the secret to your success?

HABITS..... used my first year to create them And it's been a breeze since!!! I just had my 44 month check-up today, and I've maintained a constant below goal weight And normal BMI and perfect labs for over 2 ½ years!!! It's been habitual for the last 2 years!!!! So Far, So Good! I'll have more info in another year!!! Best Wishes- Dx

Hello Dx. I am always amazed at your stats. Excellent. I *hope* I have set up good habits this past year. I am by no means perfect, but I do feel like I have gotten rid of a lot of bad behaviors. I have a lot of emotional issues, which I was well aware of, so I also set up personal weekly therapy starting about a month before surgery. This is the longest and most dedicated I've ever been to therapy and I really have come such a long way. There are still things I have to work on, I feel like there is ALWAYS room for improvement. Someday I plan to be as well oiled a machine as you are What is the habit you've made since WLS that you are most proud of keeping up with? Thanks again for your response! xosm

I am a little over 21 months out and have maintained since reaching goal at 10 months. I can honestly say that I do NOT eat rice, potatoes, chips, crackers, tortillas, pasta, bread, etc. I guess those are the white carbs??? I also have not tried anything like desserts - cakes, pies, candy, etc. I do NOT want to know if I dump on sugar. Everyone comes up with their own plan that works for them. Best of luck to you. I try to stick with 50% protein, 25% carbs and 25% fats every day. JudyAnne

Hi, JudyAnne [my first name is also a combination, do people call you JudyAnne IRL or do they shorten it? Which do you prefer?]. I have heard at least a few post op successes say they stay away from those foods. I know I am more successful on the scale when I eat less of them, but I also feel like more of a success overall when I can eat things in moderation. I still don't think I've found the balance, and I often wonder if it's impossible. It is certainly true for me that eating some makes me crave more. I found with the WW Core plan [no bread, only brown rice, wheat pasta, etc] and making healthy choices [like having some sweet potato instead of white potato] I do physically feel better. I love the goal of 50% protein, 25% carbs, 25% fats, that makes it seem so simple. Thanks for your response! xosm

I am nearly 3 and a half years out. I have had a minimal bounce back gain of 6 pounds. I attribute this to keeping to the 5 tiny meals rule, first of all. If you do that, you don't allow your body to get hungry, so you don't tend to overeat. I chew my food very slowly and I don't lay my fork down until I have finished. Once I lay the fork on the table, even if subconsciously, my tiny tummy has signaled the brain that I am finished. I do not pick it up again. If I do, there will be unpleasant consequences. Additionally, I take my calcium citrate, ferrous fumerate and other vitamins every single day. I drink a minimum of two 30 gram protein shakes each and every day. Protein from food is nice, but we do not gain as much benefit from it as some people believe. Good luck everybody!

I sometimes feel like I am grazing if I aim for the 5 small meals. My original surgeon advocates this for people who have diabetes [mine is in remission]. I am going to my year follow up with a local surgeon because my original one doesn't take my insurance anymore. I know from his website that he is very adamant that his patients only get 3 meals a day, NO SNACKS. I actually tried to avoid this guy, because I know from a friend who had surgery with him that he is very strict [he also says NO PROTEIN DRINKS - which I don't agree with at all], but I also know that he is a very skilled surgeon, so I probably will tell him I will toe the line [it's been hard to find a surgeon who will take on another surgeon's patient]. I have two protein shakes a day - only one scoop of powder in 32 ounces of water each time. I have one in the morning and I consider this my breakfast meal. Sometimes I eat a small meal in the early afternoon [protein, veggie], more often I will go right on to another one scoop 32 ounce shake followed by more water. I usually always have a dinner meal [protein, veggie, starch], now that I am working evenings it's later than I would like. And I usually have another small 'meal' [protein & veggie] or 'snack' [fruit]. So I guess I consider myself to be having 4-5 small meals a day - though I guess it's really just what I lable them, I mean, someone else may say I'm 'snacking' LOL. I haven't FitDay'd this regimen in a long time, so I am thinking I may be low on my protein [my one scoop shake is 23g, so that's a minimum of 46g, but ideally I'd like to be no less than 80-100 grams]. I am going to start FitDay again today [my only day off so I will likely have 2 food meals] and then do it for at least a week to see where I need to make changes. Thanks AGAIN EVERYONE for sharing! xosm

Great post!!! I agree with everything everyone has stated, but re-emphasize Connie's mention of support groups!! Support Groups, whether online or a physical meeting somewhere, are VITAL to my success. It keeps me in check with what I need to be doing, and (for some small reason), it makes me feel as though I am accountable for myself to those people. Without my support here, my support group at the hospital, and my family, I could have never come this far!! Hugs! Kristi

Thank you, I will make it a point to find a new one this month and try it out again. xosm

The key to my success is excercise. I excercise every day, Christmas Day, Thanksgiving Day...you get the idea. Also I weigh myself daily. Lots of debate on that one. Is it obsessive? Possibly. Does it work for me? Yep, works for ME! I allow 5 lbs in either direction before I get serious. Not 6 lbs, not, "Oh it's just 8 lbs." FIVE only, whether it be water weight or Wheat Thin weight I nix it at 5 lbs. Obsessive? Yes. I did this for my family. The way I look and feel are just an added bonus. I put them all through a nightmare of worry and I will not do that to them again. Do I have days where I want to eat ice cream (full sugar and fat) from the tub and wa**** down with M&M's? You bet I do. But I think about it. Will perhaps one tsp of ice cream suffice? Usually. I mean honestly, you get all the "food pleasure" you're going to get from it in the first 3 bites. Am I right? Anyway, that is what works for me. Traci 303/131

My exercise has definitely slacked since I started working in January. I was in the habit of doing it 5 days a week, and I felt so much better [those exercise endorphins are really cool]. But I am still adjusting and it's been hard to even get in 3 days a week since. [that's my excuse, anyway] I lost almost 15 pounds in January, though, I hope it wasn't all muscle weight Tomorrow I am back on the bandwagon and aiming higher! ITA that I did this for my family, not for my looks. But how I FEEL is very entwined with the quality of my family life. Things are soo very much better for all of us now that I am keeping pace with them, not depressed and not physically sick with headaches, high blood pressure and unregulated blood sugars. I will try and keep that high in my thoughts the next time I want to munch on a donut or chips and dip. I had bingeing issues prior to surgery, so for me, all the food pleasure isn't necessarily in the first 3 bites [though you are right, that is enough to satisfy my mouth hunger]. I am still dealing with WANTING to binge and just shovel in large quantities of crap, and the feeling [both physical and mental] I got from doing it. One of the best things that's worked in fighting that battle is working out in therapy why I'd want that self-abuse, and the other thing is finding pleasure in something OTHER THAN food. Don't get me wrong, I still do enjoy food, almost all things in moderation at one time or another, but I have to regularly work on that not being the first thing I look for when I want to please myself. Thanks for sharing what works for you! xosm