SpartanMaker

You’ve had a pretty major surgery so pain is to be expected but don’t just accept it & try to endure it. If you were prescribed them take them. Pain will hinder your recovery. I took opioids for 4 days. (I only took one that day so I would sleep that night but I don’t think I really needed it.)
In a few days the pain will be gone except for some twinges & some discomfort with certain movements or if you do too much which is easily managed if need be with over the counter (not NSAIDS) pain meds.

It's the calories. Not "the carbs". Not "the fats". Not "high Protein only".
It's the calories. Always.
Doesn't matter where they're coming from. Eat more than you burn and you're going to gain weight. There is no evil magic in "carbs".

Sorry you're struggling so much!
Based on what you're describing, neither weight loss surgery, nor GLP-1 receptor agonists like Ozempic/Wegovy/Rybelsus would do anything for you. Both WLS and these meds work by helping patients reduce caloric intake. You've already said that doing so didn't work for you, so I see little point in either approach.
Here's the deal. While this is a slight over simplification, you can't overcome basic physics even if there's some sort of hormonal imbalance. If you eat less than you burn, you'll lose weight. If you eat more than you burn, you'll gain weight. There's no way around that.
This makes me think you may be asking the wrong question? I think instead of asking how can I reduce my food intake further, the question you should be asking is why is my metabolism so low and what can I do to increase how much I'm burning?
Based on what you've described, there really are only two explanations: Either you are eating a lot more than you think you are (it's common for people to dramatically overestimate caloric intake), or your metabolism is unnaturally low.
My first recommendation would be to have a baseline metabolism check done. This is sometimes called resting metabolic rate (RMR), resting energy expenditure (REE), or Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Do some Google searches and you should find a place near you that can test this. Even if you do nothing else, knowing how many calories you burn at rest will help you understand what you should do to get to a normal weight.
Next, I'm going to guess that your previous fitness attempts were focused primarily on steady-state cardio. While that's great for heart health, it's not what I think you need. I would strongly recommend finding a reputable trainer that can help you add muscle mass through proper diet and exercise. Simply put, the more muscle mass you have, the faster your metabolism. In your case, where you've likely severely negatively impacted your metabolism through a starvation diet/anorexia, you may have to "reset" things with this type of training regimine.
One final point: stop obsessing with the number on the scale. This is a poor analog for how fit you are. Your body weight is comprised of lots of things other than fat (muscle, bone, Water, organ weight, etc.), so you could actually be really fit at 180, or carrying too much fat at 160. For example, you made a point of saying that after months of working out in a gym, you ended up weighing more than before you started. That's actually somewhat common and not necessarily a bad thing. That extra 6 pounds may have just be Fluid retention, or muscle (likely some of both), so the number on the scale was not a good way of tracking your overall health. This is one of the reasons we strongly recommend also periodically checking your body measurements, as well as potentially checking body composition. You can buy a BIA scale to check that, or there are plenty of commercial places that will do it for you.
Best of luck.

This is definitely a difficult situation.
First some background for you. I think there are generally three reasons we have the staged diet that we do:
To protect our healing stomachs. Not only are the stomach tissues massively inflamed and need to heal, but they also don't yet work the way a normal stomach works. Eating things that are off plan can even cause a blockage. That could lead to yet another procedure. Now the fact that he tolerated these foods so well may mean he's probably healing well, but it does not alleviate the risk of blockage this early on. To ease us into eating restricted portion sizes. Even if we can eat bacon & eggs, doesn't mean we should. The entire point of surgery was to cause restriction, malabsorption, and hormonal changes to help us learn how to eat properly. If he deviates once, that's one thing, but if this becomes his new norm, he's going down a path that will lead to weight regain. I don't know about him, but I didn't go through all this to fail. To make sure we are maximizing Protein utilization. Our protein forward diet was designed to allow us to keep as much muscle mass as we can while losing weight. Insufficient protein can cause our bodies to actually burn muscle instead of fat. This will cause a reduction in our metabolisms, which will make it that much harder to lose weight. Yes, what we ate had a good amount of protein in it, but it also had a fair amount of fat. While some fat is needed in our diet, excess fat may cause him to lose more slowly or fail to get enough protein. My advice here is that you should have an open and honest conversation with him. Simply express to him you're concerns. Also, let him know you will help in any way you can. Also, I agree with @The Greater Fool. "Telling on him" with his nutritionist would be the wrong approach. Hopefully he can have an open and honest conversation with them about the fact that the went off plan and seek their help for the issue. Afterall, there's a reason this happened and his team should be able to help.
Ultimately, it's going to be up to him to decide if he's going to go back on plan or not. Just be there for him and be supportive, but don't nag. Nagging will just make it worse.

