8 years + out (male) - ask me ANYTHING - Warning: pure honesty will be given.

What's the capitol of Morocco?

Well, SOMEONE needs to answer. It's Rabat

THANK you!

Welcome back, Alex, always good to have long term vets who want to pay it forward, especially as there are only a handful of men here and none of them have had any serious regain.

Have you changed your way of eating to lose the regain? It might help some to know how you regained and what you cut to lose it.

I have always used OH as my support system, and it's always worked out for me, so don't leave it 7 years until you come back

Hey Kim. The biggest and most noticeable thing that has changed permanently is a very small plate is my meal. I know instantly how much I can eat and when to stop. When I approach being full my appetite shuts off. It still gets the "was your food okay?" every time but that's a minor annoyance.

Having a partner that wants to eat large amounts of food when we do go out to eat could become a source of annoyance and resentment the further out you get. I'm vegetarian and my wife isn't, so sharing meals isn't always an option.

I'm actually 14 years out Alex, so I'm pretty good with the long term changes.

I'm always the smallest eater and honestly, it's never bothered me. I very rarely share food outside of the home because I'm a more healthy eater than my partner.

Hi Alex -

This week marks my 10th anniversary from VSG and, like you, my journey hasn't been ideal either. I've always been a compulsive, black/white exerciser, eater and thinker: an emotional eater and food addict. Starting at 247, I got down to 130 and began gaining almost immediately as my life shifted into a place where working out for 3 hours daily became difficult. I got up to 170 and have recently lost 10lbs. by stopping sugary soda (boo!) and reducing carbs and portions. My fantasy for when I took off all the weight was to become a runner again. But it turned out that parts of my body just wore out from carrying so much weight. This was particularly sad to me because I was a real athlete in my younger years.

I broke so many rules in violating/stretching my sleeve when I should have remained compliant to enjoy the new life I gave myself. I'm trying to "listen" to when I'm full again but it's so much more difficult now. I found support early on but didn't keep it up. I've learned that wellness is a process and there's much I need to attend to in order to recapture the level of health I'm seeking, including solutions for my aching body.

Hey Robin, yeah, it is still a struggle and you seem in control. Being an athlete when younger is a huge benefit, as I was too, but when I'd run a 5 k a day (and I did it every day for almost a year + walking and weights) ,the pain in my shins was becoming unbearable, so I took up heavy mountain hiking.

After my surgery I was obsessed with losing weight, what I'd look like when all the weight was lost and wondered how bad the loose skin would be.... and you cannot simply keep putting that much effort into losing every week. At some point you have to start living again.

Early on I thought I'd stretched my stomach out again but now I find it's exactly as it was 1 year post op and I'm very happy with the portions I'm still restricted to.

Did you have/fear any addiction crossovers like pills or alcohol, or any body dysmorphia?

The dysmorphia is still an issue for me.