LumpySpacePrincess

Starvation mode doesn't apply to people who have extra fat on their bodies, and certainly not for people who are obese. Its a weight loss myth that has been beat to death. I know giving up our food is hard psychologically, but you need to give up control of it at least a little bit to make this surgery work.
I got to my goal weight because I kept my calories low for the whole first year (around 650 to 800 per day), while those in my cohort (support group) who were of the "starvation mode" mindset and increased calories and exercise are still considered overweight, and not by a narrow margin. You will not die, you will not starve to death. Your fat is there to feed your body in times of famine. If you want it to come off your body, you have to decrease intake and force your body to use its energy stores. Your calories need to come from your body, not from your plate.

When the episode originally aired, I was just a few months out of WLS. I was yelling at the tv. I was so f-ing angry at her. I know so many people who were turned down for WLS after multiple appeals and who really truly needed the surgery and would have been excellent candidates, and I feel like she pissed her opportunity away.
The episode stuck with me for awhile, though, and slowly I started to realize that could have been me. She has an eating disorder, no questions about it, but so do I. What's the difference, though? Well, I feel I am fortunate enough to be a psychology student (now in graduate school for counseling psych), so I had access to so much more information than a lot of people did on assessments, abnormal psychology, etc that through my training I was able to recognize my own eating disorder and seek help. For years (my therapist and I place the start of my disorder around the age of 3) I honestly didn't know that I was any different than anyone else. I thought everyone ate the way I did, I was just unfortunate enough to get fat.
She is wife and mother to her disorder, not her family members. She is so deep into it that I honestly think only inpatient care would help at this point. I don't think she wants to be the way she is, and I think she probably senses something is wrong, but for some of us having a food attachment that strong can be the same as someone trying to get off heroin or narcotics. Your disorder will convince you of all kinds of things, mainly that you don't need help. Its incredibly difficult to live with.
I fully empathize with her, not for her choices but her lack of ability to make good choices due to her disorder. It must be hell living inside her head.

When the episode originally aired, I was just a few months out of WLS. I was yelling at the tv. I was so f-ing angry at her. I know so many people who were turned down for WLS after multiple appeals and who really truly needed the surgery and would have been excellent candidates, and I feel like she pissed her opportunity away.
The episode stuck with me for awhile, though, and slowly I started to realize that could have been me. She has an eating disorder, no questions about it, but so do I. What's the difference, though? Well, I feel I am fortunate enough to be a psychology student (now in graduate school for counseling psych), so I had access to so much more information than a lot of people did on assessments, abnormal psychology, etc that through my training I was able to recognize my own eating disorder and seek help. For years (my therapist and I place the start of my disorder around the age of 3) I honestly didn't know that I was any different than anyone else. I thought everyone ate the way I did, I was just unfortunate enough to get fat.
She is wife and mother to her disorder, not her family members. She is so deep into it that I honestly think only inpatient care would help at this point. I don't think she wants to be the way she is, and I think she probably senses something is wrong, but for some of us having a food attachment that strong can be the same as someone trying to get off heroin or narcotics. Your disorder will convince you of all kinds of things, mainly that you don't need help. Its incredibly difficult to live with.
I fully empathize with her, not for her choices but her lack of ability to make good choices due to her disorder. It must be hell living inside her head.

Starvation mode doesn't apply to people who have extra fat on their bodies, and certainly not for people who are obese. Its a weight loss myth that has been beat to death. I know giving up our food is hard psychologically, but you need to give up control of it at least a little bit to make this surgery work.
I got to my goal weight because I kept my calories low for the whole first year (around 650 to 800 per day), while those in my cohort (support group) who were of the "starvation mode" mindset and increased calories and exercise are still considered overweight, and not by a narrow margin. You will not die, you will not starve to death. Your fat is there to feed your body in times of famine. If you want it to come off your body, you have to decrease intake and force your body to use its energy stores. Your calories need to come from your body, not from your plate.

When the episode originally aired, I was just a few months out of WLS. I was yelling at the tv. I was so f-ing angry at her. I know so many people who were turned down for WLS after multiple appeals and who really truly needed the surgery and would have been excellent candidates, and I feel like she pissed her opportunity away.
The episode stuck with me for awhile, though, and slowly I started to realize that could have been me. She has an eating disorder, no questions about it, but so do I. What's the difference, though? Well, I feel I am fortunate enough to be a psychology student (now in graduate school for counseling psych), so I had access to so much more information than a lot of people did on assessments, abnormal psychology, etc that through my training I was able to recognize my own eating disorder and seek help. For years (my therapist and I place the start of my disorder around the age of 3) I honestly didn't know that I was any different than anyone else. I thought everyone ate the way I did, I was just unfortunate enough to get fat.
She is wife and mother to her disorder, not her family members. She is so deep into it that I honestly think only inpatient care would help at this point. I don't think she wants to be the way she is, and I think she probably senses something is wrong, but for some of us having a food attachment that strong can be the same as someone trying to get off heroin or narcotics. Your disorder will convince you of all kinds of things, mainly that you don't need help. Its incredibly difficult to live with.
I fully empathize with her, not for her choices but her lack of ability to make good choices due to her disorder. It must be hell living inside her head.

