VSGAnn2014

@@2goldengirl ... that's the program my surgeon's team recommends as well -- a balanced, nutritional approach. Certainly, while losing weight, a WLS patient can't eat everything a body needs. After all, we're eating less than a body needs to lose weight. But 3-4 months out I started doing my damnedest to eat 21 grams of Fiber a day. Didn't always make it back then, although it's very easy to do today, a year after reaching my weight goal. Likewise, I strive for 5 veggies and fruits a day. Again, I don't always make it, but often do. And, frankly, if I tried a bit harder, I could certainly do it. Hmm ... making myself a new target there. IMHO, eating nutritiously -- and for us former fatties, a LOT more nutritiously than we used to eat -- is one of the big secrets to long-term WLS success. Years ago, I had a friend who lost 100 pounds on Weight Watchers. She's maintained that 100 pound loss for the last 10 years. One of her aphorisms about weight loss maintenance is that it's not what you DON'T EAT that helps you maintain a big weight loss, but what you actually EAT. That's her way of expressing that if you eat foods that nourish you and fill you up, then you'll have an easier time resisting the kinds of foods that made us all fat back in the day. For her, that's mostly animal and plant Protein, lots of veggies and fruits, some whole grains, and healthy oils. And then she has her calculated treats. Sounds a lot like what my surgeon's practice recommends and how I'm handling maintenance thus far. P.S. I should also note that the big difference between my friend and me was that she'd not been obese very long; her 100 pounds had accumulated over about a three-year period. My obesity was a life-long curse I'd struggled with since the age of seven. For me, the sleeve has been the tool that finally made it possible for me to eat in a way that keeps me healthy.

There's an baffling equation that some WLS patients make that, post-op, eating off-program is the same as "cheating" on a diet. I cannot comprehend how some WLS patients don't appreciate the significant difference between "going on another diet" and having recently had 85% of your stomach excised and the remaining bits stapled together -- and what could happen if they stress those stapled-together bits. Yet, somehow, some patients still take that risk. This will sound heartless ... but this kind of behavior is why the Darwin Award was created.

Very happy for you, young man. You've earned this. Your life will never be the same. Ever.

My calves (and knees) are also large. Yes, they're smaller now than 100 pounds ago. But the fat on my calves (at 135 pounds) is still noticeable. But given everything else that's so much better now, I'm not sweating it much.

What a doofus. And you know what they say about "stupid" -- you can't fix it. I know someone sleeved in Mexico who said that the morning after surgery he saw another sleeved patient walk up to a taco truck and order and eat a Breakfast burrito.

I could certainly eat a whole apple at 8-10 months post-op. I eat an apple several times a week. It's GREAT for getting intestines moving, by the way. Great Fiber. I think that "apple a day" maxim makes a lot of sense.

@@Inner Surfer Girl ... that article is KILLER GOOD! Thank you for posting the link. Once again ... "50 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget" at: http://time.com/money/4275035/live-large-on-a-small-budget/?xid=frommoney_soc_socialflow_facebook_money

Yes! What everyone else said. Get rid of it all except for the one "fat suit" that will help you (later) remember how far you have come and inspire you to stay healthy. I've lost 100 pounds and now weigh 135. This is the first time in my life I've burned my bridges behind me (given away all my fat clothes). It was so emotionally freeing that it's hard to describe. You just have to do it to feel it.

Word of caution: Not all men act like "all men." And not all women act like "all women." Trends and averages do not define everyone in the group by a long shot. I can think of numerous times when I've (metaphorically or actually) grabbed a baseball bat, gone outside, pushed through the bushes and said, "WTF are you doing out here? Leave now!" Or said, "Leave that person alone!" or "What's your name?" or "Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" "Stop acting like an a*****e. Now!" Likewise, every man I know is neither emotionally clueless, overbearing, a Galahad to damsels in distress, or unfearful in all situations. People are complicated. Yes, patterns in human behavior exist. But patterns don't differentiate categorically between groups of people -- and especially not between men and women.

Glad we weren't at the same Walmart yesterday. Funny story. Break a leg today, @@Elode . Will be thinking of you.

