4 Year Surgiversary (Loooooong!)

Apologies for the length....

I hesitated about writing a surgiversary post. I am not a WLS success story in the sense that I am one of those who blasted to goal and maintained the loss from that point forward. Yes, I got to goal fairly fast and maintained for about a year. In December of 2013 I started gaining weight.

Fast forward to today. I'm 4 years out and while this journey has not been easy at times and I regained weight, I would do it over again in a heartbeat! I'm am very happy with where I am today and can with sincere honesty write that I have an overall peaceful relationship with food and have truly accepted my disordered eating.

Some personal AH-HAs from the past 4 years:

• I followed a traditional high protein low carb diet to get to goal. I weighed, measured and tracked EVERYTHING. If I had continued that same behavior well into maintenance with fidelity, I may have avoided the regain I experienced.
• It is unrealistic to expect to be perfectly on plan 100% of the time. Expecting perfection was detrimental to my success and perpetuated my all or nothing dieting mentality and cycles.
• Knowing I have food issues wasn't enough. Accepting those issues as my truth and really being okay with them is what brought about change.
• My VSG has never failed me, but there was a period I failed it.

 2 HUGE mistakes I made that I hope others avoid:

• As much as I wanted to believe differently, I treated my post op period as a diet, not a change in lifestyle. On the day I reached my goal weight there was an underlying feeling of. "Whew! I'm done." NOT GOOD! It wasn't until this spring I realized that I'd been dieting rather than changing my core belief about how I needed to eat to stay at a weight that promoted health.
• I had no plan to transition into maintenance. Seriously, NONE! Maintenance is far more complex than the initial weight loss phase. A structured plan to transition to a lifetime of healthy eating habits is as equally important as your weight loss plan.

Advice? Yup, I've got some:

• Use your post op period to its fullest advantage. There is a true honeymoon period in which the weight comes off more easily. That period is different for everyone. For me, it lasted about 15 months then things evened out. LOSE AS MUCH WEIGHT AS YOU CAN DURING THIS PERIOD. Be deliberate, diligent, and yes, militant about getting the weight off.
• Life happens. Don't put your weight loss on hold to deal with life. You can do both. You're going to have to deal with life and maintain your weight. Staying on your WL plan will be good practice for the future. Take it from me; it's very hard to switch back into WL mode. I have a friend (and know of others) who put her weight loss efforts on hold to deal with a life situation (work). She never lost her last 25 pounds.
• Weighing, measuring and tracking/logging your food intake is the number one key to success. Having a great food plan makes for even more success.

I have some more pounds to lose to get back to where I want to be. I'm happy to say that my sleeve works just as well, if not a little better, as it did at a year out. I have great restriction and am rediscovering just how little I really need to eat to be satisfied. At 4 years out 3 oz of protein and 1/3-1/2 cup vegetables is more than satisfying. My capacity is roughly a cup by volume.

I'm 4 years post op. I had the experience everyone says/hopes/prays they won't experience - regain. Was it embarrassing for a time? Um, yeah! But, regain was the key for me to really understand what changes I had to make to be ultimately successful.

I'm back from the Dark Side. I'm very close to an acceptable weight. I'm healthy, fit and strong. To celebrate the eve of my 4 years I had a kick ass workout followed by a 2 mile interval training session. No more pre diabetes, no more sleep apnea, no more being out of breath and no more asthma attacks.Today I take for granted so many things that were so troublesome in the past: tying my shoes, traveling by airplane, keeping up with my students, doing yard work, taking the dogs for walks, getting out of a chair or up off the floor, and my favorite - sitting in a booth at a restaurant!

Today I am my own success story. My path is not the one I'd suggest anyone follow, but it was the path meant for me. Following that path brought me here and "here" is a great place to be.

The minute I saw you had posted, I pulled out my pen and paper, because you always resonate with me. This time I paraphrased, "Weight loss is not a temporary diet... it is an ongoing lifestyle change."

Some of the most powerful posts are from people who have earned true awareness through a bumpy journey. Thanks for your insights !

Thanks so much for your kind words! I'm looking forward to getting to know you better during your transition to maintenance! I think your approach is spot on! 

Fantastic post Kairk. Every word is true.

If new folks are reading it, and think to themselves "I guess that's ok for him, but I'm sure I can do such-and-such differently and still be alright," think again. People that think they know better and devise a plan they want don't do as well.

The thing you really have going for you Kairk is you admit mistakes, adjust your behavior, and find a way to move toward your bigger goal. Great work.

Thanks, Grim! I really appreciate your support. I know you're often tongue in cheek, but I understand how dedicated you are to your journey and supporting others in their process. 

As a newer post-op (about 3 1/2 months) I love reading posts like this.  I think we all need a reminder that the sleeve is only a tool to help us in what is never an easy journey.  The fight is real and it's happening every day.  I applaud the fact that you are willing to be so honest and use your experience to help us all better ourselves and win the battle against obesity.  I admire you, your courage and your wisdom. Thank you for this post and the other times you've offered help to all of us.  Congrats on your new healthy life, you have much to be proud of!!

Thanks! You know, I think there are far more people who have regain than we may suspect, but we don't hear from them due to the self imposed shame that comes with regain - no matter how mild. It is important to know that we're not alone on this journey. I want people to know that regain is not insurmountable and that a sleeve will work for a lifetime, if we follow the "rules". 

Don't "Apologies for the length".  I wait for post like these.  Re read them.  Copy and paste them for later.  Re read them again.  Thanks for the post. 

This post has an abundance of wisdom. Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us.  You have been a treasured resource for me thru my weight loss process and I am so grateful for all you contribute to this site, both in wisdom and in promoting the supportive tone. 

Congratulations on your success!  I hope I'm doing as well 4 years out!

Carol

Cappy, thank you! You have been an inspiration to me. I have followed your journey from the get go and have been so impressed by what you have accomplished. Your journey to goal is one to study and emulate! I hope that my transition to maintenance this time is as thoughtful and successful as yours.