Maintenance Sleevers! I have questions! Pretty Please..?

So,

I'm wondering what people are doing to maintain their maintenance. I know every one will be different based on level of overall activity and exercise routine. I'm asking because in reading a lot of posts and some other research, it seems that most people after sleeve are able to achieve goal weight (or close to), but often have regain.

What is your average cal. intake per day?

Do most of you follow a lower carb plan? If so where do you keep your carb intake/day?

How much exercise are you getting in on average in a week?

What is you're bloodwork like? Any vitamin/nutrient deficincies? Do you still take vitamins?

What do you feel has been the most important factor for you, in being able to achieve and maintain maintenance?

I know these are a lot of questions, but I would appreciate feedback from those of you who have been successful in maintaining your weight loss on this journey. I would even like to hear from those who are struggling, and get your opinions.

As an aside can I rant a little about food labels. 'Based on a 2000cal/day diet'. Can anyone maintain their weight @ 2000cal/day? It's like they're encouraging obesity! Don't even get me started on the food pyramid!

Thanks again for the feedback! I'm 4 weeks post op today, but I'm looking ahead to a brighter, lighter future.

What is your average cal. intake per day? Depends. Right now I don't exercise so I have to stay closer to 1200 cals. When I am able to do my preferred exercise regiment, it is 1600.

Do most of you follow a lower carb plan? If so where do you keep your carb intake/day? Right now I try to stay at 100 carbs or lower. Up until this summer though it was more like 150 net.

How much exercise are you getting in on average in a week? Not really able to due to surgical issues non-related to weight loss surgury.

What is you're bloodwork like? Any vitamin/nutrient deficincies? Do you still take vitamins? Bloodwork came back this summer as in range for everything except D, and I only missed that by 1 point.

What do you feel has been the most important factor for you, in being able to achieve and maintain maintenance? No playing ostrich. Keep the crap out of the house. Go right back to measure and log everything when the weight creeps up. Adjust when needed. Continue to eat primarily the way I did during the weight loss phase and be cautious not to fall into old (bad) eating habits. Stay involved in the process.

A rough estimate is 10 calories a day to maintain each pound. So 2000 calories a day would be right for someone who wants to maintain at 200 pounds. I maintain at 136 and eat about between 1300 and 1400 calories a day.

That's really helpful! I never thought of it that way before.

Careful, it doesn't work for everyone. I weigh 195, so in theory that would be 1950 calories. Even exercising I would gain at that level.

I'm not tracking right now, bu I think my calories are in the 1600 range, give or take. I do follow a low-carb plan. I don't know exactly what my carb intake is, but I avoid grains, sugar, potatoes, and foods made with them. I'm not obsessive about that, though, I occasionally eat a little ketchup, salad dressings, other things that have sugar, or I'll use a little panko in something (zucchini fritters, anyone? Yum!).

The only exercise I get is walking the dog, which I do twice a day, 45 minutes each time. Blood work is fine, no deficiencies, but my total cholesterol is on the high side. HDL is excellent though, which helps. All that was true before surgery also. I don't take anything for it.

For me the most important factor in being able to maintain is a very strong desire not to regain. You could say it's fear-based, which I don't like to admit is a factor in my life, but it's true. I also keep in touch on this site, which I think helps a lot.

Although you're early out, I do think it's helpful to plan how to be successful in maintenance. I never actually changed the things I was eating as I progressed from WL phase to maintenance. I think "planning to stop WL" is a recipe for disaster, at least for me. But as time went by, my capacity increased, and this is what caused my weight to level out.

Okay, let's first address the regain issue. While it may not feel like to some who have had regain, regain is a personal choice. There, I said it. Done.

The only one responsible for my regain is me and the food choices I made. End. Of. Subject! (That said, there was a bunch of crap going on in my life, I reverted to old habits - even though I knew better - and I had not dealt truly with making a lifestyle change. In hindsight, I treated WLS like a diet which would have an end. I have written a lot about this....)

Since I'm close to being back at goal and it's been a tough road back, but here is what I learned:

You need to have a life plan to make this work. I mean, your food life really needs to adjust to a new way of eating - Forever! You have to find what works for you, and do it carefully and slowly.

DO NOT PLAN TO STOP LOSING WEIGHT. That's the same as going off a diet. Did not work for me in the long run. First 12 months, yes. Thereafter, not so much! Losing the diet mentality is key - at least I think so.

Reflect, question, ponder, and be willing to update and even change your core beliefs about food, weight and health as the scientific research unfolds. WL is an always changing science and we learn more about obesity every year. Learning about what is happening inside me on a chemical level has really helped me build some core principles about the way I eat and deal with food.

Exercise: I walk daily and currently only hit the gym once or twice per week. During WL and the first 18 months after I was a gym rat.

Low Carb: hmmmm, yes and no. I don't keep under 40 grams per day the way I once did. Some days I'm at 70, some days almost 100, BUT those carbs are only from low glycemic fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and the occasional Quest Bar.

Blood Work: Has been great. My cholesterol and glucose went up with my regain, but nothing catastrophic like it was before. I'm guessing it's back down to where it was. My A1c has not been above 5.5 since my VSG.

I maintain on roughly 1800-2000 calories a day when exercising regularly. No exercise - somewhere in the 1600-1800 calorie per day range works. I'm losing at a decent rate at about 1300 calories per day (1-2 pounds per week).

"do not plan to stop losing weight" !!! That is a foreign concept to me. Good grief, I am such a newbie! I have a lot to learn....

Kairk-

Nailed it again ! Your willingness to share your experience and truth benefits us all ! I have been planning my transition into maintenance like my life depends on it. Your comments resonated with two key pieces of my plan:

1. Success in maintenance is a personal choice

2. For me, planning, logging, evaluating and revising my health plan is something I willingly commit to on a daily basis, forever.

Average calorie intake: 1500 per day

Lower carb plan: for weight loss now I have to do 80 or less; for maintenance around 100-120. Until I got to goal weight I did 40 carbs or less per day.

Exercise: 3 HIIT classes, 2 resistance band classes, a couple short jogs, a couple 20-min kettlebells or Pilates in the morning.

Bloodwork: zero deficiencies and yes I still take vitamins. I took them before surgery so there was no change for me.

Success: weighing myself and tracking my food every single day. And I dial it back immediately when I get out of my weight "zone". I also go to OA meetings weekly, see an eating disorder therapist when needed and come to this forum for reality checks.