Obesity is a chronic disease that requires chronic treatment... so assessing, adjusting, forever... and what is working now may not always work... as we age, as life changes... making healthy food choices and moving the body as much as you are able.... yes sure... but I do think a lot of people underestimate the head part of this thing... A LOT of the battle is neck up and that "stuff" doesn't go away with the pounds... the why's/emotional component to our obesity and they are different for all of us... IMHO if you don't start figuring out those why's, chipping away at the demons, working on solutions like any other disease that goes untreated it can flare up again. 

Carnie is lovely https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10201230547068839&l= db6b3df2de I had the opportunity to meet her at at a WLSFA event. She's a fighter... bottomline the only way we fail is if we give up and I see someone in her that keeps moving forward, while people snap side shots of her from bushes and wait for her to slip... that's a hard most of us don't thankfully have to deal with. I wish her well.

Nobody has mentioned it, so maybe y'all are not aware...In 1999, when Carnie had her RNY,  she allowed the actual surgery to be broadcast, via the Internet. She was our poster child for WLS, when we didn't really have another one. She was my heroine then, and she still is, in many ways....

I am over 13 years out, and a true vet at everything you can do WRONG, and then been able to turn things around...I continue to applaud Carnie's efforts....If I could have a one on one conversation with her, I would encourage her to take OWNERSHIP, of her actions, stop blaming childhood , Daddy, drugs, etc, etc, etc...to stop feeding her kids CRAP food

I think the BIGGEST thing we have to realize is that it all comes down to nutrition-what we put in our mouths. Yes training, activity, moving are all essentials for good posture, well-being and maintaining weight loss. But as I have heard over and over again "you cannot out train a bad diet". So our mindset has to change while we have this tool assisting us because eventually it's purpose will be realize. So make good food choices now, be selective not automatic eaters because the choices we make now most likely will be the choices we make in a few years.

NOW is the time to train ourselves while we have a crutch to lean on. I'm always told that "you can have that piece of cake, candy, etc.!" I say "yes I can but today I choose not to, maybe tomorrow." Almost like telling an alcoholic he can have just one drink! I've accepted the fact that I am a food addict and while "normal" people can have that piece of chocolate cake for me to imbibe it starts a whole web of guilt, lack of will power, cravings and so forth, and while yes I will eventually get over it, why would I mess around with something that has had and obviously still continues to have so much power over me? No thank you.

Others may be able to do it but for over 30 years I've laid down and lost to this enemy upteen times. Now I have a weapon(WLS) to fight back with and knowledge (forum support) of how to weld it. If I lose either one I am on my own again against a most formidable enemy. So day by day I'm in a battle, and yes at times I lose ground here and there but unlike before, now I don't lay down, I fight and my strategy comes from a multitude of counselors who I feel are behind me backing me up as long as I remain humble and am willing to listen to those before me who have also fought and contended in this battle. Probably not a battle we can ever truly win, but we can certainly stand our ground and not allow the enemy to advance.

Anyway, I get like this sometimes-probably hungry : )

Friend,

I appreciate your thoughts on Carnie Wilson.

I can totally related to your issues with diet fatigue.

"When you first get the sleeve, and the weight rapidly falls off you think about health, training, nutrition and so forth. When the weight loss starts to retard even though you are working your butt off, it's so easy to relapse, so much easier to roll downhill thn to walk uphill! So WLS'ers we gotta catch ourselves-NEVER AGAIN!"

-It sounds to me that you are a bit like me. I bet you are an extremely focused, goal orientated person. I bet you get something in your mind and you are lazer like in getting it until you achieve it. When you read, you probably dont hear the people around you...even if they are calling your name!

If this is you...may I suggest.... A NEW GOAL!!!

Yes, a new goal beyond scale moving!  Dream big...what would you like to happen to you physically? Do you want to take up dancing, skating, running?  Have you dreamed of being able to run about 3 miles, how about a marathon?  Maybe you would like to take up horse back riding or zip lining?

Try a new gym class, dream of teaching it!  Try a personal trainer and meet your dreams of getting stronger. If you can already run, do you dream of doing it faster.

How about dreaming a NEW dream that is inline with your weightloss goals?  For example, I ice skate and I WANT THAT AXEL. But, I still got 4 big jumps to learn ahead of that one and 3 other spins.  To get this jumps, to get off the ice, I cant get heavy. If I gain just 3 pounds I can only get 0.5 inches off the ice and my coach complains.

See what i mean.

I hear that people that take up marathoning have trouble keeping weight ON.

Just saying...

Funny you say that. I ALWAYS wanted to run a marathon but thought it impossible. Now I'm thinking of running a 5K in the spring and I am training for it. Right now I just walk 3 minutes on the treadmill up a hill, then I run 3 minutes alternating for 40 minutes. I'm going to up it  to 60 minutes then eventually I hope to just do all running, then a longer period. So it's a start but I did need to have a goal and not just think about weight itself. So thanks for helping me to re-commit to that goal. Going to be an interesting winter in training, but I just think of running that 5K and crossing that finish line, then making more goals from there. Thanks.

You are starting your first 5K EXACTLY the way I did.

Then one day you will go "I wonder if I can do 10K" and you will surprise yourself with how easy it was as compared to the "just getting started" part when you were a new runner.

Then you will not that 10K is HALFWAY to a half marathon. So if you can do 6.4 miles, you can very likely do 13.1...

And the next you know...you will be running halfs!

Anyway, I completed my half marathon and gave myself 2 weeks "off" from running while getting back into Tae bo condition. Although I didnt gain a substantial amount of weight (I was tae boing after all), I found myself much less displined in my eating (not thinking too much about WHAT the food will be doing for me...like my protein shakes after lifting weights help repair those muscles). I worry about losing focus like that so I signed up for the blue ridge half marathon at the beginning of april so I will have something to train toward...just to get my focus back.

I am one of those goal orientated people too!

So...at least two of us are focused now!

Yep, I need something to reach for or else I'll become bored and relapse. Good to try something I never thought I could do. Also it makes going to the gym worthwhile as I complete each baby step. I used to just run at 4.0, then 4.5 and sometimes 5.0 mph, then go down and walk on the hill at 3.0. This morning I was running at 6.0 for 3 minutes alternating and walking on the hills at 3.5! So it's a start. Hmmm, a 1/2 marathon. That is interesting! Never thought I would enjoy the treadmill at the gym but I am. I also want to build muscle with resistant training but right now I am focusing on the running.

Umm. I completed my half marathon in 3 hours 22 minutes.

So I was running a bit under 4 mph (I.e. I was slower than 4 mph). Distance is about endurance and most courses are long enough to where if you have the endurance NOW and at 4 mph..you COULD do it.

Just saying...you might be A LOT closer to that half marathon than you think

If you don't have that yet - Please please please make sure you have great, and well fitted shoes. And change them at least every 6 months if not sooner.  Your back, knees and hips and all other joins are going to appreciate that.