11/19/19 - 5 Year Surgiversary

Good morning - I do not post often on the VSG side, but am active on the Menu Postings on the RNY Forum. I wanted to share my story with other VSG folks.

Today is my 5 year surgiversary. Prior to surgery, I was a Type 2 Diabetic with High Cholesterol and Blood pressure. I was taking 6 medications including insulin and my last pre surgery A1c was 11.2. Today I am still medication free. I did a quick out of pocket calculation and monthly savings are $638 and 5 year savings $38,280, I have not reviewed savings previously, so is amazing. While the scale may not read what I would like it too, being medication free and healthy is a wonderful thing.

Some of the things that have helped me:

OH menu forum and friends, the daily postings help me to reaffirm what I know. ( my spouse and parents think it is Ok to have just one, I am not able to limit myself to just one)

Holding myself accountable. Weigh my self daily , weigh and measure portions, meal prep and planning.

Tracking - tracking food intake and weight daily. The apps today make this so easy and I love to look back even 5 years ago to see what I was doing, especially if in a rut.

prepping for travel - even when going shopping with my wife for a day , I pack a small lunchouch with drinks, protein shakes and healthy snacks.

If I have a bad day or make a bad decision, I dust myself off and get back to what works for me.

I do not compare myself to others. Everyone is different, every metabolism is different. Find what works for you and stick to it. Everyone has a Calorie/Protein level at which they lose and which they gain.

Low carb - Low carb work s for me, even when I am working out. I am not able to introduce more than 20-25 carbs daily or I gain. I wi**** was different.

Stay healthy My friends, Mike

Thank you for the advice. Always good to hear about the path ahead.

This typo tickled me: "I pack a small lunchouch with drinks". I envisioned an old fashioned lunchbox that, when you open it, it tries to bite you,and you say Ouch! That's why it's called a "lunchouch". Could be very useful for anyone on a diet.

Thank you and keep up the good work, this site has been an invaluable resource for me.

The Lunch ouch - you might be on to something...LOL

Congratulations!! Thank you so much for your post - it's very inspirational to those of us who are in the first year post surgery. I especially love seeing such success stories with those who have had VSG like I have. You are so motivating!! Thank you again for sharing!

Thank you - I did post over here as it is nice to hear from folks that have been post op a little longer than we have. It lets us know that what we are doing is worth it. Keep up the good work and keep coming back to this site, it has been an invaluable resource for me.

I do a lot of reading on this site but I really do need to begin posting more!! Thanks for the tip!

Welcome to the Veterans Bench, Mike, and a big thank you for sticking around.

You've done a great job!

Thank you Kim - I really appreciate it. As you know , you are an inspiration to me!!!

Can you give a day of what you are eating or ideas that help you?