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I haven't lost any more weight. I've been going to the gym and even got a walking pad for Christmas that I use but it's just not coming off. I lift weights at the gym 2 to 3 times a week an hour at a time and do at least 2 miles 2 times a week while I'm at home. The last three weeks I cut my calories way down which sucks with how much I work out. For example I did an hour of intense weight lifting today and only consumed 1104 calories and 104 grams of protein. On average I'm only consuming 1300 calories and getting between 70 to 100 grams of protein. My food through the day consists of small meals or protein shakes from 6 am to 6 pm. Like a protein shake for breakfast, one after the gym on my lunch, some low cal soup, jerky, piece kf fruit, etc For dinner (around 7 pm) I have a majority of my calories, usually baked chicken strips or shrimp, etc with a side and then bed at 10pm.. It's just not coming off. I get I could've tried harder through the last year but man this is just tough. I can't even say I've gone down in clothes sizes any more. I just don't know. I do have a one year post op appointment on Tuesday and I'm terrified and ashamed that I have virtually nothing to show for it. What am I missing?

There are things like miracle noodles, heart of palm noodles, and of course most of our "fullness" should come from veggies once we are a year out. Think high volume low carb veggies like lettuce, mixed greens, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, as well as colorful things like bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, green beans, etc... These paired with a little fat and a decent amount of protein should help you feel fuller longer. I think it is very well possible you could be experiencing true hunger. You are MUCH taller than the average woman (if you are not a woman I apologize for the assumption) and the dietary guidelines that surgeons and nutritionists hand out are usually useless if you fall outside their standard patient. If you are exercising enough to get your heart rate up for a consistent amount of time or doing weights/strength training, you could be burning a fair number of calories too. Both of these things would make me think you may have a higher caloric need, even though you are a sleeve patient, than the average sleever would. If your surgeon's nutritionist isn't interested in customizing your true caloric need given your frame, height, and activity level, you may need to have a few sessions with someone else who is trained in bariatrics and will actually help you work through this so you can stop feeling guilt when you eat more than your surgeon wants you to. Also, have you tried the Millie's sipping broths? You can get a sample pack of their flavors on Amazon for a pretty reasonable cost. They might help ease the hunger between meals until you find a dietician to talk to.

Hi! I am almost 1 year out from VSG surgery. I am a little over 100 lbs down. It is getting really really hard to stay between 900-1200 calories a day. I am 6ft tall and have a large frame. Staying under 1200 calories has me starving. Lol. It is so hard not to eat at least to 1500. Any tips and tricks? Foods that fill but don't have much calorie wise? Please help!!!! My doc and nutritionist haven't been much help. They don't see how I am as hungry as I tell them I am.

I need to rant a little! I have always struggled with excess weight in my adult life. Over the years I tried Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig, my own thing, you name it. For the past 8 years I have been struggling to lose 50-60 lbs. It was extremely difficult for me to lose anything at all unless I severely limited calories - like 800, 900 per day - which I could only do with the help of prescription medicines. When I'd stop taking them the weight would come back despite that fact that I was rarely overeating, usually around 1500 calories per day. Over the years I gained and lost the same weight this way. I took Contrave, but it hyped me up so badly I couldn't stand it. I took Belviq, which worked well - I didn't care if I ate or not so it was easy to consume so few calories, but it was taken off the market. I used Qysmia, which also worked the same way. I lost 30 lbs, but I was paying out of pocket and couldn't afford it any more. One of my issues is that I lose weight VERY slowly, and it was frustrating to work so hard and lose a pound or 2 a month. After gaining all the weight back plus 10 more pounds in 2 years, I knew I could lose it again by getting back on Qysmia but I couldn't bear the thought of the "yoyo" again. I'm 67 and have diabetes and heart disease in my family, which I was afraid of developing if I didn't take and keep the weight off. I'm on blood pressure and cholesteroI meds already. I can't play with a yoyo any longer at this point in my life and so I began to consider sleeve gastrectomy. I researched and thought about it for a long time before finally having surgery 1/24/24. Yesterday it was 4 weeks since surgery. In the 1st 2 weeks I lost 10 lbs. While I hoped to lose more, this was a good result because before surgery it would have taken me about 6 months to lose 10 lbs. Victory!! Or so I thought. Since then, however, I haven't lost any weight. I've read about the 3 week stall, which I guess is what I am experiencing. I think I get it. And at the same time I am enormously frustrated and sometimes find myself thinking that I made this drastic and permanent change in my life only to have the same result - consuming very little calorically and the weight just not coming off. Except now I'm consuming even fewer calories (still on purees). And on top of that, I am hungry almost all day. After breakfast, I wait 15 minutes and start on water/fluids again. Fifteen minutes after that, I am hungry again. And yes, it's genuine hunger - with growling and an empty feeling. Eating 1/4 cup of food is not filling me up. I am getting usually around 70g of protein each day in what I'm eating and drinking, so it's not that. I had some wild expectations, I'll admit. My doctor gave me a goal weight that requires me to lose 50 lbs. (60 for a "stretch" goal). I (crazily) thought that it would take about 2 months to lose that much. I've since realized that with relatively little to lose it will go slower, but geez! For who knows what reason, I also thought I would hardly ever be hungry. Five days post op, natural hunger returned. I was mad! And surprised, but I relied on this forum and learned that hunger was still normal. I thought once I could actually eat something it would be more like "normal" hunger - like before surgery - when it was about time to eat. Instead I find that I am often just hungry all day (usually worse at night) and the amount I'm eating isn't enough. I eat the recommended 2 oz of food and I never feel full, but I stop because that is the recommended amount. The instructions I've been given have implied that this should be more than enough to fill me at this point and that I might not even be able to finish that much, but it hasn't been the case for me. In 30 minutes or so, it's like I didn't eat anything and I'm hungry again. Of course I realize that a lot of my problem is my unrealistic expectations. But sometimes I do feel frustrated that I did this drastic thing only to have nothing change - I still can't lost weight. Mostly, reason prevails and I know that sooner or later the weight has got to come off. Reason is reassuring for the mental issue I have here, but reason does nothing to help the hunger. Ok, rant over. Does anyone have experience like this? Very slow loss and constant hunger? Does the weight loss pick up? How long does the 3 week stall last? Does the hunger ever return to normal? Help!!

