Hello, I have questions...especially of VSG Graduates

Hi there.. I used to be quite regular on the newbie forum, and in the past couple of years only peeked for a moment to see how or what others were up to. I just discovered the link for Graduates, and am hoping maybe here I can ask questions of others who are post op and in maintenance land, how things are?

I had my VSG done March 2008. I lost a good amount of weight and my body stopped a bit shy of my goal. I've been thankful and grateful for my VSG and the success it has brought me. I was wondering if others struggled to maintain or lose additional weight once the initial effects of the procedure seemed to have worn off? Do others with VSG still have difficulty with certain types of foods? For instance, I still have great difficulty consuming leafy veggies.

I still try my best to maintain healthy food choices; high and lean proteins, take daily vitamins, etc. I do have trouble drinking enough water though. I still cannot drink and eat solids at the same time and still tend to "fill up" rather easily. How have you coped with it? 

I also have been struggling more recently with losing that last 20-30 lbs, and combating the tendancy to slowly regain. What calorie count seems to work for you? I find that going over 1200 in a day is bad news for me. Some days, it's tough though keeping under that without feeling light-headed.

What sort of workout routine are you keeping? I guess in general, I'd like to know what's working for others out there...

Thank you in advance for sharing any insights and experiences with me.
 

I'm not as far out as you, so not sure my habits are worthy.  I'm taking in 1400-1500 calories a day and still losing, albiet very slowly.  I know that if I cut back to 1200 I would lose this last 5 pounds.  I'm at goal, but want some leeway, thus an extra 5 lb.   I exercise 5-6 x a week.  Walk or treadmill.  Upper body exercises at the fitness center.  So far, so good.

I can tell you my calorie count, but it will be meaningless for you as we're different people with different activity levels. You already know you gain if you go over 1200 so that's your calorie count no matter what anyone else does.

If you are getting lightheaded on that, I would look into what you eat and when. Maybe you need to eat less more often and maybe you have issues with sugar. Then again, you said you have trouble drinking water and lightheadedness is often a symptom of dehydration.

If you want to eat more, then you have to move more. But working out has some advantages over and above burning calories. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn standing still as well.

For myself, I consume around 2000 calories a day (1800-2100 on average depending on the time of year). According to some, I no longer workout but train. LOL Anyway, I do "something active" about 1-3 hours a week at my lowest point (Dec.) and 15-20 hours a week during peak times of the year. Average is about 6-10 hours a week.

I can't drink and eat at the same time and never expected to nor wanted to. I can eat pretty much anything except I can't drink milk or eat a lot of ice cream/froyo (lactose intolerance). With some stuff, I do have to be careful to make sure I don't eat too fast or don't chew well. Shrimp and hamburger are two I have to be careful of.

I don't do the 3 meals a day recommended by my program though. I eat every 2 hours or so. I can't get in adequate calories if I limit myself to 3 meals a day.

For water, I have to put something in it most of the time. Adding some Crystal Light or a squeeze of lime makes a world of difference in getting it to go down.

For your goal weight, be sure to subtract off the loose skin you probably have. Average is 1 pound of loose skin for every 10 pounds lost so you might be closer to your goal than you think. Also, I found once I got to a normal BMI, it was more about body composition than weight on the scale. I've been every weight from 109 to 124 and I find that sometimes my clothes are loose and sometimes they are tight and it's not necessarily tied to my weight but my body fat composition. I.E.,  I've been 118 and have my clothes be loose and 118 and had them be tight. I prefer them loose even if the number on my scale is higher. 

Thank you Wanda & MacMadame for sharing! Some good insights, and nice to hear what you're doing on average to maintain or continue to lose.