My 6 years Post Op & Head Issues (Very Long)

 And yes hunger comes back.....but at the same time many times we eat it's not a result of physical hunger.  The heart and head hunger  are powerful forces.  

I think that also the desire to avoid the RH is an impulse that is hard TO control, and in some respects stupid to control also. Blood sugar crashing down to 30 is a medical emergency. Until I settled on my current higher-fat lower-carb diet, I was crashing daily. I don't think I've really experienced hunger since (or before) surgery..... but I'm compelled to eat to avoid a crash.

Dawn - THANK YOU!

maintenance is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life - physically, mentally, and emotionally

 Absolutely!!

If you see my signature at bottom I have a Facebook group for long timers if you care to join!

Dawn

Thanks for sharing, Dawn. 

I am almost 4.5 years out and I totally agree - maintenance is HARD!!!  I never reached "MY" goal even though I have lost and kept off 95 pounds - I wanted to be the size 2, too!!!  But, my body said NO and I am having to learn to live with my body.  My PCP asked me today if I planned to lose more weight - I would love to, but if it doesn't happen I will not dwell on it - I will just work myself to death to maintain what I have lost and rejoice in my healthy body!!  I also will work my self to death to keep my vitamin and mineral levels normal and make healthy food choices and continue to educate myself in the area of health and nutrition.

My vitamin D has dropped from 90 to 60 over the last 6 months and I have no idea why.  I take 10,000 IU of dry D3 everyday, along with my calcium, and it still dropped.  I will try to determine why but in the mean time I will increase the D3.  Maybe it's age, maybe it's something in my diet depleting the D3, who knows?  My B12 is higher than normal and my PCP doesn't like it to be high, but I'd rather it be high than low.  Other than this my blood results looked great,  He once again reminded me my I am now non Diabetic and have been for the last 4.5 years - WOW - this lifestyle is so worth working for!!!

Thanks, again, for laying it all out there!!

First of all, LOVE your moniker.  I am a former English major here and voracious reader :) Good choice of words. 

You sound like you are doing well and have a great attitude.  You are right - maintenance is hard.  It's like trying to figure out how to walk a tightrope some days.  LOL

Its not uncommon for those that supplement vitamin D to take  50,000 IU per day.  I think you can more than bump up what you are taking..  It's also very slow to come up. 

Have you had a bone mass density test? Anytime you are low in vitamin D, you have to wonder about your calcium levels.

If you see my tagline at the bottom you'll notice I have a facebook group for long timers if you'd care to join.

Glad your diabetes is still in remission.  New studies are saying that for long timers, 1 out of 5 get it back.  Good for you for still kicking its butt!

All the best to you!

Dawn

I had a bone density study last year and it was fine.  My levels have been high since my surgery but dropped this time, so I will increase the D3 and see what happens.

It good for people to see the reality of what its really like but until they live it they will never truly understand.  It's really just one day at a time, and if you have a bad day you have to forget it and start the next day fresh.  Good Luck.

 Thanks so much!   You're an inspiration my friend!

Dawn

I am so glad your posted this.  MANY people will benefit from it.  I was never a binge eater, but ate for comfort for many years and then went from MO to SMO in a year after a significant trauma when I gained 100 additional pounds.  I am 5 years out next month, and I still struggle with NOT eating for comfort or when I am anxious (which is a lot since I still have PTSD).

Knowing what you need to do, or what you can do, in your head is very different than being able to actually do those things.  Most of the female clients I have had came to counseling because of a history of sexual abuse or rape, and many of them have weight problems that they have struggled with for years that tie in to their other issues.  Truly understanding where they are coming from enables me to offer a level of support to them that I could not otherwise offer (both in terms of sexual trauma and weight issues).  That doesn't mean I can wave my magic therapist wand and make my own issues magiacally go away, though.

I hope your post will really help some of the current newbies understand how vitally important it is to be aware of, and address, the psychological and emotional issues if they want to be successful long-term. Sometimes I fear (and see) that people who are pre-op or newly post-op say "oh, yes, I know I need to work on some things" but it is either just empty words or they don't really understand the depth and breadth of how those things are tied to weight.

Lora