4 Year Surgiversary (Loooooong!)

Well said...

Thank you for your words of wisdom.  I've been thinking about maintenance a lot as I'm getting close to goal.  And yes, I "want to be done", but after "being done", nothing really changes.  You still have to eat on plan, still have to get some exercise, you still have to be diligent and make good choices, etc. - period.

It's great that you are thinking about maintenance as you approach your goal weight. I encourage you to come up with a plan and an approach that will help you truly maintain your weight. Maintenance is tricky and is far more individual for most than the weight loss process. 

Thank you for sharing your journey. I reached my goal on Thanksgiving and I have been struggling to maintain. Maintenance is really scary and for some reason the mental challenge to maintain is really kicking my butt! Every day is a struggle. Hearing any type of advise from you is very helpful to me.  God Bless!  

Oh, I hear you! I've been in your shoes. IF you are struggling, I'm going to advise you to go back to your WL plan now. Stick to the foods you know won't trigger you and add 100 HEALTHY calories a day for a week. See what happens. If you lose that week, add another 100 HEALTHY calories, and repeat until you find your calorie set point. The other bit I will offer is to think about your philosophy on food treats. I now know how important my philosophy on treats is to my continued success. Please don't panic about your struggles. Approach them like a challenge that you can solve. This upcoming part of your journey calls for a lot more thought than you might have imagined. 

Such an honest,  well written, easy to read post on what is coming next! 

I am grateful that you were willing to put your struggles out there.  Besides practical advice, it de-stigmatizes regain.  I hope that I can be as open and reach out for help when the time comes.  This would be a 180 degree change in behavior for me so it has me worried.  

You have done beautifully!  So many successes!  Congratulations!

Thank you so much! There ought not be any shame attached to regain, but there is. We have been programmed to accept that when we gain weight it is due to a lack of character and discipline. Understanding that as formerly obese people we have poor leptin response and that we are primed for regain because that body is programmed to get back to its set point is freeing. I had to learn that it takes time to reset the set point, so we must be deliberate and mindful always. 

Kairk congratulations on four years of fighting the good fight!  I'm so happy to be on this journey with you. None of us do this thing perfectly, but only some of us have the courage to pick up the mantle when we've fallen off the path for awhile.

I deeply admire you for that. Your journey back to goal weight is truly inspiring. Every day you work towards it is another day that you manifest a level of commitment that is slowly but surely bringing you back to congruence. And I know from personal experience how important that is. 

Thank you for your friendship too. It means so much to me!

Ditto on the friendship! 

For the first time in my life I am at peace with my eating and food. It's amazing! I have no doubts about getting to goal again and am so ready to learn to maintain my weight. Slow learner, maybe, but this journey has been so, so worth it to me. I have gained a self confidence that I didn't even know I had within. VSG has been a godsend! 

LOVED reading your post and every word is so true. I plan to copy this and keep it handy so I can re-read over and over. Thank you. Christine