Why are you succeeding now?

I have my surgery in a week and I'm not flip-flopping, I know that if I don't have the surgery that I won't be able to lose the weight. I was just thinking back to my previous weight loss efforts, and thinking about how fast I gave up on them or how little I've lost. I then thought that there have got to be some similar people here - people who failed at "regular" dieting but then went on to succeed post-op.

I was just wondering, what do you think changed that caused you to be successful in weight loss and maintenance post-op but not pre-op? Was is just hunger that would sabotage efforts? Is the restriction key because you literally can't eat that much (i know that it's about the right choices)? Is it because losing weight is so exciting and happens so fast that it's easier to stick to a plan?

I'm just curious because I guess I'm getting those cliche thoughts of "What if I'm the only onee hte sleeve doesn't work for" because I've failed so much in the past.

Thanks!

 Ha ha ha!  I laugh because this was pretty much my thinking just before and just after surgery.  I said to someone that I was sure I'd be in medical journals as the only person in the world who could have most of her stomach removed and still be able to eat a cow.

Some of it is hard to describe - the reality is you just can't eat, and because you can't eat you lose weight.  There's a period of time (for me) when I felt like I'd never be able to eat again.  That really helps take the weight off because it's a diet you cannot go off of, at least not in the first few months!

What has worked for me - so far, I'm only a year out - is completely changing my attitude and approach.  I realized that part of deciding to have this surgery was to reclaim my life and I decided to say "yes" to everything.  Because of this "yes" I forced myself to do new things and to follow through, like dancing in a flash mob and hiking a crazy trail.  I committed to exercise and trying new exercises regularly - like spinning or athletic conditioning or yoga.  And I work at my head stuff every day.  I am one who uses food to regulate my emotions, and so I work with that every day.

The surgery sometimes feels like magic - 9 months and at goal weight?  Insane!  But it isn't, and maintaining my weight will be all me and my choices.  But - you'll do great, just take the time of your highest surgery restriction when you just can't eat and think about what you want your maintenance to look like, get a plan.  It doesn't have to be a perfect plan, just one that you think will support you.  It's all good!

I have photos on my page thingy if you want to see.  Good luck, you'll be just fine!

I was literally a pro-dieter. I could lose weight, no problemo. Unfortunately, life would happen, and I'd gain weight back. It was just a vicious cycle for me. Lose 40, gain 50, lose 30, gain 10 so on and so on.

I honestly think my success has been behavioral modification along with the physical restriction, and loss of hunger that VSG has offered. I still do not experience physical hunger, and honestly, hunger scares the poop out of me. The mental cravings that have hit me through pregnancy have defeated me. I didn't have these insane urges to eat crap food until the last couple of months, and these cravings are absurd and intense. I hate it, and I can't imagine being physically hungry as well.

I had lost and gained the same 400lbs over a decade through various diet attempts, and I was pretty hellbent on not failing this time around. I also had a band that failed miserably. VSG was my 2nd WLS, talk about feelings of failure, and I had to really recognize that the band failed me, and not the other way around.

That's been my experience thus far! ! !

I think the combination of the smaller capacity and the reduced Ghrelin were the top 2 reasons I've been successful.  I'm not hungry all the time.  Then once you see that it really does work and you are losing the weight, it gives you that boost of confidence that you not only CAN, but WILL be successful.  I also find it much easier to get back on track if I waver from plan now and then.  In the old days, if I had a bad eating day, I'd start again the next day or next week.  Now if I waver, I start fresh right away, so it's not a total loss.

Your feelings are exactly what I am going through now. I've wanted this for so long but now that its here I'm nervous and anxious that I will be the one exception. I too am a pro-dieter, in fact when I'm not on a diet I fell "off" like something is missing. Even today I'm on a diet, and my pre-op testing is next week! I'm already qualified approved and scheduled, yet I am on a stupid fad diet! Why? because that is who I am...I need to redefine myself because the last thing that I'll need is to be on a fad diet once my surgery takes place, but I'm also scared once I hit a stall I'll revert back to some stupid diet. I think i'm obsessed with dieting more than I'm obsessed with food! I want to just live a life of moderation, cook healthy tastey meals for my family and actually eat them with them! Yes on a smaller scale, but I want to not cook two things every night, and drool over what there eating while I eat some stupid combination of stupidness! LOL

I'm putting all my faith into this tool being the key to let me just eat healthy and choose healthy for my husband and 3 daughters as well. My 40th birhtday will be exactly 6 months to the day of getting my new sleeve, so I'm hoping to rock it and change the second part of my life for the better. I'm so thankful I found this site to help me through, you all seem to have such gret advice and experience. Thank you for sharing.

Why am I succeeding now?  I can truly say that I have been on just about every diet – read just about every weight loss book there is to be had. I have been to the diet section of my favorite book store so many times  that I now can just glance and see what is new. But even though I tried all of these diets – I failed. The diet did not fail me because I’m sure that if I kept eating watermelon, seeds, rind and all (Beverly Hills Diet) I would eventually lose some weight - right. My biggest thing was it was not sustainable. I would put so much effort into not putting certain foods in my mouth that I totally disregarded the fact that I was not moving my fat ass(et). And when I would go on a program of actually moving, grunting and sweating then I would be so hungry afterwards that controlling what I ate was absolutely out of the question. Donkey butt with a splash of ketchup sounded real good around that time.  

What makes this (sleeve) work:  
It puts food in its damn place. It’s just food - that’s what I tell myself all the time now….it’s just food. It’s not a toy, activity, recreation or ******ic experience….it’s just food. The sleeve prevents me from doing the very thing that almost buried me…I can’t   enjoy it like I use to. Don’t get me wrong – I enjoy the few ounces that I eat because I am a darn good cook – but I don’t get to use my food for entertainment….it’s just food.  

It’s the stalker…lover ….crazed fan that you never had before. Let me explain. When I get those crazy urges to “leave" my sleeve, maybe after I have weighed myself for the 12^th time in one day or ate something full of sugar or salt that caused my morning weigh in to show a 2-4 pound jump, and I get frustrated enough to say to hell with this…this is not working….this is a bunch of crap…..I am done (like I have done with so many other diets). My little Sleevie Wonder talks back to me. I’m leaving…..no you’re not. I’m going to eat this whole thing  I don’t care…..no you can’t. I am enjoying this too much – I am going to eat all of it just this once……go ahead…you’ll be sorry. I hate you…I love you. Yep the stalker that never leaves you….I love my stalker.  

It forces you to concentrate on something else like maybe exercising/moving  a little bit more or doing some things you have been putting off because all of a sudden you have all this time on your hands that you didn’t have before.  

Bottom line – IT PUTS FOOD IN IT’S DAMN PLACE. After all – it’s just food.

VSG (5/13/2011)

it takes alot of work to get where we are right now, the surgery, the exercising, no way am i going to go back to that lifestyle, no way. i just put that in my head. i love my sleeve. the fact is after 14 months out i still have tons of restriction, my gf and i went to fuddruckers the other day we split a bacon cheese burger i enjoyed the first bite after that i just nibbled, i couldn't eat even half of the burger. so you see theres no way i can gain my weight back, with the exercise and determination, and the restriction. i love my sleeve but there is sometimes i miss pigging out. but not that much lol