Four years. Down 150 pounds

Hi everybody,

This board was v. helpful to me during my losing stage. All questions answered in good spirits.

I'm happy to report I am doing great four years post op. The biggest change has been how healthy I eat now. I try to eat clean - unprocessed foods and I succeed 90% of the time.  The most important reason for my success was learning about nutrition during the losing phase and getting good habits - no more candy, no pizza every day, portion control, no fast food. I watched a bunch of documentaries - fast food nation, super size me, etc...and made myself disgusted with fast food. I took free nutrition courses through coursera.edu and I listened every evening to the podcast fat2fitradio.com (free on iTunes).

My quality of life has improved dramatically - I am no longer ashamed of my weight, ashamed to be seen. I'll go anywhere and try anything these days which makes life a much better adventure than sitting in front of the TV eating Dominos. This spring I hiked 600 miles across northern Spain on the Camino de Santiago - 20 miles a day with a 20 pound backpack. I climbed three mountains. Obviously none of this would have been possible before I lost the weight.

My advice to you newbies is: hire the best doctor you can and then follow her instructions; educate yourself on nutrition; deal with food issues you have while you're losing weight - don't wait til you can eat again; look forward to an easier life. Not easy, but easier.

Cheers,

It's so wonderful to see a positive post from someone as far out as you. Congrats on maintaining your weight loss!! I'm still pretty much a newbie at 14 months out, and I'm going to do my very best to be where you are in 3 years. 

Thanks for posting some great tips too! 

So good to read that you are so successful after 4 years. Sounds like you are doing everything right, and helping those of us who are still trying to figure it out is appreciated. I have to call my NUT and see if I can get into therapy to address my binge eating before my malabsorption ends. Congrats to you!!

I'm doing a Mindful Eating course right now. It is a great idea to get a head start on addressing binge eating. See if your NUT can help you find a course in  your area!

Congratulations on maintaining for 4 years. I do find maintenance a challenge some days. You give great advice about learning about nutrition. Thank you for the post

Thanks so much for all your wise advice. I am two years out and down 140 pounds so it is encouraging to know that maintenance is possible. Congratulations on all your success!

Thank you so much for your post! I am just 3 months out , doing well, and anticipating an exciting, full life as you described. Your words are encouraging to all of us! Thanks for the tip about the podcast. And finally, BRAVO! El camino de Santiago is an amazing accomplishment!

Sheri

Thank you!  it is so encouraging to read success stories. You are an inspiration!