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Hey Globetrotter... why don't you try 1000 cals a day? What harm can it do? As you move about a lot, your body might be holding on to every pound? If I go below 1000, which is rare, I feel like crap! Headache, grumpy and mega tired... Since the New Year, so over a mth now, I have gone back to my pre op routine... 3 meals a day, sometimes a good snack if I am low on cals, plenty of water and movement as much as I can. Ok, so I am not rocking the world but I am back to my 2lb bounce of 166lb... I did go to 170lb, my lowest 164lb so at least I am going in the right direction - I even put the weight gain on my ticker cos it wasn't shifting! I find the food and exercise thing pretty easy to be honest... the water is tougher but I am aware and trying my best. The hardest is staying positive and motivated. I've started tracking too, and finding that it helps keep an eye on things, then when I feel I need a rest from it, I take the weekend off tracking but still keep in mind what I am doing... Rest assured, I and others on this thread, know exactly how you feel... how can we not shed weight when eating like we do and exercise like we do? Some might think we are kidding ourselves and 'cheating' but I can promise you that I am honest here and honest with myself. If I make a cock up , I will fess up! Oh, and for the record, you ain't fat!!! Like I said before, 18mths later you are 130lbs smaller, lighter, fitter... that is a ****ing MASSIVE achievement. In saying that I also appreciate how fat 'feels' as I have fat days and not so fat days. Use this thread to spur you on, vent, celebrate... whatever, knowing that you aren't alone... hugs from across the pond and remember, we are in this together... x

I think it always valid to visit our eating/exercise profiles to make sure we are not "going down that road" At 7 months(where you are) and at 2 1/2 years I have followed my Docs and Nuts eating plan. I still am, with a drop in calories two days a week(Protein, Water, exerciser)... I ate 500 cals a day every day under my Doc and Nuts supervision 7 days a week for part of this journey already. When weight gain has become so easy, and weight loss has stopped completely before reaching goal while following plan, I think modest cuts and expanded exercise (especially weight lifting and weight bearing) exercise is a valid option. I have asked myself a few times if my behavior has become obsessive.... why yes, it looks like it... weighing every day, logging my food and wearing a fitbit could be signs of this. HOWEVER... Not doing these things lead to weight gain and unconsciousness about the factors that contribute to it. I simply can not eat by impulse and maintain. I have worked hard on dumping the attachment of self worth to the numbers on the scale, have relegated it to a tool status. I say my current and past weight in public... this I used to have so much shame about... now its just a marker of body weight to be taken in the context of health statistics. I am 60 years old(in a few days) I am 188.5 pounds (not underweight by any means)I am after 2 1/2 years 19 pounds from the top of the 'normal' weight range for my hight. I think it is important for YOU to keep track of where you are in your own life and if you would like to, support others in their journeys to better health, mental and physical, but I think your fears are unfounded here. These women have been on this road quite a long time, and what you are seeing is them not giving up on the Quest to better health all round. That is my opinion. Also, FYI to my "Wanna join me" friends, my scale went from 190.9 yesterday to 188.5 today. My scale most often shows the same number for weeks on end...to the 10th of a pound. So this drop, even water, is out of the ordinary. and this is a number I have not seen since last year. We will see how it goes....

Thought I would post a quick update... Prior warning - not in a happy place; lots of moaning... I'm still not feeling great, my back has got to the stage where I needed to take time of work and I haven't trained for 3 weeks now...grrrr Also went to my docs for a range of bloods to be tested as I've been feeling exhausted for several weeks; they've come back normal. I haven't seen the doc, the lovely lady on the phone told me - I hate it when that happens! I have mixed feelings on the results, not that I want to bring an illness on myself, but I sorta hoped they would flag something up that could easily sorted eg low Iron, thyroid etc. So I am still none the wiser as to why I feel soooo bloody sh*tty! Also been to see the meno doc, she said that the HRT is why I am retaining Water but didn't offer me any solution. She also suggested for me to take the tablet form of HRT, Kliofem, as the Patches are making me 'show' pretty much daily since I started them. I have to pick the new tabs up later; I will try them and see what happens. She did recommend the IUS - coil? - but I said no... can't remember where or when but I am sure a lot of ladies have had trouble with this and it caused weight gain! Anyone had any experience of this... Talking of which, the nurse weighed me and I have gained on their scales... I told her that I have gained at home and she said 'oh my dear, you must stop eating so many calories... aren't I a cow?' and chuckled... how I didn't smack her smug fecking face in I don't know. I replied 'oh I do watch my calories and believe me when I tell you I don't over eat'. She said; 'the weight you've gained is due to too many calories, weight is as simple as calories in and calories out'... I told her that my caloires are between 1000-1200 daily and that I can't function on less and she looked at me as if I was lieing...'Then my dear, you just have to exercise more won't you' ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! At this point I just smiled and walked out cos I could feel my blood boiling and I didn't want to cry! I just hate the fact that this woman who doesn't know me feels that it is ok to judge me... she did it before so I should of been prepared... but alas I wasn't! I am sooooo angry at her... and to be honest, I am starting to feel a little helpless! Nothing I do is working for me right now and am at the top of my bounce range and have been for over a week... this is seriously doing my head in and then to hear that from some stupid old cow didn't really help matters! I am hoping that this is a blip in the matrix and things will get better as I am starting to feel low and I don't want to crumble now when I have done sooooo well! Sorry for the rant ! xx

