Weight loss at four(ish) years out

Thanks Gwen

For the first year post VSG i was extremely successful on controlling all my eating impuls. Although I have reached my goal and I am not adding weight back I have noticed that slowly I am going back to my BED habits: eating quickly, often and more than what I should.

Do you feel that Vyvanese really helps?

For me, Vyvanse has been life changing.

Thank you for sharing your experience. I like to see your constant reminders in the forums (I lurk more than I post, believe it or not!) that our bodies are correlated to our mental health, as well. Doctors should stress this. Everyone knows HOW to lose weight.

I couldn't have gotten to where I am (ready to make this lifestyle change and have surgery) without acknowledging this, seeking help from my therapist, and being open with my wife and family.

I was diagnosed with BED about two years ago. I went into denial and didnt go back for almost a year. The vyvanse actually helped but it was affecting my heart. I struggled until I finally accepted it. After time and tall with my therapist...something just clicked. Strange that I had to get to almost 400 pounds to acknowledge that I had a problem, huh?

Anyway, I have seen a lot of that "lose it in the honeymoon" stuff and I don't want to think that way. Dr. Byars said that I can lose however much weight I want, only that I must wholeheartedly WANT to lose it.

The surgery is the tool. WE are the mechanics.

Truly inspirational, Gwen!!! Thanks for your candor, insight, encouragement and openness!

Pat

Thanks so much Gwen for being a constant resource and helper to encourage everyone and share your experiences. It is so helpful and a sign of true generosity of spirit. I have benefited from your posts on so many occasions. I'm glad to know that there can be ongoing loss after an initial period. The hard part of this process is never knowing where you will stabilize weight-wise. I'm hoping to lose another 20 pounds. Wish I could predict! But I stay the course, and stay hopeful. Hearing your experience makes me think my body will respond over time to get the last bit done, if I remain vigilant and give it time.

Again, thanks for sharing.

"The hard part of this process is never knowing where you will stabilize weight-wise."

For me, this sounds like you believe it is out of your control. Whereas I believe this IS within my control. I'll stabilize where I find that I'm happy, healthy, and willing to maintain. Until then, I'll keep plugging away at weight loss.

Ditto everyone else's comments. Thank you. This particularly hits home for me due to the large amount of weight I need to lose. I started at 522 and my goal weight is 185, but I have a secret (in my heart) goal of being under 140 again. I know this won't happen in one year. This gives me hope. I will go into maintenance mode and pick a more firm goal once I get much lower, but always felt that as long as I stuck to the new lifestyle of eat less and move more, my tool would not stop functioning. Thank you so much for validating that for me and being such a positive example.

You can do it. You really can. Like you said, it might take awhile, but it took a really long time to get to 522 I'm sure!

While I didn't have as much to lose, I was no light-weight at 333lbs. I too had a secret goal.

My doctors predicted I would end up "in the low 200s", so I secretly set my goal to 185, but was too chicken to tell anyone since I couldn't imagine losing that much weight.

I weigh about 150lbs now and have for the last year.

Just thought I would share because I know it's possible. And while adjusting to a whole new lifestyle is, of course, a challenge, it isn't like a traditional diet where you are killing yourself to lose weight and feel like you're starving yourself the whole time. I found that once I adjusted to a whole new way of eating, if I just stuck to it, the weight came off. I still eat the same way as I did when I was losing. Perhaps a little larger volumes, but the exact same food. I love it. I feel great. You will too!

I have a secret goal weight too. I told my surgeon my goal was "around 180" but I lied. He told me that 180 was reasonable. My secret goal weight is 120. I'm not sure if I'll ever get there, but I'm going to keep trying as long as it doesn't negatively impact me to do so!

It'll take time and a lot of hard work. And, like me, you might have regain and need time off from that work to battle some demons. But then you'll get back to work.

For me, I also keep in mind that my secret personal goal is just that - a secret personal goal. It's not a race with anyone. It's not a competition. I'll get there when I get there. :) You will too.

Thank you so much for sharing your story! Especially 4 years out. Your experience is truly an inspiration as it is honest and raw. It really gives us (the pre-ops) a good dose of what reality can be (I know situations are different, but it's nice to know that not all experiences are filled with rainbows and butterflies).

This question might be personal and it's all right if you don't answer, but was BED a manifestation after the surgery or was it something that was there before but just noticed? What were your telltale signs that you might have BED (what prompted you to look into it more)?