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CROSS POST Hey all! I'm a 3 timer (I've had all 3 surgeries: lap band, sleeve, and bypass, currently underweight, struggling to keep weight up after losing colon in emergency surgery about 10mths ago but still remember what being overweight was like). My cousin had the VSG about 2 yrs ago at almost 400 lbs and has been semi successful and has lost close to 175lbs but over the past 9 mths or so has plateaued becuz of numerous "reasons" (moving across country marital woes, works stress, you name the stress, heredity,, etc.). She has reached out to me for help, as I admin a FB group for people with wls's + i was fairly successful (before I lost my colon, lol ) as she's desperate for help before it gets out of hand. She's gained 10 lbs in the past 10 mths since moving cross country and doesn't want to continue on. So, for the past month (and yes, even during the holidays), she's kept a strict journal which she always during her active losing phase. She sent me the last few days worth. I was dismayed to see her intake/output. Literally I think she's starving herself. She's taking in 662 calories a day and exercising 280 . This means she's getting in maybe 380 cals a day. And shes' a special needs teacher and a mom of a 6 yr old! OMG! She's drinking a lo cal protein shake for bfast and lunch and eating a super lo cal protein/veg dinner. She's getting in plenty of water and her vits, luckily. I think she's starving. But she said she's tried every variation of every single meal variation out there and she's frustrated she wants to cry. She's been on every "diet" her entire life and this sleeve was her saving grace and the only thing that worked - for a minute. Until the honeymoon was over. It's been about 2 yrs and now the hard work actually starts and I've told her this. Ok, I just got this info from her when I asked her how much protein she was getting: 109 gms a day. MFP shows only 35%. And she downloaded the ACTUAL MFP pie chart to prove to me this WAS the case and OMG! This is TRUE. Since when is MFP encouraging people to get almost 300 gms of protein a day? What protein u don't use, u pee out. Unless u r an unlucky few that r prone to kidney disease and then u get kidney dz! Seems ridiculous. Almost 300 gms!? And now they charge u? I told her she really doesn't need more than 70-80. I need some input on how to help her. Some ,meal/snacking solutions. I dont think she needs to know that she needs to increase her protein as she's already getting an overabundance in that department. Maybe something her dr can do for her? Tests or something? Metabolism tests? Is this done with blood or what? Or can it be done by a RD? HELP! Marci X POSTED

Lol the calorie deficit is going to my head, it seems! Sorry for the confusion [emoji16] Long story short, had my first dumping episode and it suuuuuuucked. Thanks to soy milk! I'm so hesitant with fluids other than water since, but decided to try a cup a soup tonight for a savoury flavour. Pray for me that it goes well [emoji1787] How is everyone else doing? I'm definitely having the 'head hunger' creep in. I'm lucky to live alone So I Don't have to prep food for anyone else. I can't imagine how tough it is for folks making meals for others! Every time I pass/smell food I kind of have a little pang, but I can get over it. It's not forever, just for now. I was visiting a friend today, and when they brought out bread sticks and cream cheese to snack on - I instinctively thought to grab one. I didn't, of course, but it was crazy how quick that thought came and over rode my logic! This stuff runs deep in the subconscious, I guess [emoji849] Sent from my Pixel 4a (5G) using BariatricPal mobile app

445 calories for a (very late) first meal of the day: prosciutto wrapped cantaloupe with some truffle cheddar.

You're talking about the sleeve, right? For rny, there is a pouch because the stomach is bypassed. Nothing really gives me ick. I do have a pet peeve though concerning wls. People who have too high of expectations. For example, complain they lost "only" 15 lbs a month (that is a whopping 52500 calories less) and blame the surgery when they wouldn't have lost weight at all if it weren't for the surgery and probably would've continued gaining.