Can you explain what you mean when you say you don't feel strong enough to go back to good habits? It sounds like you already know what you need to do, but are struggling to do those things for some reason?

Well, since you wanted things to read:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1333426/
Yes. people even study how much poop weighs.

Sorry ahead of time, this is going to be a long post!
Let's talk a bit about what causes stalls/plateaus:
The most common reason for any stall (including the dreaded 3-week stall), is simply that you are retaining more Water. There are a few reasons this happens, from hormonal shifts, tissue repair, illness, or changes due to glycogen vs. ketone metabolism. This post would be even longer if I spent too much time here, but suffice it to say that for many people (especially early in the process), they are just retaining water and not actually failing to lose fat. As you lose more weight, your overall metabolic rate will slow down. People sometimes think fat is not metabolically active, but that's not true. Losing fat means your metabolism slows down, even if you retain the same amount of muscle mass (which most people don't). This means that as you lose weight, it takes less effort to move or even just live, so the amount of calories you burn both during exercise and just living also drops quite a bit. On the intake side as you progress after bariatric surgery, you'll be able to eat more. This isn't a bad thing and is by design, but obviously you should be able to see the problem here. Your metabolism has slowed down and now you can eat more. This can lead to you basically eating as much as you're burning. When that happens, weight loss stops. Especially if you're not tracking intake closely by weighing and measuring your food, you can easily be eating a lot more than you think. Some studies have shown people underestimate caloric consumption by several hundred calories on average. This is more than enough to cause a stall. This one may be TMI for some, but you may simply be retaining more stool. Feeling constipated? That will definitely impact your weight. This is going to be hard for some people to hear, but I can tell you one thing it's not, and that's hormones. Yes, various hormonal processes negatively impact weight loss in a myriad of ways, but they don't overcome the basic fact that if you eat fewer calories than you are burning, you'll lose weight. What these hormones can do if they're out of whack, is bad things like slowing your metabolism even more, increasing your hunger, screwing with water weight, or even fooling you into thinking you're eating less than you are. So, that's all great, but what do we actually do if we're in a stall? Well, I think it depends on when it happens and how long it lasts:
If it's early (a.k.a. the 3-week stall), just keep doing what you're doing and you should be fine. I know people don't like that advice, but as I said it's just water, so don't worry about it.
Later on, especially if the stall is lasting longer than 2-3 weeks. that's when I think it's important that you look closely at what you are actually burning, as well as really tracking what you are eating. If you don't know your RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate), you should. The closer you are to goal, the harder it is to get the balance right between intake and output to make sure you're not eating too much, so fixing this starts with knowing your RMR and accurate food logging.
There's a lot of anecdotal advice thrown around about "ways to break a stall", but there seems to be little scientific evidence for any of it. It certainly won't hurt to try things like breaking up your routine in terms of diet or exercise, but just understand that this change may or may not have any impact. If it makes you feel better to be proactive, go for it.
Longer term, there is one piece of solid advice that's backed up by lots of research: Even if you don't really like working out, do it anyway. Those WLS patients that make a regular habit of exercising for 45 minutes to an hour most days a week are significantly more likely to reach their goal and maintain the weight loss. (One caveat here: significantly changing your exercise routine can make you retain water and possibly even add muscle, so don't freak out if you see a stall or even a gain.)
I'll take that exercise advice one step further and say you really should be doing some form of strength training. This is also backed up by lots of studies, but the great thing about strength training is that it makes your burn more calories even at rest (in other words, it increases your metabolic rate). There are lots of other benefits, but the metabolic benefit is the most germaine to the stall question. Those that do strength training are less likely to stall during weight loss and are more likely to reach and then maintain their goal weight long term.

