Can you eat what you want without exercising and not regain?

Even though I rarely come here anymore after ten years, I think about posting sometimes when something 'hits' me out of the blue.  When I had my surgery ten years ago, there were not many people posting about 'regaining their weight' back as this site was fairly new and we were some of the first people on here.
Now, when I come here, I see a LOT of people talking about regaining their weight back.  There are people wanting revisions and people wanting reversals, etc.  And when someone with 'experience' replies, they tell that person to get back to the basics and eat healthy and exercise again and they will lose the weight they gained.
So my question is this:

Since there are so many people on here gaining weight back due to grazing or poor eating/exercise habits, that means that the ONLY way you can be successful with WLS is to EAT HEALTHY FOODS AND EXERCISE for the REST OF YOUR LIFE......right???

Well, eating healthy and exercising are what ANY person does to get thin - not just WLS patients.  So if that's the case and you have to eat healthy and exercise for the rest of your life, why have the surgery in the first place?  

Just something to think about for those who are considering having WLS.....

If there is ANYONE who is 3 years out or more that can eat anything fattening they want on a daily basis and not exercise and NOT gain weight on a steady basis....I'd really like to hear from you!  You are rare and definitely part of the 'minority' group of WLS!

Totally agree with you. You have to change what you do to change the results..how can you go back to eating what you ate before surgery and doing what you did before surgery and expect to stay healthy?

I do not eat the way I used to. I refuse to eat sugar, refuse to eat white carbs..keep my carbs the vegetative kind and move more..plan more activities that require walking and moving..

For me, this is my post surgical normal..

"So if that's the case and you have to eat healthy and exercise for the rest of your life, why have the surgery in the first place?   " 

My weight loss center was pretty clear that WLS is a tool - not a fix.       The malabsorption helped me lose 130 pounds.    Three years out the restriction still stops me from eating large portions.     I've come a long way with following the simple rules of water, exercise, protein first.   I still struggle with "no snacking".    But my clinic is still supporting me with nutritional and behavioral counseling.     The mental changes don't just automatically come with the surgery.

So - yes, when I slip and graze and eat highly palatable foods instead of health choices - I put pounds on.   It is a struggle that I must be conscious of every day.      However, I'd rather be fighting that battle at my current weight than my pre-surgery weight.   

Surgery and the WLS took care of my sleep apnea, high blood pressure, and pre-diabetes.      It's not fun, it's not a quick fix, and I can't say as I've met my goal weight .... but it was still the right thing to do for me.  

why have the surgery in the first place?  

Primarily because you can't "stop" after having surgery.  When you think about it, surgery allowed (possibly even forced) me to eat 800 calories per day which is well below starvation level.

Now, could any member of the general population do the same?  Sure.  Could they wake up one morning and quit?  Sure.  After surgery could I wake up one morning and quit?  Not really.  It would be physically impossible (and still is) to each that much.

So surgery allowed me to "reboot" and start over on a lot of things.  Now my favorite saying is: Never Again.  However, what you choose to do with the opportunity is up to you.

Have you looked into detox for addiction? Detox for just about any substance looks and feels alot like our first few months after surgery..I did detox from starchy white carbs and sugar..I do believe it's an addiction and treat it as such..

It is for the rest of my life..I like to tell people that you can't be a recovering alcoholic with a philosophy of "Moderation." It just won't work.

I am 6 years out with a RNY and a 200cm common channel. I eat anything and everything. I also pay the price if it's a gas causing food, so I have to think about what I eat for that reason.
I have lost weight this year, about 15 pounds. Not trying, just lost it. I still have restriction, and apparently the malabsorption is working for me. I always eat real butter, and any meat, fat or not. Carbs don't seem to matter except for causing gas if I eat more than a little. So I think it's according to the surgeon, or maybe having a short common channel. Mine would be considered long for a DS, it's very short for a RNY.
I don't post much, I used to read religiously on the this board, the DS, and RNY board. I have complained about a 5-10 pound regain off and on, but this year has been the easiest since I had stopped losing. I walk a little most weeks and that's it.
I'm still healthy, and a good weight, and a nice size for my age, which is 56. So mark me down as one of the rare ones, and I can't really attribute it to anything that could help anyone.

I already know I can't eat what I want and not gain weight.  Been there, tried that.  My metabolism couldn't support it because I used to be almost 300 pounds.  That's my lesson learned right then.

However... when I exercise my metabolism can support a lot more.  I have rules I follow, and I *kinda* eat whatever I want... considering I don't want to eat sugar or high fat foods... and I'm not gaining weight.  I know that to start eating those things would trigger me to eat more.  I know my body, I know my mind, and this is my new normal.  I love to exercise, so why would I not want to do it.

It's a physical and mental change and I have to do it wholeheartedly and 100% in order to keep myself where I worked so hard to get.