Breakfast today was Greek salad and a pita. Dinner tonight was grilled cheese (made on 45 calorie a slice bread with a slice American cheese) and tomato soup (made with milk). Cooked the grilled cheese with non stick spray and finished in the oven to crisp without burning.

Wow congratulations on the massive weight loss! Sorry to hear that you’ve had such difficulties getting there though, my heart goes out to you. I haven’t had any complications from the procedure, but my poo situation did change dramatically. I used to eat a ton of veggies and fruit, and had bowel movements 2-3 times daily on average before the operation. Obviously afterwards my diet had to focus on protein, so I lost most of the fibre in my diet. As I was taking Metformin, my stool was very soft and I didn’t notice at all until my Dr said I didn’t have to take it anymore (which was great), but then I quickly realised that I was constipated all the time. I started experimenting with different fibre supplements, and I’ve found a regime that works with my body. Nowhere near the problems you’ve experienced, but boy was it awful! I've lost 25kg/55pounds so far, and I’m definitely plateauing. Not sure if I’ll lose more, but my Dr is very happy and so am I. I’m walking every day and not calorie counting anymore as I have a good routine going. Hope you solve all your problems! Always around if you need any support or help!

Wepa! Have you already had your surgery? I would first recommend you speak to your team/dietician on specifics. Every program differs in some ways. Also what people can tolerate also differs. I personally had the bypass not the sleeve, but I don't think there is too much difference in the stages. While many programs don't typically give exact calories and carb totals, a lot recommend 50g or under for daily carbs. I would think it may not be the best to try to have plantains in the pureed stage. Your main goal is protein and fluids and plantains are a pretty heavy carb. I would try to hold off to a little later stage when your capacity is a little better. I think I tried maduros around 4 months out, but really just a taste. Gandules might not be a bad option as beans provide a good amount of fiber as well as protein. There definitely will be room to enjoy all the favorite traditional foods down the line, just in far lesser quantities. I can tolerate rice - however I've only had like 2 spoonful's of arroz con gandules at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm just over a month post-op from VSG to RNY revision and feeling kinda lost. Do you track calories and/or macros? If so, what are your daily goals? Is your pouch normal-sized for a bypass, or did your surgeon leave it larger like mine did? How much food per meal are you eating at this point?

That's interesting... I had revision surgery the day before you, so we should be on the same stage, but even over a week after you posted this, I'm only allowed 3oz protein and 1oz veg, fruit, OR starch. 4 oz. total, with no indication that these amounts will ever change moving forward. And I'm being told that I should not be using protein shakes anymore if at all possible. I'm struggling with how to consistently get 20g of protein per meal when I can only have 3oz. at a time. If I could just eat plain chicken breast for every meal, sure. But I'm not cleared for unrestricted textures yet, and canned chicken breast is only 15g protein for 3oz. The dietician also REFUSES to give me any guidance on how many calories I should be aiming for per day and says that I shouldn't be "restricting," because I'm in my "maintenance phase" now. Which I am extremely confused by, because according to their plan, I'm still on "soft foods" until Monday, 2/25. And I have 25-50lbs to lose, still at the high end of the "overweight" BMI range.

