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Happy New Year everyone So I made it through the Christmas season without gaining a single pound. Now that is a first but we will see how the next 3 months goes because I start my supervised diet tomorrow. I have faith that I will do good and even though my doc doesn't care that I don't lose any weight I am still going to try. He actually is really excited about my journey as well as my registered nurse. I had an appointment with her on Friday and she was really giddy about me and my journey. I think that was the push that I needed to really work on the issue and be completely ready for my surgery in May. Any who....enough about that and more about the project that I have started with the encouragement from my therapist. When I was home for Christmas I looked through pictures of me from when I was born until high school and noticed the weight gain that I never noticed before. I think when I hit junior high school is when the weight started to increase. With that being said you can also notice the ups and downs weight that I had as a small child. I even found a picture of me stuffing my face (I think I was about 5 or 6) and my dad laying down on the couch eating as well. I guess father like daughter is actually true after seeing that picture While looking through the pictures I actually became sad. I noticed how cute I was as a child and what would it have been like if I wasn't as overweight in school and in my 20's. Would things be different or would I be different than I am now. I was so innocent as a child that I don't think I realized that what I did back then would actually hurt me today. I am about to turn 35 in less than 14 days and I have more motivation now than I did 10 years ago. 2013 is going to be my year and I soooo look forward to sharing it with each and every one of you all.

Hi, My husband is allergic to codeine, and gets wicked headaches from it. As far as your weight gain- don't worry about it- your body has just been through surgery and is in the process of healing.

I haven't gone back yet. Too many things going on and i have put it on the "middle" burner so to speak. I really hope it was just the dr. and not something wrong with my band. My insurance that i have now doesn't cover LB or anything associated with it. Question: If my PS moved my port and was the cause of the problem.... should he be responsible for the repair? On another note: i have been able to keep the weight gain at bay and even lost one .... this makes me happy.

@lark60 It’s great to talk with people years out. Sorry to hear about all the personal stress. Sounds like you have found what puts your body back into weight loss mode. Eight pounds down is fantastic. You can also inspire others struggling with weight gain. Welcome back, Jenn

So I am 5 years post sleeve. I managed to get within 5 lbs of my goal and slowly slipped back into bad habits. When I went for my annual PCP appointment and saw the scales were reading 175, I almost cried. I hadn't been weighing myself over this past year due to my house flooding and all my stuff was in storage for 6 months. I realized that I had been wearing stretchy leggings and hadn't tried on a pair of jeans in a year (again everything was in storage and I bought a few comfy outfits to tide me over till the home repairs were complete) I went through my kitchen and pulled all processed foods, bread, flour, sugars, root veggies, fruits, cereals, pasta and rice. I gave these things away to my neighbors. I researched diets and weight gain after sleeve procedure. I have started following a modified Keto diet. I say modified because I try to keep my protein at 80 grams a day. So basically I have replaced carbs with healthy fats. My next step back on track was to come back to this site and read the different topics. It has been 2 weeks on my version of Keto and have lost 8 lbs! I still have problems eating enough calories and know my metabolism is slow so I eat what I can and spread a meal to be a 1/2 cup meal and 1/2 cup snack 2-3 hours later. I have found some great recipes online and have bought a few books about Keto diet. I have read up on resistant starches because I have not taken beans out of my diet. They are my source of Fiber and some protein. Since I only eat a couple tablespoon full of beans, I am testing the theory about resistant starches by eating the beans cold. Apparently when certain foods are cooked and then cooled, the carbs crystalize and become resistant to digestion (but are great food for gut flora). I bought a new scale (my old one was lost in the flood) and have started keeping track of what I eat. Coming back to this site and writing my story will help me keep on track to getting back to my goal weight.

My heart breaks for you. I gained weight because of a medication I started taking (7 lbs in 3 weeks) but I was able to just quit taking it and the weight gain stopped. It is not as easy for you and it very much sounds like your body's hormones are out of whack. Can you have it removed or do they have to be in place for so long?? After I quit taking B/C to get pregnant with my first son, I never took it again because it had messed up my body so badly. But I know that is not an option for a lot of women. Oh, I had also sent you a PM about getting your thyroid checked...not sure if you got it or not, but it might also be something to think about if you haven't already. Just a thought. Keep us posted, I am thinking of you!

