At age 68 two years ago today, August 18, 2014, I had a vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG). One year ago I posted here how about how my first year post-op had gone. Spoiler – it went great!
In Year One I lost a pre- and post-op total of 92.6 pounds, going from 235.6 pounds to 143.0 pounds and surpassing my initial weight goal of 150 pounds. I described in that post what I’d done to reach and pass my weight goal and offered some unsolicited advice.
Year Two – the Year of Maintenance
Now another year has passed, and I’m 70 years old. I feel that Year Two was an even bigger success than Year One. While eating menus that averaged 1700 calories and 100 grams of protein a day, I have lost another 8 pounds and now weigh 135 pounds, bringing my total weight loss to an even 100 pounds. For the last 7 months I’ve maintained this weight plus or minus two pounds. My big NSV is that I have never in my whole life maintained a weight loss so consistently.
Maintenance Behaviors That Are Working for Me
Most days I still do the things I did during Year One, including:
• Plan and track my menus in My Fitness Pal
• Weigh every morning and record my weight in MFP
• Drink 8 glasses of water
• Don’t drink with meals (stopping 15 minutes pre-meal and waiting until 30 minutes post-meal)
• Eat “healthy” foods – 75% of my food is dense protein, 5-7 veggies/fruits, dairy (non-fat skim milk, full-fat cheese, Greek yogurt), whole grains (breads, all-bran cereal)
• Take all meds and supplements daily (thyroid, antacid, vitamin/mineral, fish oil, probiotic, biotin, stool softener) and twice a week a B12 (daily doses make me break out with B12-induced acne)
• Walk and move so much more than I did pre-WLS – walking 3 miles a day, cleaning fence lines, mowing, clearing downed timber, loving a twice-a-week yoga class (yoga is tremendous exercise and reduces stresses)
• Manage the stress in my life (family illnesses and deaths, relocations, etc.) so it doesn’t sabotage my lifestyle choices
Stress Management Protip #1: Marry a good, strong person who loves and supports you.
Stress Management Protip #2: Accept that life is full of changes, some of which you can initiate and control and some of which you can’t do a damned thing about, except decide how you will respond to it.
• See my shrink whom I committed to work with for three years: (1) the year of losing weight, (2) the year of maintaining weight, and (3) the year of boring real life.
Stress Management Protip #1: Marry a good, strong person who loves and supports you.
Stress Management Protip #2: Accept that life is full of changes, some of which you can initiate and control and some of which you can’t do a damned thing about, except decide how you will respond to it.
Other Maintenance Strategies That Work for Me
• Treats – In addition to eating healthy foods (see above), I allocate 300-400 calories daily to “treat foods.” For me, that’s alcohol (single-malt scotch or wine) and/or biscotti, dark chocolate or desserts. I prefer to spend my treat calories on good stuff – not potato chips or fast food.
• Vacations and Travel – Yes, there are days and weeks when I do eat more than 1,700 calories/day – vacations and occasional weekends. But I have a strategy for that, too: When I gain more than two pounds I cut back to 1,500 calories or (rarely) 1,200 calories until I’m back down to my “new normal” (135 pounds). I stay at that calorie level for a few days, then gradually ease back up to 1,700 calories. It works like a charm. FTR, I have to do this every 45-60 days.
My Lifestyle Is Defined by What I Actually Do – Not What I Aspire to Do
Here’s how I think about my new post-WLS lifestyle that includes planning nutritious meals, exercising, taking my meds, brushing my teeth, making my bed, reading good books, etc. If I do these activities once a week, they aren’t really part of my lifestyle. But if I do them daily they are. My continuing challenge is to care well for myself every day. Happily, I’ve found that the more consistently I care for myself, the easier it becomes. If at age 70 I can change bad habits, I bet you can, too.
P.S. Attached below is a graph of all my weekly weigh-ins since early June 2014 when I first consulted with my bariatric surgeon:
Attachment 26050
Disclaimer: As always, others’ mileage may vary. This is what has worked for me thus far.
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