Search the Community

Hey there! Just had a revision from sleeve to bypass on February 3. I'm very curious about dumping and what one's body will and won't tolerate after surgery. What happens if you eat a few French fries? A bite of a burger? Bacon? A fat-laden keto meal? A few spoons of ice cream? A bite of pasta? An onion ring? Do you immediately feel ill and nauseous? Can you handle any fat in your diet? Any sugar? Please do share your experiences with me. I know everyone's different but also want to imagine what lies ahead. Thank you!

All diet plans and surgeries fail if you eat over your weight loss/maintaining calories/macros. Sorry you are feeling anxious. Your surgery is going to be a great tool to help keep you on track. This will be different than other diet attempts. We are adults. Learn your bariatric basics. Find a long-term sustainable plan that works for you. Call it what you want, we are all on a diet. (Dietitians plan, vegan, keto, intermittent fasting, low carb paleo…. the list goes on) If you choose keto, don’t eat over your calories/macros. If you choose your medical professionals plan, Dont eat over your calories and macros.

The primary question here is,,,why? What do you hope to accomplish with it? If keto is something that you are already doing and like, and makes sense for you to keep doing it for the foreseeable future, then yes, you can do keto after surgery and it will work as well as anything. If you are hoping to adopt it because of a belief that it will improve your WLS performance, then forget it. Summerset, above, has the right idea that the WLS by itself is plenty strong enough on its own. Looking back 20-30 years, patients were often told to just "eat like you always did, just less..." and it worked! For a while. Of course, eating like what got them fat in the first place didn't prevent them from gaining weight again in the longer term. But this does illustrate one of the big powers of your WLS - that it is relatively insensitive to what style of diet is used that first six months to a year when we are losing rapidly. Low carb diets that are popular today work just as well as yesterday's low fat diets. This means that we can concentrate on learning how to eat for long term health and weight control rather than promised quickie weight loss followed by inevitable regain that we get from the various fad diets. In the non-WLS world, diets fail 95+ percent of the time when you look out beyond a year, as people either hit diet fatigue and fall back on old habits, or they may actually get down to a normalish weight, and then regain as they fall back into old habits. The same thing happens with WLS, only it usually takes longer given the lingering restriction that we have - but the weight can come back over time if we don't learn how to keep it off, and most diets don't teach that.

