grazing too much, and snacking too much while socializing. It was not nearly as easy to lose it again as it was when I was first sleeved. Now I am a lot more vigilant about watching what I eat and weighing regularly.