LaLaDee

I’m three years out and I can eat pretty much anything. I do get full after a normal adult size portion of protein, but not carbs. Ice cream slides down way too easily! I’m jealous of your restriction, I’m dealing with regain.

Thanks, that makes me feel better. I've been looking at stuff on reddit and there are some gruesome stories. Hopefully I don't go through any of that!

Thats a good idea - before photos. I didn't get any good ones before my VSG and I really regret it. I have an anxiety disorder and I am in full panic mode. You made me feel better by saying that I seem prepared.

I'm just about three years post-op. If I'm not weighing myself daily then I'm in trouble. I've had regain, but lost about 7kg/15 lbs in the last two months.

Hi all, everyone seems to be doing really well! I'm down about 6kg or 13lb since I decided to tackle my regain as a New Year resolution. I have to take a lot of medications with breakfast and with dinner, so I was struggling a bit with IF. I get nauseated and sick if pills aren't accompanied by some food. I had to adjust everything so I'm now doing 14 hour fasting window, with a 10 hour eating window. Unfortunately, due to my long working hours, sometimes it's 12:12 by the time I get around to eating dinner. Hopefully, I'm still getting some benefits from this IF approach. It's early days. My long term goal is to find an approach I can use for the rest of my life. It would be great to lose some more weight and then finally figure out this maintenance business!

Me too! Never had an issue with Lexapro and sleeve and I “feel” when I’ve forgotten to take it because I start grinding my teeth at night, so I would know if it wasn’t absorbing properly.

I can go to the gym and exercise. It’s hard to walk my dogs in the smoke/pollution. It’s hard to breathe. I actually had to go get an inhaler from my doctor. Hoping that things get better soon.

I think that’s pretty normal. My right arm is definitely leaner than my left arm. I don’t think there is much we can about it either.

I recall having dry skin after surgery. I think it's dehydration, lack of vitamins, and possibly just the effect of your body in survival mode with all the weight loss. I remember having to use heavier moisturisers on my face, but it eventually stopped. Drinking lots of water will probably help.

I’m a little bit worried about my protein levels. Not sure if I should add a protein shake in my 8 hr window? I think I’m only hitting 50-60 grams of protein with my two meals. I want to keep my calories low so I’m struggling with this.

@heycrystal2052 I’m doing something similar to you. The 16:8 intermittent fasting protocol. My eating window is also between 12 and 8. I only started on 1 January. I’m dealing with a lot of regain (my surgery was more than 2 years ago). I haven’t given myself a calories allowance, but I am tracking on MyFitnessPal so I do not know where I’m at roughly. I’m just trying to eat 2 healthy meals. The odd snack too if I’m hungry. I’ve lost about 4kg/9lbs but that’s likely to be water weight from Christmas indulgences. I agree that it feels a bit tricky. I suspect other people on this thread will have more helpful advice. I’m trying to plan and meal prep to limit my ability to mess up. I am also concerned because my skin has broken out - pimples everywhere. I’m not sure if it’s stress, a new moisturiser I got at Christmas or IF!! How is everyone else doing?

Thanks @Kris77 You guys are so supportive! Taking it day by day is so important. I need to focus on doing my best today and not all the other noise in my head.

@summerset All the best with your next surgery. I like your attitude - just getting on with it!

Thanks @summerset You are very kind. I'm also impressed that you had two regains and kept fighting on. And you made a point that I need to keep in mind - I've still maintained a weight loss of 105lbs/nearly 50kg. The regain definitely could be worse. And it will get a lot worse if I don't change my mindset and habits soon.

About 2 months after my surgery, I went through hell with some autoimmune diseases (sarcoid, psoriasis, arthritis, eye issues). The surgery triggered massive flare ups for me even after I had been fine for years. I think my whole body was in shock and it reacted. I'm not aware of anyone else dealing with this, so I thought I would share my story.

Absolutely. Basically, I've already gone to the absolute "LAST RESORT" of weight loss surgery and it feels like I have failed. FAILED. Where does that leave me? Where do I go from here? I'm getting therapy because it's gotten me so sad, but it's really really difficult. No one understands how bad this feels. It feels different to other times when I have lost weight and regained. I haven't regained every pound I lost, but I still feel like such a failure.

@Shparks You are not alone! I'm also struggling after a huge regain. In total I lost about 75kg or 165lbs. Then I regained 27kg or 60lbs back. My surgery was only about 2 years ago. I feel like such a failure. I can't explain how bad this is. I can see why there are so many mental health issues associated with bariatric surgery. I had the sleeve but I don't know if there would be any point to a revision to the bypass for me. Nevertheless, like many on new year resolution. I'm trying all over again. I've lost about 3kg (7 pounds). It does feel like a very long road back. I just hope I can do it.

