The Maintenance Thread

[chayarg 402]

Hey how are you all doing. Over the past month during #quarantine my weight has been going up and down like crazy as high as 173 and as low as 164 currently it's back up to 171 . I worked really hard today to stay focused eat healthy and workout. Hopefully I can continue this trend and see the scale go down again. I was so close to reaching a bmi less than 30 so that I am no longer obese I need to be 163.

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[volfan 78]

Ok will be 4 yrs july 11, I went from 405 to 229 in 12 months. Doc said I could stop at 245, but i hit lower as 220 was my goal. I have maintained 230 to 240 since. I drink with food, it doesnt bother me, and fact started doing it at 8 months. I noticed 1) it seemed to push food, some, through pouch faster. I also noticed I can eat more than I could after 2 yrs and doc said you lose feeling that is is backing up in esophagus. Which is true, and if you throw up you can easily choke, so dont. But 3 slices of a large thin crust pizza is my limit, so that is my experience with that. Nuts, raw veggies sit in pouch for a long time, and only think I cant eat is cabbage, it gives me terrible heart burn. Water is hard as I forget to eat or drink until 7pm a lot. I never desire too, but have a bad habit from before of snacking while watching tv, and i have chips and drink water with, all chips and bread seems to stsy in pouch a long time. I mainly eat Protein and a carb, i take BariLife Multivitamins 6 a day and blood work is slways perfect. 2 insulin 6 shots a day stopped at surgery and still diabetes is at bay. hair lose happened, but as a guy, not that bad and similar to 2 brothers. Skin was an issue but it shrinks more yearly, strangely body morped is still going on for me, shorts that fit at same wait, didnt last ur, but this year they do. I never had a butt, but now I do, and waist has gone from 54 to 36, but up to 38 and fown to 34depending on yr lol. I can drink booze like I dud before, just can't chug a hole 12 glass. I can drink 64 oz of water in 15 minutes no problem, so I think the water think is to keep your pouch fuller long term but very important fitst yr. Dehydration is no joke, so I stay up drinking water if I haven't finished my 64 oz jug for day or 4 16 oz water bottles plus I like apple juice, which I mix with 3x as much water in my jugs. But tonight I realized I was 32oz short so I did. The last 2 yrs have really dedicating the water rule after dehydration happened twice, not fun. I also use syntex nectar and sugsr free Walmart drink mix for my water bottles. Drink booze stopped my weight lose for a,week when I drank at 9 months. I notice now I will gain a few pounds for a few days after drinking booze, I don't much, but not sure if it is extra liquid or my guess, it messes bodies system and weight and digestion are really a rhythm. If I eat 3 meals and 2 Snacks I lose weight, if I eat once, I gain so find your systems happy spot. I do best with a breakfadt, proteain drink lunch maybe just water, a dinner with carbs and protein, and cheese or a snack about 9, and then water until bed. Life is dimple as I live alone. When company comes and stay I eat with them and cook, thinks Zi just wouldnt normally eat. But that 5 lbs drops fadt after they leave, so you couples have it rough. I just don't buy bad idea food for me.

[Cheeseburgh 3,075]

On 4/20/2020 at 12:55 AM, chayarg said:

Hey how are you all doing. Over the past month during #quarantine my weight has been going up and down like crazy as high as 173 and as low as 164 currently it's back up to 171 . I worked really hard today to stay focused eat healthy and workout. Hopefully I can continue this trend and see the scale go down again. I was so close to reaching a bmi less than 30 so that I am no longer obese I need to be 163.

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

How are you doing? It’s tough adjusting to this.

[momof3_angels 465]

OMG... I just realized... I am officially in MAINTENANCE! Didn't even occur to me when I hit my weight goal. I will finally see my nutritionist again at my next 3 month appointment in mid-May. Curious as to whether or not she will tell me to do anything different. I feel like I am already eating in Maintenance Mode. I don't measure everything, but I do watch what I eat. I occasionally eat a LITTLE junk, but mostly healthy. I am walking a ton. Today I did an UPHILL hike which for me is very hard because of my tachycardia. My HR gets over 145 going uphill and then I get VERY short of breath so I usually end up stopping every 40 feet or so to catch my breath. You know what? Today I hiked uphill like a NORMAL person! I was excited. Back to food... I know I can eat more than most bariatric folks in a sitting, so I have to watch that. But what is funny is I can still eat faster, but can still only take 5-6 sips at a time lol. Anyhow... I feel I am still on the right track and don't deviate too much.