You really should have a long talk with a bariatric surgeon and nutritionist. But let me see if I can help. I will use gastric sleeve for explanations, since that is the surgery I have. This can also be applied to gastric bypass, but please know there is a lot more involved with a bypass than sleeve. I personally don't recommend lap band. Before you get weight loss surgery, you need to consult a physician and a nutritionist. You usually have a requirement of 6 months of nutrition counseling. During this time, the nutritionist prepares you for your post op diet. They start off giving you education on what you need to eat NOW. What you need to eat in your pre-surgery phase. And what to eat post op. A good program will have you continue nutrition counseling for AT LEAST a year post op, in which they will coach you through the stages of your post-op diet through until you reach maintenance stage where you are just maintaining your weight. During the pre-op period, you are also seeing specialists and getting testing for any problems that they may need to know about before your surgery. This includes a psych evaluation usually. And if you do have psych related issues driving you to eat too much, you should take this opportunity to deal with them. Many bariatric patients need counseling. Some need medications like anti-depressants or other psych medications. And some like me gained weight for other reasons (physical barriers). You will likely at least get an EKG if not a complete cardiac workup. You may need a sleep study to determine if you have sleep apnea like so many obese people do. If so, you will get treated for it. They will look for how you swallow, do you have a hernia in the stomach, and other issues affecting your surgery. Once you have jumped through the hoops and are treated for anything you need to be treated for... then you will be cleared for surgery (and no... ongoing counseling does not mean surgery will be delayed). With gastric sleeve, they remove 80% of your stomach, therefore for it immediately restricts how much food you eat. It also resets your metabolism and your hunger/full hormones. In the short term, yes your calories will be VERY restricted. But because you are seeing a nutritionist, they will help you know what to eat during each stage for optimal health. Water and protein first. Then healthy veggies. And you will learn to either not eat unhealthy carbs or eat very limited unhealthy carbs. It will be up to you to follow the recommended diet and stick with it. If you do follow directions, you will learn to eat frequent small but healthy meals every day. And over time, once you are closer to maintenance, you will start to eat larger portions, but sticking to healthy meals. Your nutritionist will guide you to ensure you do not go into starvation mode and that you eat a healthy amount of calories to maintain your weight. Most people do lose a little more than they need to early on... but then gain 20 pounds back and then maintain your weight there. The key is to stick to the recommended diet so that you don't KEEP gaining. You will also get blood work done every 3 months or so and have follow up appointments with your surgeon's office for at least a year. So, with the surgeon and nutritionist, you will be closely monitored. They will make sure you don't end up with vitamin deficiencies or other problems related to rapid weight loss. You will take daily vitamins and calcium as recommended. Your diet will be high in protein and low in carbs and fats. (So not really Keto... but many do keto post op). The carbs and fats you eat will be healthy carbs and fats if you stick to your diet. But this isn't a "diet" per-say... it is a lifestyle change. You are re-learning how to eat healthy. You are re-learning how to eat small to normal portions. And if you stick with it under nutritionist supervision, you will NOT go into starvation mode and you will not gain the weight back. Problem with all the fad diets is that there is no long term (psych) counseling, nutritional counseling, medical follow up. Most people eventually go back to their old ways. And gain everything back. If you are following the program with the bariatric team, they will help you prevent going back to your old ways. But seriously... only you can decide how successful you will be, based on your willingness to follow through. Again... if you need to, get counseling. See your surgeon and nutritionist regularly and follow their guidance. If you need CPAP for sleep apnea, wear it. If you need other medications, take them. Etc. I am 2 days shy of 6 months. I am at a NORMAL body weight. I am 6 pounds from my personal ideal body weight. I am following the recommendations of my team. And I can now eat double what I could 3 months post op and still maintain my weight and I am still losing a pound here and there. Again...talk to your bariatric team for better information, but bariatric surgery is a TOOL for weight loss. It is only successful if you follow your program. But it is also the best tool out there to reach your goals if you have dieted and failed in the past. But if you follow your program, they will give you additional tools to make you successful (nutrition and psych counseling are two of your best weapons... use them!)

I have PCOS as well and am also on Metformin. It's honestly disgusting how little I have to eat in order to lose weight. Metformin helps me maintain weight, so long as I am eating healthy. However, to lose weight, the best thing I can recommend is keto. Check out the keto subreddit, find out what your daily intake should be, and give it a try. I have lost quite a bit of weight following that alone. I do gain quite a bit of water weight once I stop keto, though, so keep that in mind.

Biggest thing, don't cave in. The ONLY person putting that food in your face is you. You control you. SO... control you! Now, find something that's a healthy option that you can swap with whatever you are craving that will satisfy the craving. There are some amazing foods out there that you can eat that are WAY better for you than most of the junk that's out there. 3 ingredient Keto Cookies using nothing but bananas, cacao powder and raw peanut butter, super amazing fudgey cookies that are decently low in calories, have ZERO added sugars and pack in the protein and nutrients that you just don't get from typical cookies. You can either avoid or confront the foods. I confronted them. I legit stood in front of all the candy in the candy isle and was like... "screw you candy. You made me fat and unhappy and made me feel like crap. Sure you are tasty, but it's all just junk and I don't need you." I used to eat a LOT of ice cream, now I eat a 1/4 or so of Halo Top, way better option. You have to make this work. Do your best and only your best and it gets easier. If you fail or cave... that's fine, but, it's not. Don't beat yourself up... but don't make it "ok". Work with your surgery, not against it! Good Luck!

