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

I've lost just under 180 lbs in a little over 9 months (107 in 6 month supervised diet, 72 since surgery 3 1/2 months ago). 

Obviously I have not yet maintained, and that will be a whole different ball game should I get to goal. I wrote a blog post re: what I eat (day in and day out) that you could look at if you wanted! http://flirtybythirty.wordpress.com

Congrats on your weight loss!!  That's fantastic!  I will check out your blog..If you read down further another member posted on how she maintains her weight with sleeve.

I chose the DS, and at nearly ten years out I'm pretty effortlessly maintaining a loss of 170 pounds. I knew that *I* would regain without the malabsorption the DS gives me.

Ten years is a LONGGGGG time to be able to keep off that amount of weight. That's fabulous!  I know the DS is the surgery for me with regards to amount lost and maintenance YET I still feel somewhat afraid of the possible complications with it. I am someone that is able to lose weight so I don't believe my metabolism gets in the way there. I do think, however, that I can' t seem to keep it off because I get burnt out on dieting and then begin binging way before I have lost all my weight.  I'm learning to find a happy medium and that I can splurge on Sundays and eat healthy during the week and that seems to be working. I have lost 13 lbs doing this this past month. Would I be able to keep this up- I don't know but it's working at the moment. I know that DS will give me the best results and best maintenance and the possibility of a happier life but I still feel fearful about the vitamin deficiency issues, diarrhea, stinky poops, iron deficiencies, osteoporosis and just the unknowns long term. I have been really struggling with this decision. Most DS folks I have talked to love their DS but there have been a few (small number) that have had DS and are miserable and wish they never had it. It's really hard, without having the surgery, to really know what it's going to be like on the other side. I guess I'm wanting to know that if I take my vitamins and get in my protein that I will not have complications or need iron infusions but I don't think anyone can guarantee that. Iron infusions might be no big deal to some but I am allergic to many substances and if I wind up being allergies to infused iron that could pose a problem. I don't know how to get beyond my fears and it's frustrating me. I need to be completely sure of my decision and I'm not yet and continue to ask questions so I can get to a peaceful place about it. Knowing that you are ten years out and don't have any complications is helpful. Are there others who are 20 years..30 years out?  I'm not sure the surgery has been around that long. I'm tired of being fat and not living and I have to make a decision soon as to sleeve or DS but still just struggling with it.

I know the possibility of complications scares everyone with a brain who's thinking about WLS. But the truth is, MOST people who have WLS---of any kind---don't have complications. The reason complications are such a blip on your radar is because people with problems post A LOT. Which is pretty reasonable---people who DON'T have complications rarely feel the need to post "I had X and I'm having no problems."

Burnt out on dieting---tell me about it! When I had WLS at age 45, I'd been dieting pretty steadily for 35 years. Well, not really---I'd diet like crazy for 8-10 months, lose 50-70 pounds, and then burn out and regain all I'd lost, plus some. When I was choosing my form of WLS, I knew that I was NOT someone who could/would stick to a strict diet indefinitely. (Don't let anyone fool you---the Band, the Sleeve, and the RNY do, in the end, require you stick to a fairly strict diet.)

Vitamin deficiencies. Well. Yes, the DS requires a more stringent vitamin regime than the Sleeve---but I know some RNYers who take more vites than I do. Every body is different, and that's why labs are so important. Some Sleevers have some pretty intense vitamins regimes, too---but DO NOT get a DS unless you're willing to continue to take vites, and continue to educate yourself about what YOUR body needs. The only vitamin issue I've had is with iron. I just finished a 4-week course of iron infusions, and I feel SO much better! After talking to my mom, I learned that my grandmother also had iron issues. This may or may not have anything to do with my DS. My hemo tells me that iron allergies are pretty rare. (And if they weren't, I'm pretty sure that *I* would have them.)

As to your partner's questions---yes, I mostly feel VERY well. The iron issue started about a year ago, and because I track my lab results I *knew* my iron was becoming a problem---I just had to convince my PCP to refer me to the hemo. My energy level post-op has been waaay better than the ten+ years pre-op.