Well, likely you WILL be restricted to a small amount of food forever or suffer painful consequences, or one would hope so, the other side of that coin in rebound weight gain. Two and a bit years on, I find this tiresome sometimes, not at home, but out, like sometimes I think "I wish I could take this darn thing out and just eat easily this once". Not that I have many problems, I can eat anything, but I tire of being "aware" of it all the time to avoid blockages and PB, particularly in social situations where I am talking (dangerous for me!). Other than that, I dont count Protein, dont count calories, dont obsess over drinking Water and never did. I find maintenance eating IS easier than losing weight eating, I'm much less stringent these days and enjoy a very normal lifestyle, but you do have to think about long term health. You can maintain your weight on crap food if you eat small amounts, and that's not ideal. As to exercise, well, where there's a will there's a way. I run regularly but do suffer from sciatica, a heavy and aching right leg and chronic heel bursitis on the right side, it really makes life misery sometimes, but I can run strangely enough where I cant walk fast. Its more the day to day drudgery of this condition and not actual pain or discomfort while I am exercising that bothers me and I'm still doing the rounds of various therapies to try to find something that will a) identify what the problem actually is after more than five years and :biggrin: relieve the problem. I've had GREAT success with acupuncture lately. But I keep on running because I'd rather run, stay thin and fit and have discomfort (not bad pain usually) than stop running, mimise my symptoms, get fat again and get the symptoms back due to obesity anyway. And every single professional I've seen has advised me to remain active. But its a matter of finding an activity you can tolerate - swimming for example?

You can do it; but you can't do all of it all the time every day 100% perfect and certainly not starting from day 1. This is the lesson I've been struggling to learn. Yes, you can give up soda. No you don't have to give up artificial sweeteners. There are still many WLS patients who use artificial sweeteners and maintain a healthy weight and didn't grow horns and didn't develop cancer, whatever. There is a TON of junk science around artificial sweeteners. Like, they say that they cause weight gain. That is not true. The few controlled scientific studies there have been show that when people eat the same number of calories, artificial sweeteners do not cause weight gain. Also, I found that changing my pre-surgery diet to increase protein and decrease sugar made me feel less hungry and crave sweets LESS. SHOCKING!!! I couldn't believe it. But I'm not perfect. I still eat a little ice cream sometimes and I still eat fruit every day. I'm still months away from surgery and I'm struggling this week. I had to increase my medication that causes hunger/weight gain because I'm having bipolar symptoms, so I'm eating more, but still trying to focus on protein first, and I can't believe that between that and traveling to Miami last week for work, I am still losing weight. (But yesterday afternoon I was so hungry I cried... so yeah, I'm not going to lie it's really hard.) Try not to expect perfection. It is SOOO much. You have to do the work, but you can take it at your own pace and on your own terms. And take everyone's advice/rules with a grain of salt - I know at least one successful maintainer on here who drinks diet coke regularly. Nothing is forever, failure is not final.

Thanks for the update Gail!! I hope things get better for you and you can get another fill and get back on track.:laugh: We have the same dr. and i'm petrafied of weight gain. I have a pre op appt on Monday and I'm sure he will give me the rules & regs on being in this program. Best of luck & keep checking in!!

Thanks to you all. It is so helpful to realize that I am not the only one going through this. I am thankful that I am not eating between meals and only eating what I love at meal times. I am lucky that sweets are not my failing as such. I suppose I have been struggling with food and trying to be a good Weight Watcher for so many years. All those years of trying to avoid things like Pasta and brownies and now I can see the end in sight my head has gone "You may as well have them now as it won't happen again for a long time, if ever again". Thank you for those that commented about the possibility of weight gain meaning a delay in the surgery. That really got my attention and made me realize the damage I could do. Time to get it all together - yet again.

I asked my doctor about the pication. He is one of the best WLS surgeons in our area, and has been doing the sleeve for a long time- worked with the surgeon who developed it. He will NOT be doing the plication- he believes the problem with lack of blood flow will be common and these complications are the tip of the iceberg. I am not wanting to be a Debbie Downer, I am just relating what my doctor said. I had been very interested in the plication, as of course it seemed attractive to keep the rest of your stomach and reverse it when you reach your goal. Once he told me his feelings, along with some of the complications I have seen, I decided full heartedly on the sleeve. I also wonder, considering the fact for many of us surgery is the last resort after trying everything, if reversible surgery will mean lots of weight gain ultimately.

