Tiffykins

The hormones during pregnancy and while breastfeeding help our stomachs stay more relaxed. The body is an amazing machine and it adapts especially since we have altered guts. I breastfed Tatum for 4 weeks and almost no restriction. Within a week of having to quit nursing, my restriction was back on full force.

The pregnancy did NOT stretch your stomach. It's not physically possible. There is not enough tissue to stretch. What is happening is your stomach is relaxed and it's mushing the food more efficiently, moving it to the intestines faster, thus allowing you to eat more because your body needs more while pregnant and nursing.

This is NOT uncommon among VSG and RNY patients. I read about this for a year on obesityhelp pregnancy forum, didn't believe it would happen to me, but low and behold it did. Here I am with Tatum being 5 months old now, and I'm 12 weeks pregnant again, I still have the same restriction I had around my 9 month post-VSG experience and my hunger hasn't returned yet, but I know it will all happen again sometime in my 3rd trimester.

The best advice I got was to eat as much dense Protein as possible and avoid sliders and super soft foods to give the best restriction.

Edit to add:

Awww crap, I forgot you had plication. Totally not the same, hmmm I've read a few topics about the tummy stretching out at your point post-op. But, it could be the hormones contributing to stretchiness and lack of restriction.

I have a question ... before y 'all had your band removed did you get reflux often ? I am just now starting to get it off and on I am wondering if this is something i need to worry about . I have nothing in my band right now because its useless due to slips ?

I never had reflux with or before my band.

I would definitely take a PPI to keep the reflux at bay while you are unfilled. It can cause esophageal issues which can make the sleeve more difficult to perform.

I have chosen to remain on my Nexium even though I've only had a few episodes of reflux since being sleeved, it keeps my physical gone, and I'm going to take it to protect what's left of my stomach tissue.

It's the nature of the beast of internet forums. There's always someone out there that will be "holier than thou", or someone who vehemently disagrees with a particular opinion. I have learned after being on here since it's beginning nearly 3 years ago, take the good, what helps you, what encourages you, what you enjoy and leave the rest.

I reply to private messages more than I post because it's easier. I've some absurd things, and while I just shake my head in disbelief, I typically keep my fingers away from the "Reply" button, UNLESS it's absolutely medically/scientifically untrue information that has been posted. Then and only then, will I post with scientific and proven medical information to support my advice/opinion/information.

I've admittedly stopped posting here because of all the ludicrous posts, and repeat of the normal questions that have been answered 1000s of times. Plus, now since the VSG has become so popular, people jump in without being educated and then they get 20 different opinions on how, what, how much to eat, and get no true medical advice from their team. So, I try to stay out of those topics all together.

Was your revision done in the US ? Im curious if it depends on the damage , if its a US vs Mexico thing to have them done in one or 2 steps ?

Thanks for the link i asked to join .

Done in the US at an Air Force base hospital.

Adding the sugar free coffee syrups, sugar free pudding powder, and crystal light packets were all easy, no to low carb and quick.

I loved the white chocolate SF pudding powder mixed with Chobani or Fage plain fat free. I'd freeze it in ice cube trays and have little servings of "frozen yogurt".

I never ate the premixed ones with fruit because of the carb and sugar counts.

I use it for a sour cream substitute in all my recipes, and make chicken, tuna and egg salads with it and the dry ranch or italian dressing packets. I ate tons of the chicken, tuna and egg salads through my losing stage. Even today, over 2.5 years out, I use greek yogurt in all of my recipes for myself, my family and any potlucks or socials that I attend. No one ever knows that I use Greek yogurt as a substitute for sour cream. When asked for recipes, people are shocked because most hate it. But, it's a great substitute and it cooks/bakes really well.

Also another question , for those of you who had the converstion dont in the US .. did you have 1 or 2 surgeries ? One to remove the band then one to do the sleeve or was it all done at once ?