I don't know how many of those products actually do the trick. Some people swear by biotin; others say it doesn't do a thing. I've never heard of Nutrifol, but I expect it also has its fans and detractors. Those hairs are already dead and will eventually fall out, so I don't think anything can help with that - it's just the natural growth/fallout cycle, it's just been sped up due to the trauma of surgery + restricted calories. At most, some of those products may help with the regrowth once it starts. The loss will stop eventually - it was three months for me (but fortunately, I didn't lose much hair. Not enough for me - or anyone else - to notice, other than I did notice more hairs than usual in my comb -so I knew I was losing some)

Hang in there! I lost 20 pounds in the first 2 weeks, then stalled for almost a month. I finally started losing again, but at a slower pace. The meds might have something to do with it, but it might not. If you're not getting enough calories (what does your plan say?) then your body is going to just store everything that it can get. That could be a reason why you're not losing. Also, make sure you're hitting your protein and hydration goals - those will stall you if not met, as well.

I threw CiCi off because I double posted a post in a new topic in a separate forum. https://www.bariatricpal.com/index.php?/topic/442800-MeThreeSixty,-Baritastic,-or-other-helpful-apps How are the rest of you doing on recovery? 600 calories doesn't feel like enough now toward the end of the night. I feel hungry and I haven't gone back to work yet. I actually got 75g of protein yesterday, but 635 calories and my tummy was hungry with pangs last night. Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

I felt like dimsum today. 3 pork siu mai, 1 mini steamed bbq pork bun. I ate 2 of the 3 shumai and half the mini pork bun. I ate 94g (3.3 oz). Calories: 215.

Can you explain what you mean by false equivalency? A lot of the things @Nepenthe44 mentioned seem to be listed as warning signs for ED: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/warning-signs-and-symptoms https://www.allianceforeatingdisorders.com/8-signs-you-may-have-an-eating-disorder/ https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/common-eating-disorders#signs It's plain to see that some of the things bariatric programs (and this forum), encourage are also listed on those pages. Certainly those things alone don't equal an ED diagnosis, but I do think some of them may cross the line into disordered eating, especially if they lead to or cause issues in other parts of our lives. For example: Do you worry about "messing up" on your bariatric program to the extent that it's causing severe anxiety issues? Alternately, if you do eat off plan, do you express self-disgust and make plans for how to "make-up" for what you ate through extreme exercise or fasting? Are you constantly worried about "going over" your calories and/or macros and do you spend hours every day (to the exclusion of work or family), tracking these things? Do you actively avoid eating or drinking in public because you don't or can't eat like a "normal" person? Do you compulsively weigh and measure yourself and freak out when something is off a bit? To me, these are just a few possible examples of how "what's expected of a good bariatric patient" may just cross the line into an eating disorder. Regardless of the reason or intent, when our relationship with food or our bodies becomes an obsession, we have an issue.

OHH I have a ton of favorite snacks! I'll start from my MOST favorite but they're all great 1: The Only Bean Crunchy Roasted Edamame Beans. DELICIOUS. Absolute favorite, it feels like I'm chomping on spicy roasted peanuts but without the extra carbs & fat. This Sriracha flavor is incredible. They also have bigger family sized bags but I loved these personal baggies. 117 & very filing. I tend to only eat half of a bag _____________________________ 2: Mini Quest Bars. I've been living off of these! They're small, w 8g of protein & only 80cals. They're the perfect on-the-go snack. I always keep some in my bag & they're yummy. _____________________________ 3: Wicked Cutz Beef Jerky. I found these on the Celebrate Bariatric Vitamins website & they're delicious! 1oz is only 50cals. That's the lowest I've found so far. Better flavor than a lot of the more popular store brands _____________________________ 4: Protein Puffs. I save these specifically for my "junk food" cravings. They're a tiny bit higher in cals than I'm used to but 15g fills up a small side bowl. I usually pair it with another protein like turkey slices. It makes me feel like I'm cheating a bit. Super yummy! _____________________________ 4: Fiber Gourmet crackers. I love pairing these with tuna or the famous tiktok 'sushi bake' instead of rice. I get about 15g (8 crackers) & it's usually about 34 Calories. This brands other crackers are also delicious, they're just stored away rn _____________________________ 5: Chomp Beef Sticks. These are delicious, 90cals & CLEAN. Sugar free & the ingredients in these are great! Especially in comparison to others like Slim Jim's. I also keep these in my bag or chopped up in a Bento box when I don't have a way to measure 1oz of the other jerky. So good!

