Maintenance?? Is it really possible?

[TreeTrunks 108]

Hi everyone! This is my first post, but I have been lurking for a while. After months of new research and years and years of thinking I should go through with WLS, I *believe* I have finally made the decision to do it. My first appointment is Monday, (Gulp). Over the past couple weeks as this appointment has gotten closer, I have strapped myself into an emotional roller coaster... one day I am raring to go and impatient for it to be done already then the next day I am uncertain and have doubts about long term success. Today happens to be the latter. I am stressing about maintenance as I am a self proclaimed EXPERT Yo-Yo dieter. If there were an award for yo-yo dieting, I’d have a trophy case full of awards. I can loose weight, I just have never been able to maintain the loss and typically gain more back than what I lost. So....my question is for those of you out there in maintenance-land, do you find it easier (not the right word, maybe doable or achievable are better choices) to maintain with your WLS than you did prior to your surgery? Thanks in advance for any advice!

[AZhiker 2,252]

Absolutely.

[Kittizia35 15]

Okay so I'm no where near "maintenance land" seeing as I just had my surgery on June 9th however I just wanted to point out that you shouldn't think of it as a diet. It's a complete lifestyle change, a change in your relationship with food. I'm learning that more and more everyday. Don't psych yourself out.

Sent from my LM-Q710(FGN) using BariatricPal mobile app

[New&Improved 1,780]

4 hours ago, TreeTrunks said:

Hi everyone! This is my first post, but I have been lurking for a while. After months of new research and years and years of thinking I should go through with WLS, I *believe* I have finally made the decision to do it. My first appointment is Monday, (Gulp). Over the past couple weeks as this appointment has gotten closer, I have strapped myself into an emotional roller coaster... one day I am raring to go and impatient for it to be done already then the next day I am uncertain and have doubts about long term success. Today happens to be the latter. I am stressing about maintenance as I am a self proclaimed EXPERT Yo-Yo dieter. If there were an award for yo-yo dieting, I’d have a trophy case full of awards. I can loose weight, I just have never been able to maintain the loss and typically gain more back than what I lost. So....my question is for those of you out there in maintenance-land, do you find it easier (not the right word, maybe doable or achievable are better choices) to maintain with your WLS than you did prior to your surgery? Thanks in advance for any advice!

Definitely. Before the BYPASS I had never got this low on the scales before nor had I been able to maintain so well.. I've been in maintenance mode nearly 3 months now sitting between lowest of 163 to 166 pretty consistently... I can eat more variety and still not gain weight so it is much better now...

[summerset 5,265]

7 hours ago, TreeTrunks said:

do you find it easier (not the right word, maybe doable or achievable are better choices) to maintain with your WLS than you did prior to your surgery?

Yes. I think WLS makes maintaining weight possible for many patients.

How hard or easy maintenance is for you personally depends on quite a few things that have a major impact on maintenance.

- genetics (e. g. how fast your metabolism will be post-surgery or how much hunger pangs you're going to have)

- post-surgery food preferences (your real preferences)

- post-surgery preferred lifestyle (again, your real preference)

Edited July 19, 2020 by summerset

[catwoman7 11,213]

yes. This is the first time in my adult life that I've actually been able to maintain a loss (I'm five years out and have been in maintenance for 3.5 years)

not gonna lie - it's a daily struggle - I still plan my eating for the day every morning (or the night before), log my food intake, and try to stay within my maintenance calorie range (which for me is 1500-1700 per day - but that's going to vary for everyone). It's a hassle but it's do-able. I NEVER could maintain a weight loss before I had WLS.

I should add that most of us gain 10-20 lbs after we hit our lowest weight. It's not inevitable, but it seems to happen to the majority, for whatever reason. I shot up 12 lbs in year 3, and then another eight pounds last summer & fall (I'm in the process of dealing with the recent eight-lb gain. I have no desire to go back to my lowest weight, which I think was too low for me). But keeping the weight off is do-able if you monitor yourself and, as someone above said, see this as your new lifestyle rather than another diet.

