The "Honeymoon" Period?

[Photo925 100]

So my sister had VSG over a year ago and she was running through some things I need to know as I get ready for this myself. She brought up the Honeymoon period after surgery and said that it is completely true that there is only a certain period of time after surgery where it is easy to lose weight and that you cross a threshold at some point where it is just as hard as it was in the past to lose a pound. For her she said it lasted about 6 months and after that she had to really work for every pound that she lost. I realize that everyone is different, but I hadn't even heard of the "honeymoon" period before so I'm curious if others have also experienced this??

[PdxMan 4,292]

I think it is up to the individual. At about the 6 month mark, people get to the stage where there sleeve can handle just about any type of food. They learn what foods will "slide" right through. It is strange feeling restriction after only a few bites. Pre-sleeve, our solution to this was to drink liquids to settle an uncomfortable stomach. Those who choose to ignore this guideline post-sleeve will have something to drink when this feeling comes and are able to consume more calories than the person who doesn't drink with their meals.

So, I firmly believe that if you follow the guidelines of eating lean Protein first, chewing well and not drinking 15 minutes prior, during or 15 minutes after eating (and of course exercise), you can lose weight anytime you need to post-sleeve.

Myself, I am almost 2 and a half years post-sleeve and have excellent restriction when I follow these guidelines. I know my slider foods and avoid them when I am looking to lose a few pounds. I'm sure you have seen it posted here several times that this is a surgery on our stomachs, not our heads. If a person doesn't face the issues as to why they got to being obese, the sleeve isn't going to change this behavior. If you want to abuse food post sleeve, you will be able to. The 6 month "honeymoon" is a time when it is too painful to do it, so this is the time when you need to face these demons and make the fundamental change with your relationship with food. If you are able to do this, then the honeymoon lasts forever.

[gamergirl 4,610]

I've heard a LOT of vets talk about this. I think at 6 months the sleeve is healed. Swelling is down, capacity has often doubled from where we started. If you have a cup of capacity and choose to fill it with chips, then as you can imagine, a cup of crushed up chips have close to 500 nutritionally bankrup calories or thereabouts. In contrast, if you do 1/2 c Protein, 1/4 c veg and 1/4 complex carb, you're doing considerably less damage if any.

From what I understand, the increased capacity makes smart choices that much more vital.

Additionally, most of us have lost a lot of weight by then. So let's say you've shed 60% of your excess weight, now your caloric requirements are necessarily lower. So you should be eating less, but suddenly you can eat more.

Rut roh.

Having said that, there are many, many examples of people who have continued to lose well after 6 months so it's not like the sleeve "stops working". It's just a tad tougher from what I can tell.

[Jenny12 361]

100% agree that the honeymoon phase is real. I think it varies for everyone. At 4 or 5 months post op, a switch definitely flipped in my body! So I didn't quite make it to 6 months, but I have pushed and shoved my way through this fighting for every ounce lost....and I made it!

[gamergirl 4,610]

100% agree that the honeymoon phase is real. I think it varies for everyone. At 4 or 5 months post op, a switch definitely flipped in my body! So I didn't quite make it to 6 months, but I have pushed and shoved my way through this fighting for every ounce lost....and I made it!

Congratulations!

Can I ask, when you say a switch flipped, what changed? More hunger? or other stuff?

[Jenny12 361]

More hunger and more capacity. I remember being exactly 5 months post op on my lunch break at work and having a panic attack at how much more I could suddenly eat.

[NtvTxn 1,262]

It's absolutely true. I am almost 3.5 years out, I've been maintaining easily for not quite three years, but as time goes on you are able to eat more, so if your bad habits haven't been addressed, even though you can still eat less than before, weigh loss will slow down and it will be harder to get to goal. I made the most of it and hit goal at six months, by the time I was one year out, I could eat substantially more than the 1/8 cup I was eating that first month. My doctor doesn't want his patients to EVER eat more than a cup of food at one meal, I still cannot eat a cup of food. Hopefully I never will be able too. I think many people struggle after the honeymoon period (6 - 12 months) because they've let bad habits slip back into their lives. I was very strict with myself when I was losing. NOTHING that you'd normally consider 'bad'. Nothing at all sweet, fried and I limited Pasta, potatoes and bread....I still limit them quite a bit. I didn't eat real butter.....I was careful and mindful of every single thing that I ate. I logged it all, I weighed daily, I weighed and/or measured my food. These are things I still do today and I will have to do forever. They're as natural to me as breathing. I know how quickly I can gain, I have a comfort zone, and if I'm a half pound above my high end, I cut back my calories by 100 - 150 per day.

For the first time in my life, I NEVER feel guilty about what I eat, for the first time in my adult life, I am not on a diet. I am in control, food is not. It's very liberating to throw food away.

My restriction is still very good, I try and under eat my sleeve, if I FEEL full, it's too late, I'm miserable. I haven't been hungry in almost 3.5 years, I have what I call my new hunger, more of an empty feeling.

I love my sleeve, not a minute of buyer's remorse.

[NtvTxn 1,262]

BTW, I do NOT think the sleeve stop working, we might, but the sleeve does not. If I'm up two pounds, losing it is not a problem. It might be more difficult if you have eight or ten to lose, but I am certain it can be done. I have a friend who was injured, had back surgery and ended up gaining 30 pounds, she lost almost 150 the first ten months, so she KNEW what to do and she did. She's lost it and is maintaining!

[Seela 1,187]

I'm only two weeks out so I don't have personal experience. .. but as a hair stylist I have seen many people that have had wls. I'd say the one's that are diligent about tracking,, keeping all of their appointments and go to support groups are the ones that continue to do good year after year. The ones that don't often end up fat again at around year four. Per my surgeon. .. year one = loss, year 2= fun, year 3= honeymoon over!