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I do fine with protein most days. But even after 2 months I'm generally lacking in calories. Its a struggle for me to get enough. I just am not *GASP* interested in food.

Perhaps you need to change something up for your body. If you are not on liquids then I would try to lower your carbs perhaps. Also, I know that I have been on a self-imposed pre-op diet to this point (still waiting for a set date) and about once a week I increase my calories for a day to a day and half and the weight seems to disappear. That works for me. It may or may not work for you. Perhaps a call to the doctor would help too.

So I'm using MyFitnessPal to track all my calories , water, exercise, and progress. My goal is 1,100 per day according to my fitness profile due to my weight, my activity level and wanting to lose 2 lbs per week. I have been within or under my calories every day, working out (treadmill, elliptical, or outside running) for 35-65 mins six days per week, drinking water (probably could drink more). The stupid scale won't budge in 4 weeks now!!! I did have a slight (0.5cc) unfill a few weeks ago due to being too tight and not being able to even drink fluids. But I'm ok now and thought as long as I'm staying in my calories and exercising I would continue to lose, but no...I'm stuck...4 weeks now . So frustrating!!!

It's not only the weight loss, it's also the calorie restriction. I have quite cold (or at least cool) hands with hidden veins in the morning until I start eating at noon. Then my hands get warm and the veins come out. I also tend to be more cold sensitive during the fasting window or when I'm tired.

I am starting to feel very discouraged because of how slowly I'm losing weight. It's been 11.5 weeks since my surgery and I'm down 34 lbs. I've seen some people lose that amount in the first month. Granted, I'm not getting enough water and I'm not exercising as regularly as I should, but I would expect the lack of calories alone would result in faster weight loss. I'm worried about my 3 month post-op appointment on the 28th. I'm afraid my surgeon will be unhappy with my progress. I am already so down on myself about it, I can't handle hearing from someone else that it's not enough. ????

Not knowing everything that was said I am going out on a limb here... I was banded a week before you and when I went for a fill one of the questions I was asked was about eating soft foods. I think the idea behind the question is to make sure we are eating band appropriate foods at this time since some soft foods, like ice cream, are high in calories. My guess is that the PA meant a balance of good foods and restriction and not restriction alone. We do still need to make healthier food choices, remember it's just a tool.

My dietitian explained too few calories will stop weight loss. As soon as you are back on solid food you will take in more calories and the weight loss should start up again. 5 pounds in 2.5 weeks aint bad baby. Walking helps a lot too. I am not a gym rat. I think "gym" is just a four letter word short one letter. It gets better. 4 months post op and have lost 40 pounds. 16 before surgery and 40 after so total lost 56. Get second fill in 2 days. Good luck and keep up the spirits.

Hi everyone. I went searching for a "stall" post, because I wanted to join the club! I am 2 1/2 weeks out and for the last 7 days I have been on a stall. Perhaps 7 days is not a real stall, and thats what I get for weighing every day instead of waiting for once a week, but except for that I have done really well.I weighed in at my Docs yesterday and the way they figure it I have lost 17 lbs. (they weighed me a week before surgery) This amount counts the weight lost during my 2 day clear liquid diet. I am so happy about this, but the last 7 days have really tested my head. I visited my nut yesterday and she said I was eating too big portions, but my calories and protein are all good, so really this stall is about patients. I did start measuring, and am down an inch in some places... Just venting here, and kind of enjoying being part of the normal way people lose weight with the sleeve! cheers all, Kim

this might be something you are interested since you do count your calories check out the bodybugg at bodybugg.com it will help you know how many calories to intake and how many you actually burn daily so you can know exactly how much you need to do and how much you should eat to have a 1000 calorie deficit

I put it in my shakes in the blender in the beginning. It really improved the flavor!! I eat it often now on a spoon especially if my weight loss slows down because I'm not consuming enough calories.

I haven't had a baby yet, but I am pregnant now after being told for the last 6 years I couldn't have children. My doctor doesn't usually do an unfill, but he did have to take out 1.5 cc's because my band tightened so much I was unable to eat and lost about 10 pounds in a month period. Since having my band loosened I have gained back 5 pounds in the last 3 weeks, which is what I needed to do. Now I'm on course for the typical 1 pound a week. I feel my port no differently than I did before I was pregnant, but I'm only 15 1/2 weeks at the moment. I will be able to have a natural birth, barring any complications (that won't be band related). The band should not affect my pregnancy at all. Because I plan on breastfeeding, I will not get my band tightened up immediately because I will require an additional 500 calories a day. I can answer more questions the further along I get.

