What rule(s) do you not follow?

Thanks for posting this - more people than you think are unaware of, or not following, "the rules."  At 2 years out, down 140 pounds, this is my view of the rules.  People further out than me might also have a take, but this is how I got to 'normal' BMI.

For me, there are only 5 Rules that lead to long term success:

My mnemonic device is :Slow, Pro, Wa, Wa, Vit

Eating Slowly - chew chew chew, spit out a bite if, while chewing, you realize that you are full.  In the old days- it took several bites to go from hungry to full - now it may only be 1/2 bite that takes us from hungry to uncomfortably over-full.

Pro - Protein first.  Even long-term, protein first helps keep the carb-monster at bay and stops the slide into slider foods(high calorie/high simple carb foods that are quickly eaten and just as quickly leave our stomachs - ice cream, milk shakes, simple ecarbs, applesauce - white bread, etc.) leaving us hungry in a short period of time.   This behavior is what people refer to as "eating around your sleeve."

Wa- Wait - 30 min between eating and drinking and drinking and eating. Fluids help to flush food out of our stomachs and can lead to people not feeling full, or feeling full quickly. I got a stomach ache early on and I wait more like 60 min.

Wa-Water, and other fluids.  Keep your fluids up  - between meals.  You may be thirsty, but not realize it until you eat and you become aware of how thirsty you really are and want to drink with your meal where you really should have been sipping for the past 3 hours.

Vit - take your vitamins!!  I just had my 2 year labs - and celebrated that everything was AOK, except vit D, which was low before surgery for me.  I have ordered pill form of Vit D, instead of the Vit D oil, and will get my Vit D level up.

In the first weeks post-WLS, there are other things to do as your body recovers from major surgery(lifting restricting, etc), but at 6 weeks and further, if you have not complications,  I think it really boils down to doing these 5 things.

When I realized that it is really only 5 things to do, doing it all was easier for me. I developed that little saying: Slo, Pro, Wa, Wa, Vit, to help me understand that it was only 5 things to do.  I was overwhelmed by all the changes at first.   This little saying made it easier for me.  Not easy, because doing these required me to undo years of using food for the wrong reason, ignoring my body's signals as to what full mean, etc.  WLSers might need counseling to stick to these 5 rules, if you are still having trouble, reach out for help to your surgeon or a psych who specializes in this area.  Part of the source of success is working through what led us to MO in the first place.  If you continue to do what you did before, you might not get the full WLS success you are looking for. Working through any issues may give you a better chance at success - it did for me.

Good luck on your journey.

PS - Long term (1 year +), after reaching goal wt, and having good labs and hydration, gum, caf bev, straws - if you keep sipping, are not a prob for me.  (Although I had my first piece of gum in 2 years yesterday and it is not good for my 3 crowns.)  I experimented with carbonated beverages, but I cannot tolerate them.  The gas stayed in my stomach for 2 days and then appeared a huge belch.  Not a pleasant experience. The 5 rules I stated above are the important ones for me.

Thanks for this! It's great info! I saved it. My mom will be getting WLS soon, so this will be great for her to look at. :)

Also, being compliant with the rules gets more important if your weight loss starts to slow down as you approach your goal weight and your body begins to reach your new normal - you want that new normal to be your goal weight, or lower, so your have some room for bounce back, if you experience it.

My NUT is very "low fat everything" and I just laugh and roll my eyes.