Obviously from the reaction of others here, this is a common thing. I really feel that what your mother said was said out of love and concern. She probably had no idea how hurtful this felt to you.
Now that it's been a few days and you've hopefully moved past the initial hurt, I wanted to give you a few thoughts on how do deal with this both now and in the future.
Start by addressing your own emotional state. Even though, like I said, I doubt her goal was to hurt you, that doesn't lessen the pain you feel. There are a few things you can do to keep this from becoming a deep or long-term wound:
Take some time to acknowledge your feelings. They are legitimate and NEVER bad or wrong (in other words, NO, you're not overreacting). Show yourself some compassion and acknowledge that your feelings are legitimate. Be as kind and understanding with yourself as you would a close friend or loved one that was hurting. Remember (as you've seen here), that this is incredibly common. Instead of saying "I shouldn't overreact" when you feel hurt, acknowledge that most people on this journey have had a similar experience and that every one of us felt hurt by it. Don't blame yourself for others inability to express love and compassion in a helpful way. This was a failure on your mothers part, NOT yours. Don't make it personal. Your mother was reacting to an action your took, not attacking who you are or saying she hates you. Again, show yourself some self-love and remember that she simply misunderstood. Her comment was coming from a place of concern. Here are some tips for ways you might be able to have a more fruitful discussion if this occurs again:
ALWAYS start by assuming good intent. For example, you might respond by saying (with sincerity): "Thank you mom for your concern. I'm glad you're worried about my success and appreciate the support. These are actually a key part of the recovery process as recommended by my doctor so that I stay hydrated." If this doesn't help, or she reacts negatively (which is probable), take time to understand why she is concerned. You could say for example, "I know you love me and want to help, so I want to better understand why this is concerning to you. Can you explain? At this point you have to truly listen to what she is saying. Your job at this point is to understand HER feelings. (Yes, what I'm saying is you may need to be the grown-up in this relationship.) Where the conversation goes from here is up to you, but hopefully once your truly listen and understand her feelings, only then will you potentially have an opportunity to both explain your position, as well as (if you're lucky), use this as a teaching moment. This latter part will only come once she feels heard. You could, for example say something like: "Thanks mom for taking the time to share your concerns and for helping me through this journey. Would you be okay at this point with me explaining my reasoning for eating these? Good luck, on your journey.

Obviously from the reaction of others here, this is a common thing. I really feel that what your mother said was said out of love and concern. She probably had no idea how hurtful this felt to you.
Now that it's been a few days and you've hopefully moved past the initial hurt, I wanted to give you a few thoughts on how do deal with this both now and in the future.
Start by addressing your own emotional state. Even though, like I said, I doubt her goal was to hurt you, that doesn't lessen the pain you feel. There are a few things you can do to keep this from becoming a deep or long-term wound:
Take some time to acknowledge your feelings. They are legitimate and NEVER bad or wrong (in other words, NO, you're not overreacting). Show yourself some compassion and acknowledge that your feelings are legitimate. Be as kind and understanding with yourself as you would a close friend or loved one that was hurting. Remember (as you've seen here), that this is incredibly common. Instead of saying "I shouldn't overreact" when you feel hurt, acknowledge that most people on this journey have had a similar experience and that every one of us felt hurt by it. Don't blame yourself for others inability to express love and compassion in a helpful way. This was a failure on your mothers part, NOT yours. Don't make it personal. Your mother was reacting to an action your took, not attacking who you are or saying she hates you. Again, show yourself some self-love and remember that she simply misunderstood. Her comment was coming from a place of concern. Here are some tips for ways you might be able to have a more fruitful discussion if this occurs again:
ALWAYS start by assuming good intent. For example, you might respond by saying (with sincerity): "Thank you mom for your concern. I'm glad you're worried about my success and appreciate the support. These are actually a key part of the recovery process as recommended by my doctor so that I stay hydrated." If this doesn't help, or she reacts negatively (which is probable), take time to understand why she is concerned. You could say for example, "I know you love me and want to help, so I want to better understand why this is concerning to you. Can you explain? At this point you have to truly listen to what she is saying. Your job at this point is to understand HER feelings. (Yes, what I'm saying is you may need to be the grown-up in this relationship.) Where the conversation goes from here is up to you, but hopefully once your truly listen and understand her feelings, only then will you potentially have an opportunity to both explain your position, as well as (if you're lucky), use this as a teaching moment. This latter part will only come once she feels heard. You could, for example say something like: "Thanks mom for taking the time to share your concerns and for helping me through this journey. Would you be okay at this point with me explaining my reasoning for eating these? Good luck, on your journey.

