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Someone brought home the Rona so most of my meals the past week have been easy or super easy (hence the salad yesterday) or I haven’t eaten much at all because I’m exhausted! Today was no different- chipotle pinto beans and wheat toast. 240 calories total… and then another 140 for 8oz of nog (not overly sweet and I think it said less than 15g carbs per serving).

Hold on, I'm about to use SCIENCE! Your body has a set number of calories it burns even if you are completely inert (sleeping, G-d forbid in a coma, etc.). It's called your basal metabolic rate (BMR). It fluctuates with your weight and with how fast your metabolism is. For, say, a 40-year-old, 5'4" woman who weighs 250 lbs (not unusual for a bariatric patient), BMR is around 1800. Now add on any kind of daily living to that, which required calories, and you end up with a number called total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). If you're the same woman above and you're sedentary, your TDEE might be 2200; if you are one of those nutters like me who goes to CrossFit and goes running and works a physical job, your TDEE might be as much as 3000 calories. Now. You've had your surgery. You are not physically capable of eating anywhere near that amount. Let's say you're at 800 calories a day. Simply by eating those 800 calories and existing, your body will naturally be in a 1000 calorie a day deficit. Add in sedentary lifestyle, and you're in a 1400 calorie a day deficit. Generally speaking, about 3500 calories is a pound lost (this is not always true and can be overcome by fluid retention, fluid balance, hormonal changes, menstruation, eating really salty foods, vitamin deficiencies, etc.). Now let's say you're "overeating" and you're doing 1200 calories a day; you're still 600 calories short of your caloric needs just to exist, and 1000 calories short of what you need for a sedentary lifestyle. You are going to lose weight. You are not going to 'ruin' anything. What is happening to you is your body is rebalancing its fluids. That is why the "three-week stall" happens. Every body is subject to the rules of CICO (calories in calories out), and eventually CICO will take over from your body's rebalancing and the numbers will drop again. And do measure yourself once a week! Bust/chest, waist, abdomen, hips, thighs, calves, biceps, neck. This week I didn't lose a ton of weight BUT I lost a half inch off my waist, and I can tell because my trousers keep slipping and I had to put a new hole in my belt. One suggestion: don't weigh every day. And if you can't help it—some people just have to, I'm one of them—keep a running tally and then pick a day, let's say Tuesday, and average your weight over the last seven days. Then use the average weight to gauge progress, not the number on the scale that day. Where the thick smoothies and things come in is that your stomach is still healing from the trauma of surgery. But here's the thing—your body will TELL you when it doesn't like something you eat. It will clam up your stomach. Or make you nauseated. Or have unstoppable hiccups until your stomach empties. Or give you the sniffles (which is SUPER AWESOME during a respiratory pandemic, let me tell you). I ate a bite of an egg roll yesterday and got punished for it. So... tl;dr... don't worry too much about it, especially at first. Feed your body the protein and liquid it needs, and then move on to other foods.

So I could use some help. Had surgery Dec 20, 2019, but really started working out (lifting and running) in Oct. Since I increased my activity level, I have been just hungry. My eating habits are all over—trying to get protein, but hungry (so I’m grabbing handfuls of whatever). I haven’t been tracking food accurately due to being snacky. And unfortunately gaining weight (roughly +7 pounds—from 143 to 150). I can’t tell if it’s muscle or flab. Clothes still fit, but my body dysmorphia is in full bloom and I feel like I look like I’m back at pre-WLS shape. The working out has been amazing though, and I’m enjoying the weightlifting in particular. I know at 2 years it’s common to gain some weight. And for the body to begin to absorb calories more efficiently. I guess I’m at a loss as to how to “right this ship”. I need to get back to below 145 for my mental health, which sounds slightly ridiculous, I know. Tracking calories accurately and not snacking I guess? Thoughts or “been there / done that” experience ?

