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  1. #1
    Gastric Sleeve Member Rexcom's Avatar
    I have had a gastric sleeve.
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    Rex
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    Default VGS Veterans at 6 years+ post op (weight maintenance advice)

    Are there any active veterans out there with 6 yrs+ post-op experience??? I'm curious about the commonality of weight regain this far out.

    1. If you have had notable weight regain...what do you believe is the cause of the weight regain?
    2. If you have not had much regain....what do you believe helped you maintain? (tips/suggestions)

    Thanks so much!


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  4. #2
    Gastric Sleeve Member Stacey03's Avatar
    I have had a gastric sleeve.
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    Edie
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    Dr Phil lockie
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    Default Re: VGS Veterans at 6 years+ post op (weight maintenance advice)

    Hallo... you need the Tinman... he must be roundabout that far out now with no weight regain, he has a heap of handy tips for peeps... if you search him in the search bar you will find him. He takes payment in margaritas ;-)


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  6. #3
    Gastric Sleeve Member Dutchie's Avatar
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    Simonne
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    Dr. Pablo Enriquez Valens
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    Default Re: VGS Veterans at 6 years+ post op (weight maintenance advice)

    Not 6 six years out, but a couple of months in maintenance.
    So, absolutely no expert, but I thought I'd share some of my ideas nevertheless.

    In my opinion it is 80%-20%.
    Meaning that 80 percent is your food, ergo, what you put in your mouth.
    Regain is mostly a matter of eating too much, or eating the wrong things (or drinking).
    When you use food to nourish yourself, stay away from sugars, simple carbs and slider or junkfood, you'll be fine.

    The other 20% has to do with exercise, self care, and things like that.
    Also very important.
    Put yourself and your routine (eating, drinking, exercizing) first.
    Do whatever you have to do to take care of yourself and set yourself up for succes.

    My thought about foods: also 80%-20%
    Meaning 80% of the time you eat and drink sensibly, healthy and nourishing.
    The other 20% can be things that you do on occasion.

    And never, ever take one bite too many. (Thanks Tinman! )

    That is my strategy for now and forever.

    Just my two cents..
    English is not my first language anymore, so I may and do make mistakes in my spelling, or say things oddly. Please ask me, if you want any clarifications.



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  8. #4
    Gastric Sleeve Member AnnieG's Avatar
    I have had a gastric sleeve.
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    Annie
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    Dr. Ryan Heider
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    Default Re: VGS Veterans at 6 years+ post op (weight maintenance advice)

    Quote Originally Posted by DutchSleeve View Post
    Not 6 six years out, but a couple of months in maintenance.
    So, absolutely no expert, but I thought I'd share some of my ideas nevertheless.

    In my opinion it is 80%-20%.
    Meaning that 80 percent is your food, ergo, what you put in your mouth.
    Regain is mostly a matter of eating too much, or eating the wrong things (or drinking).
    When you use food to nourish yourself, stay away from sugars, simple carbs and slider or junkfood, you'll be fine.

    The other 20% has to do with exercise, self care, and things like that.
    Also very important.
    Put yourself and your routine (eating, drinking, exercizing) first.
    Do whatever you have to do to take care of yourself and set yourself up for succes.

    My thought about foods: also 80%-20%
    Meaning 80% of the time you eat and drink sensibly, healthy and nourishing.
    The other 20% can be things that you do on occasion.

    And never, ever take one bite too many. (Thanks Tinman! )

    That is my strategy for now and forever.

    Just my two cents..
    I'm just starting maintenance, and the "one bite too many" is not good in my VSG world! But I will continue to track all my food; the accountability, even to a phone app, helps me. I've set a goal (with the doctor & nutritionist) of not going over 1100 calories. That said, it is also not a "have to" hit number. It does give me some feeling of freedom.

    I have 100g protein goal, and of course fluids. I'd say the rest is gravy (mmm gravy) but that's not a choice I want at this point.

    Ann2 and sraebaer have some great advice, as well as tinman. And I do plan to continue weighing. Knowing my "pattern" up and down, I think within 3 lbs of goal is mostly fluctuation. But 3 lbs is my re-check what I'm eating number as well.