I didn't tell anyone except my husband and mom for this very reason, and I have never discussed dieting with others. People get evangelical about keto or Paleo or vegan or whatever they happen to be into. The best diet is the one that you can stick to, the one that works for your personality, tastes, lifestyle and body chemistry, and there is no one-size-fits-all.

Hey Guys, I just found this site after a hopeful search looking for someone who has or is going through something similar. I had RNY with a Minimizer Ring on the 18th of February 2020. I am 43 and 5ft 9In. My surgery weight was 296 pounds and I am now 238 pounds. A loss of 58 pounds so far. I had been planning/researching the surgery for 5 years and after my last failed attempt of maintaining, went ahead with surgery with full knowledge of what to expect (well so I thought). For full disclosure, my weight problems I think were based on years of yo-yo dieting. Mainly extreme calorie cutting and exercise to get to normal weight. However, when off the ‘diet wagon’ I would only eat a huge meal once a day after not eating all day and being starving when I got home. Usually meals were very much carb based with heavy sauces. I would eat normally on the weekend, but overly big portion sizes. I am not a sweet tooth or an emotional eater, nor am I a fussy eater. I also loved coke zero, which I have just found out is apparently a trickster. Anyways, I think I ruined my metabolism and losing weight was no longer working like it used to! What I expected: · 5-10 days of a keto kind of flu whilst my body adjusted to fat burning mode · Minimal appetite, but still some kind of signal I needed to eat · Being easily satiated with small amounts of food · Having to chew my food 20-30 times · No water 30 mins before or 60 mins after food · Protein first, avoid simple carbs What I did not expect · Persistent nausea · Aversions to all meat/poultry/fish and eggs (physically make me heave) and other random things (sour cream, mushrooms, pumpkin soup, cheese that has been grilled) · Complete and utter exhaustion to the point where my personal hygiene is embarrassing because sometimes I can’t muster enough energy to have a shower for days · Dumping sometimes trying food for the first time, sometimes after having food that did not make me dump last time (for me it is sweating, heart racing, severe cramps and diarrhoea within 30 mins of eating) · Being so uncomfortably full even if it is just water, or a couple of tiny bites of food. I get less than 1000 calories in a week · That chewing the food so many times would make most foods unpalatable and having to spit it out or throw up · The amount of times I belch, heave and bring up thick saliva……all day…..its disgusting and embarrassing! I had read many stories before the surgery, some positive and some negative and was always quick to judge people thinking they were just negative Nancy’s or hypochondriacs and like attention. So it hard to write this post knowing a lot of people will think what I did. I have had scans with contrasts and there are no issues. I have been hospitalised for dehydration, low potassium and high blood ketones. Ketones are normal due to weigh loss. Dehydration and potassium easily fixed with IV fluid. I have a gastroscope tomorrow morning to check if there is scar tissue etc causing my issues. BUT WHAT IF THEY FIND NOTHING???? WILL THIS BE MY FOREVER??? HAS ANYONE DEALT WITH ANYTHING SIMILAR OR IS IT JUST MY BODY FREAKING OUT AND TAKING LONGER THAN NORMAL TO ADJUST? Thanks if you read this far, it really means a lot. I would love to hear from you. I am open to all feedback. Best, Laura (Alice Springs, Australia)

here's an article about it. It lists both headaches and dizziness as symptoms: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/keto-flu-symptoms#symptoms

Hello. It’s been a while since I posted here but I have been busy figuring out how to get past a months long stall and some sugar addiction. First, I found out that I have lipedema which is a connective tissue disorder. It’s an abnormal collection of fat that is no longer in it’s original spongy condition. It is literally scar tissue and adhesions under the skin that do not let go of fat easily. I have huge amounts of it on the lower body and some on my arms. The change that worked for me was specific exercises using a vibration plate on the fat deposits and other mechanisms that can be found on the internet. Second, I ended up switching to healthy keto and that made a great difference in the movement of the scale. I’m down a few pounds now and I no longer have the sugar cravings. I also have gotten better about setting limits on other people monopolizing my time. I’m prioritizing myself and it is really starting to show. I’d be happy to share more if anyone is interested in the connection between stalled weight loss after Bariatric surgery and the condition known as lipedema. It’s not a broadly known condition but it is starting to get attention. I can share some of the resources that I have used in the past few months. To learn more, start here: https://lipedemaproject.org

