Let's talk "maintenance": easiest and hardest aspects?

This question may get more response as a separate thread. In this particular thread, you are seeing RNY patients who have generally been successful with that surgery. Whenasked here in the past, a number of posts indicated that DS was not covered by their insurance, or they did not work with a doctor who performed that surgery so it was not an option.

Only on the rare day that I would LOVE to eat a bacon cheeseburger and some fries...!  I think the RNY forced me to adopt far healthier eating habits than I would have with the DS and I was VERY worried about the extra vitamin malabsorption with the DS.  As the previous person suggested, you will get more responses if you post a separate thread.

Lora

I don't think a single aspect of my list would have changed had I decided to the DS. It's not about the surgery I chose, it is about the head issues that go along with not emotional eating.  Carbs are still my demon and even with DS they would still be as well.

Dawn

I have to put a lot of effort into getting ENOUGH food so that I don't lose more. I've figured out ways to do that, but I would have been sunk with the DS.... I need LESS malabsorption not more. I should have gotten a VSG (but that wouldnt' have helped my specific problem, so the RNY was the only surgery for me)

Easiest:
Keeping up with vitamins and fluids.
Getting my protein in.
Exercising at least 3 days a week.

Hardest:
fighting the tendency to graze, even on healthy foods.
Minimizing the impact of my own eating - still don't have the awareness I need.
Hitting the reality if a 5 lb. Gain and having to deal with it.
Hitting my exercise target of 5 - 6 days a week.

For me the hardest things are:
1.  Obsessing over my excess skin. But a great opportunity has been given to me and I'm having a lower body lift and breast lift in June!!
2.  Most of the time I can eat pretty much like a "normal" person but then I can eat one bite too many and I'm in severe pain for about 30 minutes (chewing gum usually helps me get past this).
3.  Being hungry ALL the time!!!!!!!!!!

For me the easiest things have been:
1.  Getting in my vitamins, water, and exercise.  I never thought I'd like exercise again.
2.  Eating.   I can eat just about anything, which can be a blessing and a curse.  I do eat healthy 90% of the time, but if I want a piece of cake, I eat it, damn it!!
3.  Getting back into the routine of life.  I was basically a recluse when I was morbidly obese.  Now I'm a social butterfly.

Laura

I've read and thought about this thread several times today.  I'm still not sure I have the answers to the easiest and hardest aspects.

Easiest

1)  No food intolerances (curse/blessing)
2)  Eating healthy choices mostly as it is what I want
3)  Able to maintain and lose still easily (different stressors in my life have caused me to lose very quickly)

Hardest

1)  When the WOW moments stop, looking forward to "what's next"?
2)  Worrying and/or waiting for the weight gain
3)  Boredom eating late at night

Lora, that was a goal I set for myself, thinking it would take me forever to reach it as pre-surgery it took me 6 mos to lose my 5% as per my program thru Tripler in HI.  I am thrilled with the loss right now, but had that number ingrained in my head for so long that when I actually got close to it I freaked out a little.  Ha ha ha ha.  I think I would be extremely content to lose another 10lbs. and have it be my end goal.  We shall see.    I am enjoying how I feel now with all the energy and not feeling that I "can't" do something because of my size.  It's very liberating.