Wrote this one year ago today - did it help anyone?

I am newer, just 2 months post-op and read this for the first time. it was very enlightening. Thank you for reposting it. I as well am not going to be satisfied with just 50%, I want more than that.. i didn't go through this surgery to loose a little weight. I want to loose it all. I know that this means a lot of hard work and so far I have put tremendous effort into it. I need to remind myself that this is a LONG term thing. I hope and pray that I'm still this motivated at 1yr out and still on the right path. No, I WILL be. No doubting!

Yes it helped.  I was just postop a year ago.  Your posts are always insightful and inspiring.

It has definitely helped me.  I had the fortune of reading it recently, when I was very newly sleeved, before I had any damage control to undertake due to bad decisions and other examples of fooling myself.  It's very sobering and much appreciated.

I am sitting here at more than 110% EWL (? not interested in doing math, but 156 or so was "normal BMI for me, maintaining between 135-141 easily now) and nodding my head at this post..

I was already well underway when you wrote it- but it was pretty much my train of thought from the get-go, esp the changing WHAT you eat not just the portions.. Yes, portions were a big part of it, but for me at least, realizing my body is uber-efficient at socking away energy, and very insulin resistant.. made the choice to clean the kitchen/pantry of all non-nutritious (and yes, looking at you pasta, bread.. etc.. whole wheat *marketing ploy* or not!) and NEVER replace them, made a huge difference for me and my already  lean husband.. just cutting the reliance on easy grains caused a rapid and long-lasting lipid shift in bloodwork that has made our Dr re-evaluate his idea about statins vs lifestyle changes.. No need at least in this house when living on meat, veggies and healthy fats.

Limited space for me meant filling my belly with the most tasty nutrition packed foods.. yes, the losing phase is kind of monotonous for a bit, but it can be tasty as heck if you expand your cooking skills, esp in maintenance.. take the opportunity to explore and change not only how much you eat, but WHAT you eat. Make the changes sustainable, and you will be far ahead in the game.

/off soapbox..

Excellent post!
You rock!

I have that post bookmarked. I have post from you, Frisco and Elina saved into a word document. It will be like my WLS Bible.

Great post Ruggie. There are a lot of good vets here currently sharing with us FNG's but theres a lot of really good "lost knowledge" posts back in the archives. I appreciate you re-posting this. I'd bet biscuits to beans you have quite a few more posts like this from days past and I hope you share more. I know there are other Sr. vets out there lurking with pearls of wisdom a lot of us could benefit from and not the just the new people either. Most of my trips to the archives surround specific searches for info. Maybe we could have a forum for all time greatest/most helpful posts that could be chock full of info like this.

I'm not going to lie, reading that post for the first time wasn't easy and wasn't full of things I wanted to hear. I need to hear those things, and I'm looking forward to the journey but I still have a lot of fear about a whole lot of things. Not insignificantly is fear of myself at sabotaging the process.

Honestly, more than half of my posts are just echoing Elina and Frisco's sentiments. 

I love your honest that it wasn't easy to read that post or wasn't full of things you wanted to hear.  I felt the same way when I first "realized" how I felt and was typing it out.  A lot of people that didn't feel good about it retaliated against it, instead of looking in themselves like you're doing.  

I think as long as you're vigilant, and keep checking into your motives and drivers, you probably won't sabotage yourself.  It's when we stop monitoring ourselves and start lying to ourselves that this happens.

Yes, it was my starting point.  Eventually I found my own path that worked well, but there were many points in there that I read for the first time and took to heart.  It was a great post and much appreciated!

I was 2 days post op when I first saw that post and was just struggling to get protein and water in.  Now, a year out, I agree -- if you are not vigilant -- my best friend tells me I'm anal about it, but also says she want to eat what I do and when we go out together, we have started sharing meals ( she's a size 10!!) -- then the long term success will not come.  And yes, it is a long slippery slope that we don't want to take.  BUT you are so right, we are the ones that need to be in charge.............the sleeve is not.  Thanks for the reminder!!!