maintenanceman

I definitely understand that. I look in the mirror and still think I should maybe lose more... which is ridiculous as I'm already right on the edge of being too thin. I'm still trying to figure out the upper limit of what I can/should eat.

Yes. I kinda sorta don't recognize the "old" me... even though that's the size I was for 30 years.

I'll start with a question for my maintenance buddies: Do you ever "forget" you had surgery and it becomes a new normal? I think about my sleeve/food all the time... as much as I did when I was actively losing. I'm always aware that I've had surgery, and I'm always trying to figure out when and how to eat. It's not a bad thing.. just a thing.

I love this. You will achieve all of these and more!

Peanut butter is calorie dense. A little goes a long way given your very low calorie restriction right now, so watch your portion size. --- Note: this isn't the best thread for this question as it's focused on non-scale victories. There are other threads about post-op food choices. https://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/1048-food-and-nutrition/

I agree. It's all trial and error. I stay in and around 2000, and I have been maintaining since December. When I started maintenance, I tried to stay below 1600, but that wasn't enough. I ended every day too hungry. More than anything, listen to your body. It will tell you when it needs more food (or needs less). Post-op, most of my head hunger is gone. My body does a good job of telling me when its hungry. I watch my weight like a hawk, weigh every morning. I know some people advise against it, but it works for me.

She and I are the same height, so BMI targets are the same. The BMI formula is the same for women and men. We all know BMI is a less than ideal measure, but it's a reasonable approximation of what a "healthy" weight is. 130 is really scraping the bottom of the "healthy" BMI range.

I'm currently in maintenance and trying to accustom myself to what that means in terms of diet. Yesterday was wonky. I ate all good stuff but too much of it. Nothing ridiculous, maybe 300 calories over maintenance, but I know it can be a slippery slope. I think the culprit was too many slider foods... soup, yogurt, protein shake, etc. I stayed hungry even when I kept eating. I am concerned, however, that my cravings felt "out of control," like they did pre-op. How do you deal with cravings when you have them? Do you have any techniques?

Hey there veterans! I'm 18 months post-op, in maintenance for 9 months. My weight has remained rock solid stable with maybe a 1 lbs. regain. I'm very pleasantly surprised... and... I don't want to be lulled into complacency. For those of you who have had significant regain, when did your regain start? What do you think led to the regain? Thank you for your insight.

Same. It's what keeps me from overeating. The downside... well, not really a downside... is that I am always very aware of my sleeve. I spend a lot of time thinking about food and how my stomach will respond to various foods. I never forget that I have a sleeve. That's a good thing overall, but it is something to be mindful of.

This is interesting. It seems to me that maintenance for me right now has more to do with metabolic adjustment than straight CICO. I notice that no matter what/how I eat, my weight remains stable. That's not to say that I'm indulging in garbage food, eating large quantities, etc... but my weight doesn't seem to depend strictly on what I'm eating. It seems that my body has arrived at a set point that it's trying to maintain. My weight pre-op was also rock solid stable. No matter what I ate, I hovered around 235 for most of my adult life. I'm curious if the same dynamic will apply to this new weight.

It actually took me about 9 months to lose it. I'm sure you're going to do great! Folks who start with a relatively low BMI tend to perform very well.

I'm 18 months post-op, and my stomach still makes all manner of noises on occasion. I always say, my sleeve is like a box of chocolates. I never know what I'm going to get.

5 mile hike today! Would have been inconceivable pre-op. I was so terrified to do anything physical because I never knew if my body would cooperate. Feels great to know that my body is now my friend, not my nemesis.

Things shift around once you reach maintenance, and it no longer hurts to sit.

My starting weight was 5'7", 235 lbs... so close to the same BMI as you. Similar to you, I wondered if I was "big enough" to get the surgery... but I had increasing health issues... diabetes and sleep apnea. I am SO GLAD I DID IT. I lost all of my excess weight, my diabetes is in remission, and I no longer have sleep apnea. And I love the way I look. The reality is, even though you're not morbidly obese, the likelihood of you losing and keeping off a substantial amount of weight is near zero (as you've discovered). Weight loss surgery is the only evidence-based means of losing and maintaining the kind of loss we need to achieve a healthy weight. Here is a video about Low BMI weight loss surgery outcomes. You can also search these forums for "low BMI." There are lots of us who have gone through the same questions you have.

My weight loss dramatically slowed down by month 8, but I did lose a little more. My body was done by month 11, and I was happy with where I landed. Keep pushing until you reach the 12 mo mark, if you can. I bet you have at least another 5-10 pound loss ahead of you. That said, when your body is done, it's done.

So great that you're tracking your body fat. I have done three body fat DEXA scans. I was down to 18% when I hit my goal weight. I wish I had started earlier so I knew what my baseline was.

Thank you. I'm proud of you, too. Down 76 lbs. in only 4 months. Go, you!

Before I lost the weight, I cringed any time I saw a camera and lived in fear of photos being posted online. Now, I'm like, take all the pictures you want. I'm constantly posting selfies and pictures of myself with others online. It's so much fun. One of my favorite NSV.

I'm 51 yo male, considering a full extended tummy tuck (loose skin from WLS) and chest lift w/ nipple grafting (gynecomastia). At what point (weeks/months) am I likely to be fully recovered, feel "good as new" / "back to normal"?

Thank you. Are you glad you did it? Happy with the results? Any regrets?

So, I'm on month 7 of maintenance. After being rock solid stable for 6.5 months, I recently regained 1-2 pounds (beyond normal fluctuation), probably due to too much snacking. I'm still well within range of a healthy BMI, but I worry about regain creep. I'm curious what veterans think is the best approach. Should I try to lose those couple of pounds or think of it as a warning sign to be more careful? At what point do you set a limit for when you need to lose weight again?

Are you required to lose weight before the surgery?