What makes this different?

I am scheduled for VSG on July 14. Currently on day 5 of a protein shake only diet, which is miserable, but that's another story.

Like many of you (I would imagine), I have been on many diets. Started off with grand ambitions and enormous motivation, lost a significant amount of weight, only to lose steam and relapse into old habits.

My concern is that this will happen again post surgery. Any suggestions or thoughts to prevent this?

First of all...think of the reasons that you're going to such a drastic measure as to have 80% of your stomach cut out!  If you can wrap your head around the fact that this is a major decision and will require your total commitment to it, you'll do great!  It IS NOT a quick fix!  You will lose weight, but you will have to continually monitor and track everything you put in your mouth if you have any hope of seeing the kind of results that have possibly motivated you to make this decision.  That being said....best thing I ever did and worth every bit of effort that has been put into it!   Best of luck!

I'm not post op yet but I've been told that they remove the portion of your stomach that produces the hunger hormone so you more than likely Will not have excessive hunger especially right after.  Your having your surgery on my BIRTHDAY.  Congratulations I hope everything goes well.  

As far as the pre op diet goes it's only a short time stay strong and remember nothing tastes as good as thin feels!

For me what has made this different is mindset. I've accepted no half measures to only change one thing in my life and nothing else. I've changed everything. I see a therapist weekly, I've made exercise a habit, I've worked hard to be kind to myself and to spend more time pursuing things that bring me joy and health.  And, of course, I've changed my way of eating significantly in ways that feel sustainable instead of in ways that just feel temporary. I've taken steps to improve my physical, mental, and emotional health instead of just losing weight. That, for me, is what makes all the difference. 

The protein shake diet sucks...bad but it is temporary.  I am just over 2 months out and so ready for this weight to be off.  I have to remember that it is a process.  I have been over 200 pounds for the past 15 years.  You have to commit to this lifestyle.  I had almost 3 weeks with no weight loss.  I was severely regretting my decision, then the next week I lost 10 pounds.  It's just like that sometimes.  I visited my nutritionist and she told me to eat some carbs because my body was using up everything.  You will definitely have ups and downs in this journey.   I know it is worth it.  For the first time in 15 years I don't have to shop in the plus size department.  Yes, I am still an XL or XXL but still, I can shop at Target.  My suggestion after surgery is to utilize the support groups in your area.  Stay in contact with your doctor and nutritionist.  My hubby had the surgery a month before me and is my biggest support.  Good luck!

Diets are like dating. VSG/WLS is like marriage. Both can fail. You can walk away from one and divorce from the other. But I would think and hope that when you take such a serious step you go in with your head fully in the game and committed to making it work. I honestly think about my accountability to my support community - the same way as when I committed to a marriage - before my friends and relatives and I have had their support throughout. The same with WLS. I also did not understand or feel how it would be different until I woke up after surgery. Then I just knew it would be and so far it has been. Wish you all the best with yours!

I like that analogy Julia! Thanks!

You should be concerned - there's a nasty statistic out there that at 5-years post op only 5% of WLS patients have kept their weight off.  Scary stuff, right? And I'm here to tell you that as successful as I was in Year 1, Year 2 has been much harder.  And I'm guessing Year 3 will be harder yet.  

My number one suggestion:  Get some other tools in your tool belt!  WLS will NOT be enough to keep you from sliding back into hold habits.  Not even close.

- If you haven't had therapy with someone who specializes in eating disorders then get yourself to one.  And keep going after the surgery.  

- If you haven't checked out Overeater's Anonymous then check them out in person, online or through a phone meeting.  

- Make friends with people in this online community and research, research, research what they have done to be successful.  

- Stay connected with your surgeon and his/her WLS support group.  

- Finally, find an exercise that you enjoy and do it.  Not because it'll help you lose lots of weight (it won't) but for the stress-relieving benefits and to build a habit that WILL help you maintain a healthy weight once you've lost all the excess.  

Okay, I'm going to chime in on this one. I debated, but what the hell, right? You should probably hear form both sides of the coin. I'm one who has had some regain.

VSG is an amazing tool. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. The first year is awesome. Restriction is at its highest level. It's easy to eat very little and because the weight seems to melt off with so little effort (other than adhering to your eating plan, which for me was super easy) motivation is extremely high. In hindsight, weight loss had become my latest compulsion.

Unlike Gwen or Tracy who posted above, therapy was not part of my post op package. I had the weight loss thing down pat. I felt great, looked great and knew exactly what to do to lose weight. The formula I was given worked. I was confident and felt hopeful and optimistic.

What didn't go so well for me was maintenance. I didn't have a good guide and my program didn't have a great system in place for helping and monitoring those of us who made it to goal - especially those of us who made it to goal relatively fast.

I was losing weight and needed to stop the loss. The only thing I could figure to do was eat higher fat, calorie dense foods, but I included sugar in those foods. Not a good choice. So slowly some of my old habits crept back in. I was also working out like a madman and experienced some great muscle gain during this time. I went up about 18 pounds somewhat intentionally and was very pleased with my health and appearance.

Then at 1.5 years post op major, major life stress. The stress continued for the next 20 months. I wasn't sleeping well at all. My daily life was such that I was seemingly barely keeping my head above water because of the demands of  my work schedule, my client schedule, and responsibilities at home. I practically stopped exercising (not completely, but almost), became more and more depressed, and was slowly but surely gaining weight back. Luckily, through all this I never, ever lost hope that I would be able to work through this all and come out the other side okay and in control of my weight.

I did not gain so much that I have become obese again. but I became over weight enough that I was unhappy about it and myself and what I saw happening to me. I have now added therapy to my plan. It has helped immensely. I wish I had had the foresight to utilize therapy during my WL phase.

I believe that all things happen in our lives for a reason and are usually timely. For me, I needed to gain some weight back to understand the depth of my issues with food. I've come to accept that food is not the issue. Carbs and sugar are not the devil. They are simply types of foods. Can they set off some strong reactions in my body? You bet, but that doesn't make them bad. All of us got to obese because we use food inappropriately. I don't care what anyone says, to get to morbidly obese is a clear indication that one's relationship with food or eating needs some help.

Some people can change that relationship strictly through changing behaviors. I could not. I needed to go deeper and figure out my inner issues and what drove me to eat in ways I knew were unhealthy and counter productive to weight maintenance.

To sum it up, VSG is an over the top AMAZING TOOL. But it is only a tool. It isn't the answer. You will still have to put in effort - especially as you get farther and farther out.

Oh, and yes, my restriction is still phenomenal! I'm sure without my sleeve I would have gained back ALL my weight by now. Going from a medium shirt to a large isn't really all that bad in the greater scheme of things.

Your posts always resonate so strongly with me.  Thank you for sharing them.