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Calorie cycling sounds a little dangerous to me. Eating low calorie for some defined period then going crazy with high calorie seems risky. I would be afraid that would cause a roller coaster effect with the weight loss or force the body into stalls when it is confused by high calorie and low calorie periods. I am obviously not a dietician, but from what I have experienced, I am not sure it would work too well.

Surgery Status: 6 weeks post-op tomorrow. Sx 7.14.2021 VSG Phase: Regular foods Highest known weight: 218 Surgery weight: 200 even. Current Weight: 182 This morning. I gained 3 pounds 😭 Inch loss: 3 inches off waist, 4 inches off lower belly (Fupa), 1 in off arms, 1 in off neck, NSV: Went from a size 18 to 14 in pants and XXL to XL in shirts !

I'm on my 4th week and I take 2 bites of whatever I'm having and stop for like 10 minutes or until I dont feel like my stomach is going to burst, and then I keep going. For example I cooked 2 scrambled eggs with tomatoes at about 4PM and now it's 8PM and I still haven't been able to finish it. I hate wasting food so I try to finish whatever I cook even if it takes a really long time because if I dont get enough proteins, I'll lose my muscle mass and the weight loss rate decreases because your body thinks you're starving yourself. It's soooooo annoying not to be able to finish my food in one go especially when it's so little, like not even a quarter of what I had pre-op. But I'm just thankful if I can finish my food, no matter how long it takes and keep the food down without throwing up. Do you guys still have to do this even months after the surgery? I'd like to be able to eat normally although not as much as my pre op days.

sorry to hijack the thread - but a 20 lbs loss the first month is very normal. Most of us lose somewhere in the 15-25 lbs range the first month - so you're right in the middle of that!

anxiety before surgeries (any surgery) is pretty common...I always freak out before any surgery I've had. And they've all gone off without a hitch. first, morbidity rates on weight loss surgeries are really low. It's 0.3% for bypass, even lower for sleeve (not sure the exact percentage for sleeve since I had the bypass - but sleeve is lower). So there's a 99.7% chance (or greater) that you're NOT going to die - and those are excellent odds! Even better than hip replacement surgeries, which people get all the time. Weight loss surgeries have improved tremendousy over the years and they're no longer the scary, risky things they used to be. They've really become pretty routine at this point. I don't think most surgeons use catheters for weight loss surgeries, because unless you have other issues going on in there that they have to deal with, the surgeries are short. My bypass took a little over an hour - sleeve surgeries are typically even shorter. I DID have a catheter for two of my plastic surgeries, but then I was under for over four hours with those. The catheter wasn't any big deal - but no, most of us don't have one for weight loss surgery. the surgery won't fail as long as you follow the rules and guidelines. It'll work like a charm. But you do need to get the binge eating under control, because that could sabotage your efforts. They'll probably have you meet with a psychologist prior to surgery (that's very common...), but you may want to continue meeting with a therapist even after that because the binge eating WILL hinder your results if you can't get on top of it. Many of us have worked with therapists and found it very helpful. I can't speak to the being too young part, since I had surgery at age 55 - but like others, my only regret is that I didn't have it sooner.

Hello all, My name is Jen. This is my first post and I hope to find some support within this community. I had my gastric sleeve procedure in July 2017 at 22 years old. I was 310 pounds before the two-week fast and was 291 pounds at the time of the surgery. After the surgery, I lost weight rapidly, I was down to 225 pounds by December of that same year. But then my weight loss decreased and for the past 2.5 years, I've been stuck at an average weight of 215 pounds. Since COVID started, I have actually gained weight and am now 235 lbs (not being able to go to the gym has sucked). At one point nearly 2 years after my surgery I had even gotten to 196 lbs, which was a 100-pound weight loss. I want to lose another 100 pounds to meet my goal weight range of 135-140 lbs, which would be a healthy weight for my height and build. But I need help. I have other factors that are making weight loss more difficult. I have PCOS which naturally makes weight loss difficult. I use birth control pills to help regulate the hormones that are affected by PCOS. I also have had bone and joint problems since I was a child. I've been trying to focus on my diet, but I must admit I have a giant sweet tooth and I am a picky eater. Pizza and candy are my banes. I'm also a graduate student who is under a ton of stress and has very limited personal time. This makes exercising and preparing meals difficult. Despite these complications, I don't eat out at all, nor do I order take-in. I have a treadmill that I walk or jog on for at least an hour each day, and I attend Zumba twice a weak (I'm not very good at it haha). I am not diabetic or pre-diabetic but I do have asthma. So, is anyone else in a similar situation that would like to build a little group? I've never had any weight loss support and I am hoping that by building a group, I can find more motivation and encouragement as I lose 100 more pounds. TLDR: 4 years since VSG surgery and I'm still not at goal weight, keep stalling or gaining weight. Need friends in similar situations for support, guidance, motivation, and encouragement.