    Since I'm just starting maintenance, I'm sure this will change/evolve. But this is the wonderful supportive group.
    [I]HW: 240 lbs SW: 199 lbs GW: 140 lbs

    1 MO = 167.0 2 MO = 156.4 3 MO = 148.4 4 MO = 140.6
    5 M) = 136.0 6 MO = 130.0
    1 YR = 122.0 2 YR = 140.00 2.5 YR = 139
    Happy with my weight; happy with my size; over-the-moon with my health!

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  10. #5
    sraebaer
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    Default Re: VGS Veterans at 6 years+ post op (weight maintenance advice)

    I'm at 4 and a half years since surgery. I haven't regained. My only secret is to weigh myself daily so there are no surprises, if I'm up maybe a pound I'm back to being extra careful. I exercise. I've engrained my "rule of two" (protein and veggie) into almost all my meals. In other words I've changed my eating lifestyle without really noticing. If you do something long enough, it becomes a habit, and totally easy.

    I can't regain my weight: the surgery cost too much (hubby would kill me), I have a closet full of small clothes with all the fat clothes gone, and best of all, I feel so good being a healthy regular sized person!

    It always surprises me when I hear about huge weight regains. I would think you would have noticed you needed all new clothes. I intend to not let that happen. Then people like the excuse "well studies show people regain weight." I am not a study.


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  12. #6
    Gastric Sleeve Member Rexcom's Avatar
    I have had a gastric sleeve.
    Name
    Rex
    Surgery date
    11/13/2018
    Surgeon
    Christopher D. Joyce
    Join Date
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    Default Re: VGS Veterans at 6 years+ post op (weight maintenance advice)

    sraebaer,
    A lot of great advice. I really like...."changed my eating lifestyle without really noticing. If you do something long enough, it becomes a habit, and totally easy."
    Hearing about huge regains makes me wonder if it is truly "inevitable" or a result of not watching ones weight, swiftly identifying the cause of the weight regain, and taking immediate action.
    Thanks!


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  14. #7
    Gastric Sleeve Member AnnieG's Avatar
    I have had a gastric sleeve.
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    Annie
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    10/05/2017
    Surgeon
    Dr. Ryan Heider
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    Default Re: VGS Veterans at 6 years+ post op (weight maintenance advice)

    Quote Originally Posted by sraebaer View Post
    I'm at 4 and a half years since surgery. I haven't regained. My only secret is to weigh myself daily so there are no surprises, if I'm up maybe a pound I'm back to being extra careful. I exercise. I've engrained my "rule of two" (protein and veggie) into almost all my meals. In other words I've changed my eating lifestyle without really noticing. If you do something long enough, it becomes a habit, and totally easy.

    I can't regain my weight: the surgery cost too much (hubby would kill me), I have a closet full of small clothes with all the fat clothes gone, and best of all, I feel so good being a healthy regular sized person!

    It always surprises me when I hear about huge weight regains. I would think you would have noticed you needed all new clothes. I intend to not let that happen. Then people like the excuse "well studies show people regain weight." I am not a study.
    I was self pay, and my "per pound" price is gobsmcakingly high.

    At 65 (both retired) it was a substantial investment in my health going forward. You and Ann2 are my pragmatic heros! I think I ll drop my weight alert to 2 lbs, based on your comments. Hope things have settled down for you and your mum
    [I]HW: 240 lbs SW: 199 lbs GW: 140 lbs

    1 MO = 167.0 2 MO = 156.4 3 MO = 148.4 4 MO = 140.6
    5 M) = 136.0 6 MO = 130.0
    1 YR = 122.0 2 YR = 140.00 2.5 YR = 139
    Happy with my weight; happy with my size; over-the-moon with my health!

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  16. #8
    Gastric Sleeve Member Dutchie's Avatar
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    Simonne
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    Dr. Pablo Enriquez Valens
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    Default Re: VGS Veterans at 6 years+ post op (weight maintenance advice)

    I actually asked the same question here, a couple of months ago: is regain inevitable?
    Because that is what I was told.
    Even surgeons and bariatric staff in the hospital tell people they will regain.
    Not two or three pounds, but 20 pounds or more.
    I mean, how ridiculous is that?