Obviously from the reaction of others here, this is a common thing. I really feel that what your mother said was said out of love and concern. She probably had no idea how hurtful this felt to you.
Now that it's been a few days and you've hopefully moved past the initial hurt, I wanted to give you a few thoughts on how do deal with this both now and in the future.
Start by addressing your own emotional state. Even though, like I said, I doubt her goal was to hurt you, that doesn't lessen the pain you feel. There are a few things you can do to keep this from becoming a deep or long-term wound:
Take some time to acknowledge your feelings. They are legitimate and NEVER bad or wrong (in other words, NO, you're not overreacting). Show yourself some compassion and acknowledge that your feelings are legitimate. Be as kind and understanding with yourself as you would a close friend or loved one that was hurting. Remember (as you've seen here), that this is incredibly common. Instead of saying "I shouldn't overreact" when you feel hurt, acknowledge that most people on this journey have had a similar experience and that every one of us felt hurt by it. Don't blame yourself for others inability to express love and compassion in a helpful way. This was a failure on your mothers part, NOT yours. Don't make it personal. Your mother was reacting to an action your took, not attacking who you are or saying she hates you. Again, show yourself some self-love and remember that she simply misunderstood. Her comment was coming from a place of concern. Here are some tips for ways you might be able to have a more fruitful discussion if this occurs again:
ALWAYS start by assuming good intent. For example, you might respond by saying (with sincerity): "Thank you mom for your concern. I'm glad you're worried about my success and appreciate the support. These are actually a key part of the recovery process as recommended by my doctor so that I stay hydrated." If this doesn't help, or she reacts negatively (which is probable), take time to understand why she is concerned. You could say for example, "I know you love me and want to help, so I want to better understand why this is concerning to you. Can you explain? At this point you have to truly listen to what she is saying. Your job at this point is to understand HER feelings. (Yes, what I'm saying is you may need to be the grown-up in this relationship.) Where the conversation goes from here is up to you, but hopefully once your truly listen and understand her feelings, only then will you potentially have an opportunity to both explain your position, as well as (if you're lucky), use this as a teaching moment. This latter part will only come once she feels heard. You could, for example say something like: "Thanks mom for taking the time to share your concerns and for helping me through this journey. Would you be okay at this point with me explaining my reasoning for eating these? Good luck, on your journey.

That's awesome! Hope to be right there with you soon!

That's awesome! Hope to be right there with you soon!

hi!
im 4 years out too! (50 yrs old, female, 5'2", moderately active and weighed 119.2 this morning)
i stopped basing my diet on macros a couple years ago, i mostly rely on calorie monitoring (i still track everything out of habit).
Based on my data, i've been averaging about 60g protein a day, of course there are some days i have like 20 and other days when i have 150...but on average its about 60.
I haven't noticed any significant relation to weight gain/loss with my protein intake. Nor any relation with fats or carbs for that matter. (carbs do seem to have an affect on my appearance, but that's another story).
the only thing that affects my weight is number of calories consumed over time, and to a lesser degree, activity levels. so its been an ongoing tweaking process to balance the two. A couple years ago i was an exercise fiend, and was taking in 2500+ calories. Now i'm a 2-3 day a week casual exerciser and average about 1800. im sure if i didn't reduce my intake when my activity levels went down, i'd be 20-30 lbs heavier than i am today. For those keeping score, i've (so far) maintained below goal weight since i reached it at 7 mnths post op. FULL DISCLOSURE: i am in good health (as my most recent labs can attest), and i have no diagnosed medical issues that would affect my metabolism.
@SpartanMaker summed up the science surrounding protein well enough that i dont need to add anything more, but i do want to highlight the point they raised about the fact that the body can only metabolize x amount of protein (the amount varies slightly from person to person), and that any excess protein will be stored for energy (i.e., fat if you dont use it up).
So i wonder, did your team give you a scientific or medical reason as to why they object to your protein level intake? Also, did they offer an opinion as to how you would replace those protein calories to stay at 1500 over all? (more fat? more carbs?)
While i would not recommend NOT listening to your team, i do advocate the asking of questions to get an understanding of the reasoning behind a recommendation so you can make an informed decision for yourself.
Good Luck! ❤️

