This is a question for those of you sleevers who have lost a significant amount of weight or gotten to goal and MAINTAINED for a long period of time. You may have busted through that initial plateau and continued to lose to get to goal. Now you're maintaining and hopefully loving it...

My question is, where are your calories and macronutrients (Protein, carbs, fats) now, and how did you get them there? Did you slowly raise them and lose/maintain while doing so? Have you brought carbs back up to a more "normal" place? Have your portion sizes changed? Also, now that you're so far out from your surgery, do you go to your original doc/nutritionist for guidance, a personal trainer, new nutritionist/coach, or are you deciding your calories/macros on your own?

Hi, Im almost two years out and have maintained for the last year. I'm fortunate in that I can eat pretty much everything and that is exactly what I do, this is a life long change and I'm not about to start a diet mentality. I aim for Protein first and have the occasional Protein shake if I feel that my intake is low, as its quick and easy to lose weight - which I really don't need to.

My portion intake is still very small and I have to be careful about overeating, also can have some issues with acid reflux if I eat weird combinations together - almost as if my stomach needs an element of lining before eating.

I hate the term journey, but it has been just that and I don't actually feel as if the destination will/should be reached.

lblondon, thanks for the reply; You say you eat pretty much anything and aim for protein first. Did you up your calories over time? Did you add carbs back in to a significant amount (over 50 g a day)? If so, how did you decide to add them?

I'm 26 months out and have been below goal for 18 of them. Of course the further out I got my portions increased. I could only eat a couple tablespoons at a time at 2-3 months and reached my max capacity of about a cup by 14 months. I can eat more in the evenings than in the morning and I can eat more of things like Soup and yogurt than I can chicken or steak.

When I was close to goal I upped my fat and carbs by adding in more fruit, whole grains and full fat dairy, nuts, etc. in order to slow down and stop my loss. I can't give you numbers as far as grams of fat, Protein, carbs and calories because I don't track or measure. But I shoot for protein first, minimize (not exclude) carbs like Pasta, rice, bread and sweets and pay no attention to fat content. Besides my high protein diet I drink a protein shake and eat a Quest bar everyday so I know I'm getting well over 60-80g protein/day. I drink 64-100oz every day. I eat fruit, veggies and grains every day. I take my Vitamins every day. I don't ever feel like I'm dieting because there's nothing I can't or don't eat, just in moderation.

I saw the nut on my day of surgery and haven't talk to her since. I just figured out what worked for me based on the basics of meeting protein and Fluid goals and making healthy food choices.

lblondon, thanks for the reply; You say you eat pretty much anything and aim for Protein first. Did you up your calories over time? Did you add carbs back in to a significant amount (over 50 g a day)? If so, how did you decide to add them?

I haven't ever really calorie counted, at the beginning you are eating so little that the calorific value just isn't enough to quantify and as time went by, in my experience, i was worried that i wasn't getting enough calories, so actually aimed for a high(ish) fat content, i.e. full fat cheese, butter, cream etc - although you do need to be moderate with this, as a) you might find you don't tolerate very well and, too much fat isn't good, lol. As for carbs, i work on the small plate system, so majority is protein, small portion of carbs and the rest are vegetables, but I do ensure that I have a carb intake.

Whilst I understand that you are trying to get a handle on this, the fact is that everyone is different and you need to feel the way for yourself, you get much better at reading your body, what it can or cannot handle. Today for example, I've had a sesame bagel with cream cheese and salmon, prawn tempura and egg noodle broth and a chicken salad, some grapes and a Cappuccino - most of which I wouldn't have been able to eat when I first started, but now constitutes a balanced diet for me.

L