VSGers: Please give me your top tips (and pitfalls to avoid) for long-term success....

Hi friend!  Thank you!!!!

Hey!  I've been thinking about you.   Sounds like you're doing great. 

I am almost 10 months out so I am far from being a vet. I have reached my doctor's weight goal and have a normal BMI.



I was very patient with buying clothes. When I was still big but losing, I would wear my clothes until they were very baggy. Then I would buy one pair of jeans and one top that fit. My work wardrobe is very casual so it was easy to be a little sloppy. I would wear the new clothes until they were baggy. Then repeat the process.



I think wearing the 'right' sized clothing is very important for the ego. Yet, I didn't realize how small I would become. It is still a mind-blower. Now I have started investing in a new wardrobe. It feels great. I am still working towards losing 17 more pounds so I am not sure what I will do when I reach my goal. I am beginning to have trouble finding clothes small enough.



I follow my surgeon's plan which calls for 80+ grams of protein, 40 grams of carbs (I target only 20 grams), 100 ounces of water, plenty of sleep and exercise.



My son-in- law is a professional chef who prepares VSG-friendly meals for me when we visit but upon occasion I will indulge in a bite of something really good. I love my new normal. I am still surprised that WLS is working for me. I can't believe how small I am...my mind hasn't processed this fact. Of course, I am totally healthier and love that.



WL requires lots of commitment and new habits. It is hard work but I love the process. Food is only fuel. I never liked cooking and it is so easy to get my dense protein without elaborate meals.



Good luck.

Watch portion/food creep

weight dropped like crazy at first for me, but the closer I got to goal and the farther out I got from surgery, I developed portion and food creep.

For example-

1substituting protein bars for drinks- a bar has probably 50 more calories then a drink, this adds up

2 measure measure measure.  The difference between a teaspoon and a table spoon is minute to the naked eye, but the calories in a tsp of peanut butter is 30 and a TBS is 90

3adding sauces initially I had to add mayonaise or ranch or something to make dense protein go down easier.  But about Month 7 I could have deleted these extra calories

4  eat real food calories as soon as you can transition

While none of these seem like a lot, when you're eating 600-800 calories a day there is not a lot of room for error.  

Find an exercise you can incorporate into your daily life.  I want to become a gym rat, I've always wanted to be one.  But alas, it is not meant to be.  BUT I can and do walk 3 times a day

When you reach your goal incorporate weight training.  I'm 51.  I'm losing muscle everyday.  If I don't increase my muscle mas I'm going to be one of those old women in a nursing home that can't life her arm to feed herself.  Thats the mental picture I keep in my head

Hope this helps

 

Love the image in the nursing home - very motivating!  Thank you for taking the time to reply- I really appreciate it! 

I'm by no means a "vet". Just a slow learner :-)

I'm not a vet at all, but this is what is working for me so far:

1. Drink A LOT -- contantly
2. Sleep a lot -- I shoot for 8+ hours a night
3. Therapy -- work to understand what got you here and work on whatever it is
4. Re-evaluate -- as things don't work adjust 
5. Exercise -- it is a great stress relief, and helps significantly in long term weight maintenence
6. Food -- protein, veg, fruit

The order really isn't important -- food really should be at the top, but I think the other things are very important as well.  A big key will be to adjust as things change.  What worked in month 3 might not work in month 6 or year 2.  We need to be very self aware and adjust.

 

Good luck!  Your results so far are amazing!

Got nothing to add (the posters above have given excellent advise!) --in your post - when you say you are COMMITTED to this--SO good.  Can't tell you how many times I would commit- only to fall away after a period of time, so to commitment I would encourage adding daily perserverance.  Every day I would say to myself-"I'm going to eat, move, think and do as if I were at goal weight"-- One day- gosh- I was.  The strength of perseverance  has spilled over into other areas of my life.  Encouraging and rooting for you!  Bonnie    

Thank you all so much for giving me all the valuable advice!  I really really appreciate it!

Lynda has a great list of points, which are largely what I followed as well. Philosophically, I didn't make a big distinction between "weight loss" and maintenance" diets, as once my basic protein goals were met, or planned, for the day, I worked to get the best nutrition that I could within the remaining calorie budget - which is pretty much the same thing that I do today in maintenance (it's just that my calorie budget is bigger now.****pt at least an homage to the normal healthy human diet that we should be having long term, and this has made maintenance, and the transition to it, much easier as the good habits had already been established rather than having to re-learn things again after doing yet another "diet" for the weight loss phase.

Weighing (you and your food....) and tracking are very important tools for this journey, both from the planning perspective as well as for evaluating your progress and troubleshooting any problems you may encounter (excessively long stalls, slow loss or, for some, overly fast loss.

Finding an enjoyable and sustainable form of exercise is an important part of the journey, particularly for long term health and maintenance. Some may choose to pursue particularly challenging goal oriented activities (marathons, triathalons, etc.) but be wary of the differences between short term "I did it!" goals and long term life maintenance goals - recognize that you will have to pull back on the calories when you ramp back your exercise to more sustainable levels (avoiding the "retired athelete" syndrome.)

I didn't necessarily follow the "protein first" rule all the time (although my basic protein requirements for the day were at least planned for) which allowed me to have come combination meat/veg dishes (entree style salads, stir frys, chilis and stews) which allowed for better nutrition and a better, more normal, eating experience that helped to establish/maintain good long term habits while staying within my basic caloric limits - carbs and fats weren't counted as our calorie and protein restrictions make our diets low carb and low fat, and quality of our food is more important than superficial carb or fat counts. This is a page out of the advanced class for which some may not be ready, but the but the basic protein first rule is still a great fallback to improve satiety or when cutting intake is needed.

You are off to a good start, and your commitment is one of the key elements of success.