I have been reading studies in JAMA and elsewhere for well over a year, looking at all kinds of statistics. Initially my research was to determine which bariatric surgery was the best choice. Even after attending an informational seminar, where my surgeon went on to call the BNY GB the “Gold Standard” I had more reading to do. As it turns out for me, as someone who has taken medication to avoid GERD for the last 20 years, and my GERD evolved to the point that I now have Barrett’s esophagus, however it has not spread nor is there any signs of dysplasia so that is okay, but it ruled out the Sleeve for me. The band is no longer actively pushed, in fact the number of revisions from band to GB in 2014 actually was higher than the number of people getting the band for the first time. My surgeon said that in his opinion in 10 years the band will be considered a historical procedure and no longer done, or if still done, only on a very small segment of the bariatric group as a whole.

So why do we fail to continue succeeding? Let’s start by defining failure, in the context of this post. The failure I am talking about is, having surgery, getting to your goal weight, then after a year (or more significantly at three and five years out) gaining back a larger percentage of weight than is expected. The current system wide average, is that it is expected that all patients will gain back about 10% of the weight lost. It is less in the GB group then the sleeve, and the band is worst of them all.

Now understanding what I mean by failure to continue succeeding, here is the bad news. No one has done any respectable studies looking at WHY we fail to continue to succeed, the studies mostly compare success rates between the various surgeries and things like additional surgery, readmission rates, complication etc. I think I can explain why some people fail to continue to succeed, and when you think about it makes sense. It is actually the opposite of a positive new thinking called the “Aggregation of Marginal Gains” look at this link to read about it. It is a way to live life. To break it down, simply stated, you improve everything within your sphere of influence by 1%, the sum of all those increases can be, and if done correctly, quite significant. But you have to fully embrace the concept for it to work. When I say EVERYTHING within your sphere of influence I mean everything. A great example, when I used to cross the road going for my morning walk, I waited until an opening in traffic then I took a diagonal path across the road. This represented the easiest way to cross. Now I refuse to turn unless making a 90 degree turn. I improved my step count crossing roads by 1%. Nothing Earth shaking, but it adds up. Park 1% further away from the door. Walk upstairs instead of the elevator. Which I already did, however now I walk ½ a flight further than I need to go and them go down. 1%. Grasp the concept as a whole, and just imagine, improving everything by 1%, and not just once. Taking the stair example, I started off walking up just a couple additional steps. Now it’s a ½ a flight plus a couple extra steps. Soon I’ll be up to a full additional flight of stairs. Continue to push for 1% changes.

So now that this great concept is out there, you are probably asking yourself, what this long winded tool is getting at. We fail to continue succeeding, that is regain more weight than expected, in the exact opposite way we succeed. 1% at a time. You’re at your goal, your weight fluctuates up and down 2 pounds. It’s been a long time since surgery and you are not as sensitive to sugar as you were initially. So you are at a party and say what the heck and you have a small piece of cake. You don’t dump, in fact you have no ill effects at all. This is the start of the end. One piece of cake leads to two, which leads to other things you would not eat, but you’ve become tired of all the cooking, and a quick meal, is temping. Then it happens. You get on the scale and you are up three or four or even five pounds. Knowing you lost the weight before, you think no biggie, I’ll just make sure I eat right. Some do some don’t. Some become in their own mind failures at that point and fail to see the reason to continue with the program. *(Note the title of this post is not why we fail, NEVER think of yourself as a failure, EVER!! Look back at old pictures and remember you are a success!! Do not let the negative thoughts become reality, do not set yourself up for failure. Remember the old adage, “If you are not planning to succeed, you are planning to fail) They stop going to the gym, start old eating habits back up, and sure enough as they expected, the weight comes back as well.

So why do I post this now, and post it here? Because this post seeks to reinforce that which should have been taught to you in whatever mental health process your surgical group had you go through. The understanding that you are making a LIFELONG LIFESTYLE CHANGE emphasis is justified. I don’t have any cute puns or. gifs to attach. This post, I hope will help those approaching goal, those at goal and those who are new or even still pre-surgery, to understand, these changes never go away. When you remove something from your diet, it’s removed. I think of the things I choose not to eat as things I am allergic too. I choose a bit more extreme diet than many, I do not eat corn, potatoes, rice, flour, Pasta, sugar, fructose or anything processed. If there is something on the label I cannot pronounce, it’s processed, and I refuse to eat it. There are exceptions. I am going to see Star Wars Saturday evening, and I will probably cough up $50 for a small popcorn and a bottle of Water. This to me is acceptable. I Choose not to eat certain foods, but I can also eat them with the understanding that it is limited.