[ms.sss 14,617]

On 4/20/2020 at 1:55 AM, chayarg said:

Hey how are you all doing. Over the past month during #quarantine my weight has been going up and down like crazy as high as 173 and as low as 164 currently it's back up to 171 . I worked really hard today to stay focused eat healthy and workout. Hopefully I can continue this trend and see the scale go down again. I was so close to reaching a bmi less than 30 so that I am no longer obese I need to be 163.

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey @chayarg, its been a while...it IS tough during quarantine when we just sit around at home all day

Are you still tracking food and your weight?

I had sort of slacked off a bit...I still track, but not as meticulously as I did 2 months ago. And I had basically stopped running for 3 months after PS. And I would sometimes miss a daily weigh in or two. As a result, I gained a few pounds. So I went back to tracking everything, started running again (no more PS open wounds, yay!), stopped eating past 7pm, and made sure I got on the scale every morning. I knew this routine worked for me, so I figured I should get back to it.

(ASIDE: Now that I think of it, my slacking sort of coincides with my sabbatical from BP...co-incidence?)

Anyhoo, I'm rooting for you to continue your downward trend ❤️ #youCanDoIt

[GreenTealael 24,847]

If I may place this here:

Thoughts on the message (not the messenger 😂) ?

[rs 1,473]

If I may place this here:

Thoughts on the message (not the messenger ) ?

Thanks for sharing. I hear a lot about that Dr but I haven't taken the time to watch any of the videos. At 20 mos post sleeve surgery I would have to agree with him that it hasn't been that hard to just keep doing what I'm doing. The surgery really has been successful for me. Now I just live my life as if every day is just a normal day, and I don't really identify as being in maintenance. Fortunately I've been holding at a pretty constant, comfortable weight for over 8 months now, without much extra effort. I may feel differently should things change for me down the road. I also like the Dr's casual conversation and tone, including some of the profanity slipped in there - makes him seem real. I'll have to look at some of his other videos.

[chayarg 402]

Hey [mention=374036]chayarg[/mention], its been a while...it IS tough during quarantine when we just sit around at home all day
Are you still tracking food and your weight?
I had sort of slacked off a bit...I still track, but not as meticulously as I did 2 months ago. And I had basically stopped running for 3 months after PS. And I would sometimes miss a daily weigh in or two. As a result, I gained a few pounds. So I went back to tracking everything, started running again (no more PS open wounds, yay!), stopped eating past 7pm, and made sure I got on the scale every morning. I knew this routine worked for me, so I figured I should get back to it.
(ASIDE: Now that I think of it, my slacking sort of coincides with my sabbatical from BP...co-incidence?)
Anyhoo, I'm rooting for you to continue your downward trend ️ #youCanDoIt

Been kinda on and off with tracking it's super tough being in quarantine with 12 ppl even when my eating is not that great I make sure to get my steps in over 13,000 a day as far as the scale goes I'm staying btw 169-171. Every time I promise myself to track it only lasts about a day until I get "mad at the world" I definitely have an emotional eating problem. I'm trying to stay sane and strong hopefully this lockdown will be over soon it's pretty tough here in NYC!
P.s. when I get mad I lock myself in the bathroom (only private room in the house, I share my bedroom with 3 ppl) and i blast music and dance that usually calms me down a bit and I burn some calories in the process

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

[ms.sss 14,617]

18 minutes ago, chayarg said:

P.s. when I get mad I lock myself in the bathroom (only private room in the house, I share my bedroom with 3 ppl) and i blast music and dance that usually calms me down a bit and I burn some calories in the process

LOL, do whatever you need to do, lady. 😉

[ms.sss 14,617]

21 minutes ago, chayarg said:

tough being in quarantine with 12 ppl

Oh dear lord. You are a hero.

[summerset 5,261]

On 4/28/2020 at 12:34 AM, GreenTealael said:

Thoughts on the message (not the messenger 😂) ?

I think he has some good videos out there. I don't agree with everything he says but I agree with several things he says in his videos. In this one I like his garden analogy.

It made me ask myself the question though what I really think about "maintenance" or "maintenance mode" and fact seems to be that I never thought much about this. It just happened somehow. I never entered "maintenance" actively or something like that.

However, what I wholeheartedly agree with is what he says about "staying skinny", beginning at about 8:30 min, 11:30 min or 13:30 min in the video. I don't think it's actually that hard and not this "daily struggle". It needs vigilance, yes, but show me a person beyond the age of 35 or 40 that doesn't need that vigilance. There is e. g. the occasional talk about food and weight and diets at work and it seems like all of my colleagues have to watch their intake, like not eating dessert everyday, not having French fries every other day or not buying this chocolate so it doesn't wait for you in the evening while watching TV or reading a book. The rare exceptions seem to be some people still in their 20s, usually men.

