Stalled

My mom had the gastric sleeve before I did and an unrelated problem came to light a little over 2 years after her surgery. She had a congenital defect of her colon where about a foot would become paralyzed and loop itself. The symptoms you're describing sound exactly the same. She had to have emergency exploratory surgery to finally fix it because for over 6 months all the doctors thought it was just a complication from the gastric sleeve procedure or because of the types of food she was eating. Neither of which was actually the case. She couldn't eat, she would throw everything up, her bowel was very irregular, and she had extreme abdominal pain. If that sounds familiar, I would suggest looking up "cecal volvulus".
Before the surgery, she was eating larger portions which would mask the condition, but because she now eats much smaller portions, the defect in her colon became obvious.

I'm four years into my surgery this month and here are the things that I've learned.
At the beginning most will feel mixed emotions. Euphoric due to rapid weight loss, concern due to stalls and minor setbacks and trepidation due to looking at how others are doing and you feeling you're not doing enough. The one feeling we all have will be a renewed confidence in ourselves due to the fastest weight reduction you might have ever experienced.
We attain our goal weight. We then transition into making wise food and lifestyle choices. No longer are we to eat the things that made us obese and unhealthy such as the three C's, Cookies, Cake and candy. We will get more exercise. Maybe we park further from the building, maybe we join a gym, maybe we walk, run or work out. We are feeling great and we love our new selves.
Next we work on maintaining the weight loss and our healthy lifestyle. One thing happens, we decide since we lost so much weight it couldn't hurt to visit our friends the three C's. If only for a short while and only in small amounts. Hey, why park so far? It's really cold/hot, I'll park closer. You're still feeling confident even if you gained only 10lbs of the 100 you lost. Hey, you're still down 90lbs. No problem, I can lose the 10lbs. I've lost far more than that after surgery.
Then we realize, we are no longer weight loss super beings. We are just mere mortals who now have to work hard to lose the weight. Our bodies after time (usually after the one year mark) will not give us that rapid weight loss we once depended on. Here is when your determination and or lack of it will affect you for the rest of your life. We will all get back on a diet or healthier eating plan to lose the weight we gained. The majority will not succeed because it is not as easy it was when we first had surgery. Some will become complacent and throw up their hands and surrender. The weight will come back and the thoughts of a revision will come to our heads. Unfortunately, most insurance companies do not allow for a do over. For a few they will overcome and work on shedding those pounds. They will succeed due to a variety of reasons such as a good support group, using the honeymoon period wisely and really making better lifestyle choices or simply losing one pound at a time instead of trying to lose all of it at one time.
Since my surgery four years ago I had five friends and family members undergo the surgery. We ALL gained back some of the weight. Some were able to lose it and regain their healthy lifestyle. Some never were able to lose the weight and went back into the habit of eating for gratification.
This is what I did. I originally got down on myself. How did I after three years let myself gain 10 lbs. I vowed to get it off. My 1st week I lost 1/2 a pound. I was devastated, how could this be? The next week I gained a pound. Why? I needed help!! My regular group meetings were cancelled due to covid so I lost valuable support there. I decided to call my family and friends who had the surgery. I spent hours talking to everyone, I told them about my struggles and they told me about theirs. We all came away with a few good ideas of what to do. First don't look to lose the WHOLE amount in one shot. It won't happen and it will derail you from succeeding. Set a goal of 1-2lbs per week. Don't worry that some friends or family might be losing more. We aren't in competition with them. Look at the little things. One friend said she stopped putting Crystal light or Mio in her Water. She only drank plain ice water. It seemed to help her jump start her weight loss. Another friend said he started taking the stairs instead of the elevator. He climbs seven flights at least once a day. Another told me her husband who did not have the surgery brought Snacks home and that she would eat them. She purged her home of the unhealthy snacks as she did right after her surgery. I started to implement these and other ideas and I have lost 5lbs in five weeks. I'm at the half way point to getting back to my goal weight.
We are not super humans we need help and we need encouragement in order to succeed. There are a few on here who have done a tremendous job on their own and they are to be commended and emulated. For me, I need and I will take all the help I can get. Everyday is a struggle to be healthy. I told my surgeon that all this is happening after only four years, how do people succeed at maintaining the weight loss? He said sadly, the majority won't.

Hello all,
My name is Jen. This is my first post and I hope to find some support within this community. I had my gastric sleeve procedure in July 2017 at 22 years old. I was 310 pounds before the two-week fast and was 291 pounds at the time of the surgery. After the surgery, I lost weight rapidly, I was down to 225 pounds by December of that same year. But then my weight loss decreased and for the past 2.5 years, I've been stuck at an average weight of 215 pounds. Since COVID started, I have actually gained weight and am now 235 lbs (not being able to go to the gym has sucked). At one point nearly 2 years after my surgery I had even gotten to 196 lbs, which was a 100-pound weight loss. I want to lose another 100 pounds to meet my goal weight range of 135-140 lbs, which would be a healthy weight for my height and build.
But I need help. I have other factors that are making weight loss more difficult. I have PCOS which naturally makes weight loss difficult. I use birth control pills to help regulate the hormones that are affected by PCOS. I also have had bone and joint problems since I was a child. I've been trying to focus on my diet, but I must admit I have a giant sweet tooth and I am a picky eater. pizza and candy are my banes. I'm also a graduate student who is under a ton of stress and has very limited personal time. This makes exercising and preparing meals difficult.
Despite these complications, I don't eat out at all, nor do I order take-in. I have a treadmill that I walk or jog on for at least an hour each day, and I attend Zumba twice a weak (I'm not very good at it haha). I am not diabetic or pre-diabetic but I do have asthma.
So, is anyone else in a similar situation that would like to build a little group? I've never had any weight loss support and I am hoping that by building a group, I can find more motivation and encouragement as I lose 100 more pounds.
TLDR: 4 years since VSG surgery and I'm still not at goal weight, keep stalling or gaining weight. Need friends in similar situations for support, guidance, motivation, and encouragement.