Spinoza

Oh that is beyond sweet.

Did you have the same problems during your liquid and pureed phases? If not it might be worth going back a step to purees as summerseeker has suggested. I do understand that chewing food really thoroughly is basically the same thing, but it takes the guesswork and possibilities for errors out of the equation. I know I am weird but I quite enjoyed my pureed food (because it was my first non-protein drink intake for almost a month). So tasty 😍 At 2.5 weeks I was just just onto pureed food, made with a LOT of liquid, and I was eating about 40-60mls (1-2oz) of goo for a meal, depending on how much protein was in it. We are all so different. I have seen people here thrive on solids much earlier. If your surgical team are confident that it isn't a post op complication you might have room to experiment a little. At 2.5 weeks fluids are paramount - there is wiggle room with protein and other macros in most programmes. I hope it all settles really quickly for you - sounds unpleasant.

Fantastic. Huge congratulations on 7 years and keeping pretty steady. That's the dream. I have learned so much from you - thank you for staying here to help others along the way. Thank you for sharing your photos too, they're amazing!!!

Are you pre or post op?? This is the pre op section so I'm a bit confused (nothing different there). If you're post surgery then definitely follow the advice above. If not, then perhaps just check with your team whether it's appropriate this close to your surgery.

Looks and sounds absolutely luscious 🤩

OMG absolutely this!!!

So many good replies already. I sprinkle seeds onto and into almost EVERYTHING. They are filling and add fab micronutrients. My local supermarket does a big 7 seed toasted mix so I don't have to think about that. Salads big time. Sandwiches. Porridge (oatmeal). And then every dinner. I do this several times a day. These and nuts are my secret weapons.

Just amazing to read this post. I've been here during all of your stages and am so pleased you have ended up exactly where you want to be 💚

Welcome to ONEDERLAND 🙌🎉 Our starting weight is v similar. Getting into the one hundreds was a big thing for me since I hung out so much here. In UK and Ireland we don't do things so much in pounds as in stones sometimes! Anyway, enjoy every milestone on the way down. It's a crazy ride.

Just echoing what the two very experienced forum members say above. A regain in 2nd and 3rd year post op is almost the norm. Please try not to worry about it unduly. Your set point is the weight/body composition that your body wants to hover around. The video below is short and might help. Your set point gets lowered drastically by WLS. But - processed food raises it. Eating cleaner keeps it lower. Building muscle mass keeps it lower. Might those be things you can work on a bit? Lots of people focus on cardio and that's brilliant, but lifting weights or using resistance bands (even if you never do cardio!) can add another really significant layer to that. Do you or have you ever tracked your intake? If that has slipped just tracking again might make you aware of what you're taking in and what you're using up. I am saying this as someone just about 3 years post op who regained 16lbs this year. I personally wasn't happy with that because it didn't stop as others' seems to, so I lost 10lbs by strict keto and am now back where I want to be. I had dietary lapses I needed to correct too and am working on that. I had this surgery to stop dieting - I feel like I can tweak things to keep me where I want to be without that and that I've learned a lot by stepping back and really analysing my intake the last few months. Also huge kudos to you for thinking about this with only 9lbs on. Much easier to look at what you can change now, if you even need to do that, rather than further down the line. I wish you the very best.

Really need a photo of those arms post op at your earliest opportunity, LOL.

Such an inspiring post. Thank you so much for sharing. I hope your recovery is trouble free xxx

OMG what a transformation! Amazing photos.

I am coming at this thread from a slightly different perspective. I'm not a long termer (whose experience I know you were asking for) so please do place more weight on those people's posts. I do rely SO MUCH on the stalwarts here to be my guiding stars and four of them have shared their wisdom already. I have struggled a bit to maintain my loss. I reached my original goal weight about a year after my surgery. The second year or so I lost much more slowly but ended up about 20lbs under my goal. In my third year I slowly regained 16lbs. I eat pretty well I think. I cannot, and never have, eaten breakfast. Coffee only before about 11am. Looking at the link above I do wonder whether I should just start stuffing something down. I think my regain has been due to bits of sneaky sugar creeping in, and alcohol (totally empty calories - if you can do without then this is the smart way forward, I simply cannot completely LOL). I reached a point a couple of months back when I was unhappy, thought I'd gone beyond the well known third year rebound and decided to cut out the sugar and (mostly!) the alcohol. Since then I've lost 10lbs of the 15 I gained. Still loosing now. My maintenance calorific intake seems to be 1500 or a little less. I am pretty tall and moderately active. It's weird because I lost large amounts of weight consistently on much more than this a year ago. I think some people get blessed with a new set point weight that is easier to maintain with a much higher calorific intake and some get cursed with a lower set point so that inhaling a random breath of air containing just a whiff of bacon can disrupt. Sadly I appear to be in the latter category now. Take home message - everyone's weight loss in the initial and the maintenance phases seems to be individual to them. Yes we can look for patterns and try to emulate those in order to maximise our own losses, but it doesn't mean our own loss will follow any particular trajectory. Sugar and alcohol are our enemies. I wish you all the best after your op OP. Keep posting, it's endlessly fascinating to hear others' experiences.

OMG this is absolutely fascinating. Thank you so much for sharing that link. 🌟

Is there any stick with the carrot? As in - if you regain weight whilst waiting for the surgery is there any chance they'll say - well, you couldn't stick the the diet pre-op so you mightn't post op? Not that I think they would, there just seem to be so many ridiculous hurdles to jump though beforehand sometimes. I wouldn't like you to get caught by any of them!

Brilliant news. So pleased for you and I hope the wait isn't the full 4-6 months - that's such a long time to maintain focus.

Oh I love your post. Fab photos too. Enjoy wearing that dress - you totally own it.

I can't afford plastic surgery so have had to make do without. My skin laxity has definitely improved in the almost 3 years since my surgery. I was also certain in the first blush of weight loss in the first year that never would I ever regain even a single ounce, but I did regain quite a lot despite my resolution not to. Haha that's all I have to say! My arms are still the most visible saggy skin I have and they look way better 3 years on. I would rather times a million have this 'problem' than my previous morbid obesity. No brainer. Stomach and bum and legs nobody gets to see and have saggy skin - but also seem better as time progresses. Breasts were the least unforgiving luckily, appearance wise. I know we're all different and we want different things as we progress. Hoping you all get to where you want to be soon. 💚

Oh that's kinda sad surely. Glad you had a good night though!

I have never experienced this with spinach and it's one of my go-to veggies! I hope you don't mind but I did have a good laugh at your description. V funny 🤣 I hope you weren't actually worried!

OMG those photos are amazing. Professionally taken? You look fantastic. Enjoy your big birthday OP. 🙌🍾

So pleased that you're getting on top of this. You have had *such* the journey. It's HARD. Best of luck.

I had no idea gastric balloons were even done any more. Unless this is a different procedure from the days of yore? I think most surgeons abandoned balloons for the safe and considerably more effective sleeve and bypass options. I know those mightn't be an option for everyone of course. Best of luck and I hope it works for you OP. Sounds like you're in a good mind space and that's worth a lot.

So glad to hear you're out the other end of the surgery OP. My advice is prioritise your fluid goals for the first week or two. Honestly vitamins and protein goal and almost everything else can be caught up on later if you can't make them right now.