Ohhhh maintenance calories! I haven't even thought about that. That's gonna be interesting to explore once I'm further out. And wow! Its incredible that you've gone from the 400's down to the 200's. What amazing accomplishments you've done. Well done. & I love that you're taking more photos now!

starting to go through all the food that didn't get served/eaten over the past several days of holiday parties! i forgot to defrost this Tuna Tataki in time for an NYE party so we are eating it for brunch today. Am actually glad i forgot cuz its delicious! more for us! 😂 270 calories for the plate, ate a little bit more than half (gonna log it at 60%, so like 162 cals for MFP for tracking purposes)

I think I must be the only one here who doesn't count calories or watch what I eat anymore. I'm 3.5yrs post sleeve and I've lost 10 stone. My weight has stayed the same for a year now, and I only weigh myself once a month, it never changes regardless of what I eat. I have gone back to eating a lot of crisps and cakes and chocolate, my addiction is back full time. I just can't eat a lot of it. I suffer with depression a lot and this is when I eat. I live alone, am disabled and just don't get out so I eat. I don't have take alway meals and my meals are very small but I snack constantly. It doesn't bother me now, I don't think I will ever be able to not eat sweet stuff, the extra skin left from weight loss is soul destroying and I hate my body as much now as when I was fat, if not even more. Losing weight to me, has not been as good as I expected.

at nine months out, you're probably still not absorbing all your calories. That malabsorption lasts up to two years at best - so watch out! Once that ends, you're likely to gain if you go over your calories (well, not with a one-shot deal - but if you do it for too many days over the holidays, YIKES!) other than that, though, you've done great with this! Congratulations!!

Hello everyone, it has been a while since I posted or updated. Mainly because there isn't much to update. (Just over 9 months post-op) First: I am going to go a head and admit that through the Holidays I sucked! I ate too much (not to be sick, but over my calories) and the wrong things at times. Reset- Holidays are over so I admit it and I am moving on from it and back on the horse and focused! The worst part of this (or at least what I am calling the worst) is that I still lost some weight through it. I am saying this is bad, because other than knowing I shouldn't have done it, there was no "punishment" in my mind. Honestly, I wish I would have just gained a few pounds. But, it didn't seem to stop me from getting re focused and back on track so I will take it. 9 month update: No changes except weight and NSV's! I can eat anything (including what I shouldn't) I don't and have never dumped. I still track everything I eat and drink, still stay within my calorie range (less the previous comment). I had my 9 month follow up with my surgical team. They called me a rock star. I was very proud of myself and how well I am doing. I still don't exercise, they still don't care. LOL Well, kinda, of course it has other health benefits but they are not concerned for the weight loss aspect of it. I am well ahead of schedule, and my Nutritionist has already started talking about my maintenance calories and how to start upping my calories slowly and safely. I told him to slow down, I still want to loose another 43 lbs to hit my goal! He agrees that is achievable, but was merely explaining where my calories would likely fall when the time comes. Which, is about double what I currently eat so he wanted to bring it to my attention so I could mentally prepare for how much more I would to eat to stop loosing weight. He explained that some people struggle physically and mentally to increase so greatly so he wanted me to have time to process and prepare for it. He said I would fall between 2000-2300 calories a day WITHOUT exercising, more depending on the intensity and frequency of exercise. Yeah.. that's a lot. I still drink a shake a day to maintain my calories and proteins, 70g protein or more a day and 80 oz fluids a day or more. Pretty much all water, and usually 1 sugar free drink a day to switch it up. NSV's are ENDLESS! Really, as we lose weight so many things change. Even some bad, like my bony ass knees when I sleep I have to stagger them so the knees are directly on top of each other because they hurt like crazy in the morning! I could go on for days about this subject! Body dysmorphia is real, like really real! When I was my heaviest, I knew I was fat but when I looked in the mirror I didn't see a 422 lbs person but when I saw pictures of my I did.. man I did.. I was sick to my stomach and so disgusted! Now, At almost half that size when I look in the mirror I still see a fat girl but when I see pictures I am like WHOA I am so small. I found out my cousin is 1 size smaller than me, but when I look at her I see someone very small and when I look at myself I cannot believe we are only 1 size different. I look so much bigger! I love to see pictures of myself now! I encourage them rather than hiding in the back of them. I buy shirts from everywhere, and really only because I can. HAH I have never been able to buy a souvenir shirt, they never fit. Not even close to fitting. Now I literally buy them everywhere I can, to an rate of just wasting money because I shrink out of them faster than I can actually get use out of them. To finish up: I hope to hit my goal weight by my 1 year follow up but I know 43 lbs in 3 months will be tough! My original goal was 225, which is much more reasonable to loose in these next 3 months. But 210 is my ultimate goal as that will be half of my starting weight which is pretty freaking cool! 422 down to 250 26/28 down to a 14 4/5XL TALL shirt down to a 1/2x regular shirt Good luck to all!!!! ❤️

