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You don't do anything, and it's not a real stall! Check out the slow loss thread in success stories or the post I just made in rants/raves last week. Then, take a deep breath, relax and just keep doing what you've been doing. Short breaks, pauses or readjustments are normal and if you want to get real, even stalls (3 weeks or more at the same weight, no movement) are a normal part of the process. No need to mess with your diet or change anything. Just be patient and remember that it takes time to get to goal. If you stop and do the math, you're losing way more than ever before. And if you stop reacting emotionally to the sad news that the scale won't move every day (hate that!) you'll see that there's no way on earth you could NOT lose on 400 calories a day. You'll be fine! Congrats on the new sleeve, ~Cheri

I know it! It can sneak up on any of us and it's a damn shame that it's those snack foods that slide so easily, too! Nobody ever got fat snacking on carrot sticks and hardboiled eggs, did they? ~Cheri

I think that first of all, you've done amazing with your loss so far. Second, just avoiding a gain on that horrible steroid is amazing! I have a friend that has been on it for a long while and for the first time in her life is gaining weight - more than seventy pounds - because they can't figure out what's wrong with her and every time they've tried to take her off her body freaks out and she gets incredibly sick. She's been on it for a year! She needs to see Dr. House... And thank you for the kind words. I'm not always the kindest or most patient voice here on the forums but I genuinely enjoy contributing and I want people that go through experiences similar to mine to know that it is possible, and to keep them feeling motivated to reach for goal. Honestly, it's not entirely altruistic, either - the feedback we get on threads like this motivate ME on my bad days to keep on chugging and doing the right things. This is exactly what VST is for, right? This is exactly the right mindset! It's only about you, and how far you push yourself. You absolutely can do this and there is no expiration date on your sleeve. Look at me, three years out and (slowly, painfully slowly) losing those last few baby pounds. The sleeve still restricts me and it's going to keep helping me, provided I don't try to work around it and cheat myself. Thanks for the contributions, let's keep 'em coming! ~Cheri

I don't like the struggle but I totally relate. Just take it easy and try to explain that you're just a lil crazy right now and it'll get better. My kids are so funny - my daughter (5) knows I love my coffee and ever since the "infamous coffee freakout" (which, incidentally was the first time I ever blew up at my husband in our nine years of marriage!) my daughter asks me if I "need a coffee break" every time we pass a Starbucks sign. So, long story short, if you joke about it with them afterward and explain/apologize as necessary, it doesn't really phase them too much. Good luck! ~Cheri

Man, that was a truly awesome post Globe. I never realized how much contact with my kids or husband helps me relieve stress in an incredibly positive way. How could I be so ignorant of something? Butter, hang in there. There isn't a person here who doesn't know about stress eating (or as Globe listed, all the other "eatings" we use to cope) so you're not alone. We all deal with this and long term success isn't decided on one day's choices, so that's good news if you do slip up and hit the doughnuts. Finding more positive ways to self soothe, or more nutritional choices to cope is best, of course. I surely don't recommend a doughnut binge. It'll just make you feel sick...and you'll still be stressed. ~Cheri

You know, when I'm feeling completely freaked or stressed out the first thing I want extreme control over is my diet/weight. You've not had an easy time of it - this isn't a new thing, it's been ongoing for you for a while now. You probably needed those calories and it is, indeed, a perfectly normal feed day tally. It's a perfectly normal maintenance tally for me these days, too. It's still far less than the average person eats in a day, too. So indeed, do deep breaths as suggested. Let your body heal a bit and take what it needs. Panic mode isn't allowed to happen until you see a jump on the scale! And not a piddly jump - an increase that indicates there's an issue and that hangs around more than a day or two. And quite frankly, while I am very sorry to hear you have health issues going on, given your huge troubles with loss it's not surprising to hear your body has been busy dealing with something else. Best, and be nicer to yourself, lady! ~Cheri

Yes, thank you for the realistic post right up front! And I also thought I'd avoid losing because I hadn't lost a strand by month three but I lost a mini-wookie nearly every day months 4-6 post op before it tapered off and stopped. I will say that my hair got much better, but truth be told it never did go back to where it was prior to surgery. I guess that diet full of fats was really helping my hair be luxurious and shiny more than I realized. No need to stress much about it, though. By about a year out you couldn't tell I'd really lost all that much. ~Cheri