I think we all have different reasons for being here. Some people have eating issues. Some people, no matter what they do they gain weight or can't get it off. Some people have medical conditions that cause them to gain weight, or they are on certain meds that caused them to gain weight and they can't get it off. I think that it is important to not assume that everyone has eating issues. It is important to not assume everyone has a medical condition. For people who have eating issues, I have a friend going through this, the battle with food is constant and it's hard. It isn't anything that is easy and a surgery like this isn't going to solve the problem alone. Therapy and other follow up care is usually needed. My poor girlfriend who is struggling with eating issues is working hard to correct her relationship with food and decided that she is going to get surgery to help with the weight loss now. Her relationship is starting to turn around thanks to therapy and so she is planning on the surgery. I constantly offer her support and sometimes she lets me know what her food plans are for the day. For me, one of my guiltiest things is eating out. I put on most of my weight when I was in my 20's. I had money to burn and instead of cooking I ate out a lot. I had a gym membership when I had a good job and I lost a great deal of weight that I put on. I got pregnant with my son and things went down hill. The company I worked for closed, money became tight, I was a single mother so we were living off of Hot Dogs, Macaroni and cheese, corn and green beans. I had to make do with what I had. I began to put on a pound a week. My 130 frame ballooned with in a year. While I was working I started falling asleep at the wheel driving. Finally found out my thyroid was a mess, and that I needed meds. I took meds for a six months when an Endocronologist said, "stop the meds, you are soo young and it isn't that bad." Hoshimotos took over my body for the next 7 years, putting on weight, more and more, no matter how I ate I gained. I became pregnant with my daughter and was rushed over to a new Endo and they were concerned. The put me on meds right away for the babies health. I started to regulate again and lost 15lbs during pregnancy. I gave birth to my daughter and became depressed. I probably ate some things I shouldn't have. I put back on the 15lbs and decided enough is enough. I went back to the gym and altered my diet again, to meat and veggies. I had a personal trainer and I kept a strict food diary. I counted calories, fat, carbs and sugars. I worked hard at the gym 5 days a week and on saturday and Sunday would walk. I went back to the gym and was measured after a week I gained half a pound and my trainer assured me that I am probably just gaining muscle faster than loosing fat. I worked my muscles and cardio for 5 weeks. I went from 220 to 230. In my frustration I decided it didn't matter anymore and for six months fetl sorry for myself. I ate brownies and cookies and only put on 4lbs. I went to my OBGYN sobbing, sobbing my eyes out and said, "I just can't live like this anymore, what are my options." He was very sympathetic and he believed me, seeing other women fight with weight loss. "Once you put it on you can't get it off and sometimes it isn't even anything specific you do to put it on. You don't have to do one thing wrong to create this weight issue, you could do everything right." He suggested the band and I followed up with my primary, who also suggested the band. So here I am, finally loosing weight and feeling great. I have no desire to eat brownies anymore. My biggest love is chocolate and I only give myself two days that I can treat myself, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. I haven't had a fill up to this point so the hunger was making me crazy. We have chips, chocolate, cookies, etc in the house. The kids get cookies every couple of days as a snack so I thought, "what if I allow myself that same kind of limit." My kids are tall and thin, my son is ten and weighs 91 lbs and is all muscle, my daughter, tall, thin muscular girl. They are beautiful and people never think they are my kids. People assume if you are fat it is what you eat, that kills me. If it was just our dining habits I would have round kids too. My husband is heavy and admits his problem is with food. He loves food, loves the taste of food, I on the other hand could careless about food. I eat because I have to. I watch his family fill there plates to the brim, two or three times. It is crazy and it makes me sick to think about eating that much food. Anyway, that is all. I guess I am just tired of the assumptions of how people gain their weight. I am so tired of people judging us based on our weight. "Oh that person is over weight so they must be binging, or that person is over weight so they must be trying to heal themselves with food, that person is over weight so they must eat out all the time." It is funny, if you go out to eat when you are overweight people assume you must do this a lot. One of the things I do when I go out to eat is get a take out container right away and cut out just a small portion of the meal to eat. I have done this forever, a lady looked at me weird when I said, "it helps to reduce the calories I take in, out of site out of mind." Then she looked at me like I must eat it all on the way home or something. I then cut that 2/3s of the meal in half again and eat that at home as seperate meals, or my hubby eats it. I am not fat because I don't know how to eat or how to count calories. I don't use dressings, I have always used low fat mayo and less then the "amount" of the serving listed on the label. I could not do anything more than I had already done to loose this weight. I thought, fought and cried myself to sleep because I did not want to die in a few years because I am fat. I wanted to be able to chase my kids around on the beach or play in the yard. I did not want surgery, I wanted surgery even less than I wanted to be fat. I was sure I should be able to do this on my own and when I couldn't I was crushed. Before my thyroid and PCOS was really bad, Weight watchers worked. Now it didn't, before the gym and diet worked, now it didn't. Now it was time to find a solution that did and this is working. I just wish the world would stop judging, even those who suffer from obesity. We need to not only stop judging others and their journey, but we need to stop being so harsh on ourselves. So what if we only loose half a pound one week, it means we get back on track the next week, don't let guilt take you over. We all have off days, off weeks, but it doesn't mean we can't bring ourselves back around. I have studied addiction, I study psychology, I understand the process when the mind becomes our worst enemy, be it chemical or circumstantial. We must remember to love ourselves in order to heal our souls and forgive ourselves. Even if medical conditions got us here, at some point we gave up on ourselves and just started living life and not worrying about it. Like the problem would resolve itself. I am glad I waited this long, as I wasn't obese enough for surgery until about four years ago and then I ended up pregnant and back on hypothyroid meds. I thought that, coupled with excercise I would start loosing. When I didn't, this time, I didnt hit ground zero depression, I went to my doctors and asked what there was to help me. I am being proactive, and to me that is the best gift I can give myself and my family. My son said to me the other day, "Mom, pretty soon I will be able to wrap my arms tight around you, you are loosing weight and looking great." I looked at him and smiled he then said, "and even better you are feeling better, you are doing more and you smile a lot more. I am so happy you are my Mom." He is ten and he is one of the blessings I am fighting this fight for. My two and a half year old needs a Mommy for the next 16 years and I want to do my best to be here.