Im working with Mt Auburn in Cambridge MA. They said i could have one cup of coffee if I wanted, so i started with just 2 oz on day 3, then 4 oz. 4 oz seems enough right now to be satisfying, and I drink either black with miralax or mix with 4 oz fairlife elite protein shake (the 46g protein per bottle variety). Im keeping careful notes on everything, looks like Im getting 600-750 calories per day. (Im 5’6”, 254 lb). Soups- i have the broccoli, bacon cheddar, mushroom and cream of chicken. They are all nice and savory and satisfying. Im putting them through seive at this point to not have any little “bits”. The bacon one was great yesterday when my teen was making pepperoni pizza. OMG the smell!!

Do they fill you up? Since they are 200 calories I would not want to use them as a snack but a meal replacement.

I'm still on clear liquids so I am mostly either making my own broths (made Japanese Clear Onion soup yesterday) or using the boxed bone broths, adding unflavored protein to whatever I am eating at the time. I have only approximated my calories and not thought about fats at all. My doc told me to only think about 3 goals this first week: 1- fluids 2-protein 3-vitamins, in that order. I finally started hitting my fluid goal yesterday. I have discovered Hint water, which has helped me increase my intake. I used to love plain water but it isn't the same right now. I'm still down on proteins. I had maybe 45 g of protein today. Vitamins have been easy for me, so far. I am worried about my calorie intake, a little. My approximation is that I am only at about 300ish or less calories a day. Tomorrow is my last day of clear liquids and then I move to full liquid. My calorie intake should increase some at that point, I guess.

Can I ask how you track? I am a veteran calorie counter and used many apps before my surgery. Initially I went back to my favorite app after surgery but I’m starting to think it’s working against me.