My revision was done in 1 procedure. It couldn't be done in 2. The damage was too extensive and the VSG had to be done at the same time.

Here's the link to the FB group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/199537600106847/

I would love the link to the Failed Lapband FB group!

Here's the link to the Failed band group on FB:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/199537600106847/

Here and welcome!

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I'm over 2.5 years out from my band to VSG revision. I'll answer your questions based on my experiences.

1. IF i get converted will my pain ful eating contiune ?

Early out, I struggled with solids, my band really screwed up my stomach tissue, my scar tissue was bad, and I lost more tissue during my revision. However, by 4 months out, solids were not an issue. I ate soft solids, and mushy type food until my stomach could tolerate more than 1-2oz of solid Protein foods. This helped my stomach heal and relax, and I was able to get my Protein from food since I couldn't tolerate shakes. I have zero pain with eating. The only thing that really bothers me is brown rice. I wasn't a fan of it pre-op so I don't miss it. Scrambled eggs and porkchops sit heavy in my stomach, but I can eat those foods if I choose to do so.

2. I have seen some people can have a hard time gaining weight after the sleeve ?

Nope, not a problem at all. There's stories of regain out there, we can still suck down junk food without issues, so gaining isn't a problem if people make the wrong food choices constantly.

3. anyone who has gone from band to sleeve regret it ?

Not one single regret.

4. anyone glad they did and why ?

I am beyond grateful that I revised to VSG over the other options. I eat what I want, when I want, just in small quantities. I eat like any other normal human. I do not ever have any stuck, sliming or foamie episode. I live a very normal life. I'm onto my 2nd pregnancy post-VSG and I seriously love life with VSG.

If you are on Facebook, we have a group for Failed LapBand and Realize Bands and you can peruse the topics there as well if you're interested in joining, I'll share the link. It's a great group of bandsters who have revised or are looking at revision options.

Tell that to Carnie Wilson.

She had RNY with a pouch and stoma. The pouch is made from the stretchy tissue (fundus) of the stomach, and the stoma is a man-made hole so stretching of both are common with RNY. She never stuck with healthy eating and alcohol consumption was a leading factor to her regain as detailed by her husband and her self-admission of eating the wrong foods especially after the birth of her children.

I tried to find backing for this on the internet because I would like to believe it but could not. Can you get your surgeon to site his sources without making him mad? Sometimes docs don't like to be questioned.

I found this interesting post which tries to help guys who want their stomachs bigger, (competition eaters, etc.):

There are a few methods to stretch your stomach and make your capacity larger (again, there is a point where you hit your genetic limit and I guess for most getting there isn't necessary) Water training, basically drink as much liquid as you possibly can as fast as you can till you are at the peak of vomiting or actual vomiting. I've done this on a number of occasions, it's painful and not fun at all, even if you’re a masochist like myself...

The other way to stretch your stomach is to eat as much food as you can (if you wanna stay low calorie go with veggies, but eating tons of lettuce gets really boring and tires out your jaw) then top off with Water. I've done this on a few occasions to, this is also very painful and not much fun.

So to answer your question, yes, there are ways to stretch ones stomach, but like with body building we all have our genetic limits.

I thought it was interesting in that we are told to hold off on the water 1/2 hour before and 1/2 hour after and take it in slowly. This guy is talking about cramming and topping off with water drunk fast to stretch it. I guess my NUT and doc had it right.

They sure can because they have a fully intact fundus, we do not. We beat the "genetic" factor by having 85% of the stomach removed with nearly all of the fundus removed if the sleeve is performed properly. The stomach will temporarily shrink back down when they don't force feed and induce vomiting with water consumption.

Adding fluids to the stomach make the food liquified thus causing the pyloric valve to open faster and food to dump into the intestines faster.

