VSG Maintenance Group
x-post: One Year Surgiversary! Musings & Pics inside
Well, it's been one year since my VSG surgery. What a wild ride it's been! Plenty of ups, definitely some downs, but overall I am super happy I did this! I'm not around these boards as much these days, partly by choice and partly because I'm super busy in my life. I travel a lot for work and that can be a challenge, both to stay in touch and to eat well. But I consider my first year a great success! Now the really hard work is happening - maintenance!! I've never been able to maintain my weight, so that's why I say it's the hard work for me. I started counseling shortly after my surgery and I'm still going. It's been very helpful in figuring out why my relationship with food is/was so damaged. I'm still a work in progress.
After starting at 246, I reached my surgeon's goal of 155 in 8 months (91 pounds lost) and my personal goal of 145 (101 pounds lost) in 10 months. My maintenance range is less than 150. Today, after three straight weeks of travel which is always a challenge for me plus brings on water weight, I weighed in at 149.8. I'm very pleased with where I'm at and have put on quite a bit of muscle in the past two months. I'd actually like to build more muscle, particularly in my upper body.
I started at size 20/22 and 1x/2x... and today I am in a 6 and Smalls. It's pretty awesome!
My biggest tips & learnings from the first year:
1 - Educate yourself on exactly what the VSG is and what changes will make YOU most successful with it. You can't keep doing the same things and expect a different result. It's a great "line in the sand" point to make changes in life for the better.
2 - Find a great surgeon and a great post-op eating/exercise plan and then follow it. If you have a very skilled surgeon but a ****ty post-op plan, do your research and craft the best possible plan. That's what I did. My surgeon was very skilled, but the post op plan called for more carbs than I was comfortable with and he doesn't recommend tracking food intake. Having researched everything, I knew I was carb sensitive and I knew I'd have to track food to stay committed. Worked for me!
3 - It's pretty easy for the weight to melt off in the first 6 months, even if you eat poorly. THIS is why it's so important to establish new, healthy habits during that time frame. The weight falling off is a great motivator to stick with the good habits. It's a very positive reinforcement experience, so USE IT to your advantage.
4 - I never drink with meals.
5 - I try to eat my protein first at every meal, even now. If I want a carb or a treat, I mostly waited until maintenance to add those things in and usually only after I've eaten my protein first. Not only does it help with limiting my carb/treat intake, but it also avoids sliders sliding right through my sleeve.
5 - I drink tons of water. THis was hard the first few weeks but now it's second nature.
6 - I try really hard not to eat until I am full. Sometimes I do eat until full because I simply do not have enough self-control. But overall, I try to eat measured amounts... or when I am traveling, I try to eat only til satisfied, not full.
7 - I started exercising at about 5 months post op and now I work out every day (or almost every day)! I'm addicted! I get crabby if I can't exercise! Sounds crazy, but it's true. I've become a runner and just completed my first 10k.
8 - I don't drink carbonated beverages. Preop, I was addicted to diet coke. I gave it up a week before surgery and haven't looked back since. I mostly drink water, crystal light, powerade zero, tea and coffee.
9 - I waited to have alcohol until 6 months post op. I wasn't at goal yet and gave it up again at 8 months post op so I could get to goal. Those were empty calories not helping me achieve what I wanted to achieve. Now that I'm at goal, I have one or two drinks a month. And honestly? I get drunk really fast on half a drink and I don't particularly like it anymore.
10 - I had to really limit my carbs and calories to get the last 10 pounds off. I had to push my carbs below 20, my calories closer to 600 and I upped my water to 100 oz. Plus more exercise. It was temporary and TOTALLY WORTH IT!
11 - I was on triple doses of high blood pressure medicine preop and also had joint pain and borderline cholesterol. I'm happy to report that I've managed to get off all blood pressure meds, my joint pain is greatly reduced and my cholesterol is excellent. Woo hoo!
12 - I'm not perfect. I have too many treats sometimes. I struggle with grazing. I can eat a crapload of cheese in one sitting. I like chocolate. I could go on and on. To keep myself in check, I have established a number that I refuse to let the scale go above. I weigh in regularly when I'm not traveling and if I am at or over that magic number, I immediately go back to basics... all protein, limit carbs, up the water and keep exercising. It's worked so far. My relationship with food is damaged and may never fully recover. But I'm committed to fixing it the best I can so I can maintain my healthy lifestyle.
13 - When all of this feels too hard and you just want to "cheat", that's when you need to buckle down the most. Stick with it. Re-focus yourself. Remind yourself why you took the drastic step of having surgery. And if you "cheat", you are only cheating YOURSELF!!
14 - Maintenance isn't much different from the weight loss phase for me. I added back some healthy carbs in the form of more veggies, some fruits and a few treats. But I still eat a very protein-focused diet. I eat 1500-1800 calories per day, give or take.
15 - Do I have loose skin? Yep? Some batwings, plenty of saggy inner thigh grossness, and a small panni. But it beats being morbidly obese any day!
Questions - just ask!
And now for some pics... BEFORE:
AND AFTER!!!!!!
After starting at 246, I reached my surgeon's goal of 155 in 8 months (91 pounds lost) and my personal goal of 145 (101 pounds lost) in 10 months. My maintenance range is less than 150. Today, after three straight weeks of travel which is always a challenge for me plus brings on water weight, I weighed in at 149.8. I'm very pleased with where I'm at and have put on quite a bit of muscle in the past two months. I'd actually like to build more muscle, particularly in my upper body.
I started at size 20/22 and 1x/2x... and today I am in a 6 and Smalls. It's pretty awesome!