I agree with wallflower, I'd start tracking your calories to see how much you're actually consuming. Most people who aren't losing and also don't track calories are usually shocked at what they're eating when they start. Plus, it'll show you problem foods you need to change or get rid of entirely.

Emmy, have you checked out fitday.com? There's probably some sort of calculator on there that will help you come up with a number. Generally, for women, the numbers are between 1200 and 1600 calories a day for weight loss. Obviously that's just a general guideline and is probably not even helpful for you. I've been using the home version of Fitday and find it very helpful. There is one big problem, though, with its metabolism calculator, which is the same on every single one I've ever tried. Generally, these calculators take your current weight and activity level and based on that tell you how many calories a day will let you maintain your weight and how many fewer you should consume to lose weight. Well, unfortunately the current-weight number includes a whole lot of fat, which is metabolically inactive, and that skews the number upward considerably. But using an ideal weight for the same calculation results in a lower number than would be accurate. So what I do is take both numbers and split the difference, which gives me a better estimation of my daily calorie expenditure. How precise a number are you looking for? You must have heard the 1200-1600 range bandied about. Is that what you wanted to know?

I am at 211 lbs. 3 months out and am only allowed between 800 to 1000 calories a day. Maybe check your calories.

I'm a little over 4 weeks. My NUT wants 3 Protein supplements and 3 meals per day. With that and trying to get Water in - it's a full day. That's weeks 3-4 and 4-5 (3-4 is puree and 4-5 is soft foods - basically the same food, just not pureed). A sample menu for me is something like this: So Breakfast is 1/2 scrambled egg and 1/2 Jimmy Dean turkey sausage Snack is a Protein shake (I might do a Health Wise hot chocolate - 15 grams of protein) lunch is 1-2 ounces of lunch meat with 1/2 ounce of cheese Mid-afternoon - protein shake dinner - 2 ounces chicken salad w/ low fat may or greek yogurt and mustard Snack - another protein shake That's about 600-800 calories - I had a day in week three that I got up to 900 calories, but that day I had a long walk on the treadmill and burned over 400 calories. I was tired and hungry. I can't tell you about exercise, because I'm still only walking. I'm going to put a call into the doc to see if she'll release me for anything more than that...I'm getting bored on the treadmill. Hope this helps!

I'm really struggling this week to get calories in and with heartburn. I'm sooooooo tired! I'll be 3 weeks out tomorrow. I have my post op appt Tuesday. I've thrown up a couple times bc I've eaten too fast. That's definitely not fun.

This is a lifestyle change. You cant stress over every calorie we put in our mouths. A handful of chips on occassion is no big deal. A handful of chips every day, i would be worried. We always forget this isnt a diet that we will be on forever. how many of us will be able to go without chips forever? not very many unless you really didnt like chips. if you stress over the food, do extra workouts to makeup for it. Please dont beat yourselves up! even if you eat 1500 calories it is still probably 2000 less than what you used to eat!

I didn't graze during my losing stage. It just wasn't worth it to me plus I really wanted to nip some old habits. I stuck to 4 meals a day that consisted of a minimum of 15gr of Protein. With that set-up, I hit 60gr of protein per day without issue, and I never used protein drinks/shakes. Once I got to mushies, I was able to eat my protein. I also tried to not stretch my meals over 30 minutes because inevitably I would eat more. Tracking every meal kept me in check, and ensured I was hitting my calorie and protein goals. Edit to add: I was still on full liquids at 3 weeks into the post-op diet and couldn't hit my protein goals at that stage. I can't imagine trying to eat that much at 3 weeks out. So, my situation is/was a little different. But, once I could eat, I didn't graze. As the days and weeks progressed, it was much easier to get in my protein because the swelling subsided, and my sleeve relaxed.

Wow ladies, I'm impressed! I was hoping you might be able to help me out with an exercise/calorie question. I am just at the beginning of my research on lapband and the sleeve and will be going to the dr. in January. Although I have lots of weight to loose, I am dying to get back into shape where I can run and do bootcamp classes again. My question/concern is can you still maintain the amount of energy needed to workout intensely with such small calorie intakes? My previous trainer had me down to 1800 a day but I can't imagine working out like that with less calories. I would love any information you can give me from your personal experiences and knowledge that might help me to think through this particular concern. Thanks so much and keep up all of the great work!

