What makes you think you won't regain the weight!

I was reading today how the Biggest Loser season 3 in 2006 Erik Chopin http://erikchopin.com/ lost over 200lbs and has now gained over 1/2 of it back.  Now we ALL know that "diets" don't work and blah blah percentage of people regain the weight AFTER loosing it, but what makes those of us who have WLS as opposed to "traditional" dieting think we can never regain the weight back.

Or rather, what are WE doing in our lives that will ULTIMATELY guarantee our success if you will.  My sister has WLS back in 1984 and went from about 250 to 150 and is probably about 165 these days.  Her friend had WLS a few months after her and never lost.  The key difference I saw in those 2 is that my sister ate VERY little and has maintained that over the last 20+ years.  Her friend almost instantly went back to her old "comfort" foods and never made it to goal, hers on the doctors.

Over the years when I ran a big girl nightclub I saw many woman have WLS only to loose years 1-2 but then start to regain it years 2+.  I have friends and friends of friends who suffered the same fate.  I have now been on OH for about 3 years (good Lord) and I have seen quite a few re-gainers in that time.  And they have been RnYers, DSers, LapBanders and yes our own precious VSGers.

I have seen my fair share of X weight gone FOREVER and some of those fade away only to come back say 6 months down the line and forever wasn't as lasting as they'd hope.

January 2010 brings us to a new decade, the beginning of the year when many of us will NOT make the resolution to loose the weight because we feel with our new "tool" that loosing weight is a GIVEN. 

So what about AFTER we have lost the weight...then what.  Are we off our "diets?"  Do we reintroduce ourselves to our old friend carb who has been patiently waiting for us to return after our say 2 year absence?  Have we learned new coping skills for dealing with the stress of life, the boredom of life, the death in life, the births in life, the holidays in life, the job loss in life, the etc etc etc of LIFE that once we turned to food to COMFORT us? 

Now that we're at goal whatever that is NOW what.  What makes ME so special that I won't regain the weight?  BTW I am here to TESTIFY because it's not happening to me right NOW, but I have seen MANY MANY MANY seriously MANY a poster come and go in my 3 years and in my LIFE where they thought they had this weight loss thing locked and loaded, only to find out they didn't.

Really do I sit here on my lofty high WLS horse looking down on the Eriks of the world and really honestly think that just because I had WLS I can't REGAIN the weight.  I may not be able to STUFF my face the way I USED to but best believe I can STILL choose the WRONG foods.  The high fat foods, the high carb foods and as a 2 year post-op VETERAN I know FIRST hand that those foods go down so much EASIER then dense protein!

So what makes ME think that I won't regain the weight?
What do I think makes ME so special?

Well all my VSG friends, OH friends and In Real Life friends already know I'm just SPECIAL all around.  I'm posting this post cause I want my sisters and brothers to succeed and to know that for some of US this isn't OVER.  We don't get to goal and become "normal."  I don't come here everyday posting the WHATCHA eating thread cause I really wanna know whatcha eatin (ok well maybe I do).  I don't weigh myself on a daily basis because I like to see the scale stay the same (ok maybe I do).

I believe I won't gain the weight back because I come here daily.  I am a former FAT girl who weighed 345 at her highest and weighed OVER 300lbs since she was 18 years old and I need the support of this forum.

I believe I won't gain the weight back because I post the daily thread because I think if I didn't I'd dive into a cheesecake everyday cause no one would know, lol.  Remember eating food in the car or in secret thinking somehow **** I don't remember why I would eat in secret...shame, hiding, whatever...this is the reason I NEVER eat in my car anymore.  If/when I do fast food I take it home or to work or to where ever.

I believe I won't gain the weight back because I weigh myself daily.  I have seen time and time again people post about "mysteriously" gaining 20lbs.  It's NO mystery when I weigh myself daily because the MINUTE...**** SECOND I see something UP past my range.  I say "ok Michelle" were those cookies REALLY that good.  I still answer YES (lol) but then I say "ok Michelle they were but you don't need them for the rest of the week deal"

I believe I won't gain the weight back because since my mother died 3 years ago I miss her terribly and in that pain she is a CONSTANT reminder that I don't want to end up like her with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, failed kidneys as a result of the medications she was taking.

I believe I won't gain the weight back because while I don't always do it I believe that MOVING is key and essential to the overall wellness of my body.

I believe I won't gain the weight back because on a daily basis almost every meal and snack I do think about why I'm eating, am I angry, bored, hungry etc etc.

Ok these are the ramblings of a 25 month post op!!!

Ms Shell

Ahh...getting all kinds of deep on me here girl! 

LOL...I like to believe that I won't gain the weight back, but I am not certain I will not, but I do not have that sort of confidence in all honesty...I am more hopeful than sure. 