Think of your stomach as the kitchen sink drain (or any drain say with that criss cross thing to stop food pieces from going down) :

1) Turn on the faucet fluids swirl around, go right down

2) Now dump some yogurt in the drain, it's going to slowly seep through the drain, add water the yogurt slides threw faster

3) Now dump some finely ground up beef or chicken in the drain it's not going to really go anywhere unless you shove a fork (an analogy for the stomach muscle working, mechanically mushing down the food) in the drain swirl it around to get the food to move out of the top of the drain. NOW, add a little water to that meat, it's going to move faster.

I hope that makes sense, that's the reason behind not eating and drinking simultaneously and not drinking for 30 minutes after a meal. Since I don't have a pouch, I am allowed to drink right up until my first bite of food and then nothing while I eat and I wait 30-45 minutes after eating. It definitely makes a big difference the further out we get to not eat/drink simultaneously. But, early out, I didn't have room to take even a sip with my meal, it hurt because the swelling was horrible and I didn't have space for liquids.

Nope, it can't and won't. Around a year your stomach matures and transit time adjusts. Essentially, the stomach starts functioning normally, mechanically working like it did before surgery.

There is zero scientific evidence to suggest that soda stretches the stomach. I've drank soda for 2 years of my nearly 3 years post-VSG with change in my capacity. My transit time has changed. food is just mushed down more efficiently and moved to the intestines faster than it did early out. It's a normal part of the equation after a partial gastrectomy.

Soda leaves the stomach just like other liquids. It doesn't sit in there brewing for hours on end. There's not enough tissue left behind to stretch back out.

I was hoping you had a specific scientific study or peer-reviewed journal article from a science source that you could reference.

The ASMBS is the leading organization in nutrition/vitamin/supplementation and following bariatric patients across America.

This is a HUGE medical read, but it's full of vital information for us. It explains everything from Vitamins, labs, and post-op diets and the "whys" behind everything.

If you would like to skip all the major reading, at the top of the PDF file, use the down arrow to get to Page S95 in the paragraph under Table 6, you will see that there is zero scientific evidence to support the 20-30gram Protein absorption myth. Page S93 starts the Protein talk and the whys behind the intake and need for protein after bariatric surgery.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/publicASMBS/GuidelinesStatements/Guidelines/bgs_final.pdf

Our bodies absorb what we eat. Every calories, carb, fat gram, protein gram. How it is assimilated, and processed is the key to absorption. How readily bioavailable that protein source is should be the real question, not how many gram we eat. It's even discussed why we should avoid collagen based Proteins since they are not complete Proteins.< /p>

H

THANK YOU so much for posting this. This really helps me. I'm about 6wks out and I often question my foods and this really helps give me a range and guide that I've desperately been searching for. I have been hitting between 500-800. I think that comes naturally when you follow the "rules" of Protein first. I was also told by the hospital to eat 2 oz meat and 2 oz of veggiesor fruit and if any room left to have carbs. I try to avoid all simple carbs because it helps cut down my cravings. I've really been wondering about carb ranges and fat ranges. Tiff how many fat grams did you range per day????

This is a great topic. I don't think I'm in starvation mode but, I do think after so many years of yo-yo dieting that my metabolism is messed up. Since most days I get closer to 500/600 cals when I do get close to 800 cals then I usually gain. I try not to let it bother me and keep waiting for my body kick in. It has to eventually. It's a mathematical certainty.

I never count fat grams and never will. I ate and continue to eat full fat foods. The limited capacity I have limits my fat intake on it's own. I eat real butter, full fat dressings, miracle whip etc. The only thing I eat that is fat free is Greek yogurt and that's because it cooks better in casserole/crock pot meals and that way I can add stuff to it. And, my cholesterol was never an issue, and dropped even lower during my losing stage and my "good" cholesterol improved.

I just did what worked for me. I truly believe we only have one chance to lose the weight, work on our food issues, and then tweak what we can manage in maintenance. Losing was not difficult for me, keeping it off is and will always be my battle. It's the same issue I had from dieting attempts in the past. I could lose like a champ, but then it'd come back with a vengeance plus some. I do not diet in maintenance by any stretch of the imagination, but I do have to watch junk food, carby foods and alcohol consumption or I will surely see a gain.