Every day i wonder and day dream of how i would look if i lost enough weight to weigh under 200..even in my teen years i was 210-215..now im 256...not a real big weight gain after 20 years and 2 kids. Does any else think of the same thing?

I've been reading this thread and lurking in the background. I am trying to do this fasting but find that I feel ravenously hungry and end up snacking myself into oblivion. Sigh. Also trying to stay very low carb. I find the low carb thing difficult at times but not as hard for me as the fasting. For some reason it makes me feel very fatigued. Does anyone else experience this? Maybe it's just not for me. I am very frustrated with myself and my inability to lose the holiday weight gain. Just seems like I never had the surgery sometimes except I'm fighting from a much lower weight than before. Other than that it's just as frustrating.

Hi ladies! I quit smoking 3 weeks ago today (Woohoo!) However I've had a 6.2lb weight gain since then. It's not just water because this is the part of the month where i usually lose and next week starts that 4lb gain I am eating more but I think it's mostly my metabolism slowing down. It's really freaking me out. Anyone else quit smoking and how much bounce back did you see?

I jumped on the scale yesterday morning and it said 226.6, and now this morning it's saying 229.9! I was completely shocked and frustrated! I have no idea why Or how I could gain 3.3lbs overnight but I am not happy! I even went to the gym yesterday and did 30 minutes on the treadmill (Dr Approved Treadmill only). Has anyone else experienced this? I know that my weight is going to fluctuate, but 3.3 lbs really? I can deal with 1-2lbs but not almost 4!

Things have been a little overwhelming for me too lately... but not really SO bad. I do feel like running away sometimes, but don't have the money or guts to do so. There are so many rotten things going on in the world right now, but we both have jobs, and jobs that really mean something too... and we just lost a TON of weight, and have lots to be thankful for. Chin up, one minute at a time if need be. I figure I will get out of this crappy eating pattern soon, I bet as soon as my mom in law and sis in law are back home. I love them and they are really nice and easy going, but my obsessive calorie and protein counting is out the window, and my exercise habits are off kilter too. Not their fault, but I just need a fine balance to get the job done right. Don't even mention the wine and nibbles every evening! I am enjoying it, but the little weight gain and tiny voice telling me " keep this up and gain it all back baby" is not adding to my feelings of well being. I look forward to exercising a little more control soon....sooner than later! I had a great vacation by the way... lots of walking, and lots of good food. The sleeve helped me so much to stay at least in the ballpark...gaining only a few pounds is really a miracle.

Not being able to exercise does make it harder. I didn't exercise at all from my surgey in November until May, but once I started walking ( I was walking some before surgery and then stopped after surgery) it made a difference. Spring was when I stopped losing, not having restriction, but the walking stopped any weight gain and actually I have lost a few more pounds. Water aerobics would be great, especially during these hot summer months! You're an experienced and successful bandster, you know what to do to get to where you want to be.

