Honeymoon phase

[AmyMarie79 5]

After your surgery when would you say the "honeymoon" phase began and ended? TIA

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[FrankyG 1,450]

It begins pretty much as soon as you have surgery. You will have the possibility of gain right after due to the fluids and drugs they pump into you, but once you are about a week or two out, the weight loss comes pretty easy (despite the stalling - everyone stalls and there will be many of them).

The honeymoon phase lasts around 12-18 months according to my doctor. That's when it's pretty easy to just stick to a basic meal plan, drink your Water and get some exercise and you'll see actual weight loss without working super hard.

Once you are past that time, it is still possible to lose, just that your body's metabolism has adjusted to how and what you eat and your activity levels (established a new weight set point), so you will have to work harder, pay attention to your food (especially if you're still wanting to lose) and ramp up activity to keep your metabolism up. So it will be similar to what normal people without weight issues (or metabolic problems caused by frequent dieting) experience.

For me personally, I was a slow loser after the first month or three. But I still lost weight. By about the year mark, I was still able to lose 5-7 pounds a month but it was harder than the first 6 months. I'm still working towards goal and know how it works now - reduce my carbs and watch the caloric intake and keep moving.

[Kindle 8,667]

Depends on your definition of honeymoon phase....

If you mean the period during which I lost all my weight then it was about 9-10 months.

If you mean the period that was really easy, had super tight restriction, had no cravings or head hunger and I didn't really need to mentally work at maintaining my loss and could have easily lost more (but didn't because I would have been too thin for my liking) then I'd say about 14 months. After that is when the real work began.....

[AmyMarie79 5]

Thank you so much!

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[Healthy_life2 8,330]

@@AmyMarie79

All I can do is laugh at myself. The high was incredible. My focus and conversations revolved around surgery and the process. Support group meeting's you can tell who is in the honeymoon phase. ( they are excited and experts..Lol) Yes, I believed I knew it all and had all the answers.

Honeymoon phase for me was when it took little effort to lose weight. At three months out honeymoon phase was gone. I stalled out and kicked my Teddy Bear. I had the reality check that this takes work.

Honeymoon phase came back after I could see results from working out and eating right.

I love being around people in the honeymoon phase......Its now a contact high.

[Babbs 14,681]

Around the 18 month mark, I noticed something changed. I was hungrier, and suddenly I could eat so much more than before. If I didn't actually measure out my food to force myself to stop, it's almost alarming how much I can eat of certain foods. My cravings for foods I really haven't even thought about before is ramping up, too. Without *seemingly* doing anything different, I have gained almost 5 pounds within a month.

I have really buckled down, am tracking EVERY BITE that goes into my mouth, and have managed to lose 1.5 of the 5 I've gained, but it's not coming off that easily. But I'll continue to fight!

I don't want to scare anyone, but these are the realities we all have to face eventually when the honeymoon period ends. Boooooo!

[AmyMarie79 5]

@@AmyMarie79

All I can do is laugh at myself. The high was incredible. My focus and conversations revolved around surgery and the process. Support group meeting's you can tell who is in the honeymoon phase. ( they are excited and experts..Lol) Yes, I believed I knew it all and had all the answers.

Honeymoon phase for me was when it took little effort to lose weight. At three months out honeymoon phase was gone. I stalled out and kicked my Teddy Bear. I had the reality check that this takes work.

Honeymoon phase came back after I could see results from working out and eating right.

I love being around people in the honeymoon phase......Its now a contact high.

Thanks Jenn. I'm 8 weeks out. Don't feel like I've hit it yet. I've had to work very hard for the 36 pounds I've lost in this 8 weeks. If I don't follow the plan is will gain or not lose.

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[Babbs 14,681]

@@AmyMarie79

All I can do is laugh at myself. The high was incredible. My focus and conversations revolved around surgery and the process. Support group meeting's you can tell who is in the honeymoon phase. ( they are excited and experts..Lol) Yes, I believed I knew it all and had all the answers.

Honeymoon phase for me was when it took little effort to lose weight. At three months out honeymoon phase was gone. I stalled out and kicked my Teddy Bear. I had the reality check that this takes work.

Honeymoon phase came back after I could see results from working out and eating right.

I love being around people in the honeymoon phase......Its now a contact high.

Thanks Jenn. I'm 8 weeks out. Don't feel like I've hit it yet. I've had to work very hard for the 36 pounds I've lost in this 8 weeks. If I don't follow the plan is will gain or not lose.

