I have maintained a normal BMI for over 7 years. Something that I could not do in the previous 50 plus years, even after having WLS. I guarantee you that your BMI will not be normal in 2 years, much less 7. Aside from the fact that the odds are against you, your attitude guarantees it.

WLS is not a magic cure all or anything to be taken lightly. However the fact remains that of all the weight loss options out there bariatric surgery has produced the highest success rates out there. There is not one other method of losing weight (and keeping it off) that even comes close.

WLS is not perfect but it is the best treatment we have at this point in time. If I thought for even a second that I had any other options for keeping the weight off believe me I would have done it. I tried every diet or method out there and nothing worked long term. Yes the answer is to eat in a healthy way. But unfortunately I did not have that ability long term no matter how much I tried. I needed the big guns in order to be able to stop eating destructively.

I don't know how old you are or how long you have been dealing with obesity (other than at least 4 years) but I can bet that like me nothing you have done has produced any long term results that are even remotely satisfactory. I don't want to burst your bubble but your fasting attempts are as doomed as all your other attempts. But if that is what you want to hang your hopes onto than good luck. At least it's free. And not permanent so you can always choose to go back to your previous ways of eating. And you will.

If you're so well versed in weight loss options why are you still fat?

There are recent posts on the VSG forums about the Keto way of eating, actually - it's definitely something that many utilize.

Has anyone looked at or done a ketogenic diet?

I'm five years out, been at the same weight for four of those years, and really felt the longing for onederland. It seems as though doing the same thing and expecting different results seems really dumb.

And I hope you take your blinders off someday. But you won't. Know why? Because you've had the surgery. You're stuck with it whether you have doubts about it or not. So you become a cheerleader for it. You've got a lot of your self-identity tied up in it, so you defend it like an attack dog. And the last thing you want to admit is that you made a mistake. Everyone hates admitting they made a mistake, especially a big one like this. You seem to be doing well, and I'm glad, but the simple fact is you didn't need to do it. Sorry! I guess that makes you feel bad, but instead of continuing to rant at me, why not spend your energy helping other people not make the same mistake?

Why do you think you lose weight and improve other things after surgery? It's because you are eating VERY little. Because you are FASTING.

Bariatric surgery is just surgically enforced fasting! You make fun of fasting for losing weight and improving health, but how do you think you did it? By fasting! Can you give me any other mechanism by which you think surgery works except for the fact that it forces you to fast? No, because there aren't any. You chose to force yourself to fast. I'm doing the same, except I'm doing it by choice and without surgery.

Here, I'll give you a link. Just one. Now, it starts off with a long section about how well bariatric surgery works - and it does work. But be sure to read all the way down to the section that says "Bariatrics versus fasting". Note that I found this after about 4 seconds of searching. There is much, much more proof.

https://idmprogram.com/bariatrics-surgically-enforced-fastin g-t2d-6/