Let's see---my surgeon was Dr. Bill Anderson, *****tired 6 months after I had my DS. I don't think he used a bougie---at least it's not mentioned in my operative report. My surgical notes give my sleeve size as "3-5 ounces", which sounds right. At 15 months post-op, I could eat a small salad, a 6-ounce ribeye, a few bites of baked potato, most of a yeast roll, and a few bites of dessert. with a glass of iced tea, of course. (*grin*)

My CC is 90 cms, out of an original 690 cm small intestine. My surgeon used the Hess method, so 60% of that original 690 is the bilio-pancreatic limb, the other 40% is the alimentary limb and the CC. I've had ZERO 'bowel issues', after  the six months or sO I took to fully heal and adjust to what my 'designer guts' needed and wanted to be fed.

My partner is asking me to ask you if you feel well. She is concerned that I might lose all the weight but feel unwell or exhausted due to other issues related to malabsorption. Do you feel well physically..not exhausted or sickly....How old were you when you had your surgery? What was your bougie and common channel size again?  I know it may be unrelated, but it's more info. Who did your surgery again? 

Went from 264 day of surgery to a low in the mid-high 130's (looked a bit skeletal) and now am comfy maintaining in the mid 140's. 

I had a 36f oversewn w/ Dr. Aceves. I followed the typical sub 800/70+ prot/20g carb a day to get to my initial goal of 155 within a year, and within a normal BMI.. since getting to below goal, and seeing occasional scale gains (vacations/off plan/etc) and getting to know me, my food issues/intolerances and what makes my body feel the best, and what pleases me most mouth-wise, and keeps me healthy I have adjusted my way of eating some.

I am a big health advocate, and get and read my own labs.. etc, and my eating style is a bit different than many.. esp those in the weight loss mode. This is what works for me: I eat a high fat (incl. plenty of sat fat, which is NOT unhealthy contrary to myth) moderate protein and low carb diet. If I'm losing some fun-times gains I'll shift my intake to about 70% fat, 20% prot, and 10% carbs (fully ketogenic).. I don't count cals anymore regularly, but get in 1200-1600 like this and am very satisfied and many times don't finish a "meal" and lose without any hunger.

If I'm happily maintaining, I'm more liberal about the carbs- having some sweet potato or fruit on occasion, and otherwise loading up on veggies ad lib, and will drop back a bit on the fat, but still about half or more of my daily cals are from fat. Pretty much paleo (with just a little bit of cheese, and full fat GY/cream.) I prob max out at about 80g-90g carbs a day on the high side, and my maint cal ranges are usually in the 1600-1800 area. I don't work-out per se, I try to do bodyweight stuff every day, lift some heavy weights once in a while and walk/stay off the ass most of the time, with some occasional long hikes when I can. All very sustainable/low stress things for me to do.. I avoid all grains/starches/sugar/foods that come in packages or have ingredient lists, and really limit alcohol and those other things to infrequent indulgences..

Wow! Congrats on your weight loss!  Sounds like you have done wonderfully. I'm glad to hear that you are eating 12-1600 cals. Many sleeve folks I have talked to speak of eating 800 cals and that seems like way too little to keep your metabolism going and worries me a tad. Have you found yourself having any deficiencies in your labs that you had to supplement for? Have you had any reactive hypoglycemia? How long have you kept your weight off now?  Does it feel like a struggle like when you dieted prior to surgery? From what I'm reading it seems like you eat a low carb diet most of the time and to lose you lower the carbs further. I think that's what DS folks have to do also;however, I believe they can eat far more calories than a sleever because of the malabsorption. Sorry so many Q's..trying to gather as much info as possible prior to making a decision. Glad you have been so successful!

I did lose it on the sub 800 cal/very low carb route- but that is not strictly NEEDED, but it does work very well.. and it is short term, and optimizes the window you often have of the combined factors of high motivation, lessened/no appetite, and super-tight restriction. Plus going ketogenic (usually 20-30g total carbs a day) suppresses appetite more.. plus you can and need to add more fat when you go that low- so that also helps satiety, double bonus.You have to realize, if you are in need of surgery- your metabolism has a TON of stored energy to dip into! Only when you get to a fairly lean level do you really need to consider that you may need to eat more.. 