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You've got a way to go before your honeymoon phase ends. Honestly, you will lose no matter what you do for several months. It's just automatic because of the calorie restriction. But then our bodies adjust, and we have to help things along by constantly tweaking things to keep our weight consistently moving downward. You should still have great restriction and relatively low hunger for quite a while. Lucky you

[AmyMarie79 5]

@@AmyMarie79

All I can do is laugh at myself. The high was incredible. My focus and conversations revolved around surgery and the process. Support group meeting's you can tell who is in the honeymoon phase. ( they are excited and experts..Lol) Yes, I believed I knew it all and had all the answers.

Honeymoon phase for me was when it took little effort to lose weight. At three months out honeymoon phase was gone. I stalled out and kicked my Teddy Bear. I had the reality check that this takes work.

Honeymoon phase came back after I could see results from working out and eating right.

I love being around people in the honeymoon phase......Its now a contact high.

Thanks Jenn. I'm 8 weeks out. Don't feel like I've hit it yet. I've had to work very hard for the 36 pounds I've lost in this 8 weeks. If I don't follow the plan is will gain or not lose.

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You've got a way to go before your honeymoon phase ends. Honestly, you will lose no matter what you do for several months. It's just automatic because of the calorie restriction. But then our bodies adjust, and we have to help things along by constantly tweaking things to keep our weight consistently moving downward. You should still have great restriction and relatively low hunger for quite a while. Lucky you

Thanks Babbs!

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[Healthy_life2 8,330]

@@AmyMarie79

You are on the right path. Keeping vigilant will pay off. Are you setting mini goals as you lose weight? At each goal treat yourself to something special.(non food) one of mine was toenail polish when I could easily bend over...I hope you find your honeymoon phase.

I agree with @Babbs. After you reach goal, Maintenance is a whole new situation. I have had weight gains. I think that's why I keep up with the new people. Love the enthusiasm. They remind me that this is a lifestyle. The goal for me is healthy not a pant size.

[AmyMarie79 5]

I really do appreciate all the help!!!

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[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Here are typical posts by people still in the WLS honeymoon period:

* "82 pounds gone forever!"

* "What a relief not to be hungry anymore!"

* "I had WLS so I'd never have to diet again!"

There's no two ways about it: You will lose the most weight when you're the heaviest and before your new sleeve (if you're sleeved) heals fully and your restriction is greatest. Generously defined, that's six months post-op.

And for sleeved patients, our ghrelin (hunger hormones) are greatly reduced post-op. There's controversy about whether or over how long a period our bodies learn how to produce ghrelin again (elsewhere than in the fundus / stretchy portions of our stomach, which was removed during VSG).

In any event, most sleeved patients here who are 2-3-4-5 years post-op report that they experience increased appetite the longer they're out. Many sleeve veterans also report that their appetite levels have never returned to pre-op levels.

It's also clear that the more sugary and high-starch foods WLS patients eat, the more we crave those foods. Likewise, the more WLS patients graze, the more we reduce weight loss and invite weight regain.

All that's to say we have a lot of power to extend our "honeymoon period" (when weight loss is relatively easy).

My own story is that I lost 19 pounds pre-op, and by 8.5 months post-op reached my weight goal of 150 pounds. By that point I'd lost 85 pounds. During the next 8 months I went on to lose another 15 pounds. I now weigh 135 pounds and am maintaining pretty easily.

I weigh every morning and track all my food / drink using My Fitness Pal. We'll see how I do going forward and how I might have to change my regimen to maintain this weight. I would really like to stay at 135. But I will also be grateful to remain below 150 pounds.

[AmyMarie79 5]

Here are typical posts by people still in the WLS honeymoon period:

* "82 pounds gone forever!"

* "What a relief not to be hungry anymore!"

* "I had WLS so I'd never have to diet again!"

There's no two ways about it: You will lose the most weight when you're the heaviest and before your new sleeve (if you're sleeved) heals fully and your restriction is greatest. Generously defined, that's six months post-op.

And for sleeved patients, our ghrelin (hunger hormones) are greatly reduced post-op. There's controversy about whether or over how long a period our bodies learn how to produce ghrelin again (elsewhere than in the fundus / stretchy portions of our stomach, which was removed during VSG).

In any event, most sleeved patients here who are 