StarPower

Hi, I could use any insight or encouragement. I'm 2 years post VSG and had been maintaining 138 for about a year, I think (I was briefly slightly lower but I don't count that). I'd noticed it getting a little tougher to maintain my weight. I recently had an egg retrieval procedure (as in IVF, although I actually froze the eggs for later), and I'm planning on more similar procedures. They told me I would gain 3-5 pounds of water weight and should lose it within a week after the procedure. Well, I gained 5 lbs. (up to 143) and even two weeks later had lost nothing. I'm afraid my body was just looking for an opportunity to gain weight back and won't be able to lose the weight--and I especially don't want to keep gaining more weight with each additional procedure. I decided to start dieting, and after 4 or 5 days I've gained a half pound. I'm doing some SlimFast and adding some Quest snack bars and a tiny amount of fruit. Maybe that's the wrong diet but I don't know what else to do? I've never had to attempt deliberate weight loss since my surgery. I have to think my caloric intake was already pretty low to begin with (and maybe also my metabolism?), but I didn't even count--does anyone have an estimate? I think I'm a special case due to my bariatric status, and it didn't seem like the fertility practitioners had any knowledge to help me.

Hi, I had a VSG in December 2016 and have been generally very happy with the results. I have gone from 224 to about 140 (I say about because I recently realized my scale isn't accurate--so frustrating!). So... It's been over 14 months, I've lost more than the expected amount of weight, and I haven't seemed to lose (or gain) weight in the past couple of months. I'm guessing I may be done or I may get minimal additional weight loss from this point. Anyone been there, done that and have advice on navigating that transition? I've been very focused on whether I'm under or over the top of the "normal" weight range (I should be just barely under if my above-stated weight is accurate). That feels very important to me even though I weigh SO MUCH less than I did! I'm happy to have my life back, but I admit it's a little bit of a downer not to see the needle keep moving down. Also, I definitely don't want to gain weight back. I'm getting a lot more exercise now than I was before, but I'm concerned that will change after I move to a colder climate in a few months. I've noticed I can sometimes eat a surprising amount of food, like most of a restaurant portion of lasagna, or even 2 slices of pizza. Is that normal? For some reason, the healthier food, like meat, seems more likely to make me sick to my stomach. And after a long time being unable to tolerate much of it, I find I can eat chocolate again--probably not a great thing. And my reflux has come back with a vengeance after being completely absent for at least a few months after surgery. Most of all, I want to keep the freedom of not worrying about food I've had for the past year. Long-time veterans: did you keep off everything you lost? How? Is it realistic to expect I can continue to maintain my weight without dieting or putting much thought into it?

Hi all, I'm at 2 weeks, 5 days, and things have generally been going pretty smoothly. I'm on purees, which I'm bored with, but I've been sticking to the diet. I've had no problems eating anything so far, although I did notice cream of wheat filled me up faster than anything else, and I couldn't finish my small portion. My doctor told me to expect to feel full all the time following surgery. Instead, I've been feeling hungry since I was in the hospital even! I find myself thinking about food seemingly more often than before the surgery, maybe because before, as soon as I thought about food, I could eat. Now I sit around looking up recipes for things I can't eat yet. The smell of food will trigger hunger--just about any food smells amazing to me at this point. Here's the thing: feeling discomfort or pain in my chest might stop me from eating any more, but it's not what I think of as being full. At least, it's not "good full." What I haven't had since the surgery is that feeling that something's 'hit the spot', that I've had enough but not too much, that I'm satisfied. Will I ever feel that way again? It feels like a trick, that I have to stop eating before I feel full. Will it get better once I can eat solids? I haven't noticed any change in my taste in foods so far--not sure if everyone does. So far, everything I've eaten has tasted just the same as before, and I crave the same things.

I had a sleeve on 12/28/16, so it's been 2 1/2 weeks. I've lost 15 pounds so far. Is that below average? I had rapid weight loss from getting out of the hospital until the 1 1/2 week mark, then a 6-day plateau and just finally lost a couple more pounds. I can't explain the plateau--I was still on a liquid diet when it started!