    I was also told that I would regain, by people who... well... regained...
    And I was stupid enough to really believe them.
    Because they were the veterans, right?
    I was only a baby in WLS terms.

    But the answers I got from the vets here were torally different and I decided to believe them, instead of these people with their regain.
    Because that is what we can do, we can choose our own believe system.
    Since my maintenance I have lost some more pounds.
    I am really skinny, but I am okay with that and I feel comfortable in my own skin.

    My "tricks" are:
    I weigh myself daily, so I can monitor any changes.
    I weigh my food.
    I track my food.
    I still haven't touched junkfoods, slider foods, sugary foods, simple carbs and alcohol.
    I don't miss it at all.
    I use small plates and bowls.
    I bought myself a beautiful, cute little bariatric cutlery set.
    When we are eating out, I use visual aids to eyeball my food portions, and take the leftovers home with me.
    When we go to social gatherings (i.e. Christmas with family), I bring a small disposable cup with me, to fill up with foods, so I am sure I don't take too much.
    I work out.

    I'll keep doing this, even when surgeons say "I can eat whatever I want, just less of it"...
    Say what? Are you out of your mind?
    Of course I can't.
    That is what got me obese in the first place.

    That wil not ever happen to me again.
    Ever.
    English is not my first language anymore, so I may and do make mistakes in my spelling, or say things oddly. Please ask me, if you want any clarifications.




  17. #9
    Gastric Sleeve Member Ann2's Avatar
    I have had a gastric sleeve.
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    Ann2
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    08/18/2014
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    n.a.
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    Default Re: VGS Veterans at 6 years+ post op (weight maintenance advice)

    Rex, I'm not 6 years out yet. But I'm coming up on 4 years. I lost 100+ pounds. And I haven't regained a bit.

    My success thus far is due to very much what others above have posted -- I weigh every morning, I still plan my meals and track my macronutrients daily (although not everyone who's successful does that -- I happen to be one of those control freaks who love this , I exercise daily, I take all my vitamins/supplements religiously, and I see a therapist monthly (to help me navigate life's ongoing stresses -- because those NEVER end!).

    Speaking generally, the biggest differences I've observed among folks who regain and those who don't is that the non-regainers committed SERIOUSLY to changing their lifestyle and to finding the resources they needed to support them in those changes. They didn't ever imagine that having the surgery alone would keep them healthy and slim. Among the regainers I see a lot of grazing and slider foods and "wanting to eat and drink like a normal person" even though their image of eating and drinking normally is how they got fat in the first place. And a lot of them seem to have failed to address their relationship with food and their uses of food to self-medicate emotional discomforts and pain.

    Post-sleeve we can't eat a certain way to lose weight and then go back to eating like we used to. Yes, over time we CAN eat more than we did the first 6 months post-op. But we can't ever go back to eating how we used to. That sounds so stupidly obvious when I type it. But it is the essence of what I've learned and followed since I was sleeved in August 2014. And I couldn't have been more rewarded.

    Bottom line: The sleeve makes living a healthy lifestyle much easier than it was pre-sleeve. But we have to put in our own mental and physical "sweat equity" to change our lives permanently.



    Consult: 235 lbs
    My and doc's preop diet: 216 -19 lbs
    M1 postop 205 -30
    M2 193 -42
    M3 184 -51
    M4 174 -61
    M5 167 -68
    M6 162 -73
    M7 156 -79
    M8 151 -84
    M9 148 -87
    M10 146 -89
    M11 144 -91
    M12 143 -92
    M13 142 -93
    M14 140 -95
    M15 139 -96
    M16 137 -98
    M17 135 -100

    First Surgiversary post

    Second Surgiversary post

    Third Surgiversary post


  18. #10
    Gastric Sleeve Member Rexcom's Avatar
    I have had a gastric sleeve.
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    Rex
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    11/13/2018
    Surgeon
    Christopher D. Joyce
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    Jan 2018
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    Default Re: VGS Veterans at 6 years+ post op (weight maintenance advice)