I'm into my 2nd pregnancy post-VSG and I simply refused, downright looked at my OB and told him I would not under any circumstance do that test.

They wrote a RX for a glucose monitor/strips and I monitored my glucose at home, 4 times daily. That stupid glucose tolerance test can be so off especially if we eat carbs the night before.

I had to test 4 times, first thing in the A.M. then 2 hours after 3 of my biggest meals of the day. My numbers were fabulous, and that is the most accurate measure of blood sugar/glucose.

Oh and due to my genetic issue, I have to take an 81mg aspirin every day of my life. My gastroenterologist, OB and PCM are so grateful that I chose VSG over RNY so I can take this aspirin so I can have decent platelet function. If I don't take it, my platelets do not work properly and then I don't clot.

There is no greater risk for an ulcer with VSG as we had with our previous stomachs. It's not going to sit in your stomach brewing like it would if you had a pouch. Also, it's really the fact that overuse of NSAIDs destroy the prostaglandin in the stomach lining with can cause an ulcer to form.

I've been taking NSAIDS as needed since being around 6 weeks out. I'm over 2.5 years out, and just delivered a baby 30 October 2011, due to rare genetic issue, I have to take prednisone, 60mg for a solid 30+ days, and received 3 boluses of steroids during delivery then 3 daily doses IV while hospitalized while recovering from a csection. I have had zero issues due to my NSAID. While some surgeon say NO, it's because they lump us all in with Band and Bypass patients. There's hundreds of surgeons that authorize NSAID usage on an "as needed" basis. I always take them with food, and never use more than one dose per day. When I came home from the csection, I was prescribed 800mg (2nd time being prescribed this drug since surgery), and took it as needed for pain and discomfort instead of narcotics since I was breastfeeding, and well, me being doped up trying to care for a newborn would have not been an ideal situation.

There's no medication restrictions with VSG. From the pioneers of VSG as a stand alone procedure, with the most patients with the longer term stats and documented cases:

http://www.lapsf.com/vertical-gastrectomy-weight-loss-surgery.php

Important advantages about the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy:

• Estimated weight loss >80%
  
• Resolution of diabetes >90%
  
• Resolution of obstructive sleep apnea >95%
  
• Resolution of hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol and triglycerides) >80%
  
• Resolution of hypertension >80%
  
• The portion of the stomach that produces the hormone that stimulates hunger (Ghrelin) is removed.
  
• The stomach is dramatically reduced in volume yet also functions normally.
  
• No dumping syndrome because the pylorus is preserved.
  
• Minimizes the potential for ulcer, so the use anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin, Motrin, Aleve and ibuprofen are not problematic (great procedure for those with arthritis, joint pain or Migraine headaches).
  
• No intestinal bypass and therefore little or no chance of nutritional and Vitamin deficiencies
  
• Most patients with BMI between 30-50kg/M2 achieve their goal weight within 12 months following surgery.
  
• Safer alternative for high body weight (>400 pounds) or medically high-risk patients than the gastric bypass or duodenal switch.
  
• No foreign body or implanted devices.
  
• Can be performed laparoscopically in virtually all patients.
  
• 99% leave the hospital within one day.
  

im trying to loose weight

My first reply to anyone is to make sure to check with your program/surgeon before changing your eating. And, I never felt hunger so I couldn't just eat when hungry. I had to set a schedule, and a meal plan so I would make sure to hit my Protein and calorie goals per day.