I'm basically in a 5 month stall, my weight loss has been minimal the past few weeks. Right before, I went through a very quick weight loss period (16+ lbs in 5 weeks) after the last slow down. I'm just trying to ignore the scale and keep doing what I have been doing and aiming for the calorie levels flagged by my nutritionist. It is really frustrating but this too shall pass... or that's what I am telling myself.

@CammyC: I had my revision 26th February and I am convinced I am eating way more calories than you. I still don't feel that good, walks and grocery shopping are exhausting and I'm honestly not really expecting being able to jump around. We all should keep in mind that we had abdominal surgery and general anesthesia. It takes time, at least for most people. Tbh, I can't relate at all to the patients talking about "brimming with energy" shortly after surgery.

SURE. Typical daily menu: Breakfast: I am Not a breakfast person, but I know it's important to get that protein in ASAP. So I start my day off with 8 oz of Fairlife Chocolate Milk. Its got some sugar, but it also has 13g protein! not bad at all. Sometimes I supplement this with a small handful of mixed nuts to up my protein levels. Sometimes, if I'm going to work out or I'm feeling shaky, I have a piece of peanut butter toast instead. Midmorning: Before lunch, I make sure to drink at least 16oz water. Lunch: I eat a LOT of cheese. Usually I make a little cheese plate with 2-3oz mixed hard cheeses (I'm all about this goat gouda atm), plus a tiny bit of honey, and a couple of crackers, with some strawberries or other fruit to go with it. I go through phases, though. Sometimes, instead, I make egg salad and eat egg salad with some crackers. Sometimes I toss some hard meats in here too, like salami, etc. It's all good, so long as it's high protein. Afternoon: Before dinner, I make sure to drink at least another 16oz water. Dinner: I do a lot of batch cooking. So Saturday or Sunday, I'll make something that I can work on for the whole week. My go-tos tend to be things like Chicken Tortilla soup (chock full of veggies etc), or curries (served without grain or with barley/faro instead of rice). Man, I haven't made curry in a few weeks. Note to self: make curry this weekend! Sometimes I also make something that night, if I go to the market. I'll cook lamb chops, or a piece or two of steak (I live with my bro, so I cook for him too) with some veggies for a side. Or a nice piece of fish; I really love salmon, but I only do it now and then. After dinner: 16 oz more water! Sweet: I like a sweet. I really, really like a sweet. So often in the evening, I have 1 piece of dove chocolate, or a protein-enriched low-calorie ice cream bar (like Enlightened Ice Cream!) Before bed: 16oz more water!! Eating out: I actually eat out....a lot. A couple times a week, I'd say. I tend to get an appetizer, or I get something high protein that I can reheat for a couple lunches/dinners the rest of the week. ______________________________ Honestly, eating isn't that weird? It's the same as I ate pre-op, after I started doing my high protein low carb diet. If you're trying to do something weird with your eating (I don't know what you're doing, so I can't say!) I can imagine it makes things harder. It doesn't have to be that different, imo. You don't need to substitute. You just need to use restraint. However, exercise has become a huge part of my life, and I wonder if this isn't maybe the key. I work out for 30-60 min ~5 times a week. Over the summer, while my building's pool was open, I did laps 3 times a week. Now that it's closed, I'm building up toward running. I usually do weight resistance training the other 2 days a week...

One thing I know I am guilty of is unrealistic expectations. You just had 75% of your stomach removed! Your body is in shock; you are probably still feeling the effects of the anesthesia, you are eating around 400 calories a day, you were walking more than you are used to (muscles get tired!) and you are on an emotional roller coaster. I understand why they stress walking to get rid of the gas and get yourself moving, and hydrate and protein, but I feel like we also need to HEAL and be KIND to ourselves. This will pass.

Funny I am the same way eat bad and I am down a few lbs. I say just because you don't eat alot you will lose weight I think it's the other way around eat right or at your target calories per day and it will continue to drop that is for me anyway...GOOD luck I am like 15lbs from buying a Wii fit I can't wait!!!!!!

Hi Friends, I am confused and discouraged...I was sleeved 7/20 (seven weeks ago). Everything went great and I lost about 30 pounds in month 1. Since then (2.5 weeks now) I have lost nothing…that was OK I was just having a stall. We all do, no big deal, stick with the plan etc. But for the past two days I have found that I am GAINING. In the past two days my scale says I am up 3.5 pounds. This seems impossible to me as I have had less than 1600 combined calories for those two days and have been pretty active. My Water intake has remained consistent and I am not having premenstrual water retention. So how can it be that I am gaining more weight? I’m panicking that my sleeve is too big and that I am on my way to gaining it back just as quick as it dropped off.