What do you credit for "long term success"?

As I was grocery shopping the other day and (still) reading labels, I started thinking...... Does anyone that has stuck around here or in another support group have any significant (more than 4 or 5 pounds) regain?? I know that for ME, I keep my head in the game every day by coming here to OH. After I lost the weight I kept on coming here, posting and replying, not only for others but for myself. I can't imaging actually going back to my old bad habits that put me in the obese category if I kept this new way of life right there in the front of my mind.

I know that some can go forward and "live their life" without regain, but others cannot. My question is...... Has anyone here had regain while staying active in a weight loss surgery support system? If you did have regain, was it during a time that you were actively involved here or in another support group?

** My answer: I give OH credit for helping me to lose weight AND keeping it off. I started here in August 2008 and had my surgery in October 2008 without regain. This site calmed me when I had questions and answered others before I knew that I might have the question ie, the dreaded 3 week 'stall'. Thank you OH peeps!!!

Martha 

I'm only 5 months out and not at goal, so I can't actually respond to your question, but you are very inspiring!  It's impressive that you've maintained your weight loss for so long.  It's good to know that you attribute some of your success to this site.  It's a tool I will plan to use as well!

You look like you are doing great!! I hope that your journey continues going in a great direction for many, many years to come!! 

Martha 

Thank you Martha!!!

I totally agree with you Martha... while I am definitely living my life to the fullest I find a lot of support by coming here daily even if it is to share my goofy snippets .... I love reading others experiences... I love partaking in a community where we have a common journey and some common goals ... I thank OH each time for allowing the space for us to participate.  I take the good, the bad and the ugly and I make it work for me ... and from it I am getting a much positive experience...

Like you, 'I keep my head in the game EVERY DAY' and I choose to keep it that way because I REFUSE to go back to the past ... my knees are no longer crumbling under my weight and my body thanks me daily for relieving it of 5 co-morbidities and limited mobility ... there is no going back for me .... I THANK OH AND FOR ALL ITS MEMBERS FOR AN AWESOME GROUNDING PLACE ... THE GOOD MOTIVATES ME .... THE BAD KEEPS ME FOCUSED ON MY JOURNEY AND EMPOWERS ME TO DO BETTER ... THE UGLY SHOWS ME EXACTLY WHERE I DON'T WANT TO EVER BE!!! in the end it is a WIN.WIN for me....

Awesome thread Martha ... you are a true inspiration.

Marta

If your snippets are goofy, then I like goofy!! Keep them coming Marta!! You have the best photos and are a wonderful inspiration to anyone that reads your posts 

Thanks for your reply!

Martha 

Martha, I definitely consider remaining involved in the WLS community a big part of staying compliant (80-90% of the time) and not regaining permanently.  I say this because I did see about 7 lbs above my goal back in 2008 (I think).  This was shortly after I was laid off from my job in Houston, trying to sale a house there and moving back to Louisiana.  During the time of trying to sell the house there and living with inlaws here to start my new job it was very taxing and stressful.  Add in looking to buy here you can guess how my focus had totally not been on my eating habits and weight. 

Thankfully, I had the motivation to get that off quickly and since then have been diligent abou****ching the weight and making adjustments as needed.  I know many of us (5+ years out) have said it numerous times that remaining active in the community is an important part of our journey.

Thanks for your reply! I agree that being a part of a community that understands what we feel on a different level than our family and friends ever could. I started this thread thinking that many were like me, and hoping that others might get a glimmer of the necessity (in my mind) of what it takes to stay in this good place in life. When I say that others go on and "live their life" I in no way mean that we aren't having full and complete lives.....I know that I do!!

Martha 

Martha,

I definitely would not be successful in maintaining my goal weight without OH.  I learn something everyday from just reading the boards and finding out the answers that are given to member's questions.  I also give credit to my scale.  If I did not weigh everyday, I would quickly go into denial and start gaining again. 

I enjoy the pictures, the stories, and the determination of our members to be successful.  Being around successful people makes maintaining my goal weight feel possible.  We are exactly what we picture ourselves to be in our minds.  I see myself as being at my ideal weight and having no trouble maintaining.  As long as I keep that picture in my mind, I believe that I will continue to be successful.

The outside world is full of people who will make negative comments and try to convince us that maintaining our weight is not possible.  On this board I see people offering encouragement and hope.  We are all in this together and someone who has not had surgery will never truly understand our struggles and our victories.

I was shopping at Macy's a couple of weeks ago and overheard 2 ladies chatting about "gastro bypass" saying that everyone gains all of the weight back anyway. Besides not even knowing what the surgery is called, they obviously had no clue. I listened but didn't bother to join in or inform them (maybe another day I may have).

You have been open about having had a regain, were you active on this forum when that happened to you? I'm glad that you are here and your input!!

Martha