NervouslyExcited

"I feel extremely hungry ALL the time! I feel like I have no restriction. Also I’ve been eating junk food with no problems"
That is the issue right there. Carbs and sugar begets carbs and sugar. The more you eat, the more you crave and the more "hungry" you feel. You're probably eating a lot of "slider" foods, also, which can be eaten and broken down easier in our sleeves so we can eat much more of it. chips, popcorn, Cookies, and crackers are some examples of slider foods. I'd be willing to bet you can't eat over 3 or 4 oz of chicken breast, though.
I would start over with just Protein, protein, protein. Anything your heart desires. Steak, burgers (no bun) bacon....the sky's the limit! As much fat as you want. Full fat butter, nuts, cheese, etc. Kick the sugar and white carbs. When you get a hankering to snack, keep a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and pick on that. Protein and fat keeps us satisfied longer, and that's why it's highly recommended for WLS patients. Its dense, so we can't eat as much and keeps us satiated longer.
Also, have you thought about therapy for help with your issues with food?

Hi. Wanted to respond and let you know you’re not alone. I’m pretty much around the same time as you. Mine was 01/15/18. I’ve been stalled for a little over a week now and I don’t know if it’s that or the fact that I’ve been feeling hungry but I also can’t seem to stop snacking or eating crappy foods. I’m also not sure what’s going on and fear that this is it for me, that I’m not gonna lose more and that I’ll start gaining it all back. I’m afraid I’ve stretched my pouch!
I think we just need to keep going and start fresh the next day and remember that this is not a solution but a tool. I need to remember that too! We will get it together!! 😉

Im 5.5 months out and need to make good food choices every day. The hunger is coming back finally. I didn't miss it while it was gone. The sleeve is a tool. It is up to you to decide to use it. You just need to go back to basics and eat Protein and veggies. If you are struggling with willpower then maybe talking to therapist to figure out your food issues could be a good thing. You can do this. Don't let food control you.

I'm 1 year post post-op. I had always had a huge appetite. It is more like a normal persons now, post-op, except for chicken BREASTS! They stuff me beyond reason.[emoji215] Hope that helps.

Be patient. Don't despair. Stay on your program. Be consistent. Do your food journal. Be patient. All is well.

I hit many stalls during the first year. Just keep pushing through it and you will be fine. Keep following the rules, don’t drink Water with your food, etc..

congrats on your weghtloss so far!

You sound like you are doing the right things so I wouldn't worry if the scale doesn't reward you all the time give it some time and I'm sure you will break through your plateau.

Are you still excited by what you are doing, if not mix things up. Try new recipes, add some more Fiber to your diet.

I would suggest mixing things up a bit if you've settled into a rut at the gym. I don't know what you do now, but I would think if you are just casually doing cardio perhaps work in some more strength training or do some other physical activity that you haven't tried before.

So I am 10 weeks post-op and feel like I’m not losing like I should! I know everyone’s journey is different, but I feel like I’ve hit a wall and stopped losing.
Month one was great! Month two...not bad. So far this month I keep losing and gaining the same 2 pounds! I do have PCOS, could the be contributing to the slower weight loss? I know if I don’t get all my Protein in that could cause me to lose lean muscle, but can it cause the scale not to move?
Am I eating all the wrong things? Am I eating too much? It seems as though once I was able to eat solids and started to go to the gym my weight loss has slowed. Has that happened to anyone?
I know I shouldn’t be focusing on the scale but it’s very frustrating when it doesn’t move. I do take my measurements so I can see if there is a loss there. I just thought I should be farther a long. Should I just toss my scale?
Im worried the surgery isn’t working right!! HELP!
Thanks for letting me vent!!

Are you tracking your food, Protein, and liquids? If you have not, you might want to start that again. This will help you answer your questions.

You've already lost 66 lbs so even if you never lose another pound that's a huge victory. That said its hard for people to answer questions without specifics. What are you eating? How much are you eating? Are you exercising?