I had my surgery on December 17th with no complications and have thus far had three fills and two fluoros. Both fluoros showed that everything was fine. I saw the surgeon and nurse two weeks ago and was informed that I was right on track for weight loss. My only problem was that I was regurgitating far too frequently. I was commanded to cease and desist and I have moved heaven and earth to avoid getting stuck as much as I possibly can. I still get "mini" stuck frequently, daily even, but can almost always "wiggle" it through by walking around with my arms on my head or just simply waiting. I have only thrown up twice in the past two weeks. But my problem is this: I was at one point feeling pretty much in the green zone and was losing at a slow but fair pace. I am now hungry every two hours (too frequent). I have also gained two pounds in two weeks. I have not had weight gain at any other time in this process. I suppose I am confused about this topic. Can I be getting stuck and "feeling tight" and not be tight enough? If I'm voraciously hungry and can eat too large of portions too frequently, but am still feeling pretty tight, then what do you think is going on? I definitely always eat more than one half of a cup of anything and I definitely feel that the food is quickly moving from the pouch to the bottom. The fluoros did not indicate any pouch-stretching or anything of that nature. I have been told that my band "lies flat" and that they usually do not look like that, but the surgeon says it's perfectly fine. Any ideas? I have an appointment for Thursday but I always feel like a deer in headlights when I get in there. I either can't get helpful answers or I can't think straight enough to ask them or they look at me like I'm a rare species. It is my greatest fear that I am some kind of LAP-BAND® knucklehead and have blown an enormous amount of money.

hello all! I have a July 1 surgery date and am so looking forward to it! I've already started my 2 week liquid preop diet, and to allay any fears, I'm four days into it and I geel great!! This is coming from a guy who is over 50, 6'5" and 380 lbs. I'm drinking about 1200 calories a day, and I can tell you honestly that I am NOT hungry... the Protein must be doing the trick. I have about 110-120 grams a day. Protein powders: ones I use and like: Syntha -6 strawberry... two scoops mixed with milk is thick and like a strawberry shake, 400 calories and 44 grams of protein. Syntrax - roadside lemonade and fuzzy navel - these are the only protein powders I've ever had that actually taste good in Water. most make me gag. each has 100 calores and 22 grams of protein. costco carries Premier brand shakes... chocolate tastes great, and it's 160 calories and 30 grams protein. My doc says "drinkable" Soups are fine, as is no sugar added oatmeal with splenda. The oatmeal will sure fill you up, and help prevent some unpleasant side effects from an all liquid diet. Me, I'm glad my doc requires this. I look at it as getting mentally ready. Yes, the head games have begun, second guessing myself, etc... but if I want to put a quick stop to that I just imagine a picture of me naked, and taped along the bottom are the meds I have to take due to my weight gain. That gets em over it quick. Counting the days and excited!!!

Hi Everyone, I'm back from my cruise to Mexico. It was nice, but unfortunately DH caught a stomach bug midway through the cruise and was really not feeling well for the last several days. I usually catch whatever he catches, but somehow escaped the stomach bug. In the days before he got sick we had a lot of fun. food was everywhere, and I certainly enjoyed it, but I know I was eating much less than pretty much everyone on the ship (based on what I observed was on peoples' plates in the Lido restaurant) and for the most part I ate a pretty healthy diet (I got in plenty of fruit and veggies along with Protein, but also indulged in dessert after lunch and dinner, and mid-afternoon snacks). When DH and I would share dinner each night, the steward always had this weird look on his face like he couldn't believe we would do that! I didn't see anyone else around us doing that so I guess it was a bit odd. I was also lightly active -- I exercised pretty much every day (but fun kinds of exercise -- walk/jog around the promenade deck, snorkeling in chilly Water, dancing, tai chi,etc. -- not as intense as the workouts I do at home) and I took the stairs a lot rather than wait for elevators, etc. When I got home the scale said I was within my normal 2 lb. "bounce" range and so I'm calling it even -- no weight gained or lost. The cruise director mentioned that on average people on a cruise gain 1 lb. for every day they are on the ship, so I feel very good about not having gained weight. It does make me go hmm, how did I not gain weight while having lots of indulgences and slacking off a bit on the regular vigorous exercising? Maybe if I stayed on ship a couple more days I would have gained weight ... who knows ... it does make me seriously wonder though if I've hit my new "set point" for my weight. The worst part of going on vacation is getting back into the swing of normal life! Whaddaya mean, I can't sleep until 7:30 every day, and have to do harder exercise, and people aren't cleaning my house and serving me fab meals I didn't have to cook??? LOL. Back to the regular grind ...

Regarding easy weight gain with the sleeve, I am not big into carbs anyway. My routine diet is primarily Protein and veggies anyway. Granted I picked up the weight over years of really bad dietary choices. I just have a horrible time getting it off. My issue is quantity, pure and simple. I don't comprehend full. I don't know who said this but..."How much Healthy Choice ice cream can you eat before it's no longer a healthy choice?"