Our bodies have hundreds of thousands of years of evolutionary defense mechanisms to cope with famines and bad hunting seasons. Too much weight loss, too fast, and these mechanisms kick in, our metabolisms slow...and we just have to grin and bear it. Eventually the stalls break. It's incredibly frustrating when you're dieting, and incredibly useful when you're trying to survive famine. A possible concern I have about keto diets (I have many, actually, which is why I don't do keto) is that a keto diet can destroy the diversity of your gut microbiota. A higher ratio of Prevotella-to-Bacteroides bacteria is associated with better weight loss outcomes....and a diet high in animal protein reverses the ratio and decreases diversity. Some ideas for you... Each day, include a sampling of as many foods as possible, particularly those high in fiber (which helps propogate Prevotella) I'll take a quarter cup scoop and put all sorts of weird little thing in there....a bit of pepper, onion, corn, pickle, an olive, a raisin, half a strawberry, a grape, a tiny cube of potato, cheeses, whole wheat biscuit, a teenie piece of brocolli, a few chopped pecan pieces....you're not looking for volume, you're looking for diversity. Teenie bits of everything wholesome in the kitchen. Try adding a probiotic drink or yogurt instead of your protein bar. Add exercise. But most of all.....just be patient....you're not gonna change evolution. You will eventually lose more weight:)

I was losing weight 42 pounds oct-December doing whole 30 Transition to keto . On 1/17, I started the 3 month required Nut diet and since then, I have not lost or gained a pound in 3 weeks. Any tips or meal plans you had while you were on the 3/6 month diet before surgery. The biggest change is the increase of protein and lowering of fat. Nut diet is low carb, low fat, night protein What I eat, nearly the same every day I still have coffee but change to half caf 2 hard boiled eggs 1/2 cup of fruit apple or orange Romaine salad with chicken, blue cheese lite balsamic dressing Carrots Adkins shake 100 calorie nut pack or 1oz of cashews Mashed cauliflower with beef and center cut bacon crumbles with cheese (Either a sf pudding, sf hot cocoa, or yogurt) Sometimes an Adkins bar

Beyond activity levels, such factors include prior dietary history and genetics. There is a genetic predisposition toward diabetes, insulin resistance and genuine "carb sensitivity" that some people have, and they can benefit form low carb diets; for those without that genetic makeup it's just another fad diet. I don't know if I was considered a big exerciser who "should" succeed with a 100g diet, but I couldn't afford the common side effects or nutritional deficiencies of low carb dieting and knew from history and experience that it has little to do with weight loss success. My wife lost 200# without regard to carb counts, and she is exercise averse. Carb counting and such severe restrictions was never an emphasis in our program an no one seems to be suffering from it (sugar, simple carbs and junk food in general, yes, but carbs as a macro, no.) In the absence of WLS, the success rate of losing large amounts of weight and keeping it off is about 5%, whether one does a low fat diet, low carb diet, balanced, Atkins, Keto or whatever one chooses. With WLS, success rates are similar - people have been successfully maintaining massive weight loss for decades before low carb became the fad of the day. In the fourteen some odd years that I have been involved in the bariatric world, I have never seen anyone fail because of "too many carbs". whatever magic number is chosen - 100g, 40g, 20g... Too many calories relative to their metabolism - absolutely; though those excess calories may be from carbohydrates, they can just as easily be from too much fat or protein, or more typically a combination of them all. Excessive fat consumption is often a problem in maintenace as people who adopted the "full fat everything" habit early on when their volume was severely restricted often continue it as their volume increases a few years out and they let their calories slip away from them. They may blame the carbs for "getting away from them" and exceeding the magic 40g. but then ignore the 1000 calories of fats they are consuming, with a 12-1300 cal metabolism.