My days back in my losing stage this is what I did until goal :

600-800 calories per day

60+gr of Protein

no more than 30-40 TOTAL carbs

64ounces of clear fluids

I did NOT indulge with any treats, snack, no breaking my plan until after I got to goal and was getting into maintenance. I personally could never just eat 1 hershey's kisses. At least not when I was trying to lose weight, if you can let "treats" into your daily calorie intake and not miss protein because of the calories in junk food then that's something you can choose to do, but if you can't stop at 1 or 2, don't pick up the habit. Some people can have indulgences, they can say NO to not eating those things every day, many of us needed to have surgery because what we had done in the past had not worked. So, I really worked on my relationship with food and what I knew I could handle. I ate 4 meals a day with each meal consisting of 15gr of protein. If I had room for greens, I ate them. But, I didn't touch junk food, fruits or breads/pasta/rice until after I getting into maintenance. If I could have just cut my portions, I would not have had 85% of my stomach removed. Like I said, some people choose to do things differently, from all my time around the boards, few patients are able to just eat what they want in smaller portions and lose weight and KEEP it OFF. That's the key, keeping it off which is way harder than a lot of people think. There's 2 active posts right now on obesityhelp from 2 women who had surgery last year, lost 75-100lbs and have put on 40lbs. It's not hard to gain with the sleeve or any other surgery choose. It happens and if you don't work on the food issues, then eating smaller portions will only help in the short term. When you get to about a year or two out, you will be able to 2-3 times the amount you did the first month or two. I can eat way more today than I could the first 3 months so making the "best" choice is way harder today than it was 2 years ago.

I never stalled, every single week for 6.5 months I lost weight. It might have been only 1 pound, but there were lots of weeks where I lost 5-6 pounds. I only kind of 'stalled' I was close to goal and it only lasted 10 or so days and then I dropped big time pounds and got below 2lbs below goal.

so i read all posts

but i dont know now to eat alittle or more

i can reach 1200 calories easy by adding a chocalate to my diet

it give calories and take no room of the stomach so it doesnt make us feel full

so what to eat high or low calories?

It depends on what your goals are. Are you still trying to lose, maintain?

I can eat 2000 calories EASILY, but I choose not to do so. Just because we can doesn't mean we should, and NO, I never eat junk food to up my calories.

When I needed to get my weight losing to STOP, I added high calorie/high healthy fat food that didn't take up much room and still gave me nutritional value. Food such as cheese, Peanut Butter, nuts, avocados, very nutrient/calorie dense foods that were just empty chocolate calories.

that is what I thought...but he told me that the reason I am not losing hardly is because my body has decided that i am starving it...I am going to shoot for the 1200 each day this week and see what my scale says at the end of the week...If i show a decent loss then i will stick with it...if I show no loss then I will be going back down to a lower caloric intake goal. so far today I have had eggs with cheese, a sugar free Jello, more eggs with cheese, tea, Water..so I am NO WHERE close to 1200 calories, but I am having taco meat with cheese and a dollop of sour cream tonight for dinner...no shell or tortilla.. but should still be tasty...which it will still put me below 1200 calories but only by about 300

This is why you are in a stall. It's normal and expected. Your body will never go into a stall as long as you have body fat to burn:

Weight Loss Stall or Plateau

A weight loss stall or plateau is an extended period of time during reducing efforts where is there is no weight loss according to the scale and no loss of inches according to the tape measure. This is why it is so important to take your body measurements before surgery, so you'll have a reference as your weight loss progresses post-op. We suggest you take measurements of your chest, waist and hip, neck, upper arm, thigh and calf.

Be aware it is very common for your weight loss to "stall" shortly after surgery. Diana explains the reason for this below.

The Inevitable Stall

By Diana C.

A "stall" a few weeks out is inevitable, and here's why.

Our bodies use glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, but it is stored in our muscles for quick energy -- one pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of Water to keep it soluble, and the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, your body turns first to stored glycogen, which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, you also lose 8 lbs of water that was used to store it -- voila -- the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of a diet.

As you stay in caloric deficit, however, your body starts to realize that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue and burning fat for energy. But your body also realizes that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy -- like, to outrun a saber tooth tiger. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, and rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while as you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored.

Breathe, and fuggedaboudit for a few days.