I went through similar, op in July and only finally home from hospital start of November. While in hospital I found it difficult to hold anything down and was put on a feeding tube for a couple of months and then the second time I was put on a tube it was because I had a leak and they wanted to bypass the area so it could try to heal. I am also on daily medication for my stomach, have to take before I eat anything, and I have strong meds for nausea if needed. Over the last few weeks I have slowly started to increase the calories I take and exercise I do, gone from about 500 cal a day to approx 900 cal but for me the more important aspect is ensuring I get enough protein. I am able to now hold food down but it is hit and miss, like Sunday my dinner did not stay down but it was something I had eaten before without issue, it just depends. I have to push myself to eat three meals a day as I just don't feel the hunger (or interest at times). I don't sleep well and am exhausted all of the time which is why I have tried to push myself the bit more on food intake and exercise. I do see small improvements but I am not where I thought I would be this far out from the op and it can upset me at times but I try to focus on the good things. My weight loss as slowed down over the last 6 weeks or so but I am hoping it is just my body is still in recovery mode after going through so much stress since July. I would think your body is probably going through the same, a lot of trauma has occurred and it is trying to cope. Don't compare yourself to others, everyone has a different experience with the op and we all recover in different ways, just try to focus on the progress you can see in yourself. If your doctor is ok with how you are doing that is important and it will get better for you, just need time to recover and destress. Hopefully you will be slowly able to up the food intake or find a source of high protein that you can keep down. I don't know how you are on fluids but for me I can now take coffee again (even the smell of it turned my stomach for the first six months or so) so I take it with protein powder which means I am getting protein through fluids as well as the food I can eat. Same for collagen, I put it in my coffee also and it is another dose of protein so in two coffees a day I get 20g of my protein requirements. Happy to chat if you want. We can do this. 💪

I agree with Arabesque that your body is probably more along the lines of what things would look like for most people at 4 months. The central line feeding would have been high calorie to prevent malnutrition, so I'm assuming you didn't lose any weight on it? Or did you? I remember reading about your rough start, I'm glad you've been able to get off the feeding tube and that you are able to eat, even though you are taking meds to help with that. Going from the high caloric intake of the central line to an extremely low caloric intake has probably been a shock for your body. Many of us stall somewhere in the first few months, some for a few weeks, some for a month or two, as our body readjusts and tries to decide if it is starving or not. I know you can only get in so much food with your digestion issues, but is there a reason you aren't supplementing with whole milk or shakes a few times a day? These wouldn't be affected by your slow stomach issues. And they may give your body a bit more energy to work with. Protein waters could work too, things like SEEQ are thinner and as easy to get down as water. The watermelon flavor tastes like a watermelon jolly rancher. LOL Weight loss post surgery is a delicate balance. We want to be in enough of a deficit to facilitate good weight loss, but if we are too low our body goes into stress mode and won't release any weight because it thinks we are in a famine and are trying to burn through our reserves. So we have to eat enough to reassure it that we aren't slowly starving to death. Decreasing your activity and increasing your intake a bit (even if it is just a shake or a few glasses of milk) might give your body enough of a signal that you aren't starving and have what you need to continue to lose weight safely. Things like hydration and sleep are crucial too, as these are also markers the body uses to determine how much stress it is under and if it is safe to lose weight. In fact, some studies have shown that sleep is MORE important for weight loss than even exercise is! I tend to think they are both important, but the point is, you have to look at the holistic picture of how much stress load your body thinks you are carrying in relation to how much energy it has to give. My last stall lasted 6 weeks and drove me crazy! But my body broke the stall when it was ready to, I just kept eating well, drinking well, and resting well. That's all you can do really. You can't push the river. ❤️

If you take away the time you had a feeding tube, you’re probably more at about the four month mark compared to the rest of us. I think I was eating about 600 calories then so a little more. I was a low calorie small eater too. Didn’t stop e losing all my weight & more. So don’t give up. (So sorry you had these struggles.) and I would expect that is also why your doctor is okay with your lower food intake at this time & your eating routine. While yes it is important for you to be slowly increasing your caloric intake & increasing your portion size as you progress, I would expect t your path will be even slower. Out of curiosity what are you eating? Maybe there are some foods that are less dense & with higher calories you could be consuming. Do you regularly see a dietician to guide you on food choices with your specific needs? May be you could reduce some of your activity to take some stress off your body. Exercise only contributes to about 10% of your weight loss. I didn’t exercise as such. Just upped my daily every day activities. Parked further away from where I was going. Walked up escalators. Took stairs. Did single trips up & down my stairs instead of carrying multiple bags or whatever at once. Get some resistance bands. You don’t have to do a lot to see a change in muscle toning & building which ultimately will help you burn more fat. I’ve been doing about 4 x 5 minutes or so sessions across my day for about a year. Doesn’t burn a lot of calories. I say I wouldn’t burn 40 calories a day but my arms look great & I get complements & I had to buy new pants as my thigh muscles had grown. All the best. And yes, the stall will break when your body is ready.

