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Hi Guys, I'm thinking of going on the Mountjaro - how are you getting on with it ? I'm not sure whether to opt for a gastric sleeve or injections because I'm concerned when the jabs stop, I'll gain weight again. 😣

I've been doing a lot of reading lately about post-bariatric surgery life, and something that's really started to concern me is weight cycling. I know I'm only 15 months out from my gastric bypass and have made great progress (73 lbs down, Yay! 😄), but I've been seeing some articles that have me a bit worried about maintaining this loss long-term. I came across a study published on PMC, "Weight Gain After Bariatric Surgery: a Systematic Review" (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4232339/), which discussed how some bariatric patients experience weight regain. It really got me thinking about how crucial it is to not just lose the weight, but to keep it off. Then I found another article, "How to Avoid Weight Cycling and Maintain Your Weight Loss" (https://slimvive.com/avoid-weight-cycling-and-maintain-your-weight-loss/), which offered some practical advice on preventing regain. It's just a bit daunting to think about, especially when I'm still figuring out how to balance everything, getting enough protein, managing my blood sugar, and those 1/4 cup portions😣. Has anyone else felt this concern about weight cycling after reading up on it?

Just hoping to reach out, to gain strength from my own weakness and now the gained 50 lbs I surely can not have. Backdrop, I had gastric bypass in 2012. Never had any real issues. All was good. I took all my vitamins did everything I was supposed to do. 7 years ago I broke my L1. And my L2. They discovered I had Osteoporosis at age 53 and with no family history and all my blood work every year looking fantastic, that slowed me down quite a bit. Here we are at a whopping 238. The last thing I need on my spine is more weight. Broke my l1 again not sure but I am guessing I best get busy and get this weight off. I am struggling. I am truthfully not hungry most the time. I am binge eating nothing horrible but certainly enough to help pack it on. I think most of my weight packed on when I started working from home and had access to everything. I think I just need some help getting started again of what I'm supposed to do going back to the basics of the beginning and since I know this. Why is it so hard for me to do it? If you had regained and lost the weight again, tell me how you did it. Give me a starting point

Only you can decide if surgery is right for you, but if you are obese, you overeat... full stop. One fundamental rule of weight loss is that you cannot break the laws of thermodynamics. If you eat fewer calories than you burn, you'll lose weight and if you eat more calories than you burn, you'll gain weight. I know some people don't like to hear that, or think it doesn't apply to them, but physics is physics. You can't add body mass unless those calories are in excess of the number your body needs to keep you alive. Look at it like this: your body burns a certain number of calories per day. It's not exactly the same every day, but for most folks, it stays fairly consistent. The problem is in your case, you stated you only eat 1400 calories a day. That number alone is completely meaningless. Because weight loss, weight maintenance, or weight gain are all about energy balance, you also have to also know how many calories you burn in a day. If you are gaining weight on 1400 calories per day, there are only two possibilities: You are underestimating how much you actually eat. I know you probably think you're being accurate, but underestimation is incredibly common. Study after study shows that almost everyone underestimates how much they actually eat, even if they think they are accurately measuring everything. Part of that is measurement error, part is variation in foods, part is failure to count certain parts of a meal, part is "eyeballing" foods, and part is due to inaccurate calorie listings. The bottom line is that calorie counting is hard and often not nearly as accurate as we like to think. You may have an exceptionally low resting metabolic rate. As I said, 1400 calories consumed per day is irrelevant because you don't actually know how many calories you burn in a day. Since the basic principle here is you have to consume less than you burn per day to lose weight, 1400 calories consumed doesn't matter if you don't also know how many calories you are burning. Let's move on to how surgery works. Bariatric surgery works primarily by simply limiting how much someone can eat. Yes, there are also hormonal changes, but those are about satiety, so in your case, those may be less important. There is also some reduction in intake calories through reduced absorption (yes, even in sleeve surgery), but that's a fairly minor component overall. At the end of the day, this is no different than weight loss drugs like GLP-1s, or even diets. They are all designed to reduce calorie intake. If you truly have no problems dieting, then it sounds like you need to just reduce your calorie intake until you start losing at a sustainable rate. You need to forget what someone may have told you about how many calories you're "supposed to" eat to lose weight, because it sounds like that whatever that number was, it's not the correct number for you. Once you're losing at about a 2-3% per month rate, just stay there until you reach your goal weight. This should be simple for you since you said you have no problems sticking to a diet. Best of luck.

I was never big (sans the past 3 years prior to WLS where I had a bad injury that caused the weight gain), was in shape most of my adulthood. However, what feels so weird is fitting into my 10 year old's clothes, buying off the children's section, buying smaller shoes (yep, my feet dropped a whole size), and looking at pants I'd be sure wouldn't go past my knees that would end up fitting perfectly. I've never been an XXS, and this still weirds me out.

