Not all Vets were created equal

You know, for that first bit, you need to set aside any psychological or emotional issues and just focus on compliance and following the rules.  For the first 3 months, just follow the rules -- and by that, I mean YOUR surgeon's rules, not everyone elses' surgeons' rules.  This is a great "re-set" period where you learn that your head hunger does not rule the rest of you.  It is incredibly hard, but you can do it.

Beyond that, you should have a counselor and work very closely with your "team" to do what is best for you. 

Quite honestly I was afraid to "test the waters" so to speak. I followed my plan to a T because of the unknown. This was such new territory and if they said 1/4 cup of something, that is all I had. I really didnt have any "cravings" during that time because I was focused on the healing/recovery aspect.

I cant tell you how many pounds I have lost/gained with the binge eating issues. I will say I am much more aware of what I eat and I dont mindlessly eat. Anything that is possibly a binge type food, I do not keep it in my house so when I have a "binge" I know exactly what I'm doing because I physically have to go buy it. If it's ice cream, I buy the smallest container I can find. If it chips, I buy the snack size bag vs the family size. If its powder donuts, I buy a small package vs a bag. This reduces the amount of damage I can do in one sitting.
 
I feel most of my success has come from planning my food every day. I cook my own food and weigh/measure everything I can. My freezer is stocked with homemade good for you food that I can throw into my lunch bag without really having to think about it.

We just have to remember the surgery is a tool. We all still have to work on the mental aspects of it. You can do this, just take your time and set up the good habits early!!

i echo what you say about finding what works for you is what is important, that there is not a cookie-cutter approach for all.

i too did not find that the rules worked for me either and made adjustments that i came up with on my own.  i could not imagine never eating an apple or whole oats or a piece of sweet potato.  And i regularly eat  'sliders' -- the healthy ones --- because eating just a few bites of chicken, beef, pork, fish, egg and two bites of a vegetable and nothing else is not satisfying no matter how much you tweak with seasonings and cooking method.   I would be full after a few bites of protein but i would not feel satisfied, and i felt weak and not even able to concentrate.   I also think the 600 calories a day beyond the first two months is woefully low for many vsg'ers, assuming the person is not a couch potato.

Being the experimenter that i am, i have found out with 100% certainty that i cannot do refined carbohydrates ever again and they will never be a part of my diet.  This was a personal conclusion that i came to for me.  It doesn't mean that others won't be able to handle the refined carbs.

Losing the last 10 pounds has been slow going, so i am thinking of trying the two days a week extreme low carb days with the remaining five days done with moderate carbs to see if that gets me below 120.  I have exceeded the doctor's recommended goal weight for me and my face looks so thin, the motivation to lose further has waned, but rather than get a partial butt-ectomy to go with my partial gastrectomy, i would like to lose a little further. 

 
First NanaDebby is the real deal....nothing but props to her. She is a valued active member here and IRL with support groups and such in her area.....awesome and respected Vet !

There used to be saying around here that went something like this..... "You can argue with me, but you can't argue with my success" I will commend and congratulate anyone who takes this on and gets to goal regardless of method.

The other thing you have to notice in her post is she mentions "a few of us vets"

And this has been my observation also.

Can you do this with a more liberal approach.....Yes "a few" can..... I myself have helped "a few" and I have "a few" friends here on OH and IRL that have done well.

I'll even name "a few" that took a more liberal approach and got to goal....... Still Fawn, BoscoGirl, Brownblonde.

Most of "the few" that can do a varied approach tend to be either younger, healthy and were not SMO and most of "the few" didn't eat that much in volume. And some had/have a very active workout schedule.

If your like most of us, you have some degree of a damaged metabolism and some degree of eating disorder.

So it truly is up to you...... Are you one of "the few" that can do it ??? Cause "a lot" can't......

frisco

I agree completely!! Thank you for putting the names out there, I couldnt remember (mental issues with my old age!). I was a lightweight when I started this journey and I know the others were as well.

I was not trying to encourage anyone with my post I just wanted to put my story out there because someone replied on the McD's post that "all" vets used the same strategy. I actually had to think about this post for a couple of days before I actually put it out there.