What You Can Do About a Stall or Plateau

If you are experiencing a post-op weight loss stall or plateau further out there are a few possible causes. First, check that are you really in a stall. If the scale has stopped moving you may be losing inches, so check your measurements.

Too Many Carbs?

Carbohydrates can start sneaking into your foods without you being aware of how quickly they are adding up. For more information on carbs, see our section on Carbohydrates. If you are struggling with your weight loss you may want to examine your daily carb count. You can try to keep your carbs under 50g a day and see if that makes a difference in your weight loss. Do not eat carbs before bedtime as it triggers insulin and initiates fat storage. There are some great web site resources you can use to keep track of what you are eating.

Fit Day

Spark People - If you join Spark People also join the DS group.

The Daily Plate

Calorie King

For more tips on keeping a food journal see the Personal Nutrition Guide.

Eating Enough?

If you are under-eating or go more than 4-5 hours without eating, your body will shift into fasting mode, slow your metabolism and conserve your stored energy (fat). This can contribute to a weight loss stall or plateau. Make sure you are eating small meals or small Snacks throughout the day and also ensure you meet your daily Protein requirements. Try eating some Protein with every meal or snack. For more information on protein requirements see our section on Protein.

Drinking Enough?

An adequate level of water in your body aids in the effective breakdown of fat. The daily minimum recommendation is 64 Fluid oz of water a day. If you are in ketosis you will need to drink even more water to ensure the ketones are flushed out of your system. You may also need more than the minimum amount of water if you are exercising or live in a warmer or dry environment.

Exercising?

Exercise can increase your metabolism and burn fat. Strength training will build muscles and will boost fat burning. In a stall you can try increasing your volume of exercise or changing up your routine to overcome a weight loss stall or plateau. If you have been doing mainly aerobic activity, try doing a bit of strength training, and if you have been doing mainly strength training, try an aerobic work-out.

The High Fat - High Calorie Stall Buster (I've only seen this work when people are super close to goal, and their body fat percentage is way lower, or temporarily and then they gain weight back, just my 2cents)

Many DSers swear by the fat/calorie shock as an effective weight loss stall or plateau buster. Having a day of higher fat and calorie eating followed by a returning to consistent low carb eating can sometimes "shock" your body back into weight loss mode.

I've been reading about starvation mode, and what I found out is that we don't go into starvation mode until our body fat is below a certain percentage. I believe it was 5%. So is all the other info we hear about hype? What do you guys think?

http://fattyfightsback.blogspot.com/2009/03/mtyhbusters-starvation-mode.html

Here's a great article on starvation mode and why it's just not true for obese to super morbidly obese people.:

MTYHBUSTERS: Starvation Mode

There are a number of nutritional myths running around out there on the web. Mythbusters is one of my favorite shows and misinformation annoys me, so I decided to do a series of articles on each myth examining what is and isn't true about it. (Plus stealing the Mythbusters title makes me feel like Kari Byron, or at least like I could be her mother.)

So let's start by examining the whole "starvation mode" idea that you see all the time in articles about dieting. I picked this one to start with because I'm now tracking my food on My Fitness Pal and the number of people there screaming "starvation mode" is about 10x higher than most of the other weight loss boards I go to. They annoy the heck out of me, so I want to "answer" them in a permanent way vs. just arguing with them over and over on the boards there.

So what is the Starvation Mode Myth? It goes like this:

"If you don't eat enough, you won't lose weight!"

Okay, so all I have to do to lose weight is ... eat more food! Wow, isn't that awesome? If I stall out at 800 calories, I'll just go up to 1000. And if I stall at 1000, I'll go to 1200. If that doesn't work, how about 1500? 1800? 2200? Oh wait, when I ate 2200 calories, I weighed 223 pounds. Okay, that's not going to work.

But what if I just don't go below the magic "1200" that "everyone" says "no one" should go below? That must be what they mean by "starvation mode," right? If I stay at 1200, I will lose weight but if I go below that, I won't.