[Heather13 16]

I'm really glad you asked the question and happy/relieved to hear the responses. I've been nervous about this too. I'm 6+ weeks out. I'm really starting to be able to eat more now and I worry about maintenance at some point too. I think I would be heartbroken if I made such a huge commitment and wasn't able to keep the weight off.

[Healthy_life2 8,324]

14 hours ago, TreeTrunks said:

Hi everyone! This is my first post, but I have been lurking for a while. After months of new research and years and years of thinking I should go through with WLS, I *believe* I have finally made the decision to do it. My first appointment is Monday, (Gulp). Over the past couple weeks as this appointment has gotten closer, I have strapped myself into an emotional roller coaster... one day I am raring to go and impatient for it to be done already then the next day I am uncertain and have doubts about long term success. Today happens to be the latter. I am stressing about maintenance as I am a self proclaimed EXPERT Yo-Yo dieter. If there were an award for yo-yo dieting, I’d have a trophy case full of awards. I can loose weight, I just have never been able to maintain the loss and typically gain more back than what I lost. So....my question is for those of you out there in maintenance-land, do you find it easier (not the right word, maybe doable or achievable are better choices) to maintain with your WLS than you did prior to your surgery? Thanks in advance for any advice!

Many of us had pre surgery anxiety. It made me question if this would work. I don't regret my decision to have WLS.

My experience six years out, maintaining has been easier after surgery. It's work to change old behaviors and making healthy choices a long term habit. I maintain a ten pound weight fluctuation up and down the scale. Years out, working off a gain is painfully slow.

[TreeTrunks 108]

Thank you all for the insights! It gives me a little sigh of relief that the WLS will continue to work after the weight is lost as long as I continue with the new lifestyle. I think Heather13 said it best...

6 hours ago, Heather13 said:

I would be heartbroken if I made such a huge commitment and wasn't able to keep the weight off.

I realize it will not be an easy road, but remaining prisoner in my current fat body is no longer an option! I will try my best to not continually psych myself out!

Again thank you everyone. This is an amazing site!

[jasmineinmymind 204]

Im coming up on 2 years and have never gained any weight. I admit I havent done a lot of what some people do in terms of tracking, never eating Pasta, rice etc. I do eat pretty much what I want but I dont like junk food or fried foods and I can only eat very small amounts of sugar. I feel like I havent gained because I never really considered this a diet, never radically altered the way I did things and just kinda try to stay healthy. I feel like some people get the surgery and go crazy eating the perfect Protein diet, gallons of Water and tracking every calorie. To me, that just wasnt sustainable. Im in this for the long haul. I guess I'm doing ok. 2 years ago I was a size 18 jeans and now I'm a size 8.

[summerset 5,265]

5 hours ago, jasmineinmymind said:

I feel like I havent gained because I never really considered this a diet, never radically altered the way I did things and just kinda try to stay healthy. I feel like some people get the surgery and go crazy eating the perfect Protein diet, gallons of Water and tracking every calorie. To me, that just wasnt sustainable.

Can't emphasize this enough.

[loridee11 519]

I'm not in maintenance yet, but pre-surgery I had a lot of the same concerns you have. Dr. Weiner has a video on YouTube about "set point" - worth watching as it really explains how our bodies can fight against us as we lose and try to maintain loss, and that surgery seems to have a metabolic impact and help reset it.

[lizonaplane 1,613]

I would just like to get to a stable weight for the first time in my life. I have lost 50, 80, 100 lbs and gained it all back. I'm always either losing or gaining weight.

[ShoppGirl 4,815]

Someone mentioned the videos by Dr. Wiener about set point and I think that this concept of WLS lowering our set point is the only thing that makes it seem possible that this isn’t going to result the same way as every other diet we have been on. I admit, I question it too whether I am going to just gain it all back but I guess we have to trust the process.

[ShoppGirl 4,815]

31 minutes ago, lizonaplane said:

I would just like to get to a stable weight for the first time in my life. I have lost 50, 80, 100 lbs and gained it all back. I'm always either losing or gaining weight.

I have done the same and it is not fun and it makes it difficult to trust this process. For me at least. Fingers crossed several years from now we will be here giving advice and telling everyone how well the process worked for us.