I'm a 40 y/o mom of 3. HW 265, GW 150, CW 142. Sleeved January 2023. I loss my first 90 lbs within 6 months of being sleeved and maintained for another 6 months (without quite getting to goal). Unfortunately, at the beginning of 2024 I had some health issues (unrelated to the sleeve) and had to have a total hysterectomy. I turned to my old comfort of eating and gained 20 lbs in 2 months. My appetite came back with a vengeance and my head hunger was getting the best of me. In a moment of panic, I seen my Dr and she prescribed Zepbound. OMG, where has this drug been my whole life?! I loss the 20 lbs. I gained plus the rest of the weight I needed to lose to get to goal weight within 5 months. Unlike the sleeve, Zepbound also helps with the head hunger which is an issue for A LOT of us. It's truly a miracle drug! I was on Ozempic pre-surgery for diabetes and it did NOTHING for weight loss so I didn't expect much from Zep but turned out pleasantly surprised. Despite severe constipation in the beginning, my side effects are minimal and manageable. I feel like Zepbound + my gastric sleeve was a match made in heaven. My health is the best it's been in 20+ years. Diabetes gone, fatty liver gone, triglycerides were high and are now in a normal range. My life no longer revolves around food and for once I feel "normal." I maintain with 10mg every 10 days and it's been working perfectly.

Goodness I cannot believe that my 15 year surgery anniversary will be in October! A friend of mine is considering weight loss surgery so I went looking for this forum again and thought I would do a quick update! I had a VSG in Mexico (Mexicali) in October of 2010. I had zero complications and went from a surgery weight of 276 down to about 125ish. Size 24 to size 0. I had plastics in 2013ish (breast, arms, and tummy). I gained up to about 150/160 and stayed there for many years. Over the past 6 to 7 years I have gained weight thanks to nursing school and the pandemic 🥴 but I'm happy with where I am! I am currently at 170 and in a size 8. (Lots of weight/skin in leg area). My surgery continues to be the best thing that I ever did for myself. The only drawback is that I have GERD, and cannot skip a day without Omeprazole. My labs are fantastic. I can eat pretty a normal size meal but still have some restriction if I go over that. I'll try to remember to come back incase anyone has questions but really I don't think about the surgery or food much anymore 🤗

I am so glad you came back in the forum. You have made the big step by admitting your weight gain. It happens. To me you have done great, only 50 pounds on in 13 years means you have been on it. I have seen this advice given to others - You need to prioritise protein, then veggies. Up your water. Try to quell the snacks. Exercise more. You need a calorie deficit. Good luck, you will get lots of help from other members who know more than me.

Sort of. I've always dressed a little more alternative/gothic, but considering most of those fashions don't come in plus sizes I've mostly just made do with black leggings and black tops. Now, I'm a size 14 (uk) so I can actually start buying and wearing all the clothes I've always wanted to wear! I do think that I've gain more confidence since I lost weight and that means I've starting taking more time and put more effort into makeup and hair etc.

Are you a bot? Your old 300lb body was telling you something about your health. Here’s the truth. Don’t follow any recommendations for health and fitness. There, you will gain the weight back exponentially. The next time you try to be healthy again, it will be near impossible, even with surgery and medication. I thought you wanted a child? Isn’t modeling for that child healthy habits good parenting? You can do hard things. Ask for a therapist, dietitian, medical reports, take child care classes, marriage counseling, run away from abuse, get post partum care. Do it for your kid if you won’t do it for yourself.

My lap band removal was terrible. I lost a lot of weight in the beginning and ended up gaining all my weight back and then some after a couple years of having the band. I kept it about 10 years. I had my band out last January and ended up having bypass last October. The band removal was very uncomfortable, i had a drain and I just felt overall terrible compared to bypass which was an easy surgery for me….that band was the Bain of my existence personally….bypass a lot lot lot better so far for me. Good luck and get that miserable thing out.

Hi Friends. I’m here asking for help with a sample daily diet. I had GB In October of 2019. Highest weight 305. I got to 217 within a year and have slowly gained I’m sitting at 241 right now. I still have some restrictions but I think I’m just all over the place. I need a re-boot diet. Can anyone help or point me in the right direction? I tried going back to my post surgery diet but having a hard time. I feel like I’m blowing in the wind, some days I’m vegan, some days I’m low carb. Ughhhhh Side Note: I still feel good and my labs are perfect now.

Okay, but I’m asking because if I don’t have to do a surgery I won’t. I’m thinking ten years from now. When I’m 56 will I be back here now. At 275 my weight loss on zepbound has slowed. That’s ~45 lbs drop. But I don’t want to go through surgery to only get to 250 because if I gain 20 lbs in 10 years I’ll be back here.

Thank you! I've read numerous posts about "set points" and always thought if it was actually a thing then why did I need surgery (my body would have stopped at its set point) or why even bother giving plans for exercise if my body has a "set" point!? I realize that most of it is to get our minds set to a healthier way of thinking with follow through, but its simple math: calories in vs. Calories out vs. Bodies requirement = weight/health. Nothing has really changed other than our awareness of this math and adherence to it. It all comes down to calories in calories out. If set points were actually a thing none of us would have needed surgery. Anyone can gain weight if we exceed calories beyond daily needs or lose if we exceed calorie burn. Even those ppl who are bone thin and complain no matter what they do they can't put weight on, if they exceed needs everyday they too would gain. Thank you for an excellent post!

