NickelChip

At 5 months post-op, 500 calories per day might signal your body to be in starvation mode. Most programs seem to recommend between 800-1000 calories as a benchmark until you reach maintenance. For example, my dietician told me 80g Protein and that protein should be 40% of my calories, which works out to around 800 calories per day.
Do you have any theories on why you can't eat real food after lunch? You should be able to eat most food by now. I'm only at 3 months post-op and the only foods I've been told to be careful with are asparagus (very fibrous) and steak (but ground beef is fine). Have you tried crockpot chili, or pulled chicken? Maybe navy bean Soup with ham? Greek yogurt and fruit? I also like tuna salad or smoked salmon.

OP you have done amazingly well. I know lots of us beat ourselves up lots of the time but honestly, to drop almost half your body mass after surgery, AND then regain only 15 - 20lbs three years later, AND to have had a baby in the meantime is unbelievable.
Third year regain is common - the norm actually. Trying to get back to your lowest weight ever might not work if your body has chosen a higher new set weight. It will fight you all the way. Forever.
Please cut yourself some slack. It might be helpful to ask yourself what exactly you're aiming for now. Is it a goal weight/BMI? Or a state of mind where you accept and Celebrate the huge changes you have made to your health and your life and now that of your baby. If you have a set goal, why is that better than where you are, and how much effort or angst do you want/need to devote to achieving it?
As a general observation processed and ultra processed foods (products with ingredients you don't have in your kitchen) are what make people obese. The sooner you can ditch those the better IMO. Freshly prepared food is less likely to cause regain. I am a big fan of Dr Matthew Wiener's book A Pound of Cure. Might be worth a read!

Congrats!!!!!

Weighed in this morning at 199.8 lbs! Finally under 200!
I'm going to NYC this weekend, so lots of walking will be a guarantee, but I'll have to be mindful of hydration and not give in to the temptation of grazing all day on little snack foods. I've already chosen my dinner from the menu of the place we're going Saturday, a lentil Soup. Afternoon tea on Sunday will be a nice treat.

I'm so so so happy for you! welcome to W(one)derland! I hope you'll enjoy NYC!!

Weighed in this morning at 199.8 lbs! Finally under 200!
I'm going to NYC this weekend, so lots of walking will be a guarantee, but I'll have to be mindful of hydration and not give in to the temptation of grazing all day on little snack foods. I've already chosen my dinner from the menu of the place we're going Saturday, a lentil Soup. Afternoon tea on Sunday will be a nice treat.

Given the troubles I've had with dry food, I think it will be a while before I risk eating Jerky, which is a shame because I love it. But I do like those roasted, salted edamame Beans @gracesmommy2 recommended! My order of them arrived the other day and that little bag is very satisfying!

Weighed in this morning at 199.8 lbs! Finally under 200!
I'm going to NYC this weekend, so lots of walking will be a guarantee, but I'll have to be mindful of hydration and not give in to the temptation of grazing all day on little snack foods. I've already chosen my dinner from the menu of the place we're going Saturday, a lentil Soup. Afternoon tea on Sunday will be a nice treat.

Everything @NickelChip just said. This, this, this!!! Also, just be careful with the fruit cups and bananas. Other than that, looks good. I personally would incorporate a little more meat in there. I eat red meat once or twice a week.
There's also Keto bread, keto slim Bagels, and keto blueberry muffin mix at Walmart (I use all of them and love them). Blueberries and strawberries are also fantastic, as are apples in moderation. Avocado is another go-to (personally, I love avocado toast in the morning).
smoothies made with almond milk, collagen powder, greens, and fruits of my choosing go a lot farther for me than a Protein Shake. Mostly because you want to get your Protein from foods you're eating instead of drinks and Snacks. I love Propel Water, and I also love Gatorade Zero.
I eat almonds (plain, smokehouse, hickory smoked, mesquite, all the things). Put a handful of almonds, some meat sticks or cubes, and cheese cubes in a container or baggie and you have a delicious, compliant, protein packed snack. I usually do that and also take mixed fruit (I'll slice a small apple and add a few strawberries and a handful or so of blueberries and that's my 2nd snack of the day) with me to work and it gets me through (I'm a clinical medical assistant so I'm on my feet a lot).