Lowering carbs is never a bad idea, especially if refined grains and starchy veg (potatoes, etc) have creeped back into your diet. However, you will probably need to lower your calories as well. We tend to stall out because we forget that as we lose, our bodies need less. If we keep eating the same amount, we aren't creating a big enough deficit to lose fat.
If you are going the low-carb route, just remember to keep your daily fat at or below your Protein in grams so the fat you're burning comes from your body, not from your diet!

I'm going to go ahead and throw out the thought that the title and the original post in this thread makes me really sad. I hated that episode. I hated her life and I hated what she did to herself and her family. That said, all we were shown were snapshots of her life for the sake of ratings.
We don't know the real story, why she got that way, what she faced that wasn't shown... Is she "crazy"? I don't know. Is she very very mentally ill? I'd wager yes.
She has taken a beating on this site so many times as well as in hundreds of other forums. What if she's reading this? Do you think it's helpful in any way? Is this form of fat hate any different just because you (general/plural) also experienced WLS with more success? If anything, I think it's worse because you (general/plural) should be able to empathize...
I'm out.

You will NOT gain muscle that quickly, so don't buy into that. At most, people who train might gain about 2 pounds of muscle per month at the very most, and we're talking serious athletes. The average person might gain a quarter to half a pound of pure muscle per month, but usually not more. It took me three months of intense weight training to gain a pound of lean body mass.
Most of what you are experiencing is probably Water gain, but you also have to take into account when you up your activity, your brain will tell you to eat more. Make sure you are not grazing throughout the day or developing the "I worked out hard so I can have extra" mentality. Keep your calories low, lean, and non-starchy and the Water weight should drop away and take some fat with it.

I definitely look younger. I'm 34 but a lot of people tell me I look 19. Even my close friends have remarked at how much younger I look.

There is a huge difference between gaining weight and gaining fat. You would have to be eating a lot to gain 15 pounds of pure fat.
There are way too many factors that could be causing you to gain weight: hormone fluctuations, Water retention, muscle gain, Constipation, etc. If you are eating fewer calories than you burn, you will lose fat. The theory of starvation mode isn't relevant for people who still have excess body fat. The body is too intelligent to make you gain weight or not lose weight if you lower your calories. Your fat is only stored when you are taking in more than your body can burn (burning it is the only way it can get rid of it!). Your body doesn't have a set point at which it says "gee, I should save this for later in case I don't get enough." Starvation point has been studied extensively and really only present in people who have very low body fat percentage and basically lived on nothing. If starvation mode were true at our weights, people who are anorexic wouldn't be able to lose as much as they do. This is probably over-simplifying it, but you get the point.
What does matter are the types of foods you are taking in. Protein and Produce before Carbs and Crap! Go back to eating like you did 6 weeks post-op: lots of Protein and Water, very little of anything else. You might be taking in too many carbohydrates that are being burned for energy instead of your stored body fat, and if you eat an excess of carbs your body will store the extra as fat or water.
All that being said, I didn't exercise while I was still trying to lose. Whenever I did, my weight loss would slow or stall. Once I cut it out, I would lose a steady 3 pounds per week. My weight has been stable for about 5 months, so I have taken up exercising again. So I do agree with you that exercising with very low calorie diet may be slowing you down, I don't think it would cause you to gain. For that, you need to look at other factors about your diet and your routine. Are you snacking without realizing it? Many do. Keep tracking so you can see where your problem areas are.
Good luck!

I probably got around 800-1000 at 3 months out and honestly that's still where I'm at in the 5th month. My doctor wants me off of Protein shakes by my 6 month appt and I noticed that days I don't drink them, I have less calories for the day.

At 3 months, I ate about 500-600 calories a day. At about 4-6 months, I was at 600-700. From 6 months to a year, I was 800-900. Since then, I average around 1000-1400.

I just posted in another thread on my plastics experience in Mexico, so you can switch over there to read my whole reply:
http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/333467-was-sleeved-913-looking-into-plastics-help/
As for costs, I had my plastics in August 2011, so pricing has probably gone up a little since then, but my total cost was about $10500. That included an extended Tummy Tuck with muscle repair (my surgeon did three lines of stitches in the muscle like the boning of a corset, not just one down the middle), breast lift with augmentation, all over lipo/body sculpting, and two weeks in the recovery house where I had 24/7 nursing care and all my meals provided. In addition to that, I paid about $250 for compression garments and prescription meds. Plus I paid for some lymphatic massages (masseuse came to the recovery house several days and I went to her office once). I want to say that was about $50 per massage, but I'm not 100% on that. And, of course, I had to pay for my airfare for a flight into San Diego, but the recovery house provided transport to and from the airport that was included in the cost.

When I was searching for a plastic surgeon, I noticed a trend as well. Some plastic surgeons tend to have more of their patients suffer from complications. You certainly do not want that. It is your body! You do not want to take chances. I have also noticed some women bodies all look exactly the same after the procedure. Wow! Just because a plastic surgeon is popular does not mean he is good for you. (Example: Just because a McDonalds hamburger is popular does not mean it is good for you:)

I found a wonderful, unique, experienced, caring plastic surgeon - Dr. Victor Gutierrez in Tijuana, Mexico. He has all 5 star raving reviews on RealSelf.com from ALL of his patients that have written about him. Prices are listed as well. You will notice he is artistic and each persons results are different according to the person body type.