What's your eating like?.. I'm 13.5 weeks post op and stalled 3 weeks ago as well. I hate the friggan scales tbh. I eat a mostly keto diet and I'm only a few kgs from goal weight although I never had one before I think Ill make one up lol Increase your fat intake and really look at what carbs your eating they can make a huge difference. You want to tap into your fat stores and use that as an energy source and not inflate your insulin. Walk and weights u don't need to any full on bloody cardio as u will stress your body and make cortisol. Christ honestly who knows I feel like I'm a bloody expert and still I'm stuck as well lol

A keto diet means it is ketogenic, basically very very low carb, high Protein and fat. Being a few years out, you are now in the maintenance phase. Think of yourself the same as you were before the surgery, or same as "regular folk". The weight loss strategies the rest of the world uses are going to apply to you. Take a little time to decide which train to jump on. Go to your local library and/or bookstore, go to the diet/nutrition section, and behold! Everything from South Beach Diet to Mediterranean to Atkins, etc. Keto will be there. Read through the various concepts, and see if any of them sound like something that will work for you. If they promise weight loss without exercise, ignore that part. You must exercise! Good luck! Sent from my SM-N920R4 using the BariatricPal App

I was concerned about Dougs wife as well. In the beginning I wasn't concerned because she was 3 months out of having twins. I have a friend who is 3 years post VSG and was up 50 pounds after her baby but she did Keto and got the weight back off. It seemed like his wife was getting larger. Also how she was eating wasn't helping. I actually enjoy the show, I'm no where near 600-700 pounds but I love when they are successful. It gives me hope that if they can be, so can I.

Vets- I need some opinions (although typically i'm more than willing to give my own)...I am 5 years post VSG. I did good overall, losing about 85 lbs. Then, I had major life issues and had some regain. Had some ugly health news about 2 years ago, did Keto and lost my regain. I'm cycling on/off keto for the last few months and maintaining, but find that i have serious sugar cravings occasionally. I have some screenings coming up for the said health issue and REALLY want to get myself back on track and wondering if a short-term reboot using my pre-op diet is a better option than just going back to Keto? Strict keto for me is basically meat, eggs, fat, green veg. Might be a stupid question but I would love some opinions.

I had an umbilical hernia and hiatal hernia repaired at the same time as my bypass. I started losing weight prior to surgery. If someone has the balls to ask me, I attribute the significant post op weight loss to the keto diet plus intermittent fasting as well as being able to exercise comfortably now that the hernia is gone. All true! As for an ex, he can suck eggs and marvel at your mysterious progress, xoxo!

Yes, keto has been around for a long time, as has most of the popular diets that have gone in and out of fashion - there really isn't all that many things that can be done in a weight loss diet that hasn't been tried before and found wanting, often multiple times. Keto has some apparent benefit in the treatment of epilepsy but beyond that it is fundamentally just a fail safe or backup mode for our bodies in time of famine - we can get by but the body really doesn't like it (that's why if provides you with the bad breath and BO, telling you that this really isn't a great idea....) Over the short to intermediate term, it can work well - as most diets do - but in the longer term for the morbidly obese, beyond a year or so, it shows the same 95+% failure rate as any other diet effort (though WLS tends to extend that years' grace period some.) Indeed, if you go back 20-30 years in the WLS world, many were often told to simply eat as they did before, but just less (courtesy of their WLS) and it overall worked well for the first year or so, but obviously since they never learned to eat sustainably and correct the habits that caused them to need WLS in the first place, they typically regained. So, from a strictly weightloss perspective (as opposed to longer term weight control), almost any diet will work with your WLS for the first year or so. What really counts is how well you adapt to a sustainable weight maintenance life in the long term. If keto works for you to do that - great; if going vegetarian or vegan does it, that is also great. Balanced diet, South Beach, Zone, Atkins, low fat, Mediterranean or whatever - go for it, and don't worry about what others do because if it doesn't make sense to you, then is isn't right for you. Clinically, high fat, low carb diets such as keto or paleo (or at least the current commercial interpretation of paleo) are used for minimizing or avoiding weight loss after a gastrectomy (such as when done for cancer or gastroparesis) owing to its high caloric density - one needs lots of calories in a small volume to maintain weight, which is just what such diets provide. This isn't to say that they can't be used for losing weight, but the odds are more stacked against one in doing so, and one needs to be aware that just because a food or recipe is labelled as keto (or paleo, vegetarian, vegan, etc.) doesn't mean that it is appropriate for weight loss or contol - one still needs to watch what one eats.

