How do you maintain your discipline over the years?

[Pam G]

Great question.....

[sraebaer]

In 17 months and you haven't had a slice of pizza or a taco? You are on a diet my friend. Can you stick to a diet forever? I know we're all different, so do what works for you, and it sounds like you are doing wonderfully. (You obviously have WAY more willpower than I do). I personally have had no issues maintaining for almost 5 years without being on a diet.

[Dutchie]

Not eating pizza or taco is being on a diet...

No, I have not eaten anything besides my docters guidlines yet.
Except my dry popped popcorn that is.
But in all honesty: it comes easyily, I don't crave anything, I don't feel deprived.
Really.
I have tried some things.
I have tried icecream, french fries, the filet-o-fish from the Mac, cake, but it didn't taste as good as I remembered.
My taste really has changed.

I have this new rule post op: I absolute have to like my food.
I eat so little, that that little has to be really tasteful.
I love my veggies, my salads, my protein thingies, the salmon, the tuna, my vegetarian options.
I do eat taco's, I just make them myself.
I make pizza's, just with a different base, like whole weat tortilla or cauliflower.
I have bbq's, potlucks, family gatherings.

I just don't eat my trigger foods: white processed flour stuff, sugary things, white rice etc.
And we eat out very little.
But when we do I usually take salmon with a salad or veggies, or tuna or grilled goats cheese.
Or my favourite restaurant: a tapas restaurant, all those litttle bites of yumminess!

I have tried eating out in a Chinese restaurant.
I know that I had dumping-like symptoms before, but that was in the first six weeks afer my surgery.
I had a terrible dumping however (yes, you can have a dumping with a sleeve), which I think was triggered by the amount of msg in the food.

I will get there, I am sure.
I just wonder sometimes where I will be in 3 years from now.
Probably fine, when I keep doing most of the things I do right now.
The 80-20 % thing...

I don't think of my eating habits as being on a diet, although I realise people could see it that way.

But I will try and have a slice of pizza somewhere, anytime soon, I promise.

[sraebaer]

You're doing great! We are getting to the same place using our different methods. Ann is a tracker. Tinman never overeats. I enjoy eating the right thing most of the time, but do what I want once in a while, like I had a brat for our Memorial Day cookout today. I think I am able to do that because I love to exercise. Everyone that maintains has learned what works for them.

Probably what we all do to maintain successfully is weigh ourselves daily. I'm always a little surprised when someone posts how they gained 40 or whatever pounds back. Didn't you notice? Didn't your clothes get too small? I don't see how 40 pounds could be a "surprise."

[Christie13]

My sister is who I have watched through maintenance. She was sleeved 5 years before me. She has been able to maintain her weight loss other than the few pounds she gained from her lowest but it was purposeful as she had gotten too thin. Through her I have learned that most important aspect is to weigh regularly and do something as soon as you start to gain. The most common theme to people who have gained a lot of weight back is that they don't do anything about it and avoid the scale when the weight creeps on. Turning a blind eye to weight gain will not fix it. We still have a valuable tool. We know solid proteins fill us up much quicker. We have to make those changes as soon as we gain. (As Sraerbaer stated.)