Oh, and DO avoid the gestational diabetes test later if at all possible. Ask to do the jellybean test or to do the fasting blood draw with no glucola. Seriously - I was terribly ill after mine and they even made me repeat it so I had to do it twice. Yuck. ~Cheri

It's up to you. Congrats on your pregnancy. I just continued on with my usual shake - Sytrax Nectars in various flavors. I liked the chewable BellyBar vites because they didn't make me feel so sick, but use what works for you. I was put on additional Iron, B12 and folic acid, so make sure you ask for a panel earlier rather than later to make sure you're doing okay with your nutritional levels. Otherwise, enjoy! I was also on progesterone for several months (injections; we did FET) and found that it did increase my appetite and nausea, but everything went back to normal once I weaned off of it, so if that's an issue for you, know that it gets better. ~Cheri

Hormones fluctuate wildly post op. I also had to stop hormonal birth control because I went from my typical moody self to a raging lunatic. Seriously...coffee is important and all but no good reason to flip out on your poor husband in the morning. I was out of control. It takes a while to adjust and get back to normal. I'm not sure where you're at diet wise but once I was about 6-9 months out I added in more carbs and that helped, too. I don't know about you but I'm not friendly when I low carb it. I get mean if I don't get a good variety of foods. Just keep an eye out for depression and reach out for help if you need it, because it does happen post op more often than you'd think. Other than that...just make nice as often as possible and get ready to apologize! I took a lot of time outs my first several months because I just felt very emotional and moodier than usual. Best of luck! ~Cheri

So, I have a specific request for those still following the thread: Can you list any stalls and how long they were? I did it in my detailed original post, but I want to see what we get. I know that stall posts are inevitable, but we see so many people that just don't bother to flip to page two or three to see this post and get reassurance. Listing them here will not only put the details out there for when we're long gone from these boards but it will also keep the thread alive and out there to keep motivating folks that are feeling discouraged. I stalled around 6 months for 9 weeks. I stalled somewhere between 9-12 months for 9 weeks. I regularly "stall" for nearly three weeks a month. My loss pattern has always been slow, something I find just as frustrating as anyone else, I assure you! It's also hard for me to accept sometimes that all I get as a "reward" for a week's hard work is to see four tenths of a pound drop away. As I slowly work those last seven baby pounds off to return to my initial goal weight, I get just as frustrated as someone that expected to reach goal by 9 months to a year post op. I sometimes have to re-read these posts, too, for reassurance that it was slow going the first time and will eventually happen again. Thanks again to everyone that has and will contribute here. ~Cheri

Great news and far more valuable than the scale goals we let distract us from real success. And every time I see your screen name I think of the Pete the Cat books I read my kids each night... ~Cheri

Gals have hormone fluctuations that can cause gains on the scale, too. I can expect +4 every cycle. We all lose at a different pace. The idea that loss slows after six month is due to the idea that many have lost about half their weight to goal by then, but it's not something you can count on. I had one big loss month (the first) and from that point onward got slower and slower each month. By the third month I was losing less than 10 pounds a month and I only lost 4 in my fifth month. From that point onward, I did a song and dance for anything more than 1 pound a week because it was hard to log even 1 after that point. There's no need to panic. All you really need to do is what you've already been doing. Give your body time to adjust. Be sure to track your intake. It's not something I enjoy doing but it's important to know what you're eating and where you could make improvements. ~Cheri

Try to follow whatever guidelines your surgeon set, and always listen to your body. It's hard to unlearn bad habits we didn't really realize prior to surgery. I was a fast eater - I'd overfill my sleeve before the new full signals had time to register. Go slow and steady and definitely do what you were advised to do and you'll be fine. ~Cheri