It's also my fear of weight gain that I choose not to have soda Sent from my SM-G920T using the BariatricPal App

I'm three and a half years out, I've been maintaining for two and a half years and drink Coke Zero (from a straw!!) regularly. I can't drink it from a can or from bottle, but I do drink it poured over ice. It doesn't stretch (MY) sleeve. I don't feel gassy or bloated. It hasn't caused weight gain or cravings. There is really no difference between Coke Zero and Crystal Light besides carbonation, IMO. I waited until my doctor ok'd it. I was at least six or nine months out before I had any. For me, it wasn't a "rule".

It's good to see everyone here doing so well, and Coops - so awesome about your TT! After getting a good solid 6 weeks of on track eating and exercise in, I was utterly derailed by free cupcakes at work in mid-February, and I've been battling the sugar monster ever since. I've regained everything I lost in 6 weeks, plus a few more. Honestly, I just don't know what the best approach for me is. On the one hand, after about a week on track things get SO much easier for me, and I don't really miss the sugar and carbs, but I wonder if I'm not setting myself up for a binge by cutting those things out completely. I'm really not an "in moderation" kind of girl though, most of the time "just a little" will awaken the sugar monster and send me into a spiral of weight gain. Ack.... All I know is, at the moment my clothes choices are getting REALLY limited, and I've had to start digging the larger sizes out of my closet. So time to climb back on the wagon.

This is very hard for me - I'm coming clean here with my weight gain and actually moving my ticker, my precious ticker!, up to where I am right now. :crying:

Do you mean 3---5oz drinks or 35 oz of drink I drink a 14oz bottle of protein 3 x's a day that's it for me I get a sf pudding, popcicle or jello in between, I have had tomatoe soup but next day I have a weight gain fluid I think I think this is all trial and erro I have talked to people who say 1 day you can eat something and the next day it makes you sick just get plenty of fluids of some kind is what I was told. Good luck at the Drs.

For me, my issues, and my goals, I had to change some behaviors. It's a nice thought process that eating small amounts throughout the day will work forever, but your stomach capacity will change. I can easily consume way more calories today than I could say at 2-5 months. Actually, I can and do consume triple the amounts of calories I ate during my losing stage. Mainly, it's because of the pregnancy, but I can eat way more than I could early out. It happens. Most people who are 2-4 years out report the same issues. We can eat more, but that doesn't mean we should. I can tell you that snacking and grazing is dangerous especially in maintenance. Losing was easy, keeping it off, staying in maintenance is not as easy as just eating small portions. If that were the case, none of us would have had to have 85% of our stomachs removed. Certain foods that just didn't work early out, essentially just slide right on through my stomach and allow me to eat way more than I should be eating. So, for me, I stuck with what my surgeon prescribed for me during my losing stage and then tweaked my maintenance intake to ensure that I was able to keep the weight off without dieting. I promise I do not diet nor deprive myself of any foods in maintenance, but I sure do not need or want to pick up the bad habits that helped me reach my surgery day weight. I ate 4 meals a day (each meal consisted of 15gr of Protein per meal and this gave me the necessary protein grams per day, it isn't "that" hard to eat enough protein), no Snacks, didn't use protein drinks/shakes, and it worked for me. I continue the same program in maintenance for the most part. As for the pregnancy stuff, I have to snack to eat 1700-1800 calories a day. I have horrific head hunger and cravings that I never dealt with when I had a set meal plan and schedule. There are plenty of sleeve patients out here who report a real gain of 40-60lbs because of habits/behaviors were never addressed, and life takes over, and BAM here they are back to real dieting trying to get back to their goal weight all while battling the mental/emotional aspect of weight regain and trying to lose it again. Those stories are what made me realize it "just winging it" wasn't going to work for me until I changed some behaviors with food. We all have issues with food, and no 2 patients will be the exact same, but I do know what I was trying to do before surgery didn't work, and I wasn't willing to just "do it my way" to see if it would work. That didn't work in the past. I wasn't naive enough to believe it work now. Plus, I never really felt like I was dieting in my losing stage. I just didn't have much room for anything else other than protein. I was satisfied on my small meals, and that kept me on track. So, getting out of "diet mode" is again nice in theory, but long term, we still have to be mindful of what/how much we eat for the rest of our lives. I surely do not know one single 30something year old naturally skinny woman that can just eat whatever and how much of those foods that she wants without seeing some weight gain. All of my naturally skinny girlfriends are not constantly dieting, but they do not have issues with food, and quantity. It's a fine line between not dieting and intuitive eating. I've had a true gain, it was scary, but I know what caused it and resolved the issues. I agree that it's confusing, and you have to do what works best for you, but realize that if you are not getting the results you want from your way of doing it, don't be afraid to change it up and go on the prescribed post-op losing plan from your surgeon.

