VSG Maintenance Group
Relearning Past Lessons
This is a lot of work. When I tell people that I weigh and measure my food, log everything that I eat, and exercise 5 days/week, their eyes glaze over. Doing these things helps to keep me on track and makes me accountable for everything that I put in my mouth. All the research has shown that people who are successful with long-term weight loss, journal their food and exercise for an hour/day at least 5 days/week. This holds true for WLS folks, as well. People seem to regain, when they become less mindful of food intake and stop exercising. This isn't the easy way at all.
" 
For me this is WAY easier than all the **** I did/still have to do PLUS fighting that roaring hunger all the freaking time!
And a very cool thing about this time around - ALL THOSE TOOLS I LEARNED AND COULD NOT/DID NOT/WOULD NOT USE CONSISTENTLY, I CAN!
And I do! and it changes my body now, because I have the head start of the initial quick weight loss at first!
So thankful to not be the bottomless pit I was.
You are right - while there are some folks who can just get by on what they like just smaller amounts, and I personally thing that rocks for them - for me, its like the joke about the person who wants to be enlightened and so is told to go draw water. Even after he becomes enlightened, he STILL has to go draw water.
Like the folks who lament about not being at goal yet and my question is, THEN WHAT? Its essentially going to look JUST LIKE THIS! with a few, but not many, deviations.
Good thinking thoughts, girlie!
And a very cool thing about this time around - ALL THOSE TOOLS I LEARNED AND COULD NOT/DID NOT/WOULD NOT USE CONSISTENTLY, I CAN!
And I do! and it changes my body now, because I have the head start of the initial quick weight loss at first!
So thankful to not be the bottomless pit I was.
You are right - while there are some folks who can just get by on what they like just smaller amounts, and I personally thing that rocks for them - for me, its like the joke about the person who wants to be enlightened and so is told to go draw water. Even after he becomes enlightened, he STILL has to go draw water.
Like the folks who lament about not being at goal yet and my question is, THEN WHAT? Its essentially going to look JUST LIKE THIS! with a few, but not many, deviations.
Good thinking thoughts, girlie!
Hi Beautiful,
Great post, and I can sure relate.
Before I learned about the Sleeve, I had given up. I had resigned myself to the fact that I was done. No more diets, no more struggling with regain... no more, I had had it. I vowed to never go on a diet again.
I vowed to accept my heavy imperfect body and get on with other thing in my life... and I did. I ate what I wanted, when I wanted, I ignored my health... I admit it. It was nice for awhile, for the first time in my life, I just did not care, I was tired of the stuggle.
But a few things started to happen that concerned me:
- I stopped caring about other things, hair, makeup, clothes, etc.
- I started to hurt more, especially in my upper right thigh joint.
- I started to stuggle to bend over to pick things up, and get myself up from the floor or even a sitting position.
- I started to have to use the side of the bed to grab on to, to roll over
- My clothes started to hurt me, and I kept having to buy them larger and larger
- I lost my confience, I am already a shy person
- I lost my femininity, I am very tall, and struggle with this personally
- I felt and looked so much older than my years
- I was still successful in my marriage, my career, my life
Then it hit me. I felt awful and really wanted to do something about it... I discovered the lap band, and then learned about the Sleeve.
I convinced myself, I would only have to 'diet' one more time. Once I got to goal, the Sleeve would keep me there!! Oh what an eye opener...
I still have to exercise and diet to some degree, even if I don't want to.
I have emlimiated so many foods from my diet. Like rice, potatoes, bread, pasta, cereal, etc... but that was not enough. Still able to gain weight.
I am now trying to eliminate my trigger foods, Chocolate, Chips, Peanut Butter, etc... maybe that will be enought to keep me below goal.
I will continue to tweak my eating until I have it down pat, until I can maintain on a regular basis and no longer have to diet... but at this point, I don't know if that is possible... Time will tell...