The 2019 clinical guidelines from the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons (ASMBS), calls for bariatric surgery patients in active weight loss eat 1.2 g/kg of bodyweight. For those in maintenance, the range should be .8-1.2 g/kg.
I don't know how much you weigh, but 135 g a day sounds like it might be a bit on the high side based on those recommendations?
There is research that intake levels between 1.2-1.5 g/kg may maximally stimulate muscle Protein synthesis, but there's not a lot a data to suggest rates over 1.5 g/kg are beneficial. Rates above that might be necessary in certain people such as if are a professional strength athlete or top tier fitness competitor trying to maximize muscle growth. Especially if you're just trying to lose some fat, you probably can't metabolize that much protein.
I can tell you from experience that many trainers will push this recommendation up to 2 or even 2.2g/kg of lean mass, because they believe if some is good, more must be better. The reality is that your body can't store extra protein, so any above the minimal needed just gets converted to fat.
My recommendation would be to follow the ASMBS guidelines for your weight. Unless your trainer has extensive experience working with bariatric surgery patients nutritional needs, I'm afraid their recommendation may be targeted more at a different population.

I got a bunch of the 1oz cups from the hospital, but stopped using them after the first few days. What I did use a little longer was Dixie cups like you use in the bathroom. These are cheap for a huge amount and supposedly hold 3 oz filled to the top. I just learned where the 2oz line was and filled things to there.

And adding to @SpartanMaker’s post, the area you carried more weight will be the slowest place to lose. Be it abdominal weight or the weight in your butt & thighs it’s where ever you have the most fat to lose. Take some body measurements - sometimes the number on the tape measure will reveal more of what you’ve lost than looking in the mirror or the fit of clothing.

Everyone is different. A lot of where you both gain first and where you lose last is genetic.

I told my wife before I had surgery that I would at some point or another regret my decision. I told her that her job was to remind me why it did it in the first place. Thankfully I didn't have to rely on her reminders too much, but there were definitely some times when I questioned if it was worth it. The good news is it does get easier and the bad days are a lot more rare now.
I mention this because I think it's important to remember that some of the best things in life are also REALLY hard. Losing weight, whether it's with or without surgery is one of those hard, but ultimately satisfying things. Part of that satisfaction comes from knowing you endured the trial and came out a better person on the other side.
I"m now coming up on 3 months post op and I can legitimately say that even though I still struggle sometimes, living with WLS is so much easier now than it was at 4 weeks. You can do it, but you just have to grin and bear it for a while. These sayings may sound trite, but reminding myself that "This too shall pass", and "It's a marathon, not a sprint" are what got me through the hard days.

I think this is good advice until you figure it out.
There are both electrical (via the vagus nerve), signals, as well as hormonal signals to your brain that tell you when you are full. The signal from the vagus nerve happens pretty quickly once triggered, but it doesn't really kick in until you're full or even overfull. That's typically what you're feeling now. The hormonal signals are different. They are only triggered as food starts to be absorbed, so it takes a while. This can take up to 20 minutes, but it can vary depending on what you ate, and certain individual differences. If you can slow down your eating, you're more likely to get these hormonal signals to stop BEFORE you get the uncomfortably full signal from the vagus nerve.

