I feel like I am failing at this point although I know I have met the goal I set for myself, which was 180. I wanted to be reasonable. Now that I am here it's not where I want to be. I need help.. On how to work my sleeve. It's been so long I don't even rememer the basic rules. I know I have the tool and I need to use it! I have pretty good restriction but my mind thinks I need to eat constantly. Any tips from the people who are a couple years or more out? I need to remember I have had weight loss surgery and stop acting like I have a normal stomach. Thanks in advance!

Water. A lot of water.

Protein.

Then good carbs (veggies) if you have room.

It's really quite simple. Telling your head to listen is another story. But if you stay busy, don't be withou****er, have several small "meals" (I hate calling it a meal when it's really only a couple bites) a day, that are right for you. A pepperoni stick, a cheese stick, raw almonds, Greek yogurt, sugar free popsicle, chicken strip, chili, refried beans.....it's not a huge menu but you make it what you want it to be.

It's sooooo easy to get back into the habit of a few chips here, some crackers there, a little pasta, a bite of rice......no that alone doesn't cause you to gain it all back BUT BUT BUT it does mess with your head enough that you will find yourself unconsciously eating just like you probably did before. True, you can't knock off a bag of chips or cookies in one sitting anymore, but you might eat 5. Concentrate on protein. Learn how to make protein shakes that will knock your socks off and definitely fill you up. Take the reins, here. It's up to you to follow through.

Hey, looks to me like you're 3 years out now! And you are NOT A FAILURE!

So here's what I know about working my own sleeve: If I chose to eat like a "normal" person, which to me means carb heavy and calorie dense (see not really a normal person, but my own fat person's skewed version of normal!) I can expect to gain weight. Also the food will slide right on through my stomach and I will be hungry all the damn time. I spent about 6 months on and off that wagon and had a nice regain to show for it.

First thing to do is get off the carb wagon. Once you do that you can get back on plan to lose some more weight. It will be more like "dieting" pre VSG, but it's much easier for me because I don't have nearly the hunger level I did back then. If you want a basic carb detox plan, here's what I do: Eat all the protein I want for 3 days. Use liberal amounts of good, healthy fats (avocado, nuts, Irish or German Butter, EVOO, Coconut Oil), eat 2 to 3 vegetable meals per day, and drink 64-100 oz of water per day. Do this for 3 days. Do not track calories the first three days. If you must have something sweet, eat sugar free jello or sugar free puddings. I also find that avoiding Splenda is helpful during this time. Truvia or straight Stevia works better for me. (I think it's the insulin spike that Splenda causes that hinders my progress.)

I would also recommend that you go completely sugar free - cold turkey. It helps in the long run. Sugar free to me means no foods with added sugar - NONE. This is very hard to do and requires a lot of label reading, but I think in the end it's worth it.

I've been back on track for a while now and at 2+ years out that means I am eating protein first, then veggies, then a very, very modest portion of a low glycemic carb (think blueberries, strawberries, maybe 2 TBS of sweet potato, etc...). I am back to feeling quite satisfied with 3 oz of protein and 1/3 cup of green veggie. Yesterday I had to make myself eat dinner because I wasn't hungry really, but still needed to meet my protein goal.

Hope that helps some. If you need more, please feel free to PM me. I'm living the same right now, so don't feel alone.

Ditto to what he said. I also recommend you stay low carb for awhile and detox. I'm 3+ years out and maintain at 70-100g Protein, Low Carb (Under 50 but usually around 20) and lots of water. The longer you let your food digest before adding the water back, the longer you can go between meals. They say 30 minutes, but I like to go 45 to and hour and I'll stay satisfied longer. Just a tip that works for me.

Good luck and keep the faith. You can reach your goal. Just take it one day at a time.

Deb

Only thing I would add is track your food; start journalling it again.

A lot of us are or have been in the same boat.  Right at this moment I am fighting the urge to go look in the pantry for something to nosh on so I'm going to make myself a cup of tea.  That usually takes the edge off.  I'm trying to decarb and it's tough but doable.  I know once I get thru the first few days, it's much easier to stay on track. 

Someone (perhaps on this site) once said:  "If your meals start to look like they did before you had surgery, then YOU will start looking like you did before the surgery!"  Truer words were never spoken :-)  

Tracy's Rules for Losing:  80-100 grams of protein, 40 grams of carb, 80-100 oz. of water and exercise 5-6 times per week.  No bread, rice, crackers, pasta or sugar.