Regain after hitting goal,

"Also I think the further out we get, the more foods we allow back into our diets"

That has been the case with me. The problem is, in the past, if I ate things I knew I should not be eating and I gained, it was very easy to take it off. Now, that is not the case. I wasn'****ching the scale at all during the holidays and now that I want to take it off, it's not coming off. It must be because of the explanation Rose gave. My metabolism has changed because I don't weigh over 200 lbs anymore. It's going to take a lot of exericise and eating right to get this last 5 off, I can tell.

So Dr. C is right. I am almost at the 2 year mark.

I think the fact that you caught it at 5 lbs. is a testament to how far you have come.  Before surgery, 5 lbs. was what I gained when I partied to hard for the weekend  It was "no big deal".  That is no longer the case for you or for me.  I congratulate us both for being much more vigilant.  I remember Thinlizzy also saying that it gets harder to lose the farther out we get and she is rather out than most on this site.  I for one believe her.  That is why I have made it my maintenance strategy to weigh every day and eat according to the scale.  No matter what holiday, birthday, or anything else it might be.  I still celebrate, but I celebrate my health first.  I think if I do this for life, I will be fine.  Now don't get me wrong, I am not perfect, and I do eat junk sometimes, but only if the scale permits me to do it. 

Elina, this is a great post.  I too eat according to what the scale says.  And for me this means that on my "lighter" days I can indulge a bit.  I believe this helps me to not feel so deprived.  But once the scale goes up a pound you can bet I'm watching my intake like a hawk.  For me exercise plays a HUGE role in my life and always has.  And I have a bit more leeway because of it.  Thank God I love to exercise.  I see it as a privilege...to be able to move my body and use it as it was intended.  If I ever feel like not going to the gym, I think of people in wheelchairs...that always gets my but moving.  You know there is this person on the main VSG forum that is considering surgery and she keeps asking the question "how is this different from any other diet?".  And I want to tell her this is a diet FOREVER.  Yes it's easier with the tool. but honestly, I think some people just do not get it.  They think getting surgery is going to allow them to eat whatever they want when we know a very select few who can actually get away with that (Fawn and Boscogirl come to mind).  But for the rest of us, it's work every day.  And I have been at or below goal for a year and 3 months.  I can tell you that I have never in my life worn the same clothes for more than one season, but I'm doing it now...feels sooo good : ))

Laura

Sassy , considering the enormous amounts of weight we have all lost, 5 lbs over the holidays is a modest setback. and you are right on it, getting after it now. So I might say well forget about that 5 lbs and keep it, no big deal. but there is more at stake than the 5 lbs. its about keeping your head in the game and getting what you want and proving to yourself that if a few pounds creep on you can deal with it and get rid of them. we will probably all have to do this any number of times during our lives. So we should celebrate the fact that you are dealing with this now. I am sure Rose is right. but don't be discouraged. reach for the protein and be patient. we all want you to get what you want. diane

I couldn't agree more with your diagnosis of the problem and also your possible solution.  Having maintenance goals is possibly the key here.  Diane brought it up in connection with social approval and validation, you bring it up in terms of fitness level.  I think the uniting thread is "goals"  I think this is a topic we will need to explore deeper.  I am fascinated by our common experiences and how we can help each other succeed long term. 

During my pre-op, my surgeon said that at least 30% of people do not maintain 50% weight loss, but 70% do maintain a significant weight loss, and that is why they perform the surgery. He also said that in the beginning everything is new and exciting, but life happens and many people end up regaining most of their weight. He said the real success can be measured 5 years out.

I am deathly afraid of regain, especially after going through such extreme means to lose the weight. For myself, I must always remain mindful of what I put in my mouth and how I react to emotional turmoil, as well as stress. I have come to the conclusion, that for me to remain mindful, I must continue to weigh and measure my food, and keep a food log. I must also continue to attend support groups. In the past, when I have done those things, I have been successful. When I have stopped, the weight came back.

This is a great topic and one that I hope we discuss alot. I believe the weight loss is the easy part. The most challenging part will be maintenance.

I really believe that staying connected to your WLS community reduces your chances of regain.  I think we help each other in a multitude of ways.  I agree, I hope this is just one in a line of many posts about it.  I have already learned a great deal.

Research has shown that people who attend support groups do maintain a higher level of weight loss, which is why so many programs require attendance during the pre-op stage. Also, people who are out several years in the group that I attend, say that attending the groups and paying it forward, helps them to maintain accountability, as well as provides support. So, yes, maintaining contact with your WLS community does reduce chances of regain.

I also like Mandy's idea of setting goals during maintenance that relate to fitness. The goals could be learning a new sport, walking 10 miles a week for 6 months, increasing the amount of weight one can lift or even a given number of gym visits. These could be combined with the goal of say on my birthday I am within 3 lbs of my goal weight or on my surgery aniversary or whatever.

We could announce these on a thread on this group. we could also put this idea on the main vsg board or even the main board. And also, we all have a goals section on our own OH pages. I think the only goal i put was to ride a horse on a beach and i rode the horse though it was through the redwoods. Why not use that goals section to say on August 1, 2011, i will weigh not more than 125 lbs. I am not sure how OH keeps track of this or how you are notified or if it tells all your friends of these goals or what (i sometimes see people setting goals) but maybe we can use OH structure to do this. I think I will go ahead on my page and try this  - set a goal of maintaining weight say three months from now just to see how it works. Anyone else who wants to try a fitness goal in the same way please do it. Then we can continue to cheerlead for each other which we all know has been important for our weight loss phases.

Studies show that those with follow up and support do better. so lets be our own follow up.

Diane

I also like the idea of fitness goals and they tend to be fun. My trainer has me do timed tasks like see how many squats I can do in 2 minutes or how many push-ups. I don't like competing others but love to compete with myself.

So I regularly see how fast I can run a half mile on the treadmill. So far my fastest time is 7:30 but I keep trying for a better time, and it's fun to play that game with myself because there is no loser.