I would have to agree with you on this one. I am 26 weeks pregnant now. Had my band for just a year prior to getting pregnant and lost about 50-60 lbs. I have since gained 40 lbs with the pregnancy so far. Yes it is frustrating, but puking through the band is way not cool!!!! Plus it hurts. So don't worry about the weight gain, if your MD recommends to get it unfilled then do it!. You lost the weight once, you can do it again.

hiya girls dooney... big hugs sweetie ..i wish i could be more comort on reliabily of downs test but i really dont know but have faith and we will all pray you and baby be fine. raynie.....dont worry about the nits ..lol..i you or anyone else has caught them use a whole bottle of conditioner and lice comb and comb like mad thing or a few days and they will go,i have four sons who go to nursery and school and have caught them before ........lol...i did freak out though as the word nits makes you itch!!!!!! lay of them cookies....you will only regret it ...they sound good but they BAD BAD BAD....LOL...IM HUNGRY NOW . <!-- google_ad_section_start(weight=ignore) -->niecyrenee....i think that we will initially gain weight as calorie intake goes up as we have been eating so low in cals but im hoping that it will settle down ..or maybe im just being an optimist,as for doctor i think he shouldnt be getting his knickers in twist about 5lb gain its not alot and he would be more concerned if you losing weight ..ive lost weight since my 8 week check and i dont think they will be pleased at all with me and im so worried for baby as i was so preoccupied with myself i was still eating too little as i feared weight gain i was exhausted...i must add eating well now and totally unfilled.<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> vbmenu_register("postmenu_597146", true); </SCRIPT> oh and about weight gain every single person different and all pregnancy different..a normal heathy gain is between 24-28lbs total but it depends on weight at beginning and size of baby etc and even sex of baby apparently carrying a girl = more weight so not looking good or me as the 4 lb i gained came back off....i think it was caused by constipation..how embarassing but remember this my fifth so my body not going through quite as a dramatic change it done it b4 and you never really quite go back to the way you were i wish i had some signs a lump at front as is just my deflated tyre looking at me .

Ditto (you are beautiful before and after)!!! Its normal to be nervous...this is one of the biggest decisions you will ever make and it is indeed permanent. It was the tool I needed because I had my thyroid removed 7 years ago and nothing else was working to stop my weight gain, Its a life change and more than a notion to stay focused in doing everything your surgeon and NUT tell you to do.... but I can tell that you will look even more stunning (and much happier) after the surgery! I get "approving" looks and comments every day (friends and family esp.), cat calls (which I can do without) from men young and old, and my husband is once again chasing me around the house (wink-wink). God will bring you thru this with no complications, just name it and claim it!!! Keep me posted on your progress cuz I'm here for you girlfriend! #VSGworks

2/18/2014 SW: 365 Lowest Weight: 226 CW: 243 (frustrated, WTF) I'd still do this again in a heart beat. Can't figure out the weight gain, though.

