Julie Milstead

I have just gained for the first time since having surgery and it was terrifying. I can imagine how you must feel. I think VSG Anne 2014 hit the nail on the head (at least for me). It's probably got something to do with being self destructive /self sabotaging. I am 100% sure you know exactly what you need to do to get back on track.
I have made a decision to take a two pronged approach 1) work on my head and why I still self sooth with food and 2) get in the practice of being a healthy eater. I would work at getting 1 day out of 7 on track, then two days out of 7 and so on and so forth. This is a life long journey and not a race so be kind to yourself and take one day at a time and I am sure within no time you will be heading in the right direction!

Are you tracking what you eat? I find it incredibly helpful to track everything on MyFitnessPal. I had several weeks of struggling with bad food choices and decided to get super strict with everything. The first couple of days are hard but worth it! Here is the plan I set for myself:
Get all food that is not on my plan out of the house Get in a minimum of 100 grams of Protein and 72 ounces of Fluid every day Maximum of 40 carbs and 1000 calories every day -- but I will bump this up to 60 carbs and 1200 calories if I get in at least 45 minutes of exercise Just say no to: grains, refined sugar, dairy (except grass fed butter and whey protein powder), fruit (except avocado), starchy veggies (potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, peas), Beans & legumes. So basically I am eating meat, fish, eggs, tree nuts, green veggies, avocados, black coffee, and healthy fats such as olive oil and grass fed butter -- oh and some Condiments here and there like mustard! Weigh or measure all food and track on myfitnesspal.com Weigh myself every day This is tough, especially at first. But I owe myself some love, and sometimes tough love is what is needed. After the first day or so I lost my cravings for things like crackers and Cookies, and I am losing weight quickly again, so it is working for me. Good luck to you!

@@CowgirlJane thanks for the words of encouragement. My actual all time high was 325 - still don't know how I managed to keep off that extra 20 pounds for several years. I think you give great advice about accepting and embracing our success. In some ways, that "all or none" mentality is part of what got me to that high weight. It was totally ignoring my health for periods of time, followed by periods of 100% rigid, obsessive, restrictive diet, followed by failure, rinse and repeat. Learning that one slip up is not the path to obesity, but a repeated pattern is, was a valuable lesson for me.
I've been deemed successful and "good to go" by 4 physicians (not in the same practice), and the dietician and nurse at my surgeons office, so I'm trying to wrap my head around that, even though on some levels I still feel "not quite finished". In the meantime, I think I'm getting better at accepting where I am and enjoying it as a genuine success. Having the perspective of others who have gone before us is tremendously valuable - so thanks!

I know what you mean about feeling like it expired. I find myself wishing I could get a tune up. I want that great feeling of steady loss, never being hungry, being impressed with myself by how little I want to eat and how little I do eat. But that's not reality, and as Jane said, it's all us at this stage. I do have enough restriction to stop me from going crazy if I feel myself getting out of control, but it's up to me to pay attention to it. I mostly do, and I'm always so thankful that I wasn't able to do much damage.
I also have been stuck at this weight for months. I'm thinking about revising my goal. I'm just going to see how it goes, but I'm in a size 10 - a size I've never been. I'm thrilled with being normal, and I struggle between wanting to get to 140 pounds, and just being happy with what I've achieved. I'm not sure the number on the scale is worth the fight, and we each have to decide that for ourselves. I also think sometimes our bodies tell us where we should be. As long as it's healthy, it should be OK, too.
@@Success2013 you can do this if you want. I suggest logging, weighing yourself, and generally going back to basics. You know what to do - just take it a day at a time, and do the best you can!

In my book..size 8 for a formerly obese is a MAJOR success. I know plenty of ladies who would love to wear that size!

I too have the same feeling that you do at this time. My surgery was May 2013 and this month is the first month that I tracked a weight gain. I seem to bounce between 150 and 155. Today I am 152.
I have tried the tips already mentioned (tracking food and Water, cutting out the "junk" and getting Protein first.) I find that I can get 50-60 gm of Protein a day. I manage to take in about 72 oz of Water.< /p>
I have decided that 150-155 is an ok weight for now. I am wearing a size 8 (which is a size I have never worn as an adult) I am staying positive that the last 25 lbs will come off with time if I stay on track. If I stay this weight for a while, my body must need the break from weight loss. I am hoping that my skin will tighten up while I am working off the last few pounds. I do not look at this as a failed surgery because I am 115 lbs lighter than when I had the surgery.

It's not easy but I think a main success factor is facing that the surgery gets you "launched" but doesn't do the work for you. In the beginning it does and over time it becomes pretty much 100 our choices that do the work.
The best way to regain feeling of restriction is to go back to all the sleeve basics including tiny portions. In a few days you are likely to feel restriction again.