I tend to agree with your Doctor. It is scientifically impossible to consume 800 calories per day and not lose weight, especially if you are walking and/or exercising as recommended. It could be that you are not accurately recording your calories, not counting things like butter, oil, snacks, calories from sugary drinks etc, etc. Read about it...it is just not possible.

Literally all of this. I've enjoyed liver paté, grapes, popped cheese (yum!), Quest protein chips, multigrain crackers with Philadelphia Light, and some low-sugar/sugarfree treats as well. Normal popsicles, oh man, they've come in handy a few times! I was hungry enough for it, though, so it wasn't really a chore. @Summermoose I wouldn't be too worried about the fat; it's getting hooked on sugar that's the worry here (had to cut myself off from the popsicles at one point), because that really is the way to eat 'around' pretty much any bariatric surgery. You may already know this, but your body probably won't allow you to go overboard on fat. I had foie gras while out, had saved calories for it, all was good. Until, you know, I realized that much fat with our configuration works like an instant laxative. Not my proudest moment.

I'm a little over 1 year post-op. Sleeved 12/4/20 in Tijuana, amazing experience, no complications and good follow up care with a good state side PCP who approved of and supported going to Mexico. I started at 345 lbs and currently weigh 225 lbs at 5'7 so 120 lbs lost in a year. Emotionally, I'm sad, frustrated and need some support. I have zero appetite (absolutely none) and take a med who's off label usage is for binge eating disorder which further surpresses anything hunger related. This med is for executive dysfunction issues (ADHD) so going off is not an option. I have no cravings. I'm very much struggling to eat, but I have serious food intolerances. I cannot tolerate most meat such as chicken, beef or pork. It makes my stomach cramp horribly. If I do force myself to eat it, I can maybe get a few ounces in but I'm miserable for a while after. Shrimp is the only animal protein that I can tolerate consistently with little issues. Even fish can be problematic only due to palate and taste bud changes. I can no longer tolerate eggs by themselves. I vomit within 10 minutes and vomiting triggers food avoidance for days. This has been mitigated by a therapist and not eating eggs. Eggs used as a binder in things like bread, cake or muffins are fine. Rice, pasta, bread and vegetables give me no problems. Dairy is ok as long as it's Fairlife milk and protein shakes or aged cheese. Any other cow based dairy items trigger diarrhea at the worst, stomach cramping/bloating at the least. Non-dairy such as oat milk and nut milks are no issues. Most protein shakes/powders make me vomit like eggs do. I have spent hundreds of dollars on protein shakes and am grateful that my husband can drink anything or it'd all go to waste. Surprisingly, I can tolerate deli meat, but very tiny portions like in a lunchable. Same goes for sandwiches so I've been consistent with those. Snacks are non-existent except for sunflower seeds. Sometimes even Doritos bother me. The only slider food I had for a while was ice cream, but it triggered lactose issues I've never had before so... Drinking is not an issue though I do have issues with certain waters, but juice? Tea? Coffee? No problems! Anything liquid doesn't bother my stomach. Even drippings from the chicken I'll put on rice! I'm also experiencing gastro issues... Specifically the trigger to release your bowels when you eat. It's an involuntarily action your body does, but mine is violent. For months I had nothing my diarrhea after eating. I did a stool test and it was only slight inflammation. It's slowed down some but I just stick near a toilet when I eat. It doesn't matter really what I eat either. I also have GERD (did not have it prior, one of the lucky few that develop it post surgery) and am on prescription meds because OTC does not work. GERD is not every day. I'll have a flare up (connected to nothing!) Maybe 1x per month for a few days and then nothing. The above intolerances and gastro issue trigger food avoidance how vomiting does. I'm literally disgusted 99% of the time I'm in the kitchen when looking to feed myself because of the physical issues I'm having with food. I have no problems cooking for and feeding others (I have a family) and being in the kitchen and cooking is still an absolute joy. I have no negative physical or mental reactions to food that I do not plan to eat. Strangely, I'm VERY excited to still try new foods and will go with friends or family who have as diverse palates as I do and will taste their item. But it's literally a taste. I know I'm not eating enough, weightloss has definitely stalled due to the lower calories. I'm taking my vitamins like clock work and while I'm due for more blood work, my last was great. Feeding myself feels like a huge chore. VSG has done it's job - it's changed me metabolically. No more appetite, no more cravings and has completely rewired my brain to not enjoy food at all. I'm only a year PO so... Could this change? How do I combat this? Should I stop whining? Does it get better? Should I go back to therapy? Would a revision help? I feel like most people want to only look at food as a necessity. I wish I was disinterested in food like I am now, but without the physical side effects that make me sick or keep me on a toilet. I appreciate you reading this far!