The problem with this idea is that, if it were true, no one would die from starvation and obviously people do. Clearly, even if you eat what is obviously too few calories to be healthy, such as an anorexic does, you will continue to lose weight.

So where did this idea -- that not eating enough calories makes you not lose weight -- come from?

It started with the famous Minnesota starvation study. Some normal-weighted men agreed to live on a compound where their exercise and diet was strictly controlled. For portions of the study, they were on a "starvation diet" which is defined as 50% of the calories your body needs to function.

For me, these days, that's about 750-850 calories a day. So I was on a starvation diet up for the first four months after my surgery. Yet I lost weight just fine during that period -- better than fine, really. Most of the people on The Biggest Loser are also on starvation diets, from what I can tell. They may eat a lot more than I do but they also exercise strenuously 6-8 hours a day. So they are often below 50% of their calorie expenditure for the day. They seem to lose just fine too.

How can this be?!

The answer lies in what actually happened to the Minnesota guys when they were on their starvation diets.

Like most of us on a diet, their metabolisms did slow down. In fact, after they'd been on this diet for a while -- we're talking months, not days here -- their body fat percentage got to a point below what is considered minimal to live on (about 5% for a guy, 6% for a gal). At this point, their metabolism had slowed down as much as 40%. But -- and this is the important point for those of us on a diet -- they continued to lose weight. Even with that big of a slow down in their BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), they were still operating at a great enough calorie deficit to lose.

If this is true with a 40% slow down, it's even more true when the slow down is somewhere in the 14 - 22% range, which is more where if falls with normal dieting.

WARNING MATH CONTENT AHEAD:

Take an individual who needs 2,000 calories per day to maintain their current weight. Assuming calorie expenditure remains the same, they will lose (approximately) as follows:

Calories Expected

Loss

Per Week Actual Loss 2,000 0 pound 0 pound 1,500 1 pound 1 pound 1,000 2 pounds 2 pound 500 3 pounds 2¼ to 2½ pounds

As you can see from the table, once you go below a certain calorie level, you aren't getting the weight loss you'd expect. This is because your BMR will go down more if you eat only 500 calories compared to eating 1500. But, as you can see, you are still losing more than if you were eating 1000 calories.

This is a lot different than the "no" weight loss that the "starvation mode" myth touts.

The other important point to note about this study is that it was performed on normal-weighted men. When starvation studies have been done on the obese, they find that the impact of the starvation diet is much less. Our bodies have fat stores designed to get us through a famine (i.e., a diet) and when we have a famine (i.e., a diet), those fat stores get used. The drastic slowdown of the metabolism doesn't happen until those fat stores are largely gone -- which takes a lot longer for the obese than for those who only have to lose 10-25 pounds.

So why are we told not to go under 1200 calories a day, unless under a doctor's supervision?

Mostly because, the more you reduce your intake, the harder it is to get the nutritients you need from food. If you are on a very low calorie diet (as I am), you need to see your doctor(s) regularly, get labs done regularly, etc. Not to mention, Vitamin supplementation is a must. Doing what I'm doing on your own can be dangerous, as you may not know or noticed the signs of a Vitamin or mineral deficiency. Don't forget: some vitamin deficiencies can kill you!

Another reason not to go below a certain calorie expenditure is that human beings are not machines and, unlike the guys in the Minnesota study, we aren't living on a compound with our activity and food strictly controlled. As a result, when we reduce our calories substantially, there is a tendency to subconsciously (or even consciously) reduce our calorie expenditure. Combine this with our tendency to under-report what we eat and over-report our exercise, and you can see where we can get into trouble.

As an example, one Saturday I did a killer two hour workout. After which, I came home and took a three hour nap! Obviously my calorie expenditure that day was lower than if I hadn't taken the nap.

