question for the more experienced....

 understand that the AVERAGE weightloss length is about 16-18 months  but i am wondering from some true to life experiences how long did you guys loose for and how much in how long and for some of u out there that  has had this surgery for 2 or more yrs now like 3 and up  how hard is it REALLY to maintain and what does ur daily menus look like.. I am just trying to look ahead at what i have facing me in the future and also i really want to know exactly how long did the weight keep coming off and also what menus look like....please respond   i really need help....thanks  so much in advance ..... and also (sorry) my dr told me flat out i will never be "little" that i should expect 175  ( which surprizingly was my goal)  i see some of u out there are down to 140 and 130 and 150  was it extreme will power did the weight just fall off fast  did u have work out 3x a day  what?  i just wondering if it is possible  lol (which i cant picture me  big old me at 150 or under) but cant hurt to dream right?  PLEASE HELP......

Took me 9 months to lose 120lbs and get to a BMI of 21.6 - I am 6ft tall so 160lbs+ is actually quite slim!!! Didn't deviate until I was 2.5 years out and am now fighting to get rid of a 10lb weight gain - my diet is consistent, my exercise is sacriligious and yet, the 10lbs does not seem to want to go.  I would point out that I am still well within the normal BMI range so I think I will just have to accept this as a bounce back and remain vigilant that no more creeps on ... Kim

I started out at 328lbs and in the first year I lost 164lbs bringing me to a weight of 164lbs. My dr's goal for me was 165lbs but I really wanted to make it to 150lbs. I reached my goal by 1.5yrs post op and have been maintaning pretty well ever since. I allow myself to float around in the 150's, but do NOT ever want to see the 160's again (hopefully). The farther out you get the harder it gets b/c you are able to physically eat much more food. That's why whenever anyone asks what my best advice would this is what I say~Do not "cheat" during the first 18mths. Follow dr's orders to a T and really make that "window of opportunity" work! There's time later on to try a cookie or a bit of cake if you chose to do so, but during that first year and a half don't do it. We went thru so  much to have this surgery so why sabotage yourself and your success or prolong the weightloss b/c the farther out that you get, the slower the weight will come off. It can be done, but it will be a much slower, harder process and one that you really need to commit to! Getting down to 130, 140, 150 probably mostly depends on your starting weight and your height~I am 5'9" so 130 on me would be WAY too thin and probably pretty hard to maintain. Also, I was not a "lightweight" starting out~some start at 229lbs @ 5'2" so I would assume that they would make it to 130lbs to fit their bmi. I know its hard not to compare, but just focus on what weight would be best for you and your body type. At this point I still try to be "good" most days, making healthy choices and exercising 5x's per week and I think that's what helps me to maintain pretty well. I do have my days b/c I am an emotional eater and a food addict so I have to be really careful about what I put into my  mouth. Once you make goal its not always easy to stay there~that's why I allow myself that room to play in the 150's, but no higher than that. A typical day for me looks like~ B~NSA CIB (b/c I'm not a good breakfast eater) S~Fiber One w/ skim milk (have to eat this daily to avoid constipation) L~salad w/shaved deli chicken or turkey, cheese, croutons, ranch S~strawberrries w/cool whip or yogurt D~chicken breast or chili (something hearty) S~banana w/pb or cottage cheese Hope this helps and Good Luck to YOu!

I'm almost 26 months post-op, starting weight of 260 lbs, reached goal in 9 months and went on to lose to 119 lbs for approximately 3 months.  I then gained a few (much needed lbs) and stayed between 121-123 for over 6 months.  Slowly but surely I've gained some back.  It's much tougher now that I can eat more and I'm an emotional eater, right now my life is very stressful.   My personal goal is 125 lbs, surgeon's goal and a normal BMI is 130 lbs.  Today, because of bad choices this weekend I'm up to 132 lbs.  This is not a good thing and wrecks havoic on my mind.  I'm dedicated today to making good high protein, low carb choices.  I know that unless I remain diligent daily this happens, so why do I do this, because I am a food addict and let my emotions influence my decisions.   I strongly recommend as Tracy said to follow your post-op program to a T, especially the first 18 months, remain faithful to yourself and do your best to learn new habits.  You'll be given a tool to assist you but it still takes work.   Best wishes,