Dinner was fun yesterday, 2 cocktails and battered fish (prawns and squid) no cake because i didnt like the kind my friend had. I did have some chocolate. Today i went for a 4mile run, and had about 40g of protein, i should be coming in at about 1k calories today. Ill weigh tomo on what i think is a bad scale LOL, have not been able to locate batteries, and havent gathered the logic to buy a new scale. i wore a cute bandage dress, i got compliments on my dress and body yesterday so that was nice, i feel lean but still felt a lil fat, hoping for 17* tomo because i deserve it LOL im getting my nails done tomorrow, and ill probably stop buy a bakery on the way.

I have been thinking about increasing my calories because of this. My surgeon doesn’t have me on a set amount of calories. He was extremely happy with my weight loss so far and asked me to stop weighing my food and eat ‘normally’ (three meals with two snacks), and I am at approx. 650/700 kcal per day right now with those three meals and two snacks. But HOW on earth can I eat more calories without adding fat and sugar? I am at a loss here 🙁 Any tips or tricks would be appreciated!

Dude, I still count out calories (just eyeballing based on menu) in restaurants before I order. Then I have whatever tartare or veggie dish I thought would fit me (don't worry, ordered plenty ribeyes and foie gras, too). And then I eat 1/3 and think 'what was all the fuss about, you'll never eat a whole portion anyway' Or getting takeout now that I'm home with the WuFlu. I throw 90% in the trash and wonder why you can't get smaller portions. Such a waste. I can't imagine what being in America would be like, these are Euro portions we're talking lol

Me too, my friend, me too. I look at photos of what I used to consider dinner and it's now an entire day's worth of calories for me.

If you had heartburn prior to surgery I'm surprised that your popular doctor performed the VGS instead of the RNY gastric by-pass (which usually resolves reflux, heartburn, GERD). Many of the sleeve patients on this board have had revision to RNY a few years after their first surgeries. While your first 14 day diet does sound alien, your new stomach is healing. The clear liquids won't harm it, and you are getting calories from the grape and apple juices. (Most of us are told to avoid fruit juices, which contain more concentrated sugar content and lack fiber, which would make fresh fruit a healthy choice.) Two weeks of clear fluids sound daunting. Good luck! Let us know how it turns out.

Sounds absolutely perfect. We're the same height and you can check here in my images if we're the same build, just to gauge impact of your plan: Also, when you start feeling hungrier, don't hesitate to get your calories adjusted up. I should've done it a month before I did, and that month was my slowest loss for months because I stayed too low, I think. Once my cals upped, it flew off again.

My program doesn't do calories. It's stupid crap like "half a cup of food five times a day" which could be 20 calories if I eat it as cucumbers or 2000 if I eat it as mayonnaise. My nutritionist, who is not affiliated with my program (I fired the program's nutritionist, which I chronicled elsewhere on this site), has me on about 1600 cal a day at three months out. 135 g protein, 130 g carbs, 60 g fat.

One thing I learned was that my surgeon's "nutritionist" was someone who'd gotten a minor cert and was literally reading from a booklet. Find an actual nutritionist or better yet a registered dietitian who has long experience with bariatric patients. In case you didn't hear it: 800 calories is WAY. TOO. LITTLE. I eat twice that at three months out and am losing 2 lbs. a week or so. Bump up your calories to 1000 or even 1200 for a week or two and see what happens.