I had to start this post because I know there are others who want to try the "moderation" type diet and I get that however that's the reason I stated, if it doesnt work you may have to re-think your plan.

I also will state that I am not carb sensitive. I am sodium sensitive. Carbs do not cause me to go out of control and do not affect me for days. Sodium is a whole 'nother beast for me. I retain fluid like crazy and can easily be up 2-3 lbs in a day.

Thank you for your kind comments. I am very active in the WL community both online and IRL. I am actually considering a possible career change based on my involvement but I'm not sure if I want to give up the 24+years I have invested in my current career so we shall see!!

 
I don't seem to be completely carb sensitive........

- Carbs do make me gain weight....so carbs are a big key for weight control for me......

- Carbs don't seem to set off alarms or cravings....... (don't know if this is good or bad)

frisco

Thank you, NanaDebby.  You have an important perspective to share.  Nothing succeeds like success, and not one of us can argue with someone who is doing what works for them.  I don't think you're rare, I think you make great points and you've given me a lot to think about.  

That's what I mean when I say "I'm not as smart as I think I am."  I think often about a friend in OA who was quite successful and could measure out and eat 10 M&Ms when the mood struck her.  This was practically heresy, yet she'd lost 150+ pounds and maintained.  So I had to admit that different is possible.  

I just want to remind people that some of us *can't* measure out 10 M&Ms.   And the more we push the boundaries, the more willing I think we have to be to admit when something isn't working.  This is really, really hard for me.  I don't know about you, but it is *very* hard for me give back certain foods. 

It's not "wrong" to eat fast food, it's not a moral issue and I don't really care what other people eat anyway.  I just want to make sure to be honest about my issues, and to say for me what it my truth because I can't forget it.

But I'm not "perfect" and will eat outside the mold when it works for me.  Every Friday night I have two pieces of spicy tuna sushi roll.  It's the only starch I eat all week and satisfies my major "su****ooth." 

Thank you for posting and sharing your wisdom.

Thank you.  I think there are as many paths to success as there are folks who have lost their weight.  I think we have to have all the information so we can make the best and most doable decision for ourselves and when i say most doable, i mean most of us come here after decades of discovering what doesn't work and what sends us into a tailspin, so the idea that there is only one true path can be detrimental for some.  Also i know at the start of a journey we are all so much more invested in "how quickly we can get it off" than we should be.  We buy the "You have 6 months of a honeymoon".  but what I've discovered then you have the rest of your life to deal with keeping it off and I'm not at all sure that the "lowest everything" you can do, sets you up for success in maintenance.  My fear is that low and fast may end up being like the end of other extreme diets where we have in the past failed.   I don't know the truth of any of this but I'm still searching and i love hearing differing views because it helps in making informed decisions and i believe with all my heart that there is no one right path for everyone.  Cheers.

I think we're all an experiment of one, and everyone's got to find their own path.

But sticking to the plan (whatever the plan is!) for the first 6 months is critical.  It's the time to re-set habits and learn about yourself and what your relationship is with food.  Once that's figured out, then diverging from the "plan" is okay.

I got off of bread, rice, potatoes, pasta before surgery.  I couldn't believe how much better I felt, and I don't see ever eating them as a regular part of my diet.  I had diabetes and had pretty much already cut sugar out.  Don't see it coming back.

Otherwise, I'm not carb sensitive.  I can eat carbs in veggies, fruit, dairy without issue, so I don't worry about them.  If I feel a craving coming on, I eat some meat/protein.  Once my tummy is full, the craving is gone.  I've discovered, much to my surprise, that I don' have triggers.  I can eat a few bites of potato, or bread and butter, or have the occassional dessert and then walk away from it.

I've recently increased my calories to 1300 and triggered additional weight loss.  Go figure.  Yes, I exercise.  I hate exercise, but I love how it makes me feel.

I'm 54, female, overweight all my life, morbidly obese the last 15 before surgery.  Don't think my metabolism is as "busted" as I thought it was.  But you don't start figuring these things out until you're well down the post-surgical path.

You have no idea how thrilled I am to read this!  It has truly made my day hearing someone was 90% on "plan" with occasional craving indulgences within reason.  This is also how I plan to manage my WL.