I'm trying to figure something out. When we used to eat everything and anything our eyes, hands and mouths can get hold of, we would gain tons and tons of weights even with some exercise. Now, our stomach is the size of a banana and can barely hold any food compared to what we used to eat yet the weights are not dropping like water even with exercise. Can this be explained? I don't get it even though I've tried to.

It's the biological system we've developed. Our bodies have evolved to store calories for times of famine, and will hold on to those stores with all they've got.

I feel you. Sometimes I think I wasn't really sleeved but hypnotised into thinking I was. I'm eating about 800 calories now and you would think the weight would be pouring off of me.

I was told when going through nutrition that anything under 800 calories and your body feels you are starving it and it will store everything as fat automatically. You have to watch how many calories you are taking in. Sometimes the more calories you are getting in the more weight you will successfully lose!

Some of it can be attributed to a slower metabolism, but if you're realistic with what you are eating and stray calories are not slipping in due to mistakes in measurements or calculations, try doing the calculations for how much you should realistically be losing according to Calories Consumed minus TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). For example, here is my calculation when I started:

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 265

Exercise level: pretty low

TDEE: 2,522

Calories: 800

Deficit: 1,722 * 7 days is 12,054

One pound = 3,500 so expected loss is 12,054/3,500 = 3.4 lbs per week!

Surprising huh? Of course, in the beginning excess Water weight is lost, so the rate of loss may be higher. I actually have lost around 2-2.5 pounds per week, but I have Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, both of which reduce my metabolic rate by about 10% each.

Now, here's my calculation for last week:

Exercise level: High (5 days of 10,000+ steps including Couch to 5K training)

Weight: 199

TDEE: 2,793 (higher because of exercise. If exercise was the same as before it would be 2,162 because of a lower weight)

Calories: 1,000 (I'm 6 mo post op)

Deficit: 1,793 * 7 days is 12,551

One pound = 3,500 so expected loss is 12,551/3,500 = 3.6 lbs per week! I actually lost 4.5 lbs last week, so I probably had some water loss.

Have you tried doing this calculation?

It is difficult to get in a lot of calories with this baby stomach we have. I have tried so many times and I find myself lying down with stomach cramps for a couple of hours and will be so scared to try that again after am better. My protein shake is good but somedays I find me sipping and then going home with some still leftover. I love food and don't think that I don't try to get in the calories and no! I don't eat empty calories cos I rather get my calories from real healthy food that will fill me up than from a cake or ice cream.