Post your food log. (No editing!) Are you very active? I stalled and stalled HARD at around 1000 calories a day because I work out a lot and I work outdoors. I was actually expending more energy in a day (beyond the calories required just to exist in stasis) than I was taking in and my body literally went into "we are starving, conserve every pound possible" mode. I now eat about 1500-1600 calories a day (three months out) and it's still slow loss, but it's not stalled. The problem is, I literally can't eat enough to get where I need to be (per my NUT) without eating junk food, which I refuse to do.

Hey! This is high-risk thinking I get why you're thinking that, but it's just food. Read what you wrote. You had a fifth of a slice of pizza. Who cares? Just track your calories, try to get to your protein goal and you're fine If it's any consolation, I probably had more 'bad' food in month 2 than I do in month 13.

I am 8 months out and less than ten pounds from goal and I will admit I have eaten things that were “off plan”. Pizza, yep I’ve done that one too. I was curious to see if it agreed with me. I use the term off plan as many do around here but actually no food is off plan according to my team. I just make sure to figure out the calories and it usually means I do not have any snacks that day. i also do not have any issues with food. I haven’t eaten anything that upset my new little stomach. I also can eat more than I should be able to at each given stage without feeling restriction and even further I don’t have to eat super slow anymore which all seemed like maybe the surgery wasn’t successful And I would fail. But, I measure my food so that I don’t overeat and try to still slow down My eating so I can get more satisfaction out of what little I do eat and this seems to be working because I continue to lose. i also did not see a thinner person in the mirror. I had to see before and after pictures to see a difference and even then I almost had to pretend it was someone else I was looking at in order to see what other people see. This is not at all uncommon.

thank you both for the comments! nice to know people are reading my musings @Stella S thanks mama and congratulations on maintenance! @MiniGastricBypassDude thank you! i find it easy to maintain late 170s no problem i did for over a year. i actually would like to drop pounds and get to say 160 if i dont look too small. im about 5'8 and around 180 i look pretty normal. wearing a US 8 or UK 12 in jeans and US6/UK10 on tops. i often crave popcorn and i think thats to do with zinc. cookie dough currently because there is a chocolate orange version i saw and chocolate orange is my absolute favorite LOL. Yesterday i went running, and then just ran errands with my friend, i havent brought a new scale or been able to locate a battery so just really thinking about what i am eating and physical activity. im sure calories came in at about 1300, so i do need to watch it more. I have a friends birthday tonight and will be drinking. my day should look like 2 protein shakes, 2 cocktails, and small amounts of what i want to eat, im off to Hakkasan! i think from monday i will stop eating at 7pm, also want to reach out to my GP as i think i might be reactive hypoglycemic,

