Hi guys,

MENU: (DS Maintenance Mode)
Pre-B - 2 protein coffees (60g), bullet proof with coconut oil
B - Greek yogurt w/blueberries and almonds
S - peanuts
L - salad w/chicken & protein shake
S - popcorn
S - small piece of BDay cake
D - steak and mushrooms
S - CarbSmart ice cream

VITES:
morning batch: done
calcium batches: 
iron: stopped
evening batch: done
heme iron: pending

MILES:
stairs

WARNING TO SELF AND TO ANYONE WHO WILL LISTEN!!! AVOID 'BAD' CARBS AT ALL COSTS!!! THEY ARE ADDICTING!! THEY WILL SLOW DOWN YOUR WEIGHT LOSS DURING THE LOSING STAGE (and you won't even notice)!! THEY WILL MAKE THE SCALE GO UP AFTER THE HONEYMOON PERIOD IS OVER.

Success in Maintenance starts with GOOD CHOICES during the Honeymoon Period.

I feel I need to repeat this: I am a FIRM believer in Good Whey Protein Drinks!!!!!  It is sooooo much harder to do Maintenance without them!  

Afternoon LW's!!!  Fighting off the urge to have a piece of a Peach Muffin.

Breakfast:

Protein:    Matrix Mint Cookie 35g

Snack:      Nuts, Cheese, Berries

Lunch:      Beef Vegetable Soup

Snack       Apple Slices

Protein:    Matrix Mint Cookie 35g

Dinner:    Something with Chicken

I know that I could get to a number close to where you're starting  if I tried. My body seems to have a set point around 195, and I can drop to the upper 180s with a serious effort. My issue is that each time I get into the 180s, it's harder and takes significantly more time, less calories, more exercise. AND it creeeps back. I am done with the roller coaster. This past summer when I found myself back over 200lbs for the first time since 2010, I decided I would leverage that regain to qualify for WLS. I didn't gain it with that in mind, it slipped on all on it's own, but by god I'm done with this yoyo. DONE.

My family is disgusted with my choice, my friends are just confused, except my BFF who ha**** a metabolic shift that has put a tummy on her for the first time in her life. She's an exercise physiologist, she lifts weights and runs and knows everything you can know about fitness and suddenly she's like "OMG, what IS THIS EVIL POWER!!!" so she truly understands that I'm fighting a losing battle trying to keep on doing it the traditional way. 

Yes, the metabolism issues will haunt us for the rest of our lives I think! This last time I gained, I had also quit smoking (2 years ago now) and that was kind of the straw that broke the camel's back for actually being able to lose. Where in the past I got my butt in gear and took in less than I put out, that was no longer working for me. 

I got a lot of push back from everyone but my husband (who had seen the whole battle up close and personal). Even my sister said to me "But, to me you ARE skinny, because you lost so much weight already! It would be weird to see you truly small". Mind you, she's 5'11" and 116lbs 4 months after a recent pregnancy. My BFF, who is average weight, broke down over Christmas and said she was worried I was going to judge her for what she chose to eat and was worried I'd be skinnier than her and I'd think she was fat. I find that so many of the judgments people make are really about themselves and not us. 

I chose VSG because I'm a Type I diabetic (dead pancreas, no cure under current medical science) and the malabsorptive properties of the RNY surgery scared me in relation to low blood sugar. If I was no longer absorbing sugar at a predictable rate (or worse yet, dumped on very little sugar) how could I treat a life threatening low? The decision on what surgery is best for all of us is a very personal one! 

Erin,

I'm with you on the regain then lose roller coaster. I've had three decent losses, and while I've never gone back to my all time high - it is clear to me that without a dramatic change I'm not going to be able to make a PERMANENT change for the best. PLUS every time I lose weight, I believe my metabolism shifts down. I really don't need it to become any slower than it already is! In the research I've done, it looks like something about the process of physically reshaping the stomach, allows for our body to "reset" to a lower weight.

I'm going with the RNY because it looks like the very best long term solution. Since I'm at a 35 bmi, my friends and family are pretty against it, even some who have gone through WLS think that the RNY is overkill for my weight, but I want to do this once, do it right, and make this a forever change. I am not going to be limited by my body any more. This is it.