I'm 20 months post op. I've had a difficult 6 months, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, put on a range of medication, including a larger dose of prednisone, methotrexate (which exhausts me) and other medications (so.many.pills). At the moment, my pain is still not under control. Between the pain, fatigue and relentless need to eat (prednisone is awful) and some depression, I started to eat a lot of crap. Slipped back into some bad habits (avoid those slider foods). So I put on weight. At my lowest weight, I was 179 lbs (81kg). Last Wednesday, I realised my weight was back up to 220 lbs (99.5 kg). Being a metric girl, I did not want to climb over 100kg. I freaked out and put myself back on a high protein/low carb 1000 calories daily allowance. In 4 days, I have lost 10 lbs (4.8kg). My body has responded in a way that really surprised me. I do not think it's healthy to lose 10lbs in 4 days. I have never lost weight this quickly. I am guessing that a lot of this wight loss is bloating/water weight from the medication. However, I was just wondering if anyone else has fought regain. What are your best tips? Has anyone else experienced a major drop in weight? Now that the sleeve isn't as restrictive, this is feeling like it's going to be a difficult journey. Any tips? Particularly from any veterans? I would love any support.

Joining the May challenge! 20 months post op Starting weight: 94.4kg (209 lbs) Goal: - reestablish heathy habits after regain - protein, protein, protein - low carb Not sure if I should include a weight loss goal, I just dropped 5kg (11 lbs) in one week, so I’m not sure what my body can realistically do this month. Would like to lose 4kg (10lbs) but we will see! That would get me back to Onederland!

I've gone low carb/low calorie for about a week now, and the scale is still saying I've dropped 5.4kg or 11lb. It will sound crazy (after just a week), but I do feel somehow lighter. Also I forgot how much I like the taste of some of healthy recipes! I even experimented in the kitchen and made "pork egg roll in a bowl" last night. It was great! https://peaceloveandlowcarb.com/pork-egg-roll-in-a-bowl-crack-slaw-paleo-low-carb-whole30/ I was eating so many carbs before. Entire bags of potato chips and feeling really sad about it. All my chocolate (gifted by my family at Easter) or purchased during the great binge is still sitting in my fridge. I know I need to get rid of it so I'm not tempted. My head is all over the place at the moment, but I'm hoping to have another good week (though I am definitely not expecting to lose weight after losing so much this week). Hope everyone else is doing well!

All good advice here. To me, taking advantage means putting yourself 100% in. Taking that walk even though you’re tired, meal prepping even though eating the same meal for days can be boring, restricting carbs, maximizing protein, following the rules about water. Going to all your appointments and support group. Tracking every bite. I would make your heathy your absolute number 1 priority. This all means you will achieve the best and fastest weight loss that your body is capable of. Also, the point about forming healthy habits is very important. After nearly two years, I don’t always feel like a WLS patient. Things are back to normal, and it’s easier to slide back into bad habits. So yeah, take advantage of the honeymoon! For me, it was about a year.

I think most Americans who go through the courses and education to get insurance are at a huge advantage in knowing what to expect. I’m in Australia, decided to have surgery I’m late June and had it in August. I was pretty unprepared. The main thing I did not know is that you get a honeymoon period in the beginning and weight just falls off (for most). Take advantage! Later you will deal with stalls and the restriction lightens and it becomes more work to lose weight. Eventually you feel pretty “normal”, like after 18 months or 2 years, regular portions go down pretty easy. Also carbs go down easy. I can eat half a large pizza or a large bag of chips in one sitting, or like a massive box of popcorn. If you want this to work long time, you still have to avoid slider foods. Also, the psychological aspect of WLS was pretty intense and unexpected to me. You can lose friends. My Mum is nicer to me now that I’m not super morbidly obese. Suddenly you are no longer invisible to the general public (or the opposite sex). It’s a lot to deal with. Plus you can’t blame all your problems on being “fat” anymore. There are huge highs and lows during the first year!

I’m working my way down from a regain. I slipped into a number of bad habits - including drinking while eating. It basically leaves you with very little restriction, it washes the food down and you can eat a lot more. This is likely more an issue for those a bit further along since their surgery, but let me give you all a cautionary warning!

Thank you so much. Everything you said is 100% right. I’m so glad I have come back to bariatric pal for some support. I’m trying to go back to bariatric basics. No water while I eat. Protein, protein, protein. Getting to goal is nowhere near as hard as maintenance. I have to accept that always going to be dealing with my “food issues”. Have to be vigilant!

I like this analogy! @myfanwymoi your stats are amazing! Prior to WLS, I had lost large amounts of weight on 3 or 4 separate occasions, but obviously regained it each time. I knew I would lose weight after WLS, but I was terrified of gaining afterwards. Yet, here I am - 15kg (33lb) up from my lowest weight. I wish there were more veterans on these forums talking about maintenance. Assuming I can lose this weight gain, I want to figure maintenance out.