So if you read this whole post, congratulations on your tenacity. Hopefully it will enlighten you. Hopefully it will help you affect positive changes in your life. The Aggregation of Marginal Gains is a simple concept to employ, but life altering. And lastly always remember this, if nothing else from this post, put up a sticky note on your fridge or inside your car, or the side of a computer monitor, anywhere where you will see it every day, and remember this “I attained success 1% at a time, that is slowly, I will stop being successful in the same way, 1% at a time, or slowly. I must always be consciously aware of what I am eating and continue to plan to succeed”

Happy Holidays to all, and to those in your lives!!!

@@sharowna

I would, if not inappropriate, to suggest, incorporating the Aggregation of Marginal Gains into your life. It's just 1% at a time, but it adds up. Read the link a couple posts above, about Team Sky and what they were able to accomplish 1% at a time. It is a lifestyle change, but a very positive one. If you really want to chance, this is a fairly easy way to do so and the results over time and unimaginable. Oh and us Italians gotta stick together!

Link here

Edited December 29, 201510 yr by winklie

Thanks again and yes I did read again. Worth trying!!

@@sharowna

I found the key was to apply it to everything. Like when I measure out ingredients for a recipe, I am always at least 1% under. 1% less cream in my am coffee. I leave the last bite of every meal on the plate. I walk in right angles, no diagonal walking. Every little bit adds up. When I walk home, I do a lap around my block before I go in my house. Just little things that add up to amazing results. lol I sound like a fanboi.

I know a lot of people like you. Newbies who swear up and down they will follow every rule. Who go gun ho into the possess. The ones who Jump into and swear by cross fit and a new pure life. They are usually the ones who fall the hardest.

You can read and do research and you can post about it but wait. Just wait. I challenge you to come back to this post in 2 years. After you have learned your body and you have made your mistakes again... And again lol

This is not meant to be mean. I love your spirit. But you are at the start of your journey. The glory days. You have not felt with the stalls, the deficiencies, the hair loss, the hanging skin ( though it has been comical hearing about your ass).

This is not a sprint. It is a marathon. Slow down rabbit. The turtle wins, every time!!

@@Kathy Coop

And in one fell swoop my desire to post on these boards is gone. Well done. Oh and I have dealt with stall(s) and have hanging skin, but I guess I am do not meet your requirements as a "veteran" unless of course you mean from the military, in which case you are sadly mistaken.

So well done, one less poster to worry about. I have better things to do than to respond to negative critics who apparently know everything as they have been a board warrior for a longer time than I.

All I ever tried to do here was to motivate people and share my personal experiences as a guide or to help, I can clearly see that this is counterproductive. I never laid any claim to being a "super weight loss expert" however you seem to have labeled me as such.

Goodbye

Well that is a serious over reaction my friend. My grandfather, my father, my cousins, my husband all Navy so no need to suggest I am not respectful of our armed services. I am just trying to prepare you for real life. You are 2 months out. Slow down. Learn to live with your new stomach and take every persons views good and bad to heart because we have been there. I hope you stay. It is a hard road with no support system

I know a lot of people like you. Newbies who swear up and down they will follow every rule. Who go gun ho into the possess. The ones who Jump into and swear by cross fit and a new pure life. They are usually the ones who fall the hardest.

You can read and do research and you can post about it but wait. Just wait. I challenge you to come back to this post in 2 years. After you have learned your body and you have made your mistakes again... And again lol

This is not meant to be mean. I love your spirit. But you are at the start of your journey. The glory days. You have not felt with the stalls, the deficiencies, the hair loss, the hanging skin ( though it has been comical hearing about your ass).

This is not a sprint. It is a marathon. Slow down rabbit. The turtle wins, every time!!

Wow, that's harsh! I am two years out--been at goal for over a year. Had my sagging skin removed by plastics. Lost a ton of hair and had it grow back in. I think what he has to say is great! I can take away some lessons from it as well as any newbie. That's what I like about these boards, we can all learn from each other.

Now if he'd been one of those people less than six months out spouting one "truth" and slamming those who disagree I would feel differently, but he merely posted a "this is something that works for me, your mileage may vary" and even said "I'm no doctor.."

Thank you for the post! Please don't stop!

@@Kathy Coop

I've been thinking, and after I decided to come back here, and read your follow-up, a couple things occurred to me. Yeah yeah your family are vets, and glad to have them as company, but you, sadly are not. You are at the least a very poor writer who's posts exude a sense of "I am better than you, look at how much I weight and look what I have been through!" That and a dollar will get you a cheap cup of coffee. I see from your whopping post count that you are always posting helpful comments here (lol 12) and your sterling reputation (3) means that the folks who read those golden nuggets of information really do like you. NOT.