Now, when I want to drop 5lbs, I prefer 1200-1600/very high fat/very low carb (my maint range is higher in cals and carbs, a a tad lower in fat), as a. I'm not in a hurry, I'm a normal weight already, and b. this is sustainable and yummy for me. My capacity has increased, so I don't get full on 1.5oz food anymore (!).. but a meal for me is still usually unfinished, and I serve myself about 1/2C or a little more in volume.. so still a childs' plate size. That has been unchanged since about 6-9mo out.

The best advice give is realize how YOU want to eat and live the rest of your life, THEN find the surgery that fits it.. don't pick something that goes the other way. Most can stick with anything for a short time, but tend to fall off later and revert to old ways. Start by reading back on the forums here, ALL the way back- read everything.. you will find the investment in time very worth it as most of your questions will probably be answered by doing that. Read as many medical studies as you can get, not just personal accounts like on here.. hearing others experiences is great, but it's not real research for something this life-altering and permanent. There is a lot of information coming out on obesity research, it's in your interest to get very familiar with it before hopping on the table. Pick up a couple books from Gary Taubes, Dr. Lustig, and Mark Sisson.. some good info can come from those sources.

I have had no side effects, labs are spot on fantastic. I was low on D prior to surgery (most are) and take the vites my labs dictate I need, and ones for my health as desired. I do not get RH (that is most often a RNY complication, though any gastric surgery can cause it.) I can feel poorly for a short time if I go crazy on liquid sugar/fat combos- ice cream, mild dumping symptoms can occur if I go too crazy with a serving size. But this also was something I had happen pre-op (dumping can happen in normies too.) 99% of the time, I make my own sugar free ice cream treats, otherwise I have 1 small scoop of the real good stuff and I'm fine.

I never found dieting a struggle (losing wasn't hard- maintaining the loss was) so no, it is far from a struggle for me to maintain. I feel like any other normal 40 year old woman, who has to be mindful now, but no overwhelming appetite, and most importantly- the surgery restored my ability to be satisfied on what I ate.. that was a major issue that led to regains, the bottomless pit feeling. If I eat real food, that no longer is a factor- if I eat processed food, it's right back- which points to the biggest factor- you likely will need to redefine what you call food if you eat a lot of pre-processed/packaged food stuffs now.

For me, it was DS or sleeve. With either- and even without surgery, for most people- keeping carbs lower will help weight loss, prevent gradual creeping gains and mitigate a lot of other negative health issues. It is your choice if you opt to go very low carb, moderate or higher- there are plusses and minuses for all both for losing and maintaining.

I got to goal at one year out, I have been at or under that since April 2012. Good luck with your decision!

Hello!  Great questions!

I am 20 months out.  I lost a little over 150 pounds and made goal 8 months after surgery, with the preop loss of 26 pounds counted in the total lost.  Maintaining has been no problem at all thus far.  I do have a few bad days here and there, but do a great job of getting back on plan and overall keeping things in a good place.  During weight loss I was not perfect, but very consistent about working my plan.  This includes eating protein first, not eating and drinking at the same time, 100 plus grams protein daily, carbs from fruit and veggies and very minimal  white carbs (sugar, flour, rice, potatoes, etc.), and exercising 6 days a week.  I ate 15 carbs at snacks, and 30 carbs (net) at meals with there being 3 meals and 2-3 snacks per day.  Keep in mind all were small in portion compared to preop meals.  I attended support group and still try to go when I can.  I still exercise albeit now 3 or 4 days a week and more walking compared to working the elliptical.  My bougie size is in the 40's- but don't remember exactly- but I think a 42.  My simple rules were if it is working keep doing it, if not adjust... crawl back on the wagon when you fall off.... be consistent, not perfect... keep the nutrition balanced.  

Good luck on your journey.