This is not one of those posts!

Hi everyone! Happy upcoming 2016! Wish you all the best in your journeys, health and happiness. You know, there are now and then (often!) these posts that pop up on the boards that start out with "Hi.. I haven't been on here in like forever, and I've regained (x lbs) and now don't know what to do! Help!" so I've always wondered how is it that even years down the road people manage to forget the way of life that they adopted post weight loss surgery? So, I haven't been on in a while. And no, I have not been facing major regain. A few lbs - maybe 5 up and down periodically - but I surely have not forgotten the rules and I still live by the protein and veggies first rule and although restriction is less than in the first year - it is still there and I still know what to do if my scale is showing an upward trend. So I wanted to write this and encourage everyone that no, you don't have to forget what to do and you don't have to face regain and you don't have to come back on OH tail between legs and ask for help. Cardinal rules for me - weigh every day and deal with small upward swings swiftly. Don't let things pile up. 3 oz of protein, followed by veggies seems to be just right for a post VSG meal for me even 3 plus years down the road. Move your body as much as you can - doesn't have to be the gym or marathons or anything like that. Just walk around, get a fit bit, do your 10,000 steps, take stairs, park further away from the supermarket door, walk the dog, etc. Don't drink your calories. Stay away from your trigger foods. Love yourself and take care of yourself emotionally and physically. Stay away from the rabbit hole of guilt and beating yourself up. It is a life change for the better and forever and you can do it! And no, you don't have to face regain even if you stay away from OH for a while but I must say that I always feel better when I read daily even if I don't post that much. 

Warm New Year's wishes to all!

Thanks for the positive reminder, Julia ! I have been on this board for a year and am one year out from the start of my process and seven months post VSG. I plan to post a message like yours in three years ! Those "It can be done !" messages are so important !

Hi Julia,

Its so nice to hear from you again. Congratulations on your successes.  You were a role model for me as I started the process, and you are still  a fine example for making the most of your VSG.   I'm so glad to hear you are doing well.  Please keep posting.

Carol 

Very wise words which I hope I remember and follow. Glad to hear you are still doing well!

Right on!  I think that once the weight had melted off I need to conduct myself like a 'healthy weight' person.  We all know them...jump on the uptick on the scale as soon as you see it, implement all those healthy tools & tips we have all learned over the many years of  weight management.  There is no magic wand (the closest I came to that was WLS).  Put one foot infront of the other and keep it in check.

I don't think it is helpful when the baratric clinics advise to loose an extra 10-20-30 lbs. to allow for bounce back.  In my mind that is just a fancy term for sancitioned yo-yo dietiting that contributed to my MO in the first place.

I guess people post one of those "confessionals" on OH because it somehow temporaily takes the sting away and shifts guilt.  I suspect we will see more than one coming on in the next few weeks. Tis the diet industry season - they've gotta make some money too.

p.s. thanks for reminding me to get the three pounds off this week before they get too comfortable.

I went to one of those clinics that advises to lose 10-20-30 pound during the honeymoon phase.  That actually was relevant with RNY because there is malabsorption that mostly goes away during year three.  With VSG you are not relying on malabsorption so it should be much easier to avoid Bounceback.

I think it is actually well advised to lose some 'extra' weight while you are in the first year or two. There is no better time to do that. And now, well, gaining is super easy but to lose a couple... Not so much. I wish I had gone the cushion loss route!

I think the bounce back weight is clearly correlated with RNY but I've never been convinced it applies to VSG. Instead, I think it's used as a rationale for regain due to overeating. However, knowing how easy it is to gain and how hard it is to lose, I still think VSG folks should also lose as much weight as possible before settling into maintenance.  

I LOVE this post!  Thank you so much.  I have enormous fear of regain, and I know it keeps me honest, but it is a true fear that gets worse with every one of those other posts.

What always jumps out at me is when someone says they gained about 35 pounds or about 20 pounds. 

The secret is to always get on the scale, to always know exactly how much you weigh and to take action when the is regain.