To those of you successful VSG folks, how do you STOP losing weight; stabilize? Did you just increase your food intake? Have more carbs? What?

I still have ~ 30 pounds to lose, but already I'm losing my tits and ass, and I don't want to be a size 2, 4 or 6. A size 10 seems it'd be perfect for me; an 8 at the smallest. Now that I realize T&A are good things to have, I want to keep them and my curves. But I see things are already flattening out. And I don't want to be a twig or a bone. I've gone from a 22/24, to now, a 12-14. Whoo-hoo!! So happy.

So...how do you stabilize? Just seeking advice as I approach this situation in a couple of months. Thanks for any replies.

I am not at the point of wanting to stabilize yet, but this is the advice I have heard (second hand) from my program's dietician

--work to find your maintenance calorie range. If you are not tracking on MFP, start. When you want to stabilize, start adding 100 calories to your daily allotment, in 2 week increments, until you find yourself maintaining your weight. So, right now I am at 850 calories per day in weight loss. When I want to stabilize, I bump that up to 950 calories per day for 2 weeks. If I am still losing weight, then I bump that up to 1050 for the next two weeks, etc.

--do not increase the frequency of your meals or snacks (this can lead to grazing, which is a very dangerous habit)

--increase the volume of your meals as little as possible, in order to protect your restriction. So try swapping out some of your current choices for more calorically dense, but still healthy, foods. If you are having protein shakes, make them with 2% or whole milk instead of skim. Use peanut butter instead of PB2. Add some avocado slices to your salad. Have a handful of nuts as a snack instead of carrots or string cheese.

This is what I plan to try eventually. Still have about 15 lbs to go! Good luck to you.

For most of us it is shockingly easy to stop losing and even regain. Adding back carbs for example.

When I hit my goal I was in the 8-10 size range. I now wear a size4 pants. I get alot of remarks that I look really great but I think I got more interest from the opposite sex a bit heavier. I think I seemed more accessible? Not sure what to make of that or that it matters - just a puzzle.

I am only just beginning but this was one of my first questions for the dietician. She told me not to eat bigger meals but to just add one more meal when I'm ready for maintenance

Also not there yet, but my dietician and I talked about adding more healthy fats like avocado and olive oil, and adding an extra healthy snack, like eating 2 servings of almonds, instead of one. I am going to try to keep my carbs low, because the more carbs I eat, the more insulin I need to take. (In the case of non-diabetics, the more insulin your body produces.) In my experience, insulin=fat. Looking forward to getting to goal!

This is a very big concern of mine!! When I reach my goal, I want to stop losing...but at the same time, I don't want to regain and undo everything I've done!! I would also like to tone and regain some of the muscle that I've lost, so I'm not sure if I'm asking too much when I'm looking for this happy medium!! There's a lot of great ideas in this particular post, so thanks very much for this...very much appreciated!!

(I'm only 10 weeks, but I have a really bad hernia that the surgeon won't repair until weight loss stops, he told me that the plateau is 18 months, and the weight loss ends, hope this is helpful.

Kelly, that is statistically true but not necessarily the case for every individual. I am 2.5 years out and lost 10# this spring...

Loving all replies so far! Keep them coming! Thanks!