@@AmberFL I get between 1700 and 1900 calories per day right now, it's working well for me. I'm having a surgery tomorrow though and won't be able to work out for a least 3 -4 weeks and will likely try to cut my calories to 1400 per day to avoid weight gain in that time. We'll see how well that goes, lol.

It is not, I assure you Have you factored in your implant weight? 5-7 lbs is not a big fluctuation if you ask me, people's weights can vary by 5 lbs a day. How's your cycle? Water intake? Protein? Muscle mass? Honestly, I don't think 7 lbs are worth stressing over at all, unless you see a steady pattern of weight gain over time, which in any case can be addressed and reversed. I say you are doing fantastic

Hi all - I think it was perhaps about a year ago that I stopped losing weight and even gained a few pounds. My doctor suggested weight loss medication. That has been helping. I am concerned about when I transition off the meds.

Amazing. Thank you so much. I just did my monthly inbody test and I've lose 4 kgs of fat and gained 2 kgs of muscles so I must be doing something right haha. And it made me excited to push through because I only lost 900g of "weight" so ya I should throw out the scale. I do want to build habits which I can sustain forever. So that's why my workouts and food are very normal and not special food for right now! Let's see how it goes!

CONGRATS!!!! so proud of u and u look fantastic!!! yesss they say u will gain abit now then it will stop at the perfect weight as u say 120 lbs is a safe spot and then u learn to maintain .. it iwll take time adjusting but u can do it!!! as long as u eat good whole food and MOVE MOVE MOVE then u r sorted.. believe it or not i am not even at my goal weight and apparently i am eating at my maintenance and its so annoying. if i undereat, then i am dead hungry!!! so i am about to hire a coach to help me and hopefully start losing again... i can still eat the same but i should burn more ahhh and obviously being consistent, i am perfect 5 days a week and i indulge on the weekend. so i need to reduce my cals for sure.. its so weird how much i can. anyways i am well aware of what needs to be done and tahts step 1

@MrBeeswax I'd say the same thing, there are no limits here. I've looked through a number of scientific papers on weight regain and insufficient weight loss after bariatric surgery and about the only thing you'd find if you do the same is that the data is all over the place. I've seen numbers from as low at 10%, all the way up to 80% of patients regain some weight. The reason for that is there's very little consensus on defining what weight regain even means. If, for example, I lose too much weight, then gain back a bit, some studies would include me the the weight regain numbers. I'd say that's a healthy thing to have happened. I suspect @SouthernSleever fits into that category, though I obviously don't know for sure. One other thing you'll find in those studies is that a lot of the patients that regain a lot of weight or failed to lose enough weight tend to be "non-adherent", meaning it's their behaviors, not the tool that's the real issue. We say this a lot here on this board, but it's worth repeating: Bariatric surgery does not fix your head. If you're not willing to commit to learning how to eat better and move more, then you too may be one of those that "fails" bariatric surgery. I would strongly urge you to keep that in mind if you do pursue surgery. You absolutely can reach a healthy weight, but surgery is not a miracle cure. I takes a ton of hard work and commitment to be successful.

I was sleeved in 2016. Lost weight, but no where near goal. Gained it all back. I just had a revision to a bypass this week (Jan 13). Things are going fine, almost too fine. Minimal discomfort, I have no problem keeping fluids or protein down. I am eating about 600 calories per day with 80 grams of protein. I’m not hungry. (I am on a 3 week liquid diet post op at the moment.) I also haven’t lost any weight. Does this sound normal?

That's not how this works. You're basing how much you should be eating on some external factor, whether it's what someone told you is the right amount, or based on past experiences. Neither of those things matter AT ALL. PCOS has 2 potential impacts on your body when it comes to weight gain: It can make you eat more and it can also slow your metabolism. That latter point is critical here. It means you may have to eat a lot less than someone without that disease. If you REALLY want to know how much you should be eating, I would strongly urge you to go get a metabolic test. These are available in most major cities, either at larger universities, or via a commercial provider. If you keep insisting that you're able to put on weight, but don't overeat, then I'm afraid you're going to continue to suffer from the disease that is obesity. I don't say this to be mean. Sometimes the truth hurts, but you can't magically break the basic laws of physics just because you don't like them.

At some point we all plateau in our weight loss. The thing to do is hit the protein shakes more than you used to. Pretend it’s the earlier stage, where you were limited to protein shakes and almost no carbs. I’ve had to do that myself when I gain weight or plateau. It’s not what we want, it’s what we need to do.

Today, I'm officially under 200lbs! only by half a lb but I'm counting it! I did a little weight conversion and had to remeasure due to disbelief! After gaining and losing the same kilo for the last three weeks, I'm so happy!

My pre-op diet was 12 weeks of milk with added skimmed milk powder, and one salty drink a day (broth) (This was the diet my doctor put me on as they are researching it, not some weird fad diet I'd heard about to be clear.) I lost quickly for the first 2 weeks, hit a plateau, gained weight, plateaued, jumped back down and repeat. It's not a straight path downwards, sadly. I did lose the required weight. If you stick with the programme, you will get there. The bus kind of drives it self in terms of where toi body wants to be at.