My suggestion is eat more vegetables and drop the packaged, processed Snacks and Protein Shakes altogether. You are no longer healing from surgery or dropping a ton of weight quickly, so you don't need 120g Protein, or even 100g anymore. If you can eat 3oz chicken breast twice a day, plus a serving of Greek yogurt and fruit for Breakfast, you've hit your protein needs and then some. Get your protein from lean meat, Beans, nuts, and seeds (not as much from dairy). Have a leafy or non-starchy vegetable at every meal. Eat fruit for dessert and raw veggies and nuts for snack.

So, let's say you aim for 80g Protein, that's 320 calories. 50-60g carb gives you another 200 to 240 calories. If you set a goal of 1000 calories per day, that leaves you with about 53g of fat per day. But if you track carbs and protein, the fat falls into place because those are the only 3 sources of calories. Oh, dry roasted or raw nuts are a nice source of healthy fat. And you can play around with your ratios of macros a little bit to see what works for you to keep you satisfied and give you enough energy.

Weighed in this morning at 199.8 lbs! Finally under 200!
I'm going to NYC this weekend, so lots of walking will be a guarantee, but I'll have to be mindful of hydration and not give in to the temptation of grazing all day on little snack foods. I've already chosen my dinner from the menu of the place we're going Saturday, a lentil Soup. Afternoon tea on Sunday will be a nice treat.

Weighed in this morning at 199.8 lbs! Finally under 200!
I'm going to NYC this weekend, so lots of walking will be a guarantee, but I'll have to be mindful of hydration and not give in to the temptation of grazing all day on little snack foods. I've already chosen my dinner from the menu of the place we're going Saturday, a lentil Soup. Afternoon tea on Sunday will be a nice treat.

You don't need to go to a gym or walk for miles. Just moving around more often helps. Simple stuff like getting on a single step and doing step ups for a few minutes helps. Youtube is a great place to look for simple things you can do for movement. Getting a resistant band and doing a few exercises helps. I always thought resistant bands were a Joke, until I started using them. They are no joke and you can do a lot with them. Here's some reels from the Bariatric center I go to. In particular the woman in this clip is my exercise specialist. Her name is Mo and she is out of her mind full of energy. They have a lot of stuff on their youtube ranging from exercise to diet and everything else in bariatrics.

That's good to know! Thanks for the update.

I spoke to my dietician today and 800 calories is normal for 9 months PO until I hit goal for my bariatric clinic. I was told this; if I'm hungry all the time I can go up to 1000 per day but no more than that until I hit my goal and go into maintenance. I agree 800 is restrictive, but apparently its normal for everyone at my clinic. I figured I'd let everyone know with an update. 🤷🏼‍

Ahhh @NickelChip Sorry to hear you are still stalled! This too will pass. I hope your blood tests show good results. And I also have resistance bands collecting dust so let me know how you get along with them!
Thanks @Noelle74 you are so right, the weight dosent just drop off. And you're right, progress not perfection is the way to go. Would you consider adding a ticker to your profile? It's a really easy way for me to understand how people are getting along!
I walked part of the way of Saint James last summer through the northern route (camino del norte) with my parnter and a group of friends and although I tried to keep a smile on my face it was truly three miserable weeks for me, I was in pain, sweating, out of breath and honetsly wanted to cry each time I saw another hill... but last weekend although it wasn't as steep I walked 26km all on my own and had a lovely day! So yes, progress!!

@BlueParis Still stalled
I had my 3-month appointment yesterday. It seems I'm on track based on the numbers my doctor wants to see, which is losing at least 10% of your day-of-surgery weight at the 3-month mark. For me, that would be 22.3 lbs, and I've lost 22.4 lbs. So, I just have to trust the process, I guess.
I have to go in Friday morning to have blood drawn for Iron and B-12 check, and I need to redo my TSH (thyroid) from my physical earlier this week because Biotin messes up the results! So I have to stop my Multivitamin and my biotin supplement for 72 hours before retesting.
And @Noelle74it's so true that the weight does not just "fall off." Maybe the first few weeks, but after that? It's a struggle. Lots of ups and downs. Lots of frustration. I think a lot of trial and error, too, until you find what works for you.
My plan is to just keep tracking Protein and Water, as directed by my dietician, for the next month. I have a vacation at the end of June. If I get back from that and don't like my progress, I will try limiting carbs to under 50g per day until my 6-month check-up at the end of August. If I'm worried at that point, I will talk to doctor about adding GLP-1. But hopefully there will be no cause for concern.
My next thing is to learn how to use my resistance bands! That's my goal for the coming week.

