Complacency

Agreed.

disagree w/ you on 1 major thing...you ARE in the classic common 9 month STALL  ...no worries its normal. Ya think the deviation a little this a little that once in a while will cause you to be 0 pounds lost for a months time. Me no think so. It takes chronic screwin up...to bite ya in the ass.

Your weight loss days are far from over Keith. This stall will pass! whether ya have a beer or not, a piece of birthday cake on your /childs birthday.  Keep up the good fight.

Keith, you already know what I think, but when has that ever stopped me from telling you anyway.  :)

Your normalcy argument only applies in maintenance.  Again, you don't have to agree with me, but I am certain of it for me.  There is no way on Earth that I would have reached goal through moderation.  Most of us don't get there that way and there is a very good reason for it.  Actually, there are multiple reasons for it and I am not going to bore you with all of them again here, but I was taught by someone who has got more people to goal than just about anyone else, and the teaching was solid.  The teaching went something like this, "First, get to goal, then experiment a bit and find your balance, if you fall out of balance--go back to weight loss mode".  Do this, repeat as necessary.  I know you don't need my advice, you never do, but sometimes it might not be a horrible idea to listen.  :)   Keith, this is my unasked for advice, "Get to goal first than live your life of moderation".  Or not, what do I know right?  :)

Hugs to you regardless and I really stand by my belief that you will figure this thing out and get to goal no matter what, the stubbornness ( or determination, depends how you define it)  thing is your friend. 

I totally agree and find these truths apply to me Elina. And then again, you are correct, we all need to find our way. Kinda like, the teacher will appear when the student is ready?

The only thing you said that I disagree with here is "I know you don't need my advice, you never do, but sometimes it might not be a horrible idea to listen." I always welcome your advice and despite whether I agree or disagree, your advice is always good and you are living proof of how effective it is.

I also appreciate more than you know your continued support and confidence in me.

I do want to say that my post was not prompted by any catastrophic set back or anything, just the realization that I was well on my way to getting out of control. I actually did not have that bad of a weekend compared to the last one. Just time to buckle down. I am so close I can taste it and it is much sweeter than any bite of birthday cake.

Thank YOU!

Keith,

First of all, congratulations on your success!  As a 9 yr LAP RNY patient, I have to tell you that every single day is a struggle.  Today is my 9th anniversary of my WLS, and I still struggle daily.  I am at my lowest weight, which makes me happy, but it is a battle every single day to stay there.  I don't ever want to go back. What we all need to remember is there is a 2- year honeymoon period, where we can do just about anything and still lose, and then the door shuts TIGHT!

Good luck and keep up the great job you are doing!!

Best,

JA

Keith,

First, I think Elina is spot on in her advice. Second, you are a tiger when it comes to this process. Your approach has worked great for you because you're a thinking man. You research, you try, you figure out what works for you. That's what this is about. My only advice to you would be to stick with what you know works so that you can get to your goal and then start fiddling around with the whole moderation thing.

Look, I've been dicking around with the whole moderation thing for about 10 months now (first two months of maintenance were pretty strict for me still). Yup, I've gained a bit, but I'm learning what works and what doesn't. It's part of the lifelong game I sighed up for, you know. Seems to me you've just been reassessing your path is all.

Anyhow, you've got this. You know it.

I just looked up my loss for this past month...and I'm only at 4.7 (and 3 weeks out).  I just got back to work today from my vaca and I was kind of happy to get back to my stricter "normal".  Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the crap out of my vaca, but there was still wine involved! 

Thanks for posting...it really does help to run across similar thoughts and issues on here!