I'm really worried that you're overtraining. While physical exercise is a good thing, it's absolutely possible to overdo it. Some possible warning signs for you to watch for: Feeling tired all the time Trouble sleeping Constant muscle soreness Symptoms of depression Mood swings and/or feeling irritable Feeling stressed all the time Why should you be concerned? Due to your weight, you are at a lot higher risk of injury when exercising. Overtraining ratchets up the likelihood of injury quite a bit more. A significant injury right now could set you back months. Due to reduced food intake, you are at a pretty significant disadvantage recovery-wise compared to someone that does not have to contend with a very low calorie diet. Calories from food (not just protein), is absolutely needed to help post workout recovery. Overtraining can actually be counterproductive to weight loss because it significantly increases cortisol levels. I won't spend too much time talking about why cortisol matters, but even slightly elevated levels of cortisol can negatively impact weight loss. Plus, if you're impacting your sleep levels, this negative effect is exacerbated. Overtraining can actually be bad for your heart. We tend to think that if some cardiovascular exercise is good, more should be better, but that's not always true. Among other things, people that overtrain can cause problems like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and AFib. While I don't think you're quite to this level yet, it's something to watch out for. Overtraining can actually impact your ability to fight off infection. Getting sick could also set you back quite a bit. If all of the above weren't enough, the likelihood of you stopping training altogether is significantly elevated if you overtrain. I certainly understand you think you're doing the right thing, but hardly anyone that's overtraining realizes it until they suffer the impacts of it. I also think many formerly obese individuals may be more likely to overtrain for a few reasons: We are typically starting from a poor base fitness level, so it does not take nearly as much to overtrain. Most of us have tendency toward addictive behavior. (Yes, overtraining can be due to transfer addiction.) We are trying to "makeup" for a previous lack of exercise. We think that this will help us lose weight faster. As I mentioned, this behavior can actually slow down fat loss, rather than speed it up. Instead, our goal should be to build a sustainable level of fitness that accomplishes a few things: To develop a good level of cardiovascular endurance that keeps our bodies and minds healthy To strengthen our muscles to make everyday living easier and more sustainable for the long-term To decrease the risk of illness and injury To burn more calories, both during exercise and at rest To look good naked (okay, for some of us, maybe that's pushing it!) One of the best ways to do all that is to ensure your current level of exercise is sustainable. From that sustainable base, we add in something called "progressive overload" to ensure we are actually benefiting from the exercise. When we overtrain, there's no room for progress, meaning eventually you either burnout, or your body adapts and the benefit becomes lost. Sorry for the long post here. I know to you I'm just some random person on the internet and you're not likely to pay much attention anyway. Even so, the risk is real, and I encourage you to research this to make sure I'm not just blowing smoke. More than anything, even if you don't think you're overtraining, I'd hate for others to come away from this thread thinking your exercise workload is what they should be doing too. For 99% of us it's not.

Alcohol is very weird for me post surgery. I never seem to feel the buzzed feeling I used to. I like the taste of my rum and crystal light (I used to drink rum and diet or Coke Zero) I assume it’s because of the sugar it tastes good but otherwise it really is a waste of calories for me. Most people claim they get intoxicated way faster and it seems to go away way faster. If you do decide to drink out with friends I wouldn’t do that until you test out the exact same thing at home first with the same exact mixer and everything to make sure it doesn’t physically make you sick, be sure you have a designated driver since your body processes alcohol differently now and be sure you plan ahead what healthy snacks you will eat when your inhibitions go down if your like me and you want to eat.

I didn't drink alcohol at all for 8+ months post surgery. I'm now 12 months out. I do drink wine and spirits now but it hits me very fast and hard. I'd be staggering at two drinks. Also, alcohol wastes calories. I'd rather save them for real food. Another reason to avoid alcohol is "addictive transference" Alcoholism developing after bariatric surgery is a real thing. I'm going to do the "Dry January Challenge". It's New Years Eve tonight, so I'll have my last drink for at least a month.

It is definitely possible in the beginning but as mentioned you will also hit stalls which seem just as impossible because you won’t lose for days or even weeks when your calories are just as low. Also, the closer you get to normal the slower the loss will be so enjoy the quick loss ride while it lasts.