Hi there,
It's such a thin line between losing, maintenance, and gaining. All vets (and at one year that's what you are) struggle at some point.
If you're not logging your food and weighing yourself daily, that's my number one trick for managing my weight post-op. After a couple of days of that, I can see where to cut back to lose or stop gaining.
Making myself cut back is hard. I help myself out by getting rid of foods that aren't in my plan, especially my favorite junk foods. Give them away or throw them away. Replace them low cal treats you can enjoy guilt free. For me, that includes fat free greek yogurt with splenda and fruit, no-cal drinks such as LIption's Diet Green Tea with Citrus, and raw veggies with dip made with greek yogurt. I also measure my food to get back on track. Both to make sure I'm getting enough Protein and to control carb creep (1 oz. of crackers creeps up to 2, then 3 ounces if I don't).
And I give myself no calorie treats for success, like a new lipstick, lotion, book, puzzle, or even a pay per view movie. It's just a little splurge, but it picks me up.
Also, I eat less if I track my fluids and make sure I'm getting 64 oz. per day.
At this point, to stave off hunger, it pretty much has to be Protein. Nothing else hits the spot the same way. Are you getting enough protein? I aim for 2-4 ounces per meal. Another thing that can masquerade as hunger is stomach acid. You might try taking prilosec and see if it makes a difference.
Bottom line, most everyone is working it to continue losing or to stay at goal after one year. Hang out here and commiserate with the rest of your people :-)
Lynda

Join us in the veterans forum. There are a lot of us who are fighting weight gain after being sleeved awhile.
You can do it. You need motivation from the rest of us. There is also a maintenance thread in there. It helps to be accountable. I am working on 10 right now.

I really needed to read these I was feeling like "why did I have this stupid surgery, it's not working for me!" Thanks for posting!

Come on already ...... Really? 25 days and my weight is the same. I was sleeved on July 30th. I'm ready to throw my scale out the window. This totally sucks. The ONLY saving grace is that my pants size seems to be going down 26 to an 18. (but not the pounds) I've read about this when you loose inches not pounds. Still I don't quite get it, but that's what I am doing. Still 25 days.
I HATE MY scale ..... AND MY SCALE HATES ME.
( Hummmm) - this too shall pass.
I know, be thankful for the inches and stop complaining.
Thanks for listening, I had to give my husbands ears a break.

That makes a whole lot of sense! I started at 280 lbs. and my most recent stall has been between 28 & 30 lbs. I don't remember where my first stall was (weight wise) but the first stall for me only lasted about 10 days and this one has been going on much longer! I have finally been seeing a few ounces coming off on the scale, so I hope and pray that the weight will start coming off again. Good luck, y'all.

Okay so here's another one that might explain the TIMING of the stall. I keep reading articles that suggest that people stall after they lose about 10-15% of their body weight.
I will say with my husband and me, it was like clockwork. I had a small stall at 23 lbs lost, and he had a small one at 27 lbs--exactly 10% of body weight for both of us. Did that happen to you?
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2010-03-01-WLCstubbornweightloss01_CV_N.htm

Thank you for posting these! I am only 8 weeks post surgery but have already found myself plateauing twice. It can be very frustrating! Thanks again.

Don't keep yourself from going back to your doctor because you do not want to disappoint them. That is what they are there for. They are not there to judge, they are there to help you. Give them a call and schedule an appointment. Do you have support groups that you can attend as well? Don't be hard on yourself, just try to focus on moving forward and doing better in the future! Good luck!

Don't keep yourself from going back to your doctor because you do not want to disappoint them. That is what they are there for. They are not there to judge, they are there to help you. Give them a call and schedule an appointment. Do you have support groups that you can attend as well? Don't be hard on yourself, just try to focus on moving forward and doing better in the future! Good luck!

Don't keep yourself from going back to your doctor because you do not want to disappoint them. That is what they are there for. They are not there to judge, they are there to help you. Give them a call and schedule an appointment. Do you have support groups that you can attend as well? Don't be hard on yourself, just try to focus on moving forward and doing better in the future! Good luck!

WOW!! THANKS EVERYONE!! I am glad I joined this site! I am going to take your advice and get focused . Put yesterday behind me and try and set up that appointment
I will keep you posted. Oh I do go to a small support group called TOPS . but when I started headed upwards I stopped . SIlly when we need help sometimes we turn the other way.
Much needed and helpful words!
Thanks!

Don't keep yourself from going back to your doctor because you do not want to disappoint them. That is what they are there for. They are not there to judge, they are there to help you. Give them a call and schedule an appointment. Do you have support groups that you can attend as well? Don't be hard on yourself, just try to focus on moving forward and doing better in the future! Good luck!

Don't keep yourself from going back to your doctor because you do not want to disappoint them. That is what they are there for. They are not there to judge, they are there to help you. Give them a call and schedule an appointment. Do you have support groups that you can attend as well? Don't be hard on yourself, just try to focus on moving forward and doing better in the future! Good luck!

Thank you, Suejersey and JustSayMoe!

Thank you, Suejersey and JustSayMoe!

Thank you, Suejersey and JustSayMoe!

It's very common to stall. Some people stall for long periods of time too. I have a specific pattern with my body. I drop lots of weight early in the week and then stall out after Wednesday.
Don't just watch the scale, take measurements as well. Lots of times when you stall, your body is resizing itself.
Take the victories anyway you can get them whether it's at the scale or at the tape.

You will! Don't let the scale overwhelm you. Remember this is a life long journey and change in lifestyle/eating behaviors. So everything you are doing is bettering yourself for the long term! I am no "special" person, in fact I thought "I" would be the "one person" who this wouldn't work for and guess what.....it is working!
Try to enjoy life while on the journey as well, don't let the scale and the weight loss overshadow all the other wonderful things going on in your life. It helped for me to just live and start to "really live" so that I didn't put life on hold while I was losing.
Before you know it you'll be a few months out and then the clothes start getting to big and then people start noticing and then you get even more excited about getting healthy and fit and all the while you are learning new healthy habits. The sleeve is a beautiful thing and you are beautiful working your sleeve!