Rogofulm

I'm telling you the truth.... If you can buckle down and follow all the rules, you'll get there. And getting slimmer is so much more rewarding than eating just another slice of..... whatever. There's no food I craved half as much as I craved the weight loss. And the on-scale and non-scale victories sustained me. I set TONS of mini goals, so I was hitting new milestones every few weeks (and sometimes days). Like, every 5 pounds down, every 10 pounds down, every round number on the scale, and even every 5 pounds less to goal, every 10 pounds less to goal, 1/10th of the way there, 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 3/4, every pants size, every shirt size, every belt notch, every extra 5 minutes walked, every additional day of exercise in a row or in a week, every additional 100 steps on my Fitbit, every holiday/event that I controlled myself. I knew that it was totally ridiculous!!! But it made it a game of it, and it was great fun to be achieving those goals all the time. Good luck and try to have fun with this! P.S. The link is in my last post. But just in case, here it is again. http://bariatricfoodie.blogspot.com/2011/03/bf-basics-carb-confusion.html

But I'm not three years out. THAT'S what's truly impressive about your success!!! It's what we all dream about....

Glad to hear that the 5-Day Pouch Test works! I've linked to it here a few times, but haven't tried it yet. Now that I'm experimenting with expanding my food list, it's good to know that it's effective. One pound under goal at Year 3? You're rockin' it!!!!!

Great points, @VSGAnn2014. Thanks! That's what I've been reading too. So in order to stop losing and maintain, I'm going to try adding whole-grain carbs like quinoa, barley, bulgher, oats, brown rice, whole wheat Pasta, and maybe the occasional sweet potato or slice of "100% whole grain" bread (not "wheat bread"). And maybe some fruit, especially berries. Here's the link to an article (in 5 short parts) I found yesterday that answers most questions about carbs in understandable language. Good luck!! Since this subject seems to be pretty scarce in BP, let's keep sharing maintenance tips as we find them!

Try muting the TV during commercials and look away. Also, if you have a DVR, don't watch anything live, so you can fast forward through the ads. The good news is that if you stick faithfully to your program, in a few weeks they won't bother you as much. Once we detox our bodies (and our minds) from all the crap, it doesn't call to us like it used to.

Basically, for "optimum" weight loss, we should try to get all of our carbs from green veggies, Beans, dairy, and limited fruit (no fruit juices). The next level of rigor would include whole-grain carbs like quinoa, barley, bulgher, oats, brown rice, whole wheat Pasta, and maybe the occasional sweet potato or slice of "100% whole grain" bread (not "wheat bread") The white stuff should be avoided at all costs! That is: white rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, and corn. And refined sugar. Run far and run fast away from it! Bottom line? The higher your degree of rigor, the more quickly you'll probably lose weight. Here's a primer I ran across today that explains carbs in detail. All 5 articles are short but informative. Hope that helps!

Actually, you're probably not past the Week-3 Stall yet. It can last 2-3 weeks, so you may be right in the middle or towards the end of it. If you haven't already, read this and check out the link. It may make you feel better. Congratulations! You have reached The Dreaded Week-3 Stall. It's perfectly normal, and just about all of us have suffered through it. You're not crazy, and your doctor didn't screw up. In fact, you might not lose any weight for two weeks or even longer. But don't worry – after that, the pounds will start falling off if you stick to your program. And, the inches will continue to come off even while the scale isn't budging. Here's a good article that explains why it happens and why we all have to go through it. Hang in there. Pretty soon it'll be in the rear-view mirror and you'll be dropping weight again! (Apologies to BP regulars who have seen this repeatedly, but it's a big deal to those who are going through it!)

Okay, so I've overshot my final goal, and my wife is upset that I'm getting "too skinny". Now what? I'm still losing, slowly, but I really need to stop, and maybe even put 2-3 pounds back on. I guess I need to get out of ketosis. My doc suggested adding back carbs that you'd eat cooked with a meal (brown rice, sweet potatoes, whole wheat Pasta, etc. And I'm guessing quinoa, barley and oatmeal would probably be okay, too. Can any of you vets who have successfully transitioned to maintenance advise about how you did it? What can we do to stop the weight loss – and what shouldn't we do – in order to prevent weight gain? Thanks in advance!!!

True.. I do the same, except I have a little guac. Oh yeah, guac! How could I forget guac?!! No carbs = okay in my book!

Another trick I use is to make all my Snacks protein-based – nuts, meats, Jerky, Greek yogurt, cheese, etc. As long as I'm not eating carbs, they don't seem to affect my weight loss because they don't throw me out of ketosis.

