Dr. Walton - Restart Program for VSG

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Greetings!

Man it has been a long time since I have visited this forum! I too sought out Dr. Walton for the restart program because I felt I had "fallen off the wagon". This was probably 1 1/2 years ago to 2 years ago. This July I will be 4 years post-op (just so you know where I am at with all this... my heaviest was 275, lowest after surgery 149...when I went for restart I was 170). I was sadly disappointed in myself after visiting the clinic and getting all my protein shakes etc. Yes, I was eating more than I should have... yes, I was selecting the wrong foods. No, the restart program was not for me. I tried the shakes, but for some reason shakes (be they soy or dairy based) don't agree with me since having WLS. I hated the food and it was like all the other "dieting" I had done before finally resorting to WLS.

After a couple months of trying to do something about my issues alone, I visited another weight loss doctor (a habit I formed prior to gaining so much weight before) and he bluntly told me that I needed to stop acting like a baby and figure out what I wanted most in life. If it was rapid weight loss and control then he suggested a very low calorie diet for 30-48 days. If it was "support" then perhaps I should join weigh****chers (which he was not a fan of...).

I thought long and hard about my options. I have been to weigh****chers... it doesn't work for me. I end up getting all my points from bad food choices and pretty much I was already doing that (not to mention the ridiculous cost now-a-days). Besides, weigh****chers doesn't look too kindly on WLS people. So I decided to go the very low calorie route and "see what happens". I bought the product (HCG) and they gave me the diet. It was MISERABLE for about 1 week. BUT I was eating 3-4 ounces of protein twice a day with approx 1 cup of veggies 2 times a day (green leafy, tomato, onion, etc. no starch or carbs) and 2 fruits a day! I was in control! I was down 10 pounds in the first week! Boy was it working! I drank way more water and my brain was happy to be in control of my eating.

So yes, I chose a different route for 30 days and was happy with my success. The good thing is that its not a "one time thing", after my 30 days were up I added more calories (from 500 a day to about 1200-1500) but kept my carb intake low. I didn't gain the weight back and three weeks after increasing my calories I slowly started adding some carbs back to my diet. I figured out which ones made me gain and I stay away from them now.

I have since done another round on HCG (which is soooo much easier than the first) and am happily back to the lowest weight after WLS. I am now turning 30 and have seen my cholesterol (hereditary issues here) increase to the high end of the "healthy" range. So, I am changing my habits slightly; I am adding fish 2 times a week, reducing red meat to approx. 1 time a week (at most) and am staying away from the bad fats and some dairy (like cheese...which is killing me because I LOVE cheese) and slowly adding some legumes (like lentils). I am adding exercise back to my routine (which you cannot really do on 500 calories a day) and I feel great!

Sometimes we have to branch out from the typical thought processes (like WW and shakes) and take control of what's going on. I have found that for me, taking control means not just physically what I eat, but psychologically why I am eating a certain way. Its a life-long battle but I refuse to lose now.

A lot of people will tell you not to detox, but I was eating lots of flavored sunflower seeds and leading to additional snacking. I kept telling myself every morning not to do it but at night I would fall back into it. I actually got a stomach bug and couldn't eat for a few days. Just did my water and somehow sucked my vitamins down. Amazingly I lost 5 pounds in those few days and didn't have the cravings for sugar and salt again. I even tried the seeds and said what the heck...these are so salty. So I think if I start slipping again I will detox but I would probably not go totally without food back to protein and veggies though. No salt or sugar at all for a few days. I could tell a difference without even getting on the scale I was not all bloated and don't have that desire to snack all evening as before. Its hard because the surgery does not cure the mentality that we have lived with all of our lives.

You have done great!  Did you have the VSG?  Thanks for posting and sharing!