    Thanks Ann, Addressing emotional/stress eating, with a reputable therapist, will be a top priority for me. I'm very carb sensitive and will likely move into a "Keto-like" diet. My hope is that I will engrain healthy eating habits so well that it will become 2nd nature to me....thus, less on-going mental effort. Also weighing myself several times a week and recording the results will help me keep track of the progress and give me insight into any fluctuations so I can take swift and appropriate action.
    :-)


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  20. #11
    Gastric Sleeve Member Luv49ers19's Avatar
    I have had a gastric sleeve.
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    Default Re: VGS Veterans at 6 years+ post op (weight maintenance advice)

    Everyone above have all the right answers!!!! Follow the rules....forever. This is a total commitment of mind and body. Do what works for you. Like the others I weigh and track my food religiously! I get at least 30 minutes of exercise EVERY DAY! I'm also a daily weigher. Scared to death of being obese again. It is a good fear because it keeps me on track! I love where I am physically and don't want to lose it.
    Hw: 260
    Sw: 260 10/23/16
    Weight at time of sleeve 209 (-51)
    Sleeve date 5/23/17
    1 month:187 (-22)
    2 month:178 (-9)
    3 month:172 (-6)
    4 month:162 (-10)
    5 month:150 (-12) (10/28/17) 6 month goal!!!!
    6 month: 143 (-7)
    7 month: 136 (-7)
    8 month: 131 (-5) made goal weight 130 (2/8/2017)
    9 month: 125 (-6)
    10 month: 120 (-5)
    11 month: 115 (-5)
    1 year: 114 (-1)
    16 months: 120 (+6)

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  22. #12
    Gastric Sleeve Member Stacey03's Avatar
    I have had a gastric sleeve.
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    Edie
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    Dr Phil lockie
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    Default Re: VGS Veterans at 6 years+ post op (weight maintenance advice)

    Excellent advice ^^^^^ do what these peeps do, I know I will :-)


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  24. #13
    Gastric Sleeve Member Katrina's Avatar
    I have had a gastric sleeve.
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    Katrina
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    Dr. Borland
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    Default Re: VGS Veterans at 6 years+ post op (weight maintenance advice)

    I'm 3.5 years out and I'm with sraebear in that I weigh myself every single morning. No weight is going to sneak up on me. I like my size zeros. I do not follow any rules. I do not exercise. I eat plenty of junk food. I do, however, know that if that scale starts to climb I can cut the crap for a couple of days and nip that right in the butt.
    No pre-op diet
    Day of surgery 11/4/14: 5'4" 213lbs
    1 month: 187
    2 months: 171
    3 months: 155
    4 months: 148
    5 months: 142
    6 months: 136
    7 months: 131
    8 months: 125
    9 months: 120
    10 months: 114
    11 months: 111
    1 year: 109
    1.5 years: 105
    2 years: 108
    2.5 years: 102
    3 years: 113
    4 years: 115
    5 years: 115
    6 years: 117



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  26. #14
    Gastric Sleeve Member Christie13's Avatar
    I have had a gastric sleeve.
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    Christie
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    11/03/2016
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    Dr. Wright
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    Default Re: VGS Veterans at 6 years+ post op (weight maintenance advice)

    I am not 6+ years post op but my sister is (November 2011). She regained a small amount of weight but by choice. She had gotten too skinny after the surgery. She is still in the healthy BMI range. She has not had any issues keeping the weight off. She weighs herself regularly to make sure she isn't gaining. I think that is one of the keys to success and the other is that if you do start to gain, do something after just 5 lbs....do not wait until you have gained 10, 15, or 50. That is where most people make the mistake.



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  28. #15
    sraebaer
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    Default Re: VGS Veterans at 6 years+ post op (weight maintenance advice)

    Quote Originally Posted by Rexcom View Post
    sraebaer,
    A lot of great advice. I really like...."changed my eating lifestyle without really noticing. If you do something long enough, it becomes a habit, and totally easy."
    Hearing about huge regains makes me wonder if it is truly "inevitable" or a result of not watching ones weight, swiftly identifying the cause of the weight regain, and taking immediate action.
    Thanks!
    Totally not "inevitable". It is all up to you!

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