I just wondered, from people who've had the sleeve for a while, what are your must haves( Water bottle, bariatric container, trainers, etc..)

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1) my sleeve, of course. It does its job of providing restriction as long as I do my job of feeding it healthy, non slider foods.

2) kitchen scale. For the first 3 years I weighed, measured and tracked everything. This kept me accountable and on track. Lost all my excess weight and was easily maintaining. Then one day I was in the kitchen, preparing lunch for myself and my husband and my food scale wasn't working. I was talking about having to run right out and get a new one and my husband casually commented that if I don't know what 3ounces of tuna fish and 2 ounces of veggies looks like by now I have a serious learning disability. I laughed...he was right. I had been eating right for so long I really did know how to do it, so since then, no measuring and no tracking. I just eat like I had retrained myself to eat.

3) water container. I never go anywhere without something to drink. It's kind of an obsession. I drink when I drive, in the grocery store, at home on the couch, when visiting friends, at the movies, while working, etc.

4) activity. I live and work on a farm so my regular day to day chores are as good of a workout as any gym. I also walk as much as possible....Park the furthest away in the parking lots, take stairs instead if elevators, etc.

5) But the number one key to my success is my therapist. I wouldn't be where I am without her. Saw her regularly for over 2 years then kind of stopped. Revisited with her after a bad accident left me in the hospital then wheelchair and Walker for several months. I no longer have regular appointments, but she is my go to when things get tough and I need a refresher course on handling stress and emotions.

PS. I reread my answer and realized I forgot to post the obvious answer....eating a healthy, bariatric friendly diet. 80+ grams Protein, lots of low glycemic veggies, some fruits and whole grains. Minimizing (but not completely eliminating) high cal/low nutritive stuff like Pasta and bread and simple carbs like Desserts, candy and alcohol. Those last three are for my mental health, not my physical health

In the end, how you eat to lose your weight is more or less how you need to eat in order to maintain. This commitment is forever, folks!

I love my little starfrit kitchen scales, I have one at home and one at the office. Pinterest for low carb recipes and my little travel scale that I can bring anywhere.

The best must have is a commitment to following your plan.

I use my digital food scale quite often and it was especially helpful in the beginning because I honestly had no clue about portion sizes.

Still use it almost every day.

The other good tool for me was the Blender Bottle. I use it when I travel for Protein shakes.