Several people have mentioned that at this point 800 cal/day is too low, your body is probably in starvation mode. Try to increase to 1000 cal/day, same type of food but slightly larger portions. This will help you feel fuller while hopefully kickstarting your metabolism again. Drink a LOT between meals to fill up your stomach too (but wait at least 30 minutes after eating before drinking anything). I personally hate drinking water so I drink lots and lots of crystal light lemonade. It has almost no calories and is still 99.99% water. Try supplementing your breakfast with a protein shake. That will help you reach your protein goals while also filling you up. I drink one Premier Protein every single morning after breakfast (Chocolate flavor!) It feels like I'm treating myself and I'm adding 30 grams of protein every day. That usually keeps me satisfied until lunch. You said you're logging now - are you also weighing your foods? If not, you are likely grossly underestimating your portion sizes. My wife made a chicken stir-fry for dinner tonight and I decided to have some - I weighed out 4.5 oz into a bowl and it looked like a VERY small portion - she was shocked when I told her how much it was, it was actually a little more than I've been eating lately (3-4 oz per meal). It was actually really filling though, but if I just eyeballed it I almost definitely would have eaten too much and not even realized it. The "surgery is a tool" can mean several things. For some (most?) it provides an automatic restriction so that you physically can't eat as much as you used to without getting sick. For those who had gastric bypass, it also provides an incentive for what you're eating to be healthy in order to avoid dumping syndrome. Bypass patients also get the benefit of malabsorption. For others, it's the knowledge that you underwent major permanent surgery as a last ditch effort to get healthy and that can help change your mindset about eating. I'm in the position to have gone through both major weight loss surgeries. I had the sleeve in December 2016 and lost about 120 pounds in about six months. I was a regular on the forums here, I tracked every single bite (my personal recommendation is My Fitness Pal - I also weighed myself every morning (which is not always recommended) and took a full body photo with the app once a week to see my progress), Then I had some personal/profession issues which screwed up my schedule and my mindset and slowly began to gain weight back. I stopped tracking, stopped eating healthy, and all of a sudden a few years later I realized I had regained almost all of the pre-surgery weight. I was depressed, upset, embarrassed, ashamed, but I decided to do something about it and I went back to my doctor (I had stopped going to appointments too) and he said I was a good candidate for revision surgery to gastric bypass. It's been just over 4 weeks since that surgery and I'm down 36 pounds so far - not losing as quickly as the first surgery, but still losing. I still track religiously, and follow the meal plan exactly the way it was given to me (first month, soft high-protein foods with no fruits and veggies, no sugar, no bread, pasta, etc.), just starting my second month by adding some veggies to every meal. I had a couple of brief stalls but I kept with the program and they went away. I've been slowly increasing my daily calories and that has helped as well (still below 1000 most days but I've gone as high as 1200). In order to feel like I'm not depriving myself of sweets, I have one or sometimes two containers of sugar-free chocolate and vanilla swirl Jello every day. Last time after a few months I added a small portion of Halo Top ice cream as a daily dessert - very low calories, low or no carbs, and delicious. It's important not to feel that you're depriving yourself. Another thing to look at is your sleep - are you getting enough sleep? When I get a good night's sleep I lose about a pound over night. The times when I don't get enough sleep are the days I notice a stall or even a slight increase in weight. Given your starting weight is there a chance you have sleep apnea? I was diagnosed with sleep apnea several years ago and started using a CPAP, my sleeping improved dramatically. Ultimately, the surgery is not a magic bullet, although when things are going well it can seem like magic, but that happens when you put in the work. It's not bullshit, or useless, it has helped many many people who have tried everything else (myself included). You said you lost 30 lbs so far, that's great! That's 30 lbs you probably wouldn't have lost without the surgery. Now you have to figure out how to kickstart the rest of your journey. To summarize, here's what I would do if I were in your place: 1 - Increase your calories - same healthy foods for larger portions 2 - Increase your protein - add a protein shake after breakfast if necessary (wait 30 minutes after eating first) 3 - Increase your liquid intake - drink water if you enjoy it, or mix up some crystal light lemonade or something similar, drink ALL THE TIME 4 - Get a good night's sleep 5 - Keep tracking everything - make sure you WEIGH everything you eat, never eyeball. You can get a basic food scale for 10 bucks 6 - Don't give up! I know it's frustrating but based on your posts you're in a tough headspace right now. If you keep going on about how the surgery is bullshit, useless, etc. it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Good luck!

I wasn’t given a caloric goal at any stage either only portion size: 1/4 cup to 1/3 to 1/2 etc. as I was able & protein & fluid goals. I did random calorie checks for my own information. I was eating less than 300 calories in that first month & about 900 by my 6 months & goal & eating about a cup of food but it did depend on what I was eating (like about a cup of protein & vegetables but only one egg). Honestly I couldn’t eat anymore than I did & I was fortunate I wasn’t ever really hungry for more than a than a year. I eat about 1300 to maintain at my weight now but I’m not very active, not very tall, have a smaller frame & am in my mid 50s so my caloric needs were & are different. You’re not tall either so that may influence your caloric recommendations. Worth asking your dietician about factors like these that may influence your caloric needs. They may not even suggest a caloric goal until you’re much further out.