Now, I still lost weight that week. But if I was only eating 500 calories for months at time, I doubt I'd be able to have done that workout to begin with -- I'd still be doing the 30 min. low intensity workouts that I started with. Plus, I might also be taking naps a lot more than once in a while. Both of which would have impacted my weight loss because they would have decreased my calorie expenditure.

Eating more over time has allowed me to exercise more so that, as a result, my rate of weight loss hasn't gone down as much as it could have as my calories have gone up. Plus I'm happy because I'm fitter and healthier.

In the end, it's important to consume enough calories that you have the energy to perform the daily activities you want to and to keep your body healthy. Otherwise, it's self-defeating. After all, the point of losing weight is to be healthier and to get our lives back. It's not to starve ourselves to the point of malnutrition and have so little energy we can't go out and do fun things.

If you want to learn more about starvation mode and read more details about the studies I alluded to, here are some good articles on it:

Are You In Starvation Mode or Starving For Truth? (some typos but the best summary article I've seen)

The Starvation Myth (where I got my table from)

The Truth about "Starvation Mode" (lots of research is discussed)

And here's an article from the other side... Tom Venuto is a big proponent of Starvation Mode and avoiding it. Yet even though the tone of his article makes it sounds like he disagrees 100% with the articles above, about 90% of what he says is exactly the same:

Is starvation mode a myth?- No! It's very real and here is the proof

I'm over 2.5 years out, and I eat that to maintain my weight loss. An increase up to 1700-1800 calories guarantees a gain, below 1200 and I lose again.

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For the boobs, do you remember what cup size you were before becoming overweight/obese??? I was a 32/34B cup back in junior high. Same weight today, and I'm a 32/34B. Only thing good that being fat gave me was super nice boobs, now of course, they're just skin bags.

I hit goal at 6.5 months post-op, was a solid 36/38 large C cup, another 25lbs lost over another 4 months, and about 6-8 months of maintenance gave me these tiny skin bags that I have today.

I'm over 2.5 years out, pastey white, can not and do not tan, and every single one of my scars is visible.

How much was your weight at surgery?

Did any of you workout?

My highest recorded weight was 270lbs(morning of my lapband surgery), standing 5'2" short. The day of my revision from band to VSG, I weighed in at 263lbs. My BMI was just shy of 50 when I revised from the band.

I did not work out at all for the first 4 months. At 4 months post-op, I started strength training 3-4 days a week, and doing cardio with a primary focus on my ab/core area one day per week via Hip Hop Abs. That only lasted 4 months and then I had gallbladder surgery with an exploratory surgery of my abdominal cavity because I was having random pain. My surgeon removed hoards of scar tissue and adhesions from my liver to colon. I was on restricted activity for 8 long weeks, and since I hate working out, I never got back into exercising formally. I was one of the skinniest, unfit chicks you'd meet. Now after pregnancy weight gain, losing all but 10 pounds of the weight, and now pregnant again, I'm not even attempting to diet/exercise. Unfortunately, my body has been through hell and back in less than 3 years. I have a least another year before I'll be able to get back to where I was before pregnancy.

Working out not only helps with weight loss, but it helps with overall heart, mind and bone health.

Tiffykins! Give us an update girl!!!! When did you have the baby? What is sleeve post-partum weightloss like??

I'm 18 months out and have lost 130 lbs, I am a slow-a$$ loser though, I should have lost 150 by 10 months out and should have been at personal goal of 165 lbs lost by 1 year.

I delivered Tatum on 30 October, all is well. I gained 35lbs in the pregnancy. Lost 23-25 of those pounds in the first 4-5 weeks after her arrival. Around late -January I decided to jump back on the low carb wagon, working out 5 days a week, and had a miserable 2 pound loss. I wasn't hungry, had my restriction, and I couldn't figure out what was going on. Low and behold, I'm pregnant again. Right now, I'm right at 8 weeks pregnant, and Tatum just turned 4 months old. Least to say, I'm exhausted to a level that can not be defined.