Hi @Brenew. I'm glad you broke your stall, but I suspect you just came to the end of your week-3 stall. I'm a little worried about your choices at the restaurant. My family and I go out to Mexican every couple of weeks. I skip the chips, eat some salsa with a spoon, order steak fajitas, skip the tortillas and rice, and I never have any room left for Beans.) I've never had a problem with that slowing down my weight loss. I'm afraid if you keep eating chips and enchiladas, next time they won't be so kind to you. So try to make the Protein choices and not the carb choices and you'll be fine. Good luck!

I reported hunger to my doc about two weeks out, and he told me that after WLS, hunger is usually thirst in disguise. So m ake sure you're getting enough fluids, and after a while, that weird hunger will go away. Hang in there!

Congratulations! You have reached The Dreaded Week-3 Stall. It's perfectly normal, and just about all of us have suffered through it. You're not crazy, and your doctor didn't screw up. In fact, you might not lose any weight for two weeks or even longer. But don't worry – after that, the pounds will start falling off if you stick to your program. And, the inches will continue to come off even while the scale isn't budging. Here's a good article that explains why it happens and why we all have to go through it. Hang in there. Pretty soon it'll be in the rear-view mirror and you'll be dropping weight again! (Apologies to BP regulars who have seen this repeatedly, but it's a big deal to those who are going through it!)

Whoops! I overshot my goal and got to 143. Now I've gotta put two back on (or my wife is gonna kill me)! Thanks for doing this! Rog

Remember, after weight loss surgery, hunger is usually thirst in disguise. Keep your sleeve full of fluids and it will help you get through these cravings. And the longer you can go without giving in, the easier it gets. If you keep making the right choices, after a while you can watch people eat pretty much anything without being tempted. Hang tough, it gets easier!

I just say, "Thanks for noticing!" If they ask how I did it, I tell them I had bariatric surgery. And then before they can say another word, I add, "...so I haven't had a starch, or a dessert, or a soda for 10 months, I eat 80 grams of Protein and drink 120 ounces of Water every day, and and I exercise 4-6 times a week." (In a friendly tone of voice and with a smile.) Then instead of thinking that I took the easy way out, they usually say something like, "Wow, no bread, rice, Pasta, potatoes, or dessert, isn't that hard?" To which my reply is, "Well, yeah, but it's SO worth it!" Works like a charm and I've never had a negative response.

The week-3 stall can last 2-3 weeks, but then you''ll be off and running (dropping) again!

Hi @SaraM8705. I'm 10 months out and 121 pounds down, and pasta is still too soon to eat. So are bread, potatoes, rice, and sugary Desserts. What do the materials from your surgeon's office advise? I worry that if you're planning on eating starches already, it's going to be a long, hard road to reach your goal. Please review the recommended eating guidance and follow it. And if you're hungry, remember that after weight loss surgery, hunger is often thirst in disguise, so keep sipping... I wish you all the success in the world!!!

The Omeprazole in Nexium or Prilosec is just half the strength of the prescription Pantoprazole. If you can't get a prescription quickly enough, you might try the OTC stuff. And then check it with your doc as soon as you can. Feel better!

Excellent list! What it boils down to is that we need to keep following the rules they gave us in our pre-op packet forever! It's what we signed up for when we told the doctor to cut us open. Why would that change afterwards?

Thank you, everyone, for all your candor! This is exactly what I was looking for when I joined BP a little over a year ago. From the very start I predicted that the initial weight loss would probably be the easy part. Truth be told, I'm not a year out from surgery yet, but I have made it to goal, and I'm looking for tips on how to maintain that loss. Your stories, both the successes and the challenges, are an inspiration. Even the struggles provide examples of what works and what doesn't. So thank you all, I plan to keep putting in the hard work to follow in your footsteps and remain healthy for the long haul. May your successes stay one step ahead of your challenges!

I've found that getting too many calories doesn't matter much, as long as you're getting enough Protein and fluids and avoiding starches/sugars. But you're concerned about the other end of the equation. If you're logging your food on MyFitnessPal or another app, you should find that if you're get 60-80 grams of protein, you will be in the 600-800 calory range. Work on that protein! Good luck!

Why are you eating off plan? Think about why you had surgery in the first place. To stop the madness, right? Please take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to change your relationship with food. If I may be so bold, it sounds like you could use a professional counselor to help you get to the bottom of this. In the meantime, make a decision right now to start following all the rules. If you do, I promise it will change your life for the better. And once you detox from all the crap you've been putting in your system, it get so much easier. Good luck, I wish you all the success in the world, but you'll need to put in the work to make it happen.

If you're hitting all your Protein and Fluid goals and getting 600-700 calories, you will lose weight. If you're eating any non-green-veggie carbs, I'd cut them out, and definitely no sugar (including fruit juices). Just keep staying away from the "bad foods" and you'll start dropping weight soon. And remember, the inches should still be coming off, even when the scale doesn't budge. Hang in there, you'll be okay!

What a transformation already! Keep it up!!!