Hi Daisy & Sunshine. I asked, via email, my nutritionist about calories and she didn't answer. She answered other questions, but not the one about calories, so I am kind of assuming my program also doesn't count calories, nor really measurements for food, but I've figured out on my own that I can only eat about 1/4 cup of something at each meal.

COVID-19 SPECIAL UPDATE So, the 'rona found me. How does that affect our anatomy? Hello, toilet Well, some people experience symptoms in the gastro-intestinal tract, and I sure did as well. Actually my first symptom was likely constipation, which - to say the least - ended abruptly on day 5 after infection, which was my second day with other symptoms. Hello again, toilet I really missed the ability to take ibuprofen / NSAIDs, because it would've helped. I was doing not-so-hot for a few days there. Tried a low-dose aspirin with acetaminophen, and weirdly, it sent me barfing immediately. Didn't give it another shot. Goodbye, appetite Immediately getting my positive test result, I decided to go to what I am sure would be maintenance calories - 2600/day. In reality, it is almost impossible for me to eat more than 1500. I just don't feel like eating. I know getting protein in is super important for my body, especially now. Protein cereal has helped, so has the protein mac n' cheese. Hello, insanity Seriously, what's this weirdo disease? Suddenly my ears are ringing, then I have a full-body rash, then I can barely cough to save my life, then I'm fine for half a day, then running a high fever again. Most of all, I'm tired. So, so tired. I've been more sick with other stuff, but the variety of weird symptoms is something else with this. I lost a pound, which wasn't the plan, and I feel weak for obvious reasons. So not really celebrating that loss. I'd rather be at the gym Oh well, hopefully it gets better soon. Btw: I made the personal decision to get fully vaxxed more than half a year ago. I don't consider other people's health decisions any of my business. I can say, though, a lot of the first days with symptoms felt like the day after the vaxx (J&J), so I think it did indeed help. Worth keeping in mind.

Unfortunately, this is the way a lot of medical systems deal with obese people, and it's heavily internalized in the obese themselves. Just browse around these pages for a bit. Based on what we know about the causes for a high weight set point, childhood trauma is always #1 on the list. It's not very surprising a stressed body does what it can to survive, including driving you to stock up for worse times. Unfortunately, we don't lack access to calories at almost any stage in our lives, so this mechanism will lead to obesity. You probably never had a chance. This surgery could be that one chance to correct something that is not your fault in the least bit. Then why are you being met with this kind of punishing attitude? Ignorance. Really, that's it. There's still a lot of people who see obesity as some sort of moral defect. Those people should pipe down real fast, trust me the future won't be kind to them (think blackface). Take pity in them, step back and look at getting to the surgery as merely a way to further your healing. That's a healing that cannot come from surgery, as you know. It'll come from therapy while you get another chance at a body that isn't clinging on to every calorie for dear life. Oh, and beware: for every malabsorptive surgery patient here, there's 15 sleevers who think we all have the same surgery.

I've read through all your posts and the comments. From everything you've said, I get the feeling you're just trolling on here and judging those who have had the surgery. You repeatedly say "just diet and exercise, then you'll lose weight" and "why can't you do all this without the surgery." But then say you can't lose weight? Something doesn't add up. Maybe I'm wrong. I hope so. In any case, if you're not just being a judgmental troll, you need to eat more. At 800 calories your body is in starvation mode. No one should be eating 800 calories at 5 months out. Good luck to you.

My bariatric program also doesn't mention any numbers for calories. Numbers for for fluids and protein. So I am guessing they aren't too concerned about calories either. But I'll definitely bring it up during my dietician's appointment so I know what I'll be dealing with.