My biggest tips & learnings from the first year:
1 - Educate yourself on exactly what the VSG is and what changes will make YOU most successful with it. You can't keep doing the same things and expect a different result. It's a great "line in the sand" point to make changes in life for the better.
2 - Find a great surgeon and a great post-op eating/exercise plan and then follow it. If you have a very skilled surgeon but a ****ty post-op plan, do your research and craft the best possible plan. That's what I did. My surgeon was very skilled, but the post op plan called for more carbs than I was comfortable with and he doesn't recommend tracking food intake. Having researched everything, I knew I was carb sensitive and I knew I'd have to track food to stay committed. Worked for me!
3 - It's pretty easy for the weight to melt off in the first 6 months, even if you eat poorly. THIS is why it's so important to establish new, healthy habits during that time frame. The weight falling off is a great motivator to stick with the good habits. It's a very positive reinforcement experience, so USE IT to your advantage.
4 - I never drink with meals.
5 - I try to eat my protein first at every meal, even now. If I want a carb or a treat, I mostly waited until maintenance to add those things in and usually only after I've eaten my protein first. Not only does it help with limiting my carb/treat intake, but it also avoids sliders sliding right through my sleeve.
5 - I drink tons of water. THis was hard the first few weeks but now it's second nature.
6 - I try really hard not to eat until I am full. Sometimes I do eat until full because I simply do not have enough self-control. But overall, I try to eat measured amounts... or when I am traveling, I try to eat only til satisfied, not full.
7 - I started exercising at about 5 months post op and now I work out every day (or almost every day)! I'm addicted! I get crabby if I can't exercise! Sounds crazy, but it's true. I've become a runner and just completed my first 10k.
8 - I don't drink carbonated beverages. Preop, I was addicted to diet coke. I gave it up a week before surgery and haven't looked back since. I mostly drink water, crystal light, powerade zero, tea and coffee.
9 - I waited to have alcohol until 6 months post op. I wasn't at goal yet and gave it up again at 8 months post op so I could get to goal. Those were empty calories not helping me achieve what I wanted to achieve. Now that I'm at goal, I have one or two drinks a month. And honestly? I get drunk really fast on half a drink and I don't particularly like it anymore.
10 - I had to really limit my carbs and calories to get the last 10 pounds off. I had to push my carbs below 20, my calories closer to 600 and I upped my water to 100 oz. Plus more exercise. It was temporary and TOTALLY WORTH IT!
11 - I was on triple doses of high blood pressure medicine preop and also had joint pain and borderline cholesterol. I'm happy to report that I've managed to get off all blood pressure meds, my joint pain is greatly reduced and my cholesterol is excellent. Woo hoo!
12 - I'm not perfect. I have too many treats sometimes. I struggle with grazing. I can eat a crapload of cheese in one sitting. I like chocolate. I could go on and on. To keep myself in check, I have established a number that I refuse to let the scale go above. I weigh in regularly when I'm not traveling and if I am at or over that magic number, I immediately go back to basics... all protein, limit carbs, up the water and keep exercising. It's worked so far. My relationship with food is damaged and may never fully recover. But I'm committed to fixing it the best I can so I can maintain my healthy lifestyle.
13 - When all of this feels too hard and you just want to "cheat", that's when you need to buckle down the most. Stick with it. Re-focus yourself. Remind yourself why you took the drastic step of having surgery. And if you "cheat", you are only cheating YOURSELF!!
14 - Maintenance isn't much different from the weight loss phase for me. I added back some healthy carbs in the form of more veggies, some fruits and a few treats. But I still eat a very protein-focused diet. I eat 1500-1800 calories per day, give or take.
15 - Do I have loose skin? Yep? Some batwings, plenty of saggy inner thigh grossness, and a small panni. But it beats being morbidly obese any day!
Questions - just ask!
And now for some pics... BEFORE:
AND AFTER!!!!!!
5'5" Goal reached, but fighting regain. Back to Basics.
Start Weight 246 Goal Weight 160 Current Weight 183
Starting size: 22, 2x
Current size: 12, L
Well congrats sleeve sista!
We have walked/run this road neck in neck so you know I've been following you.
I'm not up to a 10K yet but I'm hoping to get into a 5K soon.
I'll be curious to see how our "maintenance" journey unfolds.
all the best to you,
donna
HW/233 * SW/212 * CW/133 *GW/132 * 100 Pounds of FAT gone FOREVER!
Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple~Dr.Suess
Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple~Dr.Suess
Yes, we've really done this together, haven't we?! LOL I am willing to bet that we're both gonna do well in maintenance. I didn't even intend for that to be a poker analogy, but it was!
If you're running 5 miles at a crack, a 10k is easy-peasy! Give it a shot!
If you're running 5 miles at a crack, a 10k is easy-peasy! Give it a shot!
5'5" Goal reached, but fighting regain. Back to Basics.
Start Weight 246 Goal Weight 160 Current Weight 183
Starting size: 22, 2x
Current size: 12, L
I have been running 5 miles at a crack. I just kept pushing up to it.
I expect we both WILL do well in maintainence. I'm going to take off a few more I think before settleing in. I have found that I am really quite small boned. Who knew?
good luck to you.
donna
I expect we both WILL do well in maintainence. I'm going to take off a few more I think before settleing in. I have found that I am really quite small boned. Who knew?
good luck to you.
donna
HW/233 * SW/212 * CW/133 *GW/132 * 100 Pounds of FAT gone FOREVER!
Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple~Dr.Suess
Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple~Dr.Suess
