What is the most weight you have lost and have you been able to maintain your weight loss?

Hi all, 

I'm just curious as to how much weight or what % of your excess weight you have been able to lose and in how long. I am also very interested in hearing how long you have kept the weight off and what strategies you used to do this. Finally, if you know your bougie size, I would love to know what it is. Just trying to educate myself as I'm contemplating DS or sleeve. I have 150 lbs to lose. 

Hi,

I'm 4 months out from surgery, and I've lost 120 pounds (50 before, 70 after). That's over half my excess body weight.

My strategy is the one so often referred to on this site:

Calories at 600 to 800.

Carbs 20 to 40 grams

Protein - 60 to 80 Grams

Water at least 64 ounces - ( though I often fall short on this)

 

I also exercise - at least 10 minutes every day.  usually 20 to 30 minutes a day.  I eat 3 oz of dense protein first, and then a little veggie if I have room.  I eat three meals a day, and add a protein drink to keep protein levels  up. I avoid water for 30 minutes before and 60 minutes after a meal.  I'm usually under 20g of carbs, and occasionally eat 800 to 1000 cals. 

My bougie size was 40.  And I have plenty of restriction.  At 2 months out, I could only eat 2 oz.  at 4 months out, I can eat 4 ounces per meal.

 

Good luck on your weight loss journey and with your decision.

Carol

Congrats on your weight loss! That's fabulous!  Do you find it difficult to maintain at 800 cals or is it much easier with the sleeve? Have you had any issues with reactive hypoglycemia or any other complications?  Any vitamin deficiencies?  Just trying to gather as much info as possible so I can make an informed decision. Thanks so much!

 

I have lost and maintained the loss of 115# for 3.5 years. I have only excerised sporadically.

I think the key to my success is high protein low carb diet.

Gl

Congrats on your weight loss and maintenance! That's fantastic! I pretty much hear the same thing from most folks-low carb diet. Would you say that "dieting" is much easier with the sleeve or is it just as difficult to maintain as prior to the surgery ? Just trying to understand how my life will be different if sleeved. Also, have you had any complications such as reactive hypoglycemia or vitamin/ iron deficiencies? Do you know your bougie size? Thanks so much for your input and congrats on your success!

I lost 120 lbs and kept it off for 2 1/2 yrs I just try to stay under 1600 calories a day.
Seems to work well for me.

Congrats on your weight loss and maintenance!  Has it been difficult to maintain or less difficult than prior to surgery? Has it become progressively more difficult to maintain as time goes on because of your stomach stretching?  If you don't mind my asking, have you had any complications since or during surgery and have you experienced any reactive hypoglycemia?  Sorry  for all the Questions but trying to gather as much info as possible prior to finalizing my decision.

Stats are in my signature; today's weight is 139.  I'm three years out this month, and follow a fairly rigorous low-carb (close to Paleo) food plan.  I don't exercise. My surgeon uses an oversewn 36f boughie.

Congrats on your weight loss and maintenance!  It's seems most folks turn to the paleo diet for maintenance. Does it seem as difficult to lose and maintain as it did prior to surgery or does the surgery really help you with feeling full quicker?  I'm just wondering that if one still has to "diet" and watch how it's different from the dieting and watching prior to surgery. I know it's not a magic bullet and I'm just trying to get a feel for how I will "experience" the whole process of weight loss and maintenance differently. Roughly how many calories do you eat daily?  Do you ever splurge? Do you ever experience reactive hypoglycemia?

The sleeve is an absolutely invaluable tool to maintaining my weight loss - as long as I use it properly.  Meaning, if i wanted to eat refined flour and sugar, or in my case even whole grain things, and potatoes etc etc., I will gain weight.  And oddly, we seem to be able to eat a lot more of these types of foods than dense protein and veggies.  As long as i adhere to my "paleo with cheese" menu I'm good.  A few months ago I found myself about 14 lbs above my happy place, and followed Whole30, a rigorous 30-day Paleo plan, and lost the 14 lbs.  Bounced back about 4 lbs since then, but am well within my target range.

I can't claim to be 100% compliant with the low-carb life. I do indulge here and there - a bite or two of dessert, or a forkful of my dinner companion's mashed potatoes, something like that.  These are occasional things, maybe averaging out to a couple times a month, or less.  They seem not to trigger cravings, I think because the sugar/refined flour is ingested with or on top of much more slowly digesting things, but that's just a guess.

I haven't found any food that I can't tolerate, so far.  Well, maybe one item, fizzy drinks make me burble, and it's uncomfortable so I don't drink them.  My tastes haven't changed from pre-surgery - I still like and dislike the same things now that I did before, although some people report that immediately after surgery tastes do change.  (They didn't for me.)

i don't experience RH and didn't expect to.  It's rare for us VSG-ers, because we retain our pylorus, which regulates the delivery of food into the small intestine.  Also the way I eat, it would be unlikely that a large "hit" of glucose would enter my system and cause RH.

All that being said, though, I will say this as a final comment - if I learned that the world was ending in three weeks, I'd dive face-first into chocolate cake and mashed potatoes.  Just sayin, LOL!  The desire is still there.

These are all good questions, and I think they will equip you for a high probability of long-term success.  Keep asking!  :-)