Have you tried eating smaller meals 5 or 6 times a day. Make them high calorie. Drink milk. I had to do this. I have changed to more veg, less cals now that my calories are in a good range. I am sorry you had a rough start but stop pushing your body.

Your body is in starvation mode, so it's holding on to absolutely everything you put in it. Especially with you exercising on top of it. You should be at MINIMUM double that by now. When I work out, I take in 1200-1300 calories per day. On rest days, I take in 900 - 1000 calories per day. You're actually going to have to increase your calories to lose weight again. I know that sounds crazy, but right now your body thinks it's starving, so it's hoarding as much as it can to try and keep you alive. If you absolutely will not increase your calories, you need to completely stop exercising. If you won't stop exercising, you need to increase your calories.

I had to do 4 weeks also. My live saver was asking if I could have any cucumbers or celery. They said yes. I needed something to crunch and chew on!! I found out most dill pickles are under 5 calories so I allow 2 a day of those and eat lots of sugar free jello and sugar free popsicles. Wishing you the best. I have surgery in two days!

Is there a reason why you are so very restricted. 400 calories a day is very low. Your body thinks its starving and it is. It will be a stall for that reason. It will break when its ready. There is nothing you can do but add more calories.

Hello, well I am doing a bit better, I was able to get my central feeding tube out in November. I'm stilling struggling with most foods, but i'm slowly getting there.. I can do about 400 or less calories a day, i get about half my protein and water goals daily. Doc said i was doing ok.. I have to take a hand full of stomach meds 3-4 times a day or help my stomach push the food though and ones so i don't throw up. said thing is, my weigh isn't dropping like i thought it would. but hopefully down the road it will change. I happy to hear that you're doing well. Keep up the good work.

Hello, I, 9 month post with VGS,, I am on a super strict calorie diet. 400 or less a day. ( Doc is ok with that) i do moderate exercise 3 days a weeks, and walking everyday. i have only lost 3# in 2 months. Doc said sometimes it happens, it not typical but can still happen, then he said one month i could loss 10# after my body catches up and get out of starvation mode or something along that line.. I just need to talk to someone who has experienced something similar. I had a rough start to this journey and I am just hoping that it starts going better,

Wow four weeks! I thought the three I did sucked, I feel for you. Just keep telling yourself one more hour, one more day towards getting the healthy thinner body you want, need and deserve! My husband did the same thing for me..lol still does. Just remember you CAN do this, its just a small blip on your new journey and the results will be worth it. I added no sodium clear broth packets to my fatty liver reduction diet which helped, it was "hot soup" with flavor and 5 calories and was helping with water intake. Could have as much as I wanted and it wasn't plain water or another protein drink! https://www.amazon.com/Hormel-Chicken-Bouillon-Sodium-Packets/dp/B0077DMWO0/ref=sr_1_5_pp?crid=2OTVXLTYW0OD9&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.lQfKYERXvAhUropfp5TcloiXDN09ZoegzxDIPbqvPsdG2SFel1Y2bZSDa-edU5IODMVLcTFZN7J_gN1J76UWRJ5alR_86je9RVJ7FT5B8fLCIu-Gu7R1P9CR4QwfZLXQSmYDC2T6w1YEIitQSLjlj6dtcWr9e9jsWqXzvU0vEStk6z7EO14TcHw9L8V52hbuymxrnf7R0fRn-6u0Hfi7Zg6T2nbJ6hPrQT4cjccBJc3kbDGnNXGQ3wuSN1klYubiT2jVe3qUR5qmQ2XYpBGvIOL9iJQXcem-L96snZm7jSE._KgKbU2PA1ogwJ3vncdpxEFEDsXdAL0MfVmhXtWkCx8&dib_tag=se&keywords=kosher+chicken+bouillon&qid=1708370322&sprefix=Kosher+chicken+%2Caps%2C260&sr=8-5