I'm down 36lbs since my August 8th surgery. I was stalled for a VERY long time. I started a very strict Bariatric Keto diet plan this past week and I've lost 5lbs in the last 4 days. No more than 20g of carb, moderate fat and protein. Hw: 315 SW: 248 CW: 212 GW: 150

I gained 20 lbs after hitting my lowest point (138). I really needed to gain the first 10 lbs of it - I'd gotten too thin. But I've been struggling to lose the last 10 because I DIDN'T need or want that part of it (have managed to lose like 3 of it -- since March! It's tough...) anyway, I still track my food intake, but I've been doing that since my surgery in 2015 (actually, even BEFORE surgery). I've made a serious effort to stay within my maintenance calorie range, which for me is 1500-1700 per day - and I'm trying to stay at the low end of that (1500). I also really increased my exercise. My primary exercise these days is biking, which I usually do for 60-90 minutes a day, five or six days a week. It's working, but it's S-L-O-W. I know if I lowered my calories even more, to like 1200, the weight would come off faster - but I'm evidently not ready or willing to do that yet or I'd already be doing it. BUT....I'm sure it would work. at this point I just count calories - and I've been doing that since I was about a year out from surgery. I can eat anything as long as it fits into my daily calorie limit. I know that doesn't work for everyone, though. I know several people who are trying to lose regain doing Keto, or Weight Watchers, or Intermittent Fasting. And many just go back to what they were doing the first year post-surgery (not all the way back to protein shakes and purees, but back to protein first, then non-starchy vegetables - and then maybe an occasional serving of fruit or whole-grain carb) it basically comes down to what works for you and what you think you'll be able to sustain long term. Losing regain is hard and it's slow, but it's do-able

I am also a 2014 vet. I too had some regain. Here's the story for me...about 18 months after my op I left a long term career position, took a night, started grad school, switched to a leadership job, lost a parent unexpectedly, graduated grad school, went back for PhD, and more. When I had surgery, one of the main issues was a health problem that was considered reversible. In 2017 after some regain, my GI doc gave me some sobering news that it was returning. I had a serious 'come to Jesus' talk with myself. I went online looking for solutions. I sought my team. I went to some support group meetings (even online). I met with my nut. I met with a surgeon. After being given the option of a RNY revision, I realized that I KNEW WHAT TO DO, AND I HAD THE TOOL...I went full on Keto and never looked back. I am now at my lowest ever. I lost all the regain and then some. I realized through the process that FOR ME, I must always identify as a bariatric patient. I will NEVER be able to eat 'everything in small amounts'. I will always struggle. Surgery saved my life, yes, but it didn't fix my weight permanently- it did part of it but the major work was up to me. I would suggest seeking out support from your surgical team, support group, nut, psych, etc. ANYONE who is part of a bariatric practice. And start from scratch. Dense protein. Water. Shakes if necessary. Skip the 'reset' and all those things. Obviously regain comes from EATING so you have to relearn how to eat as a bariatric patient. It is absolutely possible but there are many of us here on the same timeline as you who have already been through this and are willing to help!