So my next weigh it just so happens to fall on my 3 nut visit so I'm dreading the scale and what my nut will say if I'm bloated and weigh more.? Sent from my SM-G530T using the BariatricPal App

OK, Now I remember who you are as you changed your screen name too. You know I worry more about my daughter than myself. I know because I've gained back weight quickly twice that it happens. I know because I've seen all the famous people on TV who have had the RNY done and you see it come back on. My daughter is the only person I know personally who has had this surgery. She is only post-op May 08. I don't want my daughter doing an emotional downhill spiral if that happens to her. I suppose I've been prepared though for it from the beginning on how to help her. She's still in therapy and I think it helps her and am hoping that will help her also if/when that happens. Of course once she had the surgery I joined a forum just when I had questions as she is not a forum girl. I know from Obesityhelp.com's revision section that every surgery has been revised to every surgery. I think I've seen someone have 3 different ones, I don't know what the high number is yet. But I assume they all can fail in one way or another. I never go to the point where I lost the weight but gaining it back is very stressful on the psyche. Having WLS and gaining weight is very damaging to the psyche too. My psyche is a bit fragile so that's why I'm back and forth about what I'm going to do. Either way I'm damned if I do or damned if I don't! My opinion is that the sleeve wouldn't work for me if the lap band didn't work. Maybe I'm wrong but I don't think it's an option anyway. I remember you said you daughter had children too right? Do you think there is a connection between the pregnancy/(s) and the weight gain at all? My daughter has never had dumping syndrome, I guess I expected that to happen too.

I'm about 3 weeks post op and I've lost close to 50 pounds but I have noticed the past several days I've gone up several pounds. I was 405 at my highest pre-op and I did hit 358 I weighed my self this morning and I'm at 364. Is that cause of the change from liquids to solid foods? I have great tolerance for all foods. i'm still eating soft foods like oatmeal and eggs but for dinner I have eaten grilled chicken and some seafoods like salmon and crab meat. I still have my protein drink 2-3 times a day. The worst thing I think I have eaten wa 2 slices of whole grain toast with PB and J. I'd also like to noted today was my first day back at the gym . In any case just curious if that is norman.

Hi Everybody, I saw this article cited on google health news. The research showed that about 1 in 6 people were able to lose 10% of their body weight and keep it off for a year. The study included those who may have lost unintentionally and also those who may have had temporary weight gain (e.g., Freshman 15). The greatest % of loss was among 75-84 year olds, which isn't surprising as the elderly often lose weight unintentionally. Once agin, I'm sure I made the right decision. 10% of my body weight would have been a measly 21 lbs when I needed to lose 75. If you want to see the abstract, here's a link: Access : Long-term weight loss maintenance in the United States : International Journal of Obesity

I was curious to know how long it took for many of you from the day you went to your doctor and told him/her that you wanted to get the lap band to the day of your surgery??? i have seen a lot of people talking about a month and a half anywhere to 6 months?! i know that every one is different and their circumstances are different but i just need an idea. i told the doctor all about me trying to loose weight since i was 16(now 24 and being over weight my whole life) in the mean time having a baby gaining 100lbs! diet, exercise, pills, nutritionist(gained weight with them!), starvation, carbs ect. and how all i lost was that 3lbs of water weight no matter how hard i tried. she took one look at me and my weight gain since my last appt asked me a few questions about my smoking i told her its done i will quit and she said i need to if i want surgery and i researched how long nicotine stays in your system which depending on how much smoked from 2 to 60 days im calculating about a week for myself she sent me on my way to do blood work and i would see her in about a week with the results and talk about the next steps... before even asking my primary dr about lap band i called my insurance myself and asked them if they cover it and they said they do so i know that shouldnt be a problem. my concern is since i have tried all these weight loss fails will i be sent to another weight management center before the insurance will approve it? they said nothing about that over the phone they said if your dr approves you we will pay? i should know in a few days about my blood work i hope all goes well!