Hi Kim! just to put you at ease. I weighed the exact same as you for HW. 210. I went I to surgery at 200. And 6 weeks post op today I am sat at 179… so you’ve smashed past my loss!! your doing just fine.. trust the process xx

I'm four years into my surgery this month and here are the things that I've learned. At the beginning most will feel mixed emotions. Euphoric due to rapid weight loss, concern due to stalls and minor setbacks and trepidation due to looking at how others are doing and you feeling you're not doing enough. The one feeling we all have will be a renewed confidence in ourselves due to the fastest weight reduction you might have ever experienced. We attain our goal weight. We then transition into making wise food and lifestyle choices. No longer are we to eat the things that made us obese and unhealthy such as the three C's, Cookies, Cake and Candy. We will get more exercise. Maybe we park further from the building, maybe we join a gym, maybe we walk, run or work out. We are feeling great and we love our new selves. Next we work on maintaining the weight loss and our healthy lifestyle. One thing happens, we decide since we lost so much weight it couldn't hurt to visit our friends the three C's. If only for a short while and only in small amounts. Hey, why park so far? It's really cold/hot, I'll park closer. You're still feeling confident even if you gained only 10lbs of the 100 you lost. Hey, you're still down 90lbs. No problem, I can lose the 10lbs. I've lost far more than that after surgery. Then we realize, we are no longer weight loss super beings. We are just mere mortals who now have to work hard to lose the weight. Our bodies after time (usually after the one year mark) will not give us that rapid weight loss we once depended on. Here is when your determination and or lack of it will affect you for the rest of your life. We will all get back on a diet or healthier eating plan to lose the weight we gained. The majority will not succeed because it is not as easy it was when we first had surgery. Some will become complacent and throw up their hands and surrender. The weight will come back and the thoughts of a revision will come to our heads. Unfortunately, most insurance companies do not allow for a do over. For a few they will overcome and work on shedding those pounds. They will succeed due to a variety of reasons such as a good support group, using the honeymoon period wisely and really making better lifestyle choices or simply losing one pound at a time instead of trying to lose all of it at one time. Since my surgery four years ago I had five friends and family members undergo the surgery. We ALL gained back some of the weight. Some were able to lose it and regain their healthy lifestyle. Some never were able to lose the weight and went back into the habit of eating for gratification. This is what I did. I originally got down on myself. How did I after three years let myself gain 10 lbs. I vowed to get it off. My 1st week I lost 1/2 a pound. I was devastated, how could this be? The next week I gained a pound. Why? I needed help!! My regular group meetings were cancelled due to covid so I lost valuable support there. I decided to call my family and friends who had the surgery. I spent hours talking to everyone, I told them about my struggles and they told me about theirs. We all came away with a few good ideas of what to do. First don't look to lose the WHOLE amount in one shot. It won't happen and it will derail you from succeeding. Set a goal of 1-2lbs per week. Don't worry that some friends or family might be losing more. We aren't in competition with them. Look at the little things. One friend said she stopped putting Crystal light or Mio in her water. She only drank plain ice water. It seemed to help her jump start her weight loss. Another friend said he started taking the stairs instead of the elevator. He climbs seven flights at least once a day. Another told me her husband who did not have the surgery brought snacks home and that she would eat them. She purged her home of the unhealthy snacks as she did right after her surgery. I started to implement these and other ideas and I have lost 5lbs in five weeks. I'm at the half way point to getting back to my goal weight. We are not super humans we need help and we need encouragement in order to succeed. There are a few on here who have done a tremendous job on their own and they are to be commended and emulated. For me, I need and I will take all the help I can get. Everyday is a struggle to be healthy. I told my surgeon that all this is happening after only four years, how do people succeed at maintaining the weight loss? He said sadly, the majority won't.