Just wanted to say I'm starting Day 13 of my 2 week preop liquid diet and it's not so bad at this point. I mean, I wouldn't recommend it to friends, but my energy levels are good and the hunger isn't terrible. The first few days I was tired and cold all the time, but it is winter and I live near Boston, so cold comes with the territory. 4 weeks would be hard, but you can do it! I suggest getting any source of temptation out of sight, and keep yourself busy. Also, if you're like me, you will start thinking of the most random food-related things, like a food you like or a restaurant you went to one time 10 years ago, just totally out of the blue. Avoid cooking shows. I stupidly was halfway through an episode of Great British Baking Show before I realized what I was doing! OMG, why am I watching someone cook a tart right now?!? If you're allowed it, get the chicken soup flavored shakes (I know Bariatric Fusion, Unjury, and Celebrate have versions, if those brands are available to you). That has been such a life saver as I'm really tired of everything being sweet. Sugar free jello is lovely and only 5 calories, so it should be fine for you to have. It's almost like chewing, sort of. Good luck!

Apparently they called the first week of the pre surgery shake diet hell week at my surgeon’s office. There’s a lot of withdrawal symptoms associated with it (sugar, carbs, caffeine). Your cravings go crazy - you always want more the things you can’t have. Your emotions are all over the place which often makes you want to comfort yourself with food. On & on. Round & round. I was vey relieved I was placed on keto for the pre surgery diet. I had done the shake diet before. Two shakes & one small portion meal of steamed vegetables & plain cooked protein. Did it for 8 weeks & then again for 6 weeks a couple of years later as another diet I was trying. It ain’t easy even with one meal. Check with your dietician regarding swapping out a shake for a broth/soup. Some companies do offer them as well as shakes but they’re still going to be low calorie & go through you quickly being liquids. You’ve got this. You can do it.

Will do, thank you! I'll start it today. I can't have anything else in my diet. Just my three shakes (to which I add skimmed milk). Everything else adds calories and they said it's a complete meal replacement shake diet only, so unfortunately I can't have anything else 😞 Do you think things would still be okay if I ate maybe broth and soup but went on just shakes for the last two weeks? I just don't know.

Hi Kirsten, Big hugs. We all think the pre op diet is the toughest part of the whole process. It will get easier. Once you are past 5 days the hunger just evaporates. You have it tough but just tell yourself it will be worth it. No lie it is. Your life will change. I had to do 3 weeks and oh boy did I want to take revenge on the surgeon. There were times that I hated him. I paid and I still had to go through this, how could he ! The only thing that kept me in line was the threat of waking up after surgery to find they could not do it. I had no shakes but had milk instead. I could also have non carb veg. My daily calories would be the same as you. I lost 15 pounds. You can try making lollies with the sugar free squash. It gives you a different mouth feel. Some people on here have successfully frozen their shakes, so they are like ice cream. Try the sugar free jellies if you need a safe cheat Ring your team if you struggle after a week. They might let you eat something else.

Write down your current health issues, struggles, anything that your weight is causing you trouble with. Then write down as each thing gets a little better during the diet. Also, definitely weigh yourself once a week and look at your entire body to remind yourself where you started, see where you're at, and envision where you want to be. Try to move your body more. I know at your current weight, it can be hard. Try to do some floor and chair exercises. Maybe ride an exercise bike. Do water exercises. Anything at all, more than you normally do, will help you so, so much. But don't try to do anything taxing since you're so low calorie. You should be able to have broth, right? I loved vegetable, chicken, and beef. Jello is also allowed on an all liquid diet. Try some of that and see if it helps. Also maybe cut some of the sweetness out of the shakes by adding a little unflavored shake mix to it. Can you add any fruit to the shakes? I noticed that if I made a shake and added frozen strawberries and blueberries (or raspberries and blackberries, depending on what I wanted) it actually cut the artificial sweet taste way down. I hope some of this helps!!

Honestly? That it was the day before surgery. If it was 3 or 4 days out, I might have given in. Just being honest. When you have a large stomach and have a really high bmi, going to all liquids and shakes and having calories super low isn't a realistic long term situation. The hunger was on another level. I kept reminding myself that I needed to do this for my kids, my granddaughter, and ultimately myself. I was tired of all the pills I had to take, tired of all the health issues and mobility problems and joint pain. For the most part, that worked. When I stopped caring about that stuff, I started forcing myself to look at my body in the mirror and really see what I looked like. I reminded myself that the surgery would help me not be fat like I was, not look like a butterball turkey, not look like my face and neck were gonna pop. By the time THAT quit working, it was the day before surgery and I knew that I was about to be on the other side of this. Seeing that I was losing weight before the surgery because of the diet really helped, too....