I’ve lost pretty slowly overall (surgery day weight was 226 — roughly 10 months later I’m at 158 and losing 2-3 lbs/month). I feel amazing. Slow is still losing and the time will pass. What you did during the passage of that time will show. Exercise. Meet your Protein and Water goals. Listen to music. Get outside and walk. Get a massage. Care for yourself.

Sad that the topic was derailed. My health share gave me a bonus fee plus a health coach calling every couple weeks due my weight. And when they heard I was having wls they transferred me to an amazing coach who has worked with thousands of Bariatric patients in a surgery clinic. Plus my nutritionist is really good too.

Carbs is a huge thing for weight maintenance and loss. Our gut biome creates our cravings. Cravings can be so powerful you sink your health and looks to put that thing in your mouth. And WE HUMANS are not causing or creating the cravings. The gut bacteria are. We have the power to change which bacteria make up our personal gut biome. We can slowly introduce species that live off healthy starches from tubers and veggies. We can starve away the kind that crave sugars, fruits, and empty carbs.

And we get the perfect time to start over with our gut population. Yes. When we basically stop eating for a bit and slowly reintroduce food, post weight loss surgery. We should be dishing constantly on these forums about how to have great digestion and loss, experimenting on our own and sharing, what has worked. How to get great gut populations that don’t make us crave chocolate cake. I believe it is THE secret to long time success with weight loss surgery.
we get a short time to change our diet’s CONTENT. Sure, calories have the ultimate effect on size, but cravings cause us to go off the rail. Many surgeons use frankly horrible nutritionists. They approve of sickly sweet Protein Shakes, fruity drinks, fake sugar and color loaded jellos and what not. The bad gut bugs will stay with you, continuing throughout your journey to beg you for sweet tasting ****. There is no change in gut biome there.
my nutritionist said no fruit for 6 months. Avoid any frankenfoods (fake sugar Jello would be an example). And my cravings for sweet things are gone, since survey til now 6 months out. If I do taste something like even gluten free bread I feel horrible. And I am glad I do. I eat to feel good. My carbs are veggies and seeds. I will eat maybe one bite of fruit I prepare for the family a day now.
So I think carbs are important. The gut bugs need them. But train your gut population to get their food from potato or sweet potato, taro, any root veggie. Roast some root veggies and keep them in the fridge for your carb to eat after your serving of Protein is eaten. They are so sweet roasted. And they love fibrous veggies (not salad thoughmuch) and seeds and nuts (I can’t eat nuts tho). But most carbs are totally empty.
Can This Thread Be Saved? I think it’s a great topic.

Apologies for my part in derailing the topic!! I can honestly understand and appreciate the different perspectives on some of the sensitive and important issues raised. We do need to be sensible on the internet. I think I'm probably going to remove my face from any photos I use here.
Back to the original topic, I'm low carb. Definitely not full Keto, because I do have sweet potato and banana or a couple of times a week (and there are net carbs in dark chocolate). I have noticed that my weight loss is faster when I lower carbs. I haven't had bread (other than a bite to see I could tolerate it), Pasta or rice since before my surgery. I know that fast weight loss shouldn't be the goal (if anything slower weight loss will help with the loose skin) but I want results and low carb has worked for me so far!!

Me too, I was scared off rice expanding in the stomach so I have not touched it, ask for my salmon eggs at sushi restaurants with no rice please. The other day I got to be snack Mommy at kindergarten and I got my rice cake snack they made, and I didn’t touch it, been so scared off rice, even already expanded rice in the rice cake.
i am low carb too and I think the carbs you eat are good ones. We need a few good natural carbs every day and every meal. Keto is great for people with conditions that need it. Low carb is fine for losing. And some days you will be in keto. There are days where I don’t get food til 1 or 2 pm. So that would be keto for some hours.