I really appreciate the feedback. It's really helpful in letting me know what I'm experiencing is completely normal for us all. So far I've lost about 40 pounds and for my own personal goal, I still have another 70 pounds to go. Some say they can see it in my face cuz it looks thinner, but to be honest, nobody really sees my body because I've been working remotely from home since the surgery and they only see me cuz video, so that's usually just from the shoulders (or boobs) up. Lol. But my family sees me and hasn't noticed much weight loss. It's discouraging.

Don’t be afraid to eat fruit. I was encouraged to add fruit to my diet when I was able - I think from about 3 months. Melons & berries became one of my snack alternatives. Fruit (& vegetables) were a source of the fructose & glucose my body needs as an energy source & an excellent source of essential vitamins & minerals. It helped a with my energy drops & random hypoglycaemic episodes. Its addition also helped me to work towards a balanced, nutrient rich diet. If fruit is on your diet give it a go if not, leave it until your dietician says it’s ok. As with all things portion size is important, include the calories (it’s the calories not the fruit that affects your weight loss) & whole fresh fruit not juice. Avoid dried too as we tend to eat a lot more dry fruit than we would fresh - a prune is one plum, a dried apricot is one small apricot or half a large.

One big concern I have with surgery is the possible damage it could do to my metabolism. I had a decent metabolism before, but I just ate too much and it couldn't keep up with me lol. I have been looking at calorie cycling as a way to maximize loss while best preserving my metabolism. Has anyone tried it with the sleeve? If so, what pattern do you follow?

Surgery date: 07/24/2021 HW: 210 SW: 188 CW 169 Finally got off my two week stall but losing weight is SLOOOW. Lost only one pound since my stall Feeling dreadful. I know I don't weigh much but the weight loss is killing me. Even people who weigh the same as me are losing twice as fast. PCOS is a b*tch.

I think it's fantastic you're starting this journey for yourself. I am 7 weeks out now from my gastric sleeve and I am definitely one of those who wishes I would have done it sooner. I was terrified at the idea of having surgery. I had my gallbladder out years ago, and for many years I just couldn't see myself purposely making the choice to have surgery. Finally, after multiple weight losses and regains and my body feeling exhausted at doing any little thing, I said enough is enough. I am so happy I did now. As for the catheter fear, I was so scared of that too. I did not have one. And like Lizonaplane said, they want us walking around literally hours after the surgery. And trust me, as tired as you will feel, walking is so good 'cause it helps to get rid of the gas pains. Also, let your surgeon know you don't want a catheter that way they know. I told mine I didn't want one. I'm not even sure if he does them or not, but I just made it clear I really didn't want one if it could be helped. I worried about risks too, but again just as lizonaplane said, they are rare. I kept looking at it like, either I go and have surgery now and fix this, or keep going downhill with my health and wind up in the hospital for my health down the line anyway. The fact you have such a supportive family is awesome! It makes such a huge difference to have that sort of support. I have that too and it has made this such a smoother process. One last note... I was very nervous the morning of surgery and I asked them to give me something to help me calm down before they took me into the OR. What they gave me was amazing! So, you can ask for something before your surgery too and it really REALLY helps. It's good stuff. My sister said I apparently gave her a big smile and thumbs up when they were wheeling me out. I do not remember that. Last thing I remember was being told to move to the table. Then, I was waking up in post-op.

You say you had the surgery just a few weeks ago and already have the same food intake capability that you had before... are you already cleared to eat everything you're eating? Just because you CAN eat a lot doesn't mean you SHOULD. I know that one of the reasons I didn't lose weight while on weight loss medications in the past is that I've eaten when not hungry. I've confused head hunger and GERD for actual hunger. Also, just boredom can cause me to eat, as well as when I'm eating something very tasty, and I just want to keep enjoying it. I'm not sure if with the sleeve to SADI revision you would have to do a liquid, then puree then soft food diet right after surgery, but it seems likely...

