So I'm almost three months out and have had my share of ups and downs, yada, yada, yada. What I don't get is the physiology of my new stomach. How can I gain weight by eating roughly 1200 calories a day and of those calories, some are carbs? I mean a normal person eating 1200 calories a day would not gain weight but three straight days of "being bad" has resulted in a three pound weight gain. Doesn't make sense to me?

Edited June 23, 201511 yr by akreese02

I'm curious to know how others respond to this. I have been wondering something similar .... how can I not lose on 1000-1200 a day? It seems as if I have to stick around 800 calories to lose.

I also noticed that if I have a thin slice of cake or a couple of chips I'll be .5-1 lb heavier in the morning. I try not to cheat more than once a week, but I have a hard time trying to get in 800 cals in a day, while trying to make my goals of 80 oz of water and 80g of protein. If I have a good loss during the week, I'll treat myself to a little something over the weekend. I'll be 6 months out next Monday.

Does "being bad" involve salty foods? I personally retain water like crazy when I have anything salty and it takes a couple days to return to normal.

Fair_Maiden, it sure does so logically, that makes sense. It is just crazy how much veering off the sleeve road can seem to be a fatal crash!

And that is why you have a plan for eating of high Protein and low carb. Most people seem to get off track when they backslide into bad habits or stop measuring their food. The sleeve is a tool and will not make you lose by virtue of the fact you have it. You still have to do the work.

When you eat keto (basically high protein, good fats, no carb) your body enters ketosis. Eating carbs will stop ketosis. Your body will retain water again until you re-enter ketosis. That can take a week. One cheat can stall you a week or cause water gain. If you plan a cheat, ditch the scale. For at least 2 weeks.

I've also heard - no idea if it's true - that once you've been obese for a while and lose weight, you'll still need to eat 20% fewer calories to maintain than a person at your same weight who has never been obese. Has anyone else heard this? Any legit science behind this?

@@akreese02 what kind of foods have you been eating when you gain weight? I've done ALOT of research about this lately because it's driving me crazy. I always heard weight loss is calories in vs calories out. But im now learning that the TYPE of food has alot more to do with it then I thought. Which I guess is why we're told high protein/low carb. Unfortunately doing the under 30g carbs that my Dr suggests makes me sick (super dizzy, spacey, etc..). Still figuring out what works for ME

Oh it's the carbs that kill me. I can not go above 1200 calories but if I go over 50 grams of carbs for the day, forget about it! I also think that the summer heat is making me retain Water like crazy (I have always been like this even when I wasn't overweight). Sometimes it is just hard for me to wrap my head around the number on the scale. I know, I should trip on it but I do!

Edited June 24, 201511 yr by akreese02

I've also heard - no idea if it's true - that once you've been obese for a while and lose weight, you'll still need to eat 20% fewer calories to maintain than a person at your same weight who has never been obese. Has anyone else heard this? Any legit science behind this?

Yes, my surgeon said the same thing. I don't think he gave a specific percentage, but he used the example of identical twins, one of whom was normal weight, and one who was obese, then lost the weight. Even though she now weighed the same as her twin, she would have to consume significantly fewer calories to maintain that weight than her twin consumed.

The less you weigh, the fewer calories you need. When we drastically reduce those calories when we are heavy, we lose weight very rapidly. As your body normalizes, weight loss slows down or stalls. Your body is saying "whoa, hold on, I'm in starvation mode and I'm going to hold on to everything". You need to eat a few more calories to tell your body you're okay then it will start losing again. This can take a while and is why you need to focus on nutrition, not junk. It also stresses the body out and our cortisol increases, which unfortunately makes you hold on to salt and Water and the scale won't move. It's a balancing act. 3500 calories equals 1 pound. Unfortunately, hormones, salt, stress, etc. all get in the way and hold on to weight. We just need to stay focused and be kind to our bodies. It will reward us in the end. Oh, and keep drinking your water to flush out your system.