faithstar

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I'm 6.5 months out and have lost around 85 pounds. I was eating around 1200 calories a few months back but my weight loss was really incredibly slow. I then had some stress at home and without meaning to was consuming from 600-800. Now I have on average around 700-900 but I can't seem to get back to the 1200 I was aiming for before. My weight loss really sped up on less calories, even though my exercise routine stopped due to stress at home. I'm really worried about my hair because I'm thinking if I was eating slightly more, maybe my hair wouldn't be falling out so much. You can't notice it to look at me but if i pull my outer layer of hair up I can see some new thin hairs growing close to my scalp. Does it make a huge difference to hair loss if I am at 800 or 1200 calories? My mum wants me back at least up to 1000 but psychologically it's hard now. I've accidently noticed my weight loss speed up when I eat less and now I'm trying to keep it at a maximum of 800. I heard a while back that people lose more if they eat more and I was aiming at 1200 then but the weight loss was about a pound a week so for some reason the 700-800 calories pushed it to 3 pounds a week, even though I wasn't doing exercise. I'm not sure what to do. Is 800 really very low?

I have lost around 65 pounds so far and have another 70 odd to go. I have done this in 5 months. The last month I have only lost 5.5 pounds and am a bit worried that this will continue every month and it will take ages to lose the weight. I went to a support group last night and a lady said she lost 50 pounds in a year and has been stalling ever since and has 100 pounds to go, which worried me a bit. I eat 1000 calories a day now, with regular activity. I have been very bloated the last two weeks though and haven't had a period in a year.

Hey everyone- I'm 5 months out and have been losing well and consistently. I'm a bit nervous as I'm starting a beauty therapy course in less than three months (which involves us waxing each other's legs in week 2!) and I can tell I'm getting nervous as I'm impatient with my weight loss. I have another 70 odd pounds to go and it's been crawling over the last three weeks. It's been one pound, then one pound, then almost two. I guess it's not that bad but I'm imagining how slow that will be if it carries on at just a pound a week every week. Did you guys have moments of slow, crawling weight loss followed by sporadic quick weight loss? I eat 800-1100 a day. I have only healthy foods, mainly protein; which is more that carb intake. I also exercise everyday for at least 30 minutes and I change things up a lot. The two issues I have are a lack of periods, which had led to some odd bloating issues over the last two weeks. On the first week I went down one pound and put on two and it took me 6 days to lose all three! A bit manic...

I know this isn't the prettiest topic but I've noticed since upping protein I am very constipated. This morning I was in agony and it really worried me a little. I took stool softening fibre cubes last night, which obviously moved the stools along but didn't soften them greatly! I don't want to start eating masses of fruit a day, although some would be good. I'm just wondering what the best fibre rich foods/supplements are. I used to take senekot which did some of the trick. Is it worth trying milk of magnesia?

thank you for your responses! It does help to read that other people have the same issues and this is all part and parcel of the process. It's so easy to get frustrated with the scales and because I weigh every day, it feels like a week is a month! I've been a bit scared about having a stall and having it last for months and months...I've heard of that happening to people on occassions with no apparent reasoning and I think that worries me whenI hit a stall! I've just realised, I started drinking flat diet coke over the last 3 or 4 weeks and not as much water... Also I suspect I might be having pms without the actual deal...if that makes sense? lol...my hormones are a bit messed up at the minute!

I am five months out and so far have been losing pretty consistently. I lose around 2-3 pounds every week. The last two weeks, I've had some odd changes on the scales and am unsure of the reasons. I lost 1 pound in a day and the next day I put on 2 pounds, which took me almost a week to lose again. In the next week I lost nothing. My periods have stopped for ten months because the GP said it was due to sudden weight loss and weight gain but I'm sure I've been having premenstrual symptoms for nearly two weeks now. My abdomen and fingers are swollen, which makes me think it may be fluid retention, as nothing else can explain a pound weight loss and then a sudden one day weight gain. I'm eating mainly proteins and today was very constipated, even though I take stool softening tablets. I was in agony this morning. In terms of my food, I eat from around 800 calories to 1100 and have started an exercise routine the past two weeks of one hour a day on the epilictical machine and treadmill. I also walk a lot but I don't drink enough water! I know it's terrible and I find excuses but I'm pretty forgetful I suppose. I have a litre a day, if that!

Hi everyone. I'm 5 months post op and very happy with my sleeve. I have had bouts of acid reflux but noticed I have no signs of hunger...until the last few days. I caught a tummy bug and was unable to eat for a few days without nausea and couldn't sleep. Those last few nights I had the strangest empty/hollow sensation. I was convinced it was me feeling hungry as I used to get that same feeling pre-op if I went without food for hours. But when I ate I felt sick and it wouldn't go away. I got it only at night when I couldn't rest or sleep. It's that kind of feeling where you haven't eaten for ages that it makes you feel so sick- it's not just feeling sick...if that makes sense?! I'm feeling better today but again I can't sleep and the gnawing feeling won't go. I had a rice cake as a small snack and I still have this hollow feeling. It really does feel like the times pre op when I had a insatiable hunger...