I am 42 and have lost 50 pounds and do not seem to have any loose skin so far. I have 25 more pounds to goal though so idk if it happens more at the end of weight loss or if you can tell while still losing.

For the first month after surgery, I was probably taking in around 4-500 calories a day. Mostly doing the Campbell's sippable soups like chicken and stars or tomato along with a protein shake and lots of water. About 3 or 4 weeks in, I was able to do half of a scrambled egg for breakfast and because it went down well, I would eat some yogurt from time to time. My savior during the first month was sugar-free Italian Ice. They went down well and just tasted good as well as getting something different in your mouth. You'll deal with "food envy", and just wanting something. It eventually passes though. For exercise, once I felt I had enough energy (which was after a few weeks), I did about a mile or two of walking around my neighborhood. The thing to remember is for most people, your metabolism will skyrocket because your body is expending a ton of energy trying to heal itself in the first 1-2 months. The first three months are when you'll see the most weight loss. I was then able to do some heavier soups around the 2-month mark and on my doctor's orders would also eat a small piece of fish or turkey as well with cooked vegetables. I hit a snag around the 2 and a half month mark and had a bad 4-day stretch where I was not handling food well at all and vomiting. My doctor upped my Omeprazole medication and I also added Famotidine...both are for reflux. I didn't feel like I was having any issues before with reflux but I must've been because that combination worked wonders. I'm just past three months now and for the past few weeks I have been able to pretty much eat anything I want. I'm probably around 800 to 1,000 calories a day now and I'm losing up to a pound or two a week. Soon I will be at my goal and hitting maintenance mode. You'll have good days and bad days. The important thing I learned is not to get too high or low either way. My wife really helped me through the bad days. It's a tough journey, but the ultimate goal is life-changing.

Sounds good Tony! At this point I will try anything! 😂 I also feel like I’m quite bloated, which mentally isn’t good when your on a weight loss journey because I literally feel full of poo! 🤦‍♀️

Approaching corrective RNY revision, I've gone overboard in research and reading so that I won't make the same mistakes again. I had no nutritional guidance when I had my RNY in 1990. Left to my own devices, I screwed up and regained every ounce. This time around I've been collecting bariatric cookbooks, too. Since this is your second time around, I strongly recommend reading The Success Habits of Weight Loss Surgery Patients, by Colleen Cook, available on Amazon. If you suspect you are a sugar/food addict, I recommend Food Junkies, by Vera Tarman. If you are susceptible to binging, a good book is Never Binge Again, by Glenn Livingston. Food Addiction Books.pdf

I am in my 3rd week of the preop diet. My doctor only required 2 weeks (surgery 8/31) but my research showed that the more weight lost in pre op diet, the better the outcome of the surgery. I also felt that I would rather be well accustomed to the diet (or lack thereof) and not be quite as hungry. I am finding it much easier than I thought and I am getting a head start on the weight loss, making my body used to dealing with less calories.

yea he said he didnt see the point of putting someone on a diet before weight loss surgery however I think its mostly bc I'm 18 and my insurance

Good points on the fruit. I love fruit but I am pretty much staying away for a while until after surgery. Then I will slowly add things in to see how they affect the weight loss. I think keeping a journal on what was eaten and weight lost would help with that.

I think most of us who have been on less than 1000 calorie diets find it angering when we step on the scale and see anything except a loss every day. To restrict yourself to such few calories and not lose weight every day is puzzling to me. But, the body does what the body does and goes through it's own reset and rebalancing and will lose when it is ready. Basic math tells me I should lost at least a half pound each and every day. Some days it is a pound, 2 pounds, nothing or even a gain of a pound. Very frustrating for sure.

Yes but waxing has been awesome Plus the hair grows back finer and less!

I had a lot of trouble shaving my underarms after weight loss. I now go get them waxed bc I just can’t seem to get everything shaving. It’s made a big diff. I just hate the in between waxing where it grows out until next appt.

One problem I never expected to have after weight loss is that my armpits are now too deep and narrow for standard razors. I have to buy the more expensive bikini razors. Is this just me or is this normal?