I lost my 150 in about 14 months.  then bounced around between 104-118 for another 6 months, finally settling at 112 for many years.  I had 2 regains (candy then fruit), but shutting of the sugar and cranking up the protein supps reversed those fairly quickly.  I've had a 3rd one (candy--do we see a pattern here?) and am having to work more diligently at this one.  Shutting off the sugar alone didn't do it.  This time, it also means no carbs. So, I'm doing my usual 6 protein supps/day (no milk, no juice) and 4 protein meals.  Bfast remains: 1 egg 1 bacon 1/2 pc sourdough toast (very low carb, much to my surprise) and currently, the othr 3 meals are half-protein bar.  FORTUNATELKY, that's all I want right now. Normally, before I got involved with sugar, I had that same bfast, a coupla apple slices or some raw veggies for 2 of my meals and then "normal" dinner, for example, pork chop, rice, veggie.  chicken, veggie, potato.  Like that. What I added was SUGARS.     WHAT WAS I THINKING?

I started at 268 and got down to 145 at my lowest. I am 5' 7" and people were asking if I was sick all of the time. I was dumping a lot and life was not so good then. I now stay around 150-155 with out much effort. I do work out with a trainer 3 times a week and pay attention to what I eat. I still have not touched ice cream in any form. I am scared to death that I will be able to eat it and then I will never stop. Malted milk balls have become my new down fall but I limit myself to how many I can have. I would have just sat down and ate all of them before. I am good if I can have just one. Food is not very exciting to me anymore. I eat because I have to not because I am thoughtless and just eat for the sake of eating like before. All the dumping and blood sugar problems I had in my first year changed how I think about food. It was a hard lesson to learn. I am about 2 1/2 years out. I still know when its time to not eat another bite or pay for it.  I think if you follow the rules of your program and don't test yourself to see what you can eat that you are not suppose to and exercise it will all come together. Kim 11/04 268/153

here's my time line surgery date July 17, 2001 - weight around 290 lbs 4 mos post-op - weight around 210lbs 1 year post op - weight around 170 lbs 2 years post op - weight around 160 lbs 3 years post op - weight around 160 lbs 4 years post op - weight around 160 lbs 5 years post op - weight around 160 lbs almost 6  years post op - weight around 160 lbs

I lost 130 pounds over 15 months.  I was not the fastest or biggest loser but it was the right pace for me.  one disclaimer to start - I ate a lot less than this in the losing phase and have been doing this since about year 2 anniversary.  I was less hungry initially. I have always ate a balanced diet and included complex carbs and fruit from the beginning.  I wanted something that was feasable and reasonable to follow long term and living on protein shakes/bars  just didn't cut it for ME. neither did excluding entire food groups. Protein shakes leave me hungry and then I want to eat too and then I gain weight.  (when I had a subsequent surgery about 2 years post op  and  a few weeks later got an illeus paralyzed bowel, I was not able to eat for a while - in the hospital on IV's etc.  I got too low on my weight and looked really bad - so I drank protein shakes to put on some weight and it worked really well for me) to maintain my weight my general days intake  in order of importance to me is  6 oz meat, fish or chicken 3 servings dairy - generally yogurt or cheese serving size - 1 cup no sugar added yogurt , 1 oz slice cheese, 1 cup skim milk 3+ servings of veggies - 1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw per serving 2 pieces of fruit and 1 of the two is always a banana - and I buy the smallest size pieces of fruit I can find in the bins. 3-4 servings of  whole grains - 1/2 cup brown rice, or barrilla plus pasta, 1/2 cup kashi cereal, small whole wheat tortilla, 1 smaller sized slice of whole wheat bread. .  I divide it into 5-6 meals a day. I might add I developed my eating plan over a period of time while logging it all on fitday to be aproximately 1500 calories with the calories in a ratio of 40% of my calories from carbs, 30 % protein and 30% fat.  I have some meal plans on my profile with my nutritional info and recipes near the bottom of the profile.  I was recommended this ratio by a dietician  for ME as a person who works out regularly and was at a good weight for ME of 135 at the time. I do not drink my protein. My labs have been excellent - at my 4 year check up The surgeon said they looked better than most "normal" people who had never had a gastric bypass.  the only nutritional issue I have had was a period of anemia - related to extremely heavy and long menstrual cycles - and that resolved with in about a month of my periods being stopped by an endometrial ablation. If I start varying from this very much I  gain weight.  ( I take full responsibility for the Christmas cookies and the 10 pounds I put on from the winter)