FYI, I do aim for five fruits / veggies a day. Don't always make it. But some days I do. Also FYI ... I'm nearly 20 months post-op. (I have a sleeve, have lost 100 pounds, and am maintaining at 135 pounds.)

I'm just using $3 ring guards (put on by a jewelry store) to keep my wedding rings on my fingers. I told hubby I'd like to wait until my second surgiversary (this August) to get those resized. I also have a gorgeous, large David Yurman ring I now wear on the middle finger of my right hand -- and it shows up better there anyway -- which I won't have resized.

BTW, my husband is a retired cop / homicide detective. He's got both street smarts and world-class emotional intelligence. He observes first and does NOT react. And boy, does he know how to de-escalate a situation -- whether it's a simple misunderstanding between us or some random situation we run into on the street. He's got skilz.

@@OKCPirate ... you're right! I'm not much of a scaredy cat. But my favorite thing in the whole world is to be in the same room sitting next to or near my husband. We don't have to talk or even touch. Just being together makes me feel completely happy and secure, free of any anxiety or worries. This is all about the production and effects of oxytocin, the famous "love hormone," responsible for pair-bonding, empathy and trust, maternal instincts, etc. Men also generate oxytocin. (BTW, oxytocin is different from the pain medication, oxycontin.) It's one helluva drug: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxytocin I move that the military industrial complex start producing oxytocin bombs to replace all the world's nuclear bombs with.

I love Gottman's research. I think it's spot on. Spoiler alert: If you treat your partner like shit, the relationship won't last. But I had no idea he'd written a lay book. Interesting ....

Sending you best wishes, @@Elode , for a perfect surgery and an easy, easy recovery.

LOL! Actually, this is getting pretty funny.

So watching TV is a no-no, too? Got to add that to the list of things I'm no longer allowed to do if I "choose health."

Of possible interest to those who are now in maintenance is this BP post about a five-year study of sleeve maintenance performance. "Benefits of Sleeve Gastrectomy Wane at 5 Years" At http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/349472-benefits-of-sleeve-gastrectomy-wane-at-5-years/#entry3933756 This study's findings mean, to me, that my choice of maintenance model(s) matters considerably!

I'm betting that in this particular study the non-response error was negligible. The study was conducted in Israel on Israeli patients by Israeli bariatric surgeons. I figure Mossad hauled in the ones who didn't voluntarily come in for their follow-up interviews.

I agree with everything @@JamieLogical said. I'm not as far along as you. I'm 19.5 months post-op. But I do take my Vitamins / minerals / supplements daily. I push hard to eat my veggies and fruits, but I can't get as many down as I once did pre-op. So eating fewer of them (even if there's no malabsorption) nets me fewer of those kinds of nutrients. And I probably average at least 90 grams of Protein each day. I don't know what else causes baldness (could be lots of things), but not enough protein is one thing that does contribute it. BTW, your elliptical exercise regimen sounds great. Congratulations!

@@BestDayEver -- Thanks for that description of how you're doing it. I actually think that's a whole new fourth maintenance model. I'm going to call it: (4) Splurge Days Approach Or, since it's YOUR model, you can name it anything you want.

What @@JamieLogical said ... me, too. At 19.5 months post-op, I could still lose weight if I wanted to. For me, it's a matter of what and how much I eat. Period. That's the way it is for a lot of people here. I don't know where this idea comes from that there's an expiration date on our post-op bodies' abilities to lose weight.

The truth is 50% of the people who have WLS regain at least half of the weight they lost post-op. Some (I don't know how many) even regain all the weight they lost. The other 50% figure out, by hook or crook -- sometimes with the help of an effective therapist -- how to change their lifestyle in terms of how they eat, exercise, and care for themselves in many ways. Some people even restructure their lives and change or rebuild their relationships, jobs, avocations, hobbies, etc. A lot of people here have figured out how to live healthier and stay slim. Some others are struggling to do so. It's clear as a bell to me, after being on this forum for the last two years, that losing a lot of weight post-op is no guarantee that you will get healthy or stay slim. You really have to want it bad. And even that doesn't guarantee anything. It's your behavior that determines your long-term success. P.S. I'm only 19.5 months post-op. I'm maintaining easily now at 135 pounds. But that's because I'm blessed with a little healthy paranoia and a good therapist.