@LaLaDee If you follow @jess9395's footprints, (LOL if I remember correctly), you can extinguish your sweet tooth with this surgery--so you won't have that monkey on your back! Yay!! (And I don't think having 1 square of Lindt 85 Extra Dark chocolate would be a huge issue as long as it doesn't make you dump? Something we love even more that gives a chocolate fix without sugar are cacao nibs. They're a great source of antioxidants and flavenols!

I don't think carbs agree with me. The only time I lose weight is if I keep them to a minimum and I get tummy pain if I have simple sugars. I'm planning on sticking with low carb, low fat recipes in the longterm x

I have 85% or 70% if I’m feeling naughty. I’d love to get the chocolate monkey off my back. If there is chocolate in the house, I will find it. It’s my super power.

I find this post really interesting. The more I read about the gut microbiome, the more worried I get about the western diet. Back in the fifties when people were eating meat and three vegetables every night (cooked with lard no less) there was far less obesity. Is it just a problem when carbs are highly processed with all the extra sugar? I love the idea that the surgery gives us a chance to reset our cravings. I have to admit that I don't eat much fruit, I prefer vegetables and salad. I am definitely still hooked on sugar sadly. I literally have a bit of dark chocolate every day.

@NervouslyExcited
I am 15 months post sleeve.
In the beginning, from about months 1 through 9, I kept my carbs at around 25-35 grams a day. I did really well with that, I went from 334 lbs (pre op diet) to 220 lbs. Then I stopped losing weight for a month or so, and increased my carbs to 45-65 grams a day. For me, that worked to get another 20 lbs off, bringing me to 195 lbs, but my weight kept bouncing around from 195-200.....the "bouncing" has been going on for almost 3 months now. I was very sick and landed in the hospital last week. I lost almost 10 pounds in a week, but only because I couldn't eat. Now I am at 189 lbs.
Trying to decide what to do with my carb count for the day. Perhaps I need to lower the carbs back down to less than 40 grams a day? I am starting to wonder if I am at my final resting place with the weight loss. If I am, it won't be the end of the world, but I really would like to reach my surgeon's goal for me (175 lbs).
Some really good advice from @GotProlactinoma on what kinds of carbs to eat and what kind to avoid.

I was diagnosed with PCOS over 10 years ago and struggled to lose weight despite a very active lifestyle. I'm now 7 months post-op and down over 65lbs. I've recently hit a stall but I think it's secondary to working out so much (lots of muscle mass coming on) and me being a little more liberal with my carbs. This has been the best life decision I've made to date besides following Christ.

30-40g but I'm not sure if that's the right amount. I'm a little confused by it myself. I'm losing about 2-3 lbs a week now which seems to be good to me.

Think I get about half my calories from them.

I've been keeping my carbs to no more than 30g per day to make sure I stay in ketosis. x

My surgery was mid December. My carbs now are typically around 50g a day, occasionally up to 100. I am averaging about 750 calories a day now - 3 meals, 1/2 cup each one, good mixed food. One meal is a Protein Shake so that I can get over 50g of Protein a day...

Right now? 30-50g a day because I'm on the liquid diet, lol.
Post-surgery, long-term, I'll probably be at 65-70% of my diet as carbs because I'm a vegan. (Those carbs will be from fruit, veggies, Beans, oatmeal, potatoes, bread, rice, and other whole grains, and very few if any from sweeteners or processed food.) That's way more than most post-WLS patients, who tend to severely restrict carbs, so this might not be the answer you're looking for.
I recommend reading How Not to Die by Dr. Michael Greger or watching Forks Over Knives on Netflix for some info on how plant foods like I mentioned above help you maintain a healthy weight and protect you from disease. You can also check out Dr. Matthew Weiner on YouTube, who's a bariatric surgeon who promotes plant foods ahead of the standard Protein diet.
Just thought I'd share my opinion in addition to the many Keto and low-carb comments you'll see on this thread. *makes angel face*