I told my wife before I had surgery that I would at some point or another regret my decision. I told her that her job was to remind me why it did it in the first place. Thankfully I didn't have to rely on her reminders too much, but there were definitely some times when I questioned if it was worth it. The good news is it does get easier and the bad days are a lot more rare now.
I mention this because I think it's important to remember that some of the best things in life are also REALLY hard. Losing weight, whether it's with or without surgery is one of those hard, but ultimately satisfying things. Part of that satisfaction comes from knowing you endured the trial and came out a better person on the other side.
I"m now coming up on 3 months post op and I can legitimately say that even though I still struggle sometimes, living with WLS is so much easier now than it was at 4 weeks. You can do it, but you just have to grin and bear it for a while. These sayings may sound trite, but reminding myself that "This too shall pass", and "It's a marathon, not a sprint" are what got me through the hard days.

@Arabesque and @liveaboard15 already mentioned the issue with Calcium interfering with Iron absorption, but I wanted to make sure you knew that even dietary calcium like milk or yogurt will cause this. I think sometimes people forget about what they're eating and just think about supplemental calcium like chews.

Sorry you're struggling so much!
Based on what you're describing, neither weight loss surgery, nor GLP-1 receptor agonists like Ozempic/Wegovy/Rybelsus would do anything for you. Both WLS and these meds work by helping patients reduce caloric intake. You've already said that doing so didn't work for you, so I see little point in either approach.
Here's the deal. While this is a slight over simplification, you can't overcome basic physics even if there's some sort of hormonal imbalance. If you eat less than you burn, you'll lose weight. If you eat more than you burn, you'll gain weight. There's no way around that.
This makes me think you may be asking the wrong question? I think instead of asking how can I reduce my food intake further, the question you should be asking is why is my metabolism so low and what can I do to increase how much I'm burning?
Based on what you've described, there really are only two explanations: Either you are eating a lot more than you think you are (it's common for people to dramatically overestimate caloric intake), or your metabolism is unnaturally low.
My first recommendation would be to have a baseline metabolism check done. This is sometimes called resting metabolic rate (RMR), resting energy expenditure (REE), or Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Do some Google searches and you should find a place near you that can test this. Even if you do nothing else, knowing how many calories you burn at rest will help you understand what you should do to get to a normal weight.
Next, I'm going to guess that your previous fitness attempts were focused primarily on steady-state cardio. While that's great for heart health, it's not what I think you need. I would strongly recommend finding a reputable trainer that can help you add muscle mass through proper diet and exercise. Simply put, the more muscle mass you have, the faster your metabolism. In your case, where you've likely severely negatively impacted your metabolism through a starvation diet/anorexia, you may have to "reset" things with this type of training regimine.
One final point: stop obsessing with the number on the scale. This is a poor analog for how fit you are. Your body weight is comprised of lots of things other than fat (muscle, bone, Water, organ weight, etc.), so you could actually be really fit at 180, or carrying too much fat at 160. For example, you made a point of saying that after months of working out in a gym, you ended up weighing more than before you started. That's actually somewhat common and not necessarily a bad thing. That extra 6 pounds may have just be Fluid retention, or muscle (likely some of both), so the number on the scale was not a good way of tracking your overall health. This is one of the reasons we strongly recommend also periodically checking your body measurements, as well as potentially checking body composition. You can buy a BIA scale to check that, or there are plenty of commercial places that will do it for you.
Best of luck.

This is an interesting question. I've read quite a lot of the scientific literature on Intermittent Fasting (IF) and I think it can be summarized as follows:
IF has similar and many times better results vs. daily calorie restriction if the goal is weight loss. A lot of this additional benefit is due to the inherent ketogenic nature of IF. Compliance with IF is typically better than daily calorie restriction. If weight loss is the goal, IF can fail spectacularly if the subject overeats when not fasting. This is problematic for some people because they feel like IF gives them an excuse to eat badly on refeed days/times. IF really only works if you eat "normally" when not actually fasting. While there are numerous studies showing improved biomarkers with IF, almost all of those were done with either animals, or with overweight subjects. When compared to daily calorie restriction, many, if not most of the benefits are explained simply by underfeeding, not by IF specifically. (I should note here that IF can be extremely beneficial for certain specific medical conditions. I'm excluding a discussion on that subject and assuming we're talking about otherwise healthy adults.) Taken as a whole, the conclusion I've personally come to is that IF can be beneficial for the right people, but it's not for everyone. Which leads me to your question:
Is Intermittent Fasting good for maintenance after WLS?
Assuming by "maintenance" you mean you'd be at or under a normal body weight, I'm not sure how beneficial IF would be? After all, IF is typically talked about as a diet or weight loss strategy. My point being that if instead, you are worried about or are actually seeing weight regain in "maintenance" then IF may work for you. Keep in mind however that IF & daily caloric restriction should both technically work. The question I can't answer is which is best for you. Only you know which eating pattern you can best comply with. Also, there are genetic and epigenetic factors at play here as well. Some people just do better with different eating patterns. The best advice may just be to try IF and see how you like it. Don't forget there are lots of different IF eating patterns and while 16/8 may work great for one person, someone else may need 5:2 or even alternate day to be successful.
If gaining weight is not an issue and you're looking more for the potential health benefits, I'll point out again that most of the scientific literature seems to support that both IF and underfeeding in general have the same benefits. This means it really comes down to you again. Can you avoid overeating when refeeding? Do you struggle with compliance on a "normal" diet? Your answers will determine your success with IF.