Thankfully I was able to get in for a fill yesterday. The doc I use has been very backed up for the last few months but has finally got some needed additional staff hired and trained. I can already tell I have some restriction back but am afraid it still isn't enough. Through the holidays I felt so loose I'd eat way more than I wanted and still not feel full. You would think I could have just embraced and enjoyed the freedom to eat old foods like pastas and breads. But it was miserable feeling constantly hungry and constantly watched with a critical eye by my family. Now with this new fill I am able to get full on modest meal but am still finding myself hungry and wanting to graze within an hour or two of eating. I have another appointment for a fill in 4 weeks. Hopefully this one was at least enough to stem any weight gain until the next one.

Ccfrog4u, believe me, I know this is very difficult. All my Turtles, this is very important. If you have made an honest go at making the Band work, and if you tell me that you have, then I believe you 100%, and the Band still is not working for you, then you need to start demanding answers from your doctors. It is so easy for doctors to dismiss us because we are fat. If we are fat, then obvously we are lazy and good for nothing. (LIES!) If your doctor doesn't know what's wrong, then ask for referals. It might be any number of things, but it is so important to find out what's going on. Do NOT let them push back on you. If more fills don't work, then it's time to get other help. I'm not saying that you might have Cushing's, what I have. Although one of main symptoms of Cushings is weight gain and central obesity (big round body, fat face and a buffalo hump). If you cannot lose weight on a calorie restricted diet, then you need to find out what is going on with your body. This is important!

It is common to do a little experimentation after surgery. That is how we learn. Some people can tolerate anything after surgery while others have problems and can tolerate very little. Weight loss is achieved during the short weight loss phase through meal volume control. The two operative words here are short and volume. So if you want to maximize your weight loss during this phase, you need to adhere to the program guidelines. I had RNY gastric bypass surgery and slid into the maintenance phase at 7 months. Sleeve patients lose weight at a much slower rate but can achieve almost the same degree of weight loss. Many do not transition into the maintenance phase until a couple years post-op. In general, there are two phases to weight loss. These are the weight loss phase and the maintenance phase. But there is another phase beyond the maintenance phase. This can occur around year 4. In this third phase the body becomes more efficient. Even if you follow a very regimented routine for diet, where your weight was very stable for a year, suddenly the weight begins to come back. If you are not very, very careful in this third phase, one might see major weight gain.

It has been 3 months since yesterday. And, yes I do feel back to normal I suppose. I haven't been too active on this thread as I'm a bit disappointed/disgusted with myself right now. Despite the surgery removing 10 pounds from me I am now up 7 pounds from my pre-surgery weight. That makes a total weight gain of 17 pounds! Yes I know there is some swelling. Yes my swellling though not painful or uncomfortable in any way does seem to be more than most people. But I just can't believe that all 17 pounds are from the swelling. Especially considering the VERY poor food choices I've been making. I am still very happy with how my stomach is looking. And I do think I've turned a corner with the food. Both yesterday and today so far I've been following the high Protein low carb regime very well. Let's hope it is a trend. No matter how my resolve stands up with food I will post an updated photo for everyone to see at the end of the month when I have my official 3 month follow up appointment with the PS.

I'm really glad you're back too! I missed your posts! I hope you use a computer and not a phone to post. People are having trouble with the app. It's so much easier on a PC or laptop to see all the forums. There are several threads about all of us working on regain. One is weight gained since sleeved. I'm working on taking 10 lbs off again but it is really hard. I hope to see you posting every day!

@@Kindle - Firstly, big hugs to you. I'm so sorry you're suffering. I take Wellbutrin, and have for many years. It's one of the only anti-depressants that isn't known to cause weight gain in a lot of patients, and it generally doesn't affect sleep if you take it in the morning. I however take one in the morning and one with dinner and I have no trouble sleeping. I wish you the very best of luck and please know it will get better. <3