I have been crazy busy, but I love it here and wanted to update you guys on what's new with me. And hopefully some of you will give updates on yourselves here, too So I am getting used to the work outs I've been doing (and by that I mean I don't need 2-3 days between working out now. I can do 6 days and take 1 rest day). I do cardio twice per week for an hour and a half each time, I do strength and core training twice per week for an hour and 15 minutes each time, and I do weight training twice per week for an hour each time (that's my least favorite lol) On my rest day, I literally do nothing. I work and do college from home, so I either lay in bed or on my love seat and get stuff done. I'm a complete veg head lol I made my rest day on Mondays because...well...Monday lol I drink three 16oz bottles of propel electrolyte water everyday (my favorite) and one 20oz bottle of gatorade zero each day. I also drink 2-4 cups of tea (sweetened with monkfruit sweetener, or not sweetened at all, depending on the tea). Specifically, I drink green tea in the morning, black tea in the afternoon, white tea in the evening, and if I'm in the mood, I drink either oolong tea or yerba mate tea at night. Helps suppress appetite, burn fat, and the green and black teas give a little caffeine boost (not a lot, but juuuuust enough). I usually make a protein shake in the morning for breakfast (never been a big breakfast eater). I have several different protein powders to choose from, and I typically add my greens powder to it, turmeric powder, moringa powder, matcha powder, mct oil, black seed oil, collagen powder, soluble fiber, avocado, unsweetened vanilla almond milk, gut health powder (digestive enzymes with pre and probiotics), and vitamin c powder. If needed, I add some monk fruit sweetener for a little extra sweetness, and it's really yummy and filling. For lunch I typically have some kind of salad (I have a few different ones that I like) and I add a protein to it, and then dinner is always some kind of protein and veggie. On weight training days, I have a P3 protein pack for a snack, but I don't usually have a snack on other days. On cardio and strengthening days I tend to have about 1200 calories and 20 carbs. On weight training days I have around 1300 calories and 25ish carbs. On my rest day I have between 900 - 1000 calories and 15 or so carbs. I also found a new salt to use (I rarely use salt, but this is much healthier for when I do) called Kala Namak Himalayan salt (it's black). Black salt has antioxidant properties and has surprisingly low sodium levels. It also contains important minerals like iron, calcium, and magnesium, which are essential to healthy bodies. Black salt stimulates bile production in the liver, and helps control heartburn and bloating. Its sulfurous, salty, mineral taste works great in cooking or as a finishing salt. I'm firmly in a size 20 clothing now, and my ring size is an 8 (but it's starting to get loose, so I'm looking at 7 1/2 now). I'm also in a stall again, but I honestly don't even care. I'm getting so healthy and strong and I can see a difference, so the scale will move when it moves, and until then, I'm just gonna focus on what I'm doing. I'm working full time and I'm in college full time (I'm finishing up my bachelor's degree - I have 8 more classes now) so between that and my more fit lifestyle, I'm always busy with something lol I really love it, though. I finished my Associate's degree in October and decided that I was going to finish the rest of my dream and get the bachelor's degree. I already have my dream job, but it's for ME, you know? I'll be the first one in my family to have a degree, and I want that. It means a lot to me to have it, and I graduated with a 4.0 with my associate's degree, and I still have a 4.0 so far now. I'm going to do my best to keep it, too. I'm noticing I have zero boobs to speak of now LOL I wasn't really expecting that at all, but it's fine. That's what padded bras are for until I get em done later on lol I'm more than ready for my hair to stop falling out and to start growing back. I'll be 8 months post op on the 3rd. How much longer will this go on before it finally calms down? That's really my biggest gripe right now. I'm just ready to not lose so much hair. I knew it was coming, so I never freaked out, but it's getting on my nerves now lol That's really it. All in all, things are going pretty well. How is everyone else doing?

That is a pretty strong drink. Don’t know what your daily calorie intake is but 248 is a lot of calories to waste on a single glass of alcohol which provides no nutritional benefit which should be your focus. 248 calories would have been 3/4 of my daily intake then. The carbs would also be a significant percentage of your limit too I would guess. And alcohol dehydrates you & slows your metabolism. In saying that I had a gin & tonic at around 2 months at my cousin’s 40th. I nursed that drink for more than 4 hours. Didn’t really enjoy it either & I didn’t have another drink for months. I don’t drink much at all since my surgery. An odd glass of champagne or a G&T maybe once a month or less often. My friends don’t pressure me to drink even though they drink. I realised I don’t need to drink to socialise & enjoy being with my friends. My question is what sort of friends are they to try to force you to drink when medically you’re advised not to? Are they trying to sabotage your weight loss? Ultimately though it is your decision. If you want to have a drink maybe look for a lower calorie drink with fewer carbs & less alcohol.