What does 4-5 months out look like for you?

[jenny8791 11]

Hi All -

I am about 4.5 months out from VSG. Overall, I'm doing well and couldn't be happier. I am starting to hit a plateau but I know it happens and I'm ok with it. My question is.... What did 4-5 months out look like for you? What were you eating? Physical changes? Any foods you couldn't tolerate at this point, etc.

There's a lot posts about what happens immediately after this surgery and what long term looks like, but I'm curious about other people's experiences at this point.

Thanks for the feedback. Have a great day!

Jenny

[Arabesque 7,194]

Glad you are doing so well & are happy with your progress. Whoo hoo!

By 4-5 months I was eating a variety of meats, vegetables & some fruit & lots of dairy. Had a small amount of carbs in the form of rolled oats 3 or 4 times a week. Still small portions - almost 3/4 cup on a good day & depending on what I was eating. I ate three meals a day & usually two Snacks (yoghurt & cheese or fruit). No real difficulties eating most foods that I can recall by that time except for things I always had issues with like chilli & spicy foods. Though there are still odd occasions when my tummy says nope this is not for you but I’ve worked out what most of those things are now or why my tummy said no. I hit goal at 6 months so my weight loss was noticeably slowing especially by month 5. I did keep losing for another 11 months or so but it just took me time to be able to physically eat enough to stop losing & to work out how & what that meant & looked like for me.

While losing my cholesterol levels increased & my liver function was off. Not because of what I was eating but because of what was being released into my blood stream from my melting fat. Once I reached my goal they settled & my cholesterol dropped back to the level it has been for years (regardless of my weight).

Always had a tendency to low blood pressure & the occasional hypoglycaemic episodes & as I got closer to my goal, they increased in frequency (esp the low blood pressure: all day, ever day). So that did, & still does, affect my energy levels & my ability to be very active - start strong but fade fast. Lol!

Now I eat almost a recommended serving size again depending on what I’m eating. Eat 3 meals & 3 or 4 snacks a day - about 1200/1300 calories. Cut out a lot of sugar, (real, substitutes & artificial). Only eat whole or multi grains - rolled oats & some crackers (2 serves a day). Can’t eat breads, rice & Pasta - sit heavily in my tummy & restrict what else I can eat. My surgery hasn’t limited me socially in any way.

That’s my story anyway.

Edited October 1, 2021 by Arabesque

[Charlie C 36]

I'm a little over 4 months post-surgery. I'm down 102 pounds and feel amazing. I'm off my C-pap machine for sleeping and also was able to ditch my blood pressure medication. I can pretty much eat anything I want as long as I don't overdo it. It's been a pretty amazing journey since May 18th. I couldn't be happier.

[ms.sss 15,490]

[MistySkye 181]

I’m on Week 19. Had my first post-surgery vacation, at Walt Disney World for 2 weeks. I learned I don’t have any food intolerances. Yes, some stuff will sit “heavy” but no nausea or vomiting. I still kept up my Protein intake so that balanced things out. Shared most meals & Snacks, usually I can only eat about 3oz protein and some veg/carb and I’m full.

The nice thing, I’m only up 0.6lbs from the day I left. So, I’m expecting that Water weight to drop off this week as I return to my normal diet that is much lower in sugar & carbs.

Prior to vacation, my weight loss has been steady with no stalls. Anywhere from 0.6 to 4 lbs per week. I have lost 51lbs.

i still don’t really have real cravings. I did pass up on treats I’d normally get at WDW because I was either full from regular meal or simply not interested. That was kinda weird 🙂

[emboss03 2]

I'm at 4.5 months post op. I've lost around 70 lbs total and feel amazing. I am still on all of my medications, but I expect that those will be discontinued soon. I've gone from pants size 16/18 to a size 5/6 and XXL to M shirts. I've gotten more compliments than ever and finally have the confidence and self esteem to agree with the compliments.

On the flip side, I still struggle with portions and being sick after meals. I've had to cut out most meat as it doesn't agree with me. I eat very small portions, but I've had to cut back a little more and continue to eat slowly.

I can pass up sweets and carbs because I know how sick I get when I eat them. I do have cravings, but I don't give in.

[lizonaplane 1,612]

On 10/8/2021 at 6:43 PM, ms.sss said:

I'm only a month out and I'm eating about 600 calories a day. I am wondering if I need to eat less to be as successful as you!

[ms.sss 15,490]

26 minutes ago, lizonaplane said:

I'm only a month out and I'm eating about 600 calories a day. I am wondering if I need to eat less to be as successful as you!

I would say go with what u can handle…i know from being on these forums for 3 years that my daily cals back then were on the very low side of the range that most people were eating at the same stage.

I was blessed (or cursed, depending in how u look at it) with very, very, very little interest or desire to eat. So going as low as i did was relatively low-effort and angst-free for ME.

So long as u are consistently at a caloric deficit you will be successful.

P.S. Fast forward to now and it now seems (based on what i’ve read on here) that i am on the higher end of average daily calories consumed for my size and stage post op. So who knows? We all operate on different gears…i am of the mind that success is based on one’s ability to determine that gear and operate effectively in it, as well as adapt when those gears change.

Good luck! ❤️