My goal is to eliminate enough foods, to find substitues for them, and to eat enough of the right things in order to:
- keep my weight off
- feel full and satiated
- not have to diet for the rest of my beautiful slm life
I also have committed to:
- exercise
- water
- supplements
It this easy?? No!! Is it worth it?? Yes!! Can I do this?? Yes, but it is not Black and White, I will continue to adjust things until I have what works for me...
I will never diet again, is not something I will say again. My mature side knows, I will always, always have to be aware, or like I did over Christmas, I will gain.
I will stay on my personal plan most of the time, and it will work. When I do go off of it, it will require some stricter adjustments for awhile to get back to where I was.
Can I live with this?? Yes!! But I am sitll a bit pissed off that my nieve immature self was not right. I hate dieting and it appears I will need to do some sort of diet modification for life.
Good lord this was a long post, if anyone has made it this far, I thank you, I must have needed to express and did not realize it until I got going.
Big hugs to you my dear, you are aware and you are doing what it takes. Just so you know, I find maintenance harder than the weight loss phase, only because I was a pro at the weight loss part, I had done it so many times, there were no real surprises... Maintenance on the other hand is full of surprises.
Take care of your beautiful self,
Cindy
Great post, and I can sure relate.
Before I learned about the Sleeve, I had given up. I had resigned myself to the fact that I was done. No more diets, no more struggling with regain... no more, I had had it. I vowed to never go on a diet again.
I vowed to accept my heavy imperfect body and get on with other thing in my life... and I did. I ate what I wanted, when I wanted, I ignored my health... I admit it. It was nice for awhile, for the first time in my life, I just did not care, I was tired of the stuggle.
But a few things started to happen that concerned me:
- I stopped caring about other things, hair, makeup, clothes, etc.
- I started to hurt more, especially in my upper right thigh joint.
- I started to stuggle to bend over to pick things up, and get myself up from the floor or even a sitting position.
- I started to have to use the side of the bed to grab on to, to roll over
- My clothes started to hurt me, and I kept having to buy them larger and larger
- I lost my confience, I am already a shy person
- I lost my femininity, I am very tall, and struggle with this personally
- I felt and looked so much older than my years
- I was still successful in my marriage, my career, my life
Then it hit me. I felt awful and really wanted to do something about it... I discovered the lap band, and then learned about the Sleeve.
I convinced myself, I would only have to 'diet' one more time. Once I got to goal, the Sleeve would keep me there!! Oh what an eye opener...
I still have to exercise and diet to some degree, even if I don't want to.
I have emlimiated so many foods from my diet. Like rice, potatoes, bread, pasta, cereal, etc... but that was not enough. Still able to gain weight.
I am now trying to eliminate my trigger foods, Chocolate, Chips, Peanut Butter, etc... maybe that will be enought to keep me below goal.
I will continue to tweak my eating until I have it down pat, until I can maintain on a regular basis and no longer have to diet... but at this point, I don't know if that is possible... Time will tell...
My goal is to eliminate enough foods, to find substitues for them, and to eat enough of the right things in order to:
- keep my weight off
- feel full and satiated
- not have to diet for the rest of my beautiful slm life
I also have committed to:
- exercise
- water
- supplements
It this easy?? No!! Is it worth it?? Yes!! Can I do this?? Yes, but it is not Black and White, I will continue to adjust things until I have what works for me...
I will never diet again, is not something I will say again. My mature side knows, I will always, always have to be aware, or like I did over Christmas, I will gain.
I will stay on my personal plan most of the time, and it will work. When I do go off of it, it will require some stricter adjustments for awhile to get back to where I was.
Can I live with this?? Yes!! But I am sitll a bit pissed off that my nieve immature self was not right. I hate dieting and it appears I will need to do some sort of diet modification for life.
Good lord this was a long post, if anyone has made it this far, I thank you, I must have needed to express and did not realize it until I got going.
Big hugs to you my dear, you are aware and you are doing what it takes. Just so you know, I find maintenance harder than the weight loss phase, only because I was a pro at the weight loss part, I had done it so many times, there were no real surprises... Maintenance on the other hand is full of surprises.
Take care of your beautiful self,
Cindy