My full experience is on this site under 'Story' and pictures under 'Gallery' on this site. Check it out!

I have lost almost 160, and the skin on my stomach kind if stayed in the same shape it always was. I still have a bit of a pannus, though its much smaller. Some good control top panties, though, and I can wear leggings and dresses and look like I was never overweight. Does it bother me? Sure! But I am far less bothered by it now than I was at over 300 pounds! I have actually learned to ignore it for the most part.
All I can say is thank goodness my boyfriend is legally blind! LOL

spaceprincess - I suspect the stalls you got during weight loss phase was Water retention. When you exercise, the muscles hang onto Water. I exercised through the whole weight loss phase and over time, it evens out and doesn't cause stalls - it is really the starting up is when you see it.
I think you should take lumpy out of your name.

I have lost almost 160, and the skin on my stomach kind if stayed in the same shape it always was. I still have a bit of a pannus, though its much smaller. Some good control top panties, though, and I can wear leggings and dresses and look like I was never overweight. Does it bother me? Sure! But I am far less bothered by it now than I was at over 300 pounds! I have actually learned to ignore it for the most part.
All I can say is thank goodness my boyfriend is legally blind! LOL

One day I'll take the time to type up my whole story (its a long one, going back to the age of 3!) but for now here are my photos!
Before: July 2013 (surgery in November 2013) at approximately 325 pounds. After: December 2014 at about 157 pounds. I'd still like to lose another 20, but at this point I'm not going to push for it. Last time I was this weight was maybe 6th grade.

There is a huge difference between gaining weight and gaining fat. You would have to be eating a lot to gain 15 pounds of pure fat.
There are way too many factors that could be causing you to gain weight: hormone fluctuations, Water retention, muscle gain, Constipation, etc. If you are eating fewer calories than you burn, you will lose fat. The theory of starvation mode isn't relevant for people who still have excess body fat. The body is too intelligent to make you gain weight or not lose weight if you lower your calories. Your fat is only stored when you are taking in more than your body can burn (burning it is the only way it can get rid of it!). Your body doesn't have a set point at which it says "gee, I should save this for later in case I don't get enough." Starvation point has been studied extensively and really only present in people who have very low body fat percentage and basically lived on nothing. If starvation mode were true at our weights, people who are anorexic wouldn't be able to lose as much as they do. This is probably over-simplifying it, but you get the point.
What does matter are the types of foods you are taking in. Protein and Produce before Carbs and Crap! Go back to eating like you did 6 weeks post-op: lots of Protein and Water, very little of anything else. You might be taking in too many carbohydrates that are being burned for energy instead of your stored body fat, and if you eat an excess of carbs your body will store the extra as fat or water.
All that being said, I didn't exercise while I was still trying to lose. Whenever I did, my weight loss would slow or stall. Once I cut it out, I would lose a steady 3 pounds per week. My weight has been stable for about 5 months, so I have taken up exercising again. So I do agree with you that exercising with very low calorie diet may be slowing you down, I don't think it would cause you to gain. For that, you need to look at other factors about your diet and your routine. Are you snacking without realizing it? Many do. Keep tracking so you can see where your problem areas are.
Good luck!

I am one of those people who posts what they are having for dinner to Facebook (occasionally) but mostly because I have a ton of sleever friends on there and we like to get ideas from each other. I know no one else cares that I had tuna casserole last Wednesday! lol

Hey my nutritionist is Christine Sarkissain she is located at beverly oaks surgery center. Really nice nutritionist. She helped me with preparing for my vgs.

One day I'll take the time to type up my whole story (its a long one, going back to the age of 3!) but for now here are my photos!
Before: July 2013 (surgery in November 2013) at approximately 325 pounds. After: December 2014 at about 157 pounds. I'd still like to lose another 20, but at this point I'm not going to push for it. Last time I was this weight was maybe 6th grade.

Congrats!!! Don't hurt yourself laughing too hard at this. haha! I remember when I was fresh out of surgery and on so much pain medication I called my mom and instead of telling her I made it I for some reason shout/slurred "I AM AN UNREALIZED chicken FARM!!" into the phone. I couldn't understand why everyone in the room was laughing.
HUGS to you and we'll be here to support you on your journey!

I have lost almost 160, and the skin on my stomach kind if stayed in the same shape it always was. I still have a bit of a pannus, though its much smaller. Some good control top panties, though, and I can wear leggings and dresses and look like I was never overweight. Does it bother me? Sure! But I am far less bothered by it now than I was at over 300 pounds! I have actually learned to ignore it for the most part.
All I can say is thank goodness my boyfriend is legally blind! LOL

Completely normal. Be glad you can get in fluids, that's the main thing you need. But, remember, just because you CAN eat the whole thing doesn't mean that you SHOULD. Listen to your body and the minute you start feeling full-ish, stop eating. This is a good habit to start!