@BlueParis Still stalled
I had my 3-month appointment yesterday. It seems I'm on track based on the numbers my doctor wants to see, which is losing at least 10% of your day-of-surgery weight at the 3-month mark. For me, that would be 22.3 lbs, and I've lost 22.4 lbs. So, I just have to trust the process, I guess.
I have to go in Friday morning to have blood drawn for Iron and B-12 check, and I need to redo my TSH (thyroid) from my physical earlier this week because Biotin messes up the results! So I have to stop my Multivitamin and my biotin supplement for 72 hours before retesting.
And @Noelle74it's so true that the weight does not just "fall off." Maybe the first few weeks, but after that? It's a struggle. Lots of ups and downs. Lots of frustration. I think a lot of trial and error, too, until you find what works for you.
My plan is to just keep tracking Protein and Water, as directed by my dietician, for the next month. I have a vacation at the end of June. If I get back from that and don't like my progress, I will try limiting carbs to under 50g per day until my 6-month check-up at the end of August. If I'm worried at that point, I will talk to doctor about adding GLP-1. But hopefully there will be no cause for concern.
My next thing is to learn how to use my resistance bands! That's my goal for the coming week.

I started my bariatric journey in October 2023. In the picture I'll post is a recent picture @ 236 lbs. the other is me last July at 363+ lbs. From October to my surgery date Feb 7th 2024 I lost 79 lbs. Around 15 of that was after the two week liquid diet leading up to surgery day. I've lost 48 lbs. since surgery. Which doesn't seem like it, since I have had stalls. Despite having a torn meniscus since last June. I workout nearly everyday. Walking when tolerable, but usually on a stationary bike along with lifting light weights. Nothing crazy. I feel like I lose inches far better than I lose pounds. For the first time since 2003-04 I can wear a large shirt without all the XXXX's on it. This was definitely worth it. But, I also feel lucky. I've not had any big issues.

WOW!!!!!!!!
I bet you had times where you thought this would never happen, but here you are! Congratulations!
I feel like these big milestones can mess with your head sometimes. Like, I hit 201.6 lbs 12 days ago and was just certain I'd be under 200 in no time... and I'm still waiting! I instantly bounced back to 203, made it to 201.0 after almost a week, stalled for a few days... At least I dipped to 200.8 this morning. But to finally see that 199... that has to feel so good.
When was the last time you weighed this little? For me, the last time I was below 200 was when I was 28 (22 years ago!).

"Because I was cursed by an evil witch in the forest for not minding my own business."

"Because I was cursed by an evil witch in the forest for not minding my own business."

My brother had VSG 15 years ago. He lost over 100 pounds. The first few years his appetite was very small, like order an appetizer for dinner and only eat half. But as time has gone on, what he can eat now looks like what a "normal" person with a smaller appetite would eat. We sat next to each other at my cousin's wedding and he cleared his dinner plate over the course of 30 minutes, which was more than I could do and I was pre-op at the time. He had maybe a bite or two of the cake.
I suggest you try the YouTube videos from Dr. John Pilcher and Dr. Matthew Weiner. They both give it to you straight and clear up myths and misconceptions about bariatric surgery, and neither of them are trying to sell you something or gain a bunch of followers like a lot of vloggers. It's just solid medical knowledge made easy to understand. I watched all the videos from both surgeons as I was preparing for my surgery and it really helped.

Pretty much everyday I just KNEW I wouldn't make it here lol I had to block out all the noise and just focus on my mind, my body, my health, and my goals. I had to make sure the number on the scale wasn't my main priority. When I did that, I eventually got here. But all the NSVs along the way were the real rewards.