I’m 4 days out from gastric sleeve and hiatal hernia repair as of today. Woke up a little dehydrated this morning and not feeling great. Yesterday was the first day I missed my water goal. (yes I had other things that contribute to my water, but I’ve been pretty good about getting 64 oz plus those other liquids) I have had super low energy today - sleeping way more than normal. I’m working hard to get my water in but no matter how much I drink my mouth seems dry - and this stubborn headache won’t go away. Today has thrown me for quite a loop because I expected to feel better day 4 than I did day 2 and that is not the case. The day after surgery I was walking around the ward and feeling relatively good - considering the surgery. I was up and around and went for a short walk on day 2. Day 3 I didn’t do as much but I did get time in on the recumbent bike - energy level was low, so I thought I could take it easier on the bike and still hit my movement goal. I have been getting my water in ok today - despite the nausea when I got up earlier, had a frozen juice popsicle and that went down ok. Had some protein soup (broth only with protein powder) - powder was not the best with that broth, but I got it down. I’m struggling with the shakes today (which I usually have no issues with - but today they aren’t appealing). I struggle with artificial sweeteners - they upset my stomach and can trigger headaches, so I’m limited in some of the options I have during my liquid phase. The yogurts suggested are of course the ones with artificial sweetener which makes them not ideal on a day I’m already not feeling well. Which eliminates yogurt based smoothies that are suggested in place of a store bought shake. Can anyone tell me if you experienced anything like this your first week? I’m still on full liquids, transition to purées Wednesday. Maybe it’s the low calories kicking my butt energy wise? I’m struggling to even hit 800 calories, my goals are 800-1200 … I’m getting about 770-780 most days. I don’t think it’s a Keto flue because I’m allowed fruit juice and I use that for popsicles. I haven’t had caffeine in months so I don’t think it’s withdraw from that either. I’ll call my nutritionist Monday if I’m still not feeling well, but since it’s the weekend I thought I would ask if others experienced anything similar and how you got through. Any suggestions or advice appreciate. Thanks in advance.

Of course you should talk to your doctor/therapist (when you find one), but I wonder if it's the carbs that are derailing you. They certainly do for me. I was pretty good in the beginning about tracking my food and macros, but since I mostly eat the same thing all the time, it got pretty boring so I stopped. However, I've been losing weight steadily in the 8 months since surgery. That said, over the summer I started eating more carbs that usual - lots of fruit, an occasional wrap here and there, a chai latte, etc. And I noticed a few things. One, I started getting hungrier. Two, my weight completely stalled (and in fact, went up a few pounds). And three, I noticed that unlike protein-dense foods like chicken, most carbs went through my sleeve with no problem - I could eat them all day if I wanted to. So I've gone back to (mostly) what I had been doing before (low carbs - not quite keto but pretty close) and guess what - my weight is starting to go down again on a slow but steady basis, my cravings have stopped, and I'm more mindful about what I eat. We are all different, what works for one may not work for another, but perhaps you really do need to think about the carbs you are putting into your body and if that makes a difference. The sleeve has forced me to eat less per sitting and has reset my body to help me lose weight, but I've quickly learned that I cannot go back, even a little, to eating what I used to eat before. It's too slippery a slope. Which sucks because there are a lot of (high carb) foods out there that I love but that I know I probably won't eat again for a very long time (if ever). I know you're an aspiring gourmand, but you may have to channel that energy into foods that are good for you and your sleeve. Also, I don't know how old your kids are, but you may want to talk to them about having only good foods in the house for a while (so no pringles or ice cream) to help you stay on track. Temptation is a hard thing to get over, and it takes a long time to truly get over the things we love (if ever). In any event, good luck.

Hi all! Im 18 months post op...been up and down the same 3 pounds for literally the last 6 months.....Obviously Im not perfect with diet but rarely fall off the wagon completely lol. I am happy, healthy and confident...but damn those last 25 pounds are not wanting to leave!!!!! I tried KETO...literally perfect for 8 weeks and only lost 6 pounds...stopped doing that! I guess I need to really buckle down for the last 25!