Hi Butterflysc, I know the feeling of weight gain...I will be banded on 1/11 and I can't wait. After much deliberating I chose to go through with it. I thank the Lord for this opportunity. Be Blessed, Sheila

This may or may not be a stupid question but during my 6mth pre op diet can my weight fluctuate? I weighed 272 at my initial visit I'm 5'8" that puts my BMI at 41.3 today was my 2nd mth visit I've gained 11lbs! They have me so stressed about not going under a 40 BMI that I'm gaining weight like crazy. So Dr is saying just don't go under the 40 BMI which will put my weight right at 263, so it's ok to go up and down right? But I should weigh less than my initial visit?

There are alot of studies that are finding correlations between ADHD and obesity. Reading those studies is exactly what prompted me to reach out and start my weight loss journey. It's too much to post here but below are a few links that you might find helpful. The cliff notes version goes people with ADD/ ADHD have problems with impulse control and how their brain process "rewards". Our brains just aren't wired the same was as other people's so it can be more challenging to make good healthy food choices when your brain wants nothing but cheese fries. Ghrelin the hunger hormone that is produced in the part of your stomach that will be removed in the sleeve surgery communicates with your brain to tell you that your hungry. In obese people there is already a flaw in the communication that is now further compounded by ADD/ADHD. My motivation for surgery was the removal of the part of stomach that is producing the majority of the Ghrelin and the hope that the reduction in that creates a better balance with my dopamine receptors. As I see it as long as that is there im fighting and unwinable fight against brain chemistry with one arm tied behind my back. My hope is once that is removed then I can use my medications and my ADD coping techniques to help me stay on track. I have a similar story to yours and was diagnosed at 25 years old. I was put on stimulant medication and initially I lost almost 50 lbs. My favorite part in the beginning was it switched off the part of my brain that dreamed and plotted over food if you gave me a salad for lunch that was my lunch and I ate it and didn't give it another thought. An ADD/ADHD brain on the other hand might decide even though you have brought this salad its now 12:15 and I want a burger and then down the rabbit hole you might go and the salad is long forgotten. Couple that with appetite suppressing side effect and your will lose weight. But as someone stated above eventually your body will adjust to the meds and you will lose some ( not all) of the effect. I started meds at 300 lbs and got down to 254lbs. When I had to take a different job that didn't offer health insurance so I could no longer afford my medications I gained it all back. My meds have not helped me lose any weight in the long run but i do credit them with stopping me from gaining any more. Before meds I was putting on about 15 lbs per year. My advice would be to not give up on WLS just yet. Your bio does not list your weight but I am going to assume that if your here and seriously considering surgery your BMI is 35 or higher. Any weight lost from medication / treatment of your ADHD is not going to reach the amount you would need to fall into the "normal" BMI range. You will definitely need to work with your Psychiatrist to determine the best course of action for treating your ADHD and that can take some time to find the right combination of therapy, coping techniques, and medication. I would also recommend reaching out to a counselor/ psychologist who specializes in adult ADD/ADHD coping techniques. Just like WLS is a tool for you to use in your weight loss but you have to make the dietary and behavior modifications to ultimately be successful long term. You should look at stimulant medication the same way- its just a tool to use to manage your ADHD but should be part of a larger plan. Here are those links. www.additudemag.com is a great website on its own to give you tips and tricks for managing and some explanations for why you do and say and act the way you do that will probably lead to some major aaha moments. https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-and-obesity-how-to-end-binge-eating/ https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-and-obesity-hard-wired-for-weight-gain/ https://www.additudemag.com/slideshows/adhd-obesity-link/

Weapon. Sound like a true plateau. And yes, they can last for months. To go off of Lisa's comment. Tricking the body is precisely what you want to do. You've been so clean for so long that the body has acclimated, metabolism has shifted etc. This is a an old bodybuilder trick. They eat clean for 6 days than eat like crap the 7th. As soon as the body starts detecting starvation, bam, it has a huge rise in cals and it calls off the plateau (or hoarding of fat reserves). Since you are well into your plateau. Forget one meal, or one day. Try a week. Truly, kick the diet for a week. Let your body 'think' it's flush w/ cals. After a week, go back on diet. Typically any weight gained flies off but you will see the scale start to go down. At that point my recommendation is to have a cheat meal or cheat day weekly to keep plateaus in check. Hope this helps. (and yes cal cycling is effective), however, your 900-1100 cal range is what Im at and Im a woman. Most banded men are a few hundred higher like 1100-1300 and that may be playing a factor. However, you won't hear from me not to weigh or track daily..that's a must in my book <wink>