Most people need to exert some kind of effort to maintain a normal weight once they reached a certain age, WLS or not, and that's that. In the end it's as hard as one thinks it is.

[PollyEster 228]

13 hours ago, summerset said:

Most people need to exert some kind of effort to maintain a normal weight once they reached a certain age, WLS or not, and that's that. In the end it's as hard as one thinks it is.

Exactly this ☝☝☝☝ In the modern food environment, simply not getting fat requires some degree of knowledge, effort, and awareness on the part of most people. Studies indicate that a relatively small percentage of the population* who are getting adequate nutrition are genetically inclined toward being underweight (defined as having a BMI below 18.5). And even when the genetic dice are loaded in their favour, many of them have to work to combat the social and environmental factors that contribute to overweight and obesity, such as the prevalence of highly processed but calorie-dense and nutritionally void foodstuffs, fast food, socioeconomic status, etc.

* Roughly 4.8% of men and 6.7% of women worldwide, based on a study conducted from 1975 to 2014 with data from 186 countries, representing over 99 percent of the world's population.

[PollyEster 228]

On 5/1/2020 at 11:50 AM, chayarg said:

Been kinda on and off with tracking it's super tough being in quarantine with 12 ppl even when my eating is not that great I make sure to get my steps in over 13,000 a day as far as the scale goes I'm staying btw 169-171. Every time I promise myself to track it only lasts about a day until I get "mad at the world" I definitely have an emotional eating problem. I'm trying to stay sane and strong hopefully this lockdown will be over soon it's pretty tough here in NYC! P.s. when I get mad I lock myself in the bathroom (only private room in the house, I share my bedroom with 3 ppl) and i blast music and dance that usually calms me down a bit and I burn some calories in the process.

Being in quarantine with so many other people doesn't just sound tough, it sounds difficult to the power of 12! I hope that with so many other things to deal with right now, you’ll lend yourself some compassion and not deplete yourself psychologically over a bit of up and down with weight. Most people generally adapt well over time to life-changing and stressful situations, and you will, too. You already have the fortitude to want to deal with this head-on, are finding creative ways to carve out alone time, are getting in a lot of steps each day, and probably a bunch of other things you haven’t even mentioned here.

Earlier today I posted an article from the latest issue of Bariatric Times magazine; hopefully there'll be something in there that might prove useful for you? One thing that is helping me is developing some realistic goals and doing something regularly — even if it seems like a small accomplishment — that enables me to move toward the things I want to accomplish, such as continuing to lose weight. Instead of focusing on tasks that seem unachievable, each morning I ask myself, "What's one thing I know I can accomplish today that helps me move in the direction I want to go?" For example, I've set up an eating schedule for myself and I only eat at the designated times (breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner). If it's not time to eat, I don’t eat, end of story, so I never have to wonder about whether I'm eating out of stress, boredom, craving, or hunger — all I have to do is look at the clock, and if it's time to eat, then I eat.

The lockdown is demanding and challenging, but it is temporary and absolutely does not have to determine the outcome of our WLS for this year. The outcome is entirely up to us.

[JennieJuniper 110]

Anyone else gain weight since quarantine? Sorry if this is already been discussed, but I gained 12 pounds over the last 2 months and feel awful. I’m closer to 200 now than I’d like. I’ve been working from home for two months so I’ve been sitting at my desk all day with little to no exercise. I’m also a “bored eater” so that hasn’t helped.

Anyone try Noom? I just got let go so not sure if I should pay for that right now...

Ty for listening!

[Cheeseburgh 3,075]

1 hour ago, JennieJuniper said:

Anyone else gain weight since quarantine? Sorry if this is already been discussed, but I gained 12 pounds over the last 2 months and feel awful. I’m closer to 200 now than I’d like. I’ve been working from home for two months so I’ve been sitting at my desk all day with little to no exercise. I’m also a “bored eater” so that hasn’t helped.

Anyone try Noom? I just got let go so not sure if I should pay for that right now...

Ty for listening!

I’m doing ok and my weight has stayed stable but it hasn’t been easy. My 31 year old son gained weight starting in college and mid 20’s. He tried weight watchers and he lost 25 pounds or so but wasn’t able to keep it off. He started Noom 16 months ago, he lost 50 pounds and is back to a healthy BMI of 21. He feels and looks great and has kept it off for the past 7 months.