In a public forum you attacked me, a safe place as it were where I do not have to worry about attack. Good job being the first hag to come along and ruin a nice place to post.

My posts are intended to be humorous whenever possible, I find that if people are laughing, then they keep reading, and allow whatever it is I am saying to get through.

No I am not two years out, but in 18 months I will be. And you know what the difference is: I'll still be here sharing my journey with these wonderful people, while you will still be a miserable person. I would hate to have to live around you.

What could you possibly have hoped to accomplish by attacking me? Here are two good examples what should be happening, first, I am exercising my 1st amendment rights by posting here. You similarly have the right to NEVER READ ONE OF MY POSTS AGAIN. Really, forget I exist. I made a choice, 1.5 years ago to live a different kind of lifestyle, yeah almost 2 years ago. Oh wait, but I am a noob! I gave up sugar nearly 2 years ago, along with corn and processed foods etc. Long before I had surgery.

You judge me, and that is wrong. Essentially you are a troll. And as a policy of mine I do not feed trolls. This will be my last post regarding you. Personally I don't care what you have done, do or will do. Live, die, whatever. Just don't be stupid enough to come after me again. I've been posting in forums and dealing with trolls like you for well over a decade. This is the nicest I can possibly be, further attacks will cause my tone to change in a dramatic fashion. So go take your selfie, put on your size 4 dress, and if you should forget to look both ways while crossing the street, I will personally nominate you for a Darwin award.

Edited December 30, 201510 yr by winklie

@jess9395 Thanks for the kind words, early morning, no coffee, and attacked by a troll, I responded poorly. I fired back as nicely as I could, as I don't really want to get into a flame war. But these forums mean enough to me, that I will go to war if need be. All I ever wanted to do was help, and I am still befuddled as to how that would lead to me getting flamed.

woo who!!!

Please don't ever leave, Winklie. You have encouraged me in so many ways, you have no idea. I reread the 1% article and think it is a great way to start the new year. I've gotta make that list to start. Great idea. See, you've helped one person.

Some people just gotta flame. Has nothing to do with you.

@@winklie Love reading your posts, brotha! Keep that positive attitude going. Who knows what will happen in two years, but I damn sure would put my money on someone with your attitude being at goal weight in 2+ years.

For me, my focus right now is getting my sh*& together with regards to diet. I'm a firm believer in health being 90% what you put in your body and 10% working out. My bariatric surgeon has gone full in on promoting a vegan (or as much vegan as you can handle) diet as the best way to achieve and maintain goal weight for both WLS patients and the general population. My hope is that I can lay the foundation now during my honeymoon phase for the diet that will carry me on to my goal weight and the next 45+ years of my life.

@sharowna@Dar200@goblue9280

I am a bit choked up. Today started in the toilet, however it quickly recovered. All I ever set out to do is to share what I have learned and make difficult to talk about topics amusing yet informative. Why that witch decided to flame me is unknown. But she has been revealed as a troll and as such I expect her to go away. As for meeting my goal weight, I'll do it within 6 months. God willing. I am not far now and the weight is coming off very quickly, to the tune of 4-6 pounds a week. Once winter in NH is over and I can really ramp up my outdoor exercise time, I expect things to go faster. I did make a new observation this week. It feels like the chain that has me tied to the scale has been removed. I told me therapist yesterday I am not as concerned with what the scale say as what the mirror says. I think that is a better way to view things. I'll be happy not so much when the scale says a certain number, but when I look in the mirror and am happy with what I see.

Thank you all for your support and I wish you all a Very Happy New Years!!

The forum I have been a part of since before my surgery has died out and that is why I came here. I find it hard to believe you were in the armed services with your cry baby attitude. You must have been a reservist or a cook or something. There is no way you served in battle. No man attacks a military wife because she did not serve. I couldn't due to a serious back injury at 17. My daughter however in 3 months away from 18 and is enlisting.

As for the "look at how much weight I have lost" take the time to READ. It has been a hell of a road. It was not easy and I am not healthy because of it. Even following all the rules I need weekly Iron transfusions. I almost died during a routine gallbladder surgery. If you want to,see my labs I will be happy to share.

I posted my before and after photos showing all of the loose skin that comes with this surgery. A real look at weight loss not tight jeans and turtlenecks hiding all the trouble spots.

My post was an honest opinion of everything I have seen on boards like this and in real life over the past 3 years. Not a personal attack on you as a person but it seems you want to go to war. It's hard to control your emotions when you no longer have a chicken wing for a crutch.

There is an ignore button. Use it. I will see you in 2 years. I hope you succeed but if you hit the walls we all hit I hope you are man enough to admit it.