I've heard many people describe a honeymoon stage where they didn't feel hungry, but more importantly didn't have intense cravings... Where it was an easy choice to pick an apple over ice cream or grilled chicken instead of pizza.

I haven't gotten the surgery yet, but right now in my life if I have a craving it tends to be so bad that I either go right after what I want, OR I eat 10 things and THEN eat the original thing I wanted. This honeymoon stage is very important to me because I believe if I can reset my mind and body during this time without cravings influencing me that it will be easier to make healthy decisions once the cravings do come back (although they might be lesser). In essence, sugar will not have the biological vice grip on me as it does now.

So I'd like to hear about other's experience.

Did you have a honeymoon stage? How long did it last?

I'm 4 months and apparently still in the honeymoon stage because I feel nothin!

I am still in the honeymoon phase, but like most long term relationships, it just takes more work now.

Seriously, I did not have a linear progression. It was definately easier to lose the first 6 months but I genuinely believe that for most of us, the key to maintaining the effectiveness of the WLS tool is to keep following the rules. It is like a big circle, if you don't follow the rules you get hungry and it is hard to follow the rules. If you eat properly, your hunger tends to be well managed.

I DEFINITELY am not a veteran yet. I'm 6-1/2 months post-op and have lost 77 pounds, with 8 pounds to go before goal.

At some point it became obvious that I'd lost enough that my weight loss began to slow. After all, a body that's 77 pounds lighter doesn't burn as many calories. That's just logical.

And the longer I've been post-op, the more my stomach has healed (it's no longer swollen) and the more volume of food I can eat. BTW, I SHOULD be eating more food than I did initially. If I were still eating only 600-800 calories a day, my metabolic rate would have accustomed itself to a starvation menu and I'd be missing important nutrition.

By the end of Month One I averaged 800 calories/day with 60-70 grams of Protein. In Month Five I started eating an average of 1,000 calories a day with 80-90 grams of protein. A few weeks ago I began eating more like 1,200 calories a day with 90-100 grams of protein.

With 8 pounds to go I'm still losing weight steadily, but more slowly.

Although I've enjoyed a few special meals, I haven't gone "hog wild" (and couldn't have with the sleeve's restriction). I haven't had any unusual cravings that I haven't been able to control. I sometimes eat small amounts of "bad carbs" (Pasta, rice, potatoes, breads) but the amounts are small, and I don't do that daily.

So I guess, behavior-wise, I'm still in the honeymoon phase. I don't fight eating protein first or eating lots of protein and colored vegetables and fruits. I don't plan to indulge in lots of high-starch and high-sugar carbs until after I've reached goal. And I'm certainly don't have maintenance figured out yet, because I'm not there yet.

For me, the sleeve has given me the head space to build and practice the basic eating habits I have always wanted to follow consistently. Those habits are just a lot easier now than they were before the sleeve.

I think the factors that will help you be successful with WLS are compliance, consistency, common sense and personal accountability.

BTW, I plan and track my menus daily on www.myfitnesspal.com.

Good luck to you.

Probably 4-6 months. I dealt with it by logging everything and sticking to my goal of 1000-1200 calories per day with 75+g of protein. If I could work it into my day and meet those goals, it was all good. No guilt for that 1 cookie or skinny cow ice cream or popcorn. I'd simply have to plan appropriately and take treats in moderation. After the first 6 months in maintenance I released the logging but return to it if I creep outside my goal zone. I figure diets failed me for 40 years. They create a cycle of guilt\failure\binge in me. This "everything in moderation" approach just works better for me now that I cannot physically over eat without painful consequences.

I'm just over seven months out and I am having more of a battle with my head hunger and with grazing than at the beginning. However, the battle is much easier than pre-op. I can't say I forget to eat like others do, but I can tell when I really do need to eat rather than just wanting to eat. I tend to eat something every 3 hours.

My heating habits are still lower-fat/low-carb and about 4.5-5oz and 200 calories per meal. I usually eat 4-5 meals/snacks per day.