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It's been 5 months (almost) since my sleeve operation and its been a huge success to me and I'm very happy. Every so often, however, I get a bit paranoid about things running smoothly and I must admit I'm confused about the last few days. Since the op, the hunger pretty much went, however, the first month I had some physical twinges in my belly that felt like hunger and they attacked at night. Then those feelings went and it was literally a chore to eat food. The last few days, however, I actually have woken up with these physical hunger sensations, and I've felt a bit of an urgency to eat. This feels a bit odd to me, I suppose, since I haven't had that in a while. It goes a little after I eat but I notice, even when I'm stuffed, that feeling of 'emptiness' is lingering there. I've gotten use to eating breakfast quite late in the day, without a hungry feeling but the last few mornings my hunger pangs felt almost comparable to the days before my op. I'm wondering if this is true hunger or possibly to do with acid but it's been bothering me a bit. I'm eating from around 800 to 950 calories a day and losing consistently every week, so I haven't had a true stall and I know I can't complain. Psychologically I get scared when I get this almost ravenous feeling that I will somehow 'lose control' with food like before the op. I actually woke up in the middle of the night last night with this hungry feeling and am unsure why it's been there so strongly simply over the last few days. I have been quite ill recently and have almost lost my voice, so have been staying at home feeling a bit useless with myself, which I'm sure isn't helping the food thoughts too!

I am over 3 months out and VERY happy with my weight loss success. The only thing is, I notice my eating ability changes day to day. At the weekend I went out to a greek restaurant and could barely touch more than a bit of lamb. The next day I had just less than half a slice of toast and I was STUFFED. But then on other days, like today I can eat more. I have been feeling so ill and made myself a piece of toast and managed a whole slice of it. Later on in the day I had a small low fat side dish indian potato and vegetable curry for 180 calories and could eat it in just around 30 minutes with a few breaks. Other days, I feel like I can't eat much at all and I'm worried I'm suddenly going to be able to eat larger portions of food. I don't touch cookies, candies, chips, cakes, ice cream and decided not to as I was addicted to these foods and find if I don't touch them, I won't get the urge to binge. I never eat in a way that is unhealthy now so I'm confident that I won't cheat the sleeve in terms of drinking high calorie drinks or lots of ice cream BUT am worried I can eat too much food such as bread. But it is amazing how it can change from day to day...what I can manage one day and think is a slider, the next I can't even touch. My family are happy when I can eat a bit more because I do hardly touch my food when I am out with them, so it's a victory for them when they see me eat a piece of toast and they say, "well done, you managed it!" Which is quite sweet actually...am I worrying for nothing?

I am two months out and not sure if I've really experienced a true slider food for me. I can eat a piece of toast but it still makes me full, it just means I can have more of that than a piece of chicken or ham. But from what some people have said about certain things like chocolate, popcorn, ice-cream etc, it almost gave me an impression that the feeling of restriction is not very much there and I'm worried how I will cope with those foods. I'm scared I will eat a bit of a cookie and will be able to eat 5 or 6 in one go or be able to binge on all sorts of cakes and candy (even though this is not my intention and I fear this) I'm sure this isn't the case for everyone but I remember this stuck in my head after reading a few stories about people being able to carry on eating certain things with almost no restriction and that worried me. I was always a junk eater, and even though I'm eating so healthily now, I don't want to lose control and I fear slider foods so much, I think my stomach will let it all pass through. I'm not talking about the obvious stuff like calorie laden milkshakes and ice cream but surely this must make people feel quite sick to sip on these things?

wow I just noticed the 305 pounds lost too! That's awe inspiring! Any tips for 2 month sleevers, like moi? x

First of all, DON'T BEAT YOURSELF UP. The more you feel guilty, the more you feel like a failure, the more it will send you back to the ice cream. You are still human, slim people eat like that at times but because they don't have guilt issues it becomes more of a one off. Let yourself relax a bit and remind yourself of how much you have lost. You have not ruined anything- you are simply human and we ALL make mistakes here and there along the way. If one petal falls from a rose, would you destroy the whole flower? You ate 1600 calories at worst. Now that is fine! It's not 3000 calories. Turn it into a positive- maybe it gave your body a boost, so when you go back to the 800 or whatever calories you will drop again. Your mind is almost trying to sabotage here by making you think your old habits are returning. Truth is, these things can happen but it doesn't mean they will become habits again after a week unless you allow them to. Please take my advice: dust yourself off, remind yourself of how well you have done. Have faith in your sleeve. The reason there is not much restriction is because you are eating slider foods. Grab the Protein, tell yourself you have NOT failed. You are just human. And you can do it! I promise you, let go of the fear of failure because that in itself will make you want to comfort eat. This is for life. It's not a diet, not a one month weight watchers adventure. You have done so well and you will carry on doing well if you believe it to be so. Do something to make yourself feel good for now. Pamper yourself and talk to a friend or family member. Exercise and carry on. After a week of getting back on track, those fears will begin to go. GOOD LUCK- YOU CAN DO IT!!!

haha! That's very true, isn't it? Protein is so filling on the sleeve but that toast just seems to go down like a treat!