I was not one of the people who lost and gained my wieght repeatedly.  I gained half with one pregnancy and it stuck around...gained the other half with the second pregnancy and it liked me, so it stuck around too.  After my two girls I was NEVER able to lose more than five pounds....so I do not have experience with re-gain. 

Part of me just thinks gone is gone.  My body reset after pregnancy and now is reset again.  I am hoping that my sleeve will keep me in that mode regardless.  I honestly feel that portion size is a huge part of maintenance and I will be okay because I will never be able to eat like before. 

I am the first to admit though, that if the weight starts coming back I will denounce my easy going ways and re-evaluate....and I too weigh myself daily...no better way to know you are doing okay than cold hard numbers...

Aww Fawn yes it was my DEEP day.  I had been trying to come up with a monthly post and nothing seemed right, lol!!  Until I read the article and thought...hmmm this is what 25 months out is all about.

I had NEVER lost weight well except when I went from 345 to 300 almost 10 years ago and would bounce up to as high was 325 before I got on a scale.

I think for many of us that getting on the scale daily and that accountability will be what makes or breaks us =)

The wierd thing with me too is that I never did the "diet" thing...I swear on anything that my surgeon said I could eat the same things I ate before surgery and lose the weight anyway....and she was right.  I do the protein first thing mostly because I am young and don't want to risk weakening my heart because I didn't get enough protein....If I never gave up carbs or fat, etc....then it is not letting them back in- they have always been a normal part of my diet.  The difference between my losing and maintenance has 100% been about the number of times I eat a day.  When I really wanted to stop the losses I started eating every couple of hours.  I have not gained a single pound in my 6.5 months of maintenance...just coasted nicely to a stop.  That is scary because if (when??) the bounce starts, I will have to VERY conciously roll back to only eating 5-6 small meals...no more lattes or cappuncinos or slices of ham whenever...and I am thinking at that point it may be harder to go back, yanno?  I guess bottom line for me....so far it has been way too easy and I am scared one day I will wake up and the dream will snap back to reality and I will be in for a shocker....

Ms. Shell, thank you for writing this-it is a great kick in my dwindling butt.  A butt that I want to continue to dwindle and then keep it there.

You are absolutely right in pointing out that just because we had WLS doesn't mean we are in the clear.  For most of us being overweight has been a lifelong problem and we may spent the money for surgery it doesn't give us a "get out of jail free" card to not continue to work our tools after we reach goal.

What a great point you make and all of us need to think about for when we do finally hit our goal.  What is our plan for staying there?  If we go back to our old eating ways, there is no doubt what is going to happen.

It's almost like watching a dog chase a car, "Alright Fido, now that you've caught it, what are you going to do with it?"

Thanks for putting this out there for the rest of us.

Nancy

Alright Nancy...now I am going to help Fido figure out what he'll do next =)

I was always over weight so I didn't just have to change my anatomy I had to change my mind and my heart and my life style. I don't diet. I follow the rules but allow myself to indulge occasionally. I just don't keep indulgences at the house. i work out. I keep myself accountable to myself and my husband and the scale and my therapist. Therapist has been a big part of it for me. I was overweight but it wasn't my main issue. Working on my emotional issues helps by default. I pray and include this struggle in my spiritual life. I feel I've won this battle but the war will always rage. I will always have to eat well and exercise and process my emotions and lean into God.

Ahhh Leah yes God I would be nowhere without His grace and mercy...yes indeed.

I too was ALWAYS overweight.  Last time I weighed 200 I was 12, maybe even 11.  I think this post called to me because at 2 years out, I'm returning to WANTING to eat out of boredom and boy oh boy after indulging during the holidays the cravings are strong...but this is why I'm still a work in progress =)

I know from past experience that I can't maintain a good maintenance diet for the long haul. I'm hoping the sleeve is the extra boost I need. I paid for the surgery out-of-pocket because I'm counting on it to make it easier to keep on track. I didn't need help losing weight - I've done that very well on my own - I needed help staying there. If down the line my sleeve no longer is restrictive, I know I will have a hard time maintaining. Right now, it is so easy, and I hope that the restriction is there for life and the hunger gremlins don't come back.

My sister I will say being 2 years out and having NEVER lost weight EVER.  My VSG makes it SO much easier, but it is NOT without it's struggle.  For me and every day is a learning curve but it's true the more carbs you eat the more you want to eat.  I can get back on the train but damn if those tracks don't get slippery the further out I'm getting.

My restriction is there I can eat about 1 cup or 8-10oz of food at a time, but even that adds up if I let it.  Physical hunger GONE...head hunger the b*tch that keeps on giving...