One year, 2 months, and 2 weeks
114.5lbs
64 inches
Pant size 22 to 8/9
Shirt size 2xl to M
I have been trying to lose weight, quite literally, my entire life. My earliest memories are of being uncomfortable, knowing I was in a bigger body than I "should" have been. I tried and failed at every diet, and consulted with 3 other surgeons over the course of a decade before I finally committed and had surgery. I went to therapy, read the books, stuck to the plan, fell off the plan. got back on, cried, rejoiced, and everything in between. And today, I hit my "goal" weight. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't elated to see that long desired number. It was overwhelming and thrilling. But truly, even more than any number, is the life I've gained, the love for myself that I've learned to cultivate, the life changing decision to care for myself well and no longer allow myself to be at war with this one precious body I have.
As so many WLS patients say, I just wish I had done it sooner.
I'm rooting for each and everyone of you as well. 💓

Sorry you're struggling so much!
Based on what you're describing, neither weight loss surgery, nor GLP-1 receptor agonists like Ozempic/Wegovy/Rybelsus would do anything for you. Both WLS and these meds work by helping patients reduce caloric intake. You've already said that doing so didn't work for you, so I see little point in either approach.
Here's the deal. While this is a slight over simplification, you can't overcome basic physics even if there's some sort of hormonal imbalance. If you eat less than you burn, you'll lose weight. If you eat more than you burn, you'll gain weight. There's no way around that.
This makes me think you may be asking the wrong question? I think instead of asking how can I reduce my food intake further, the question you should be asking is why is my metabolism so low and what can I do to increase how much I'm burning?
Based on what you've described, there really are only two explanations: Either you are eating a lot more than you think you are (it's common for people to dramatically overestimate caloric intake), or your metabolism is unnaturally low.
My first recommendation would be to have a baseline metabolism check done. This is sometimes called resting metabolic rate (RMR), resting energy expenditure (REE), or Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Do some Google searches and you should find a place near you that can test this. Even if you do nothing else, knowing how many calories you burn at rest will help you understand what you should do to get to a normal weight.
Next, I'm going to guess that your previous fitness attempts were focused primarily on steady-state cardio. While that's great for heart health, it's not what I think you need. I would strongly recommend finding a reputable trainer that can help you add muscle mass through proper diet and exercise. Simply put, the more muscle mass you have, the faster your metabolism. In your case, where you've likely severely negatively impacted your metabolism through a starvation diet/anorexia, you may have to "reset" things with this type of training regimine.
One final point: stop obsessing with the number on the scale. This is a poor analog for how fit you are. Your body weight is comprised of lots of things other than fat (muscle, bone, Water, organ weight, etc.), so you could actually be really fit at 180, or carrying too much fat at 160. For example, you made a point of saying that after months of working out in a gym, you ended up weighing more than before you started. That's actually somewhat common and not necessarily a bad thing. That extra 6 pounds may have just be Fluid retention, or muscle (likely some of both), so the number on the scale was not a good way of tracking your overall health. This is one of the reasons we strongly recommend also periodically checking your body measurements, as well as potentially checking body composition. You can buy a BIA scale to check that, or there are plenty of commercial places that will do it for you.
Best of luck.