Congrats! Enjoy it, you've earned it. ~Cheri

Congrats on losing nine pounds! Globe, I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable with my post! I know I'm not fat, and I also know I should be thankful that I'm so close to my goal again, or that I even reached it once. I didn't mean to be insensitive - I guess it's all perspective. I'm frustrated by my slow pace and by the fact that my clothes don't fit me well again. Crazy as it sounds, even if it's not the same, it reminds me of those slow creeps upward I had prior to surgery. You know, when you outgrow an entire size of clothes and nothing fits right? Ugh. I'm lucky to be where I am, I know that. And I only wish I were still breastfeeding! I had three back to back infections and the third round of antibiotics put the wee one off my milk. Now I'm paying for the privilege to feed her corn syrup. So, the talk about the license reminded me. My military ID still shows me at 200 pounds. But they're strict! Even though I'm technically supposed to change it once my weight changes more than 20 pounds, they still don't want to make me a new one in the ID office. So every dang time I go on post they hassle me about my photo because I'm sixty pounds lighter (close to it, anyway)! I never lied on my IDs about my weight, but it was so nice to be able to write that number on the paperwork and not be ashamed of it. I even remember getting that new ID and being thrilled that the number on the back was less than 250 pounds. I'm doing a normal day today. Hubs' birthday is late August so I'm making a cake for him today. I'm not even in the mood to do anything and don't even like cake, but the kids wanted to give him the cards/gifts they brought and asked if I'd make his favorite. Stepkids leave tomorrow and I'm in a bit of a funk. We don't get to see them nearly enough, though the long visits are taxing. It would be nice to live closer to them, if that didn't mean being closer to their mom, too! Thanks to everyone for the reassuring words yesterday. I'm fine, just a moody little person. And yesterday was my mom's birthday (50th) and her health is poor and she hasn't seen the baby yet because we're not prepared for the long trip (22 hours!) and she can't fly right now. It just puts me in a mood when I have things to worry about. But never mind that, if I didn't have real things to worry about, I'd probably invent them! Hope everyone has a great day - I'm glad everyone is doing so well and is so positive. I need to adjust my attitude, I know. It's definitely that my weight is an easy target, just like prior to surgery. "This is the ONE thing making me unhappy." And it's complete and utter BS and I know that - but it should be easier to shed seven pounds than it is to deal with ex-wives or a troubled stepdaughter or all the other nonsense we have going on all day, every day! And my hubs went back to work today after eleven days home. Boo hoo. Now I'm on solo kid duty again. ~Cheri And hello, DEE! I won't call you Swizzly anymore.

So, I'm totally not helping here. Just a warning. But I can't really eat pancakes post op. Just too...bready? A few bites and I'm done. But I can eat one waffle if that's all I choose to eat for a meal. I do it once or twice a year for Breakfast. That lovely cripsy crust means I can eat a bit more than usual. The recipe I use is sweet enough that all they need is a touch of butter (I use some maple sugar in the batter) and they're good to go. The kids like them enough they warm frozen ones (because of course I triple the recipe so we can freeze a couple dozen) in the toaster and eat them in the car with no syrup while we're out doing errands. Mmmm. Waffles. Waffles are a treat in my house, but definitely not a forbidden food. Except today. Today's a fast day, so no waffles for me. ~Cheri

Vets get their posts locked, too, and because we break the rules (clearly stated and stickied) - it has nothing to do with how long you've been here. I got shut down once for a long, sarcastic rant much along the same lines. It's against the rules. On the same token, if someone is posting things that someone else finds offensive, they should report it. You can't expect the mods to babysit everyone here over every single disagreement. Frankly, I'd rather see less censorship than more, so I'd ask that people control themselves better. I've seen some posts degrade into absolute nonsense and namecalling over something as ridiculous as whether or not it's okay to eat a cheeseburger or eat carbs. Seriously, we're not children. I completely get OPs frustration - both with being locked and with the posts here. But that's how it is. I just skip the posts that sound like something I don't want to read or I don't respond if it's something not worth my time or effort. Someone else is always willing to jump in, so there's no need for me to feel personally vested in the forums here. ~Cheri

Yes! I'm also all about those hip bones and collarbones. I'll touch my collarbones during the day, just because I'm amazed that I can feel them for the first time in my adult life. And I touch my hip bones every single time I lie down in bed each night. I'm just so amazed by the changes in my body, much the way I'm always fascinated by my round belly and fullness when I'm pregnant. Only this is way better, because it doesn't come with sleepless nights or weight to lose. ~Cheri

Made it through my fast day and logged 535 calories - not too shabby. I feel okay on the plan. I think my mental funk lately is just spilling over into other areas so I might just be a negative nancy about my weight right now because it's an easy target. I do feel pretty good on 5:2 - I like that I don't snack as much and getting that reassurance two days a week that I can fast if I want to is nice. It's not that challenging and it's good to feel, I dunno. In charge of my body, maybe? Good news: hubs won't deploy in the very near future. We should expect the call sometime in the next six to nine months, but for now he's here. That's a relief and one less thing to stress about right now. Helping my stepson fill out his college applications and talk about his ROTC scholarship application. Yikes! I can't believe he's so grown up! I'm off to lend a hand with all the mumbo jumbo seventeen year old boys don't bother knowing, like what city he was born in and what day his parents' divorce was final. Later, I hope everyone had a good day! ~Cheri

Fasting. Will start with a protein coffee in an hour or so. Coops, good luck with the hormones - they do wacky things to our bodies. I'm winding down and some house guests will be gone by Wed, the rest by the following Friday. I am so ready to have my house back! I'm also tired of making large meals. I love cooking but two meals a day for six to nine people for seven weeks gets pretty old, pretty fast. Weight is holding steady where it's been since the 23rd of July. I go up and down the same four tenths of a pound but never log an actual loss by the end of the week. My last loss of more than four tenths of a pound was my second or third week, I think. I just want to lose five more pounds so that I can be at the bottom of my maintenance window again, but it appears it will be a challenge to do it. In better news, I can at least button the snuggest pants from my pre-baby wardrobe, even if I don't want to wear them out just yet. Husband thinks they look great, go figure. Between the residual baby puffiness (especially in my upper arms, middle and thighs) and the seven extra pounds that won't go away I'm just finding that I feel more frustrated keeping it in my mind and focusing on it, partly by doing 5:2 - which I really think is just reinforcing an eating method and not really doing anything to help me shed weight. I can see why there was such a strong push for a private group - too many of the PMs I got and questions being asked assumed 5:2 was a quick was to log a lot of loss and it's just not. If I'm feeling this frustrated, I can only imagine how those that haven't lost are feeling. I'm just in a mood, apparently. I'll log back on later to detail my fast day. I'm going to stick with it - no giving up and saying forget it, even though I have serious doubts that it's actually doing anything. ~Cheri

Nothing. You do nothing. Hormones cause a spike in weight for me. I gain about four pounds each month around my cycle. I can even jump up as many as EIGHT pounds overnight if I exercise strenuously the night before. You've dropped a large amount of weight in a very short time and your body is in shock. It'll take a while for the bouncing on the scale to stop, and you might even see a stall for a while. Just relax and let it happen at your body's pace. No need to fiddle with your diet or your routine. ~Cheri

Sorry to hear about your struggles! I hope that you get some normalcy soon...and some relief. Things will most assuredly taper off, so here's hoping that the rest of your journey is less stressful and traumatic for your body. ~Cheri

I know they fall for it. I just saw my friends on Facebook lamenting the lack of a non-pork Gelatin in Lucky Charms type cereals! If you keep kosher/halal you can't eat them, but many that used to eat them before observance miss them. It's definitely a nostalgia food for many. Not for me. I was that weird kid asking for corn flakes or Cheerios instead of sugary cereals. If there's even a remote chance that there's a market for a food, the marketing folks are going to find it. And all too many parents buy themselves "special" foods and eat them but won't allow their kids to do it. My neighbor keeps an entire shelf on her pantry of junk food but won't let her kids have any. And she wonders why they insist on binging on sugar when they are at a friend's house whose parents allow it. Either keep it out entirely, or teach moderation, silly! ~Cheri

Same issue but for me it fades with time. Since it's more important that you get some of this supplemental nutrition, consider gummies for a short time. Not long term - they are definitely not as well rounded as a traditional multi. But for that period of time when everything makes you feel nauseated it can help. I eventually found that a chewable prenatal vitamin didn't cause me any issues and even had some iron it it, as well. Find what works. If this particular vitamin isn't working now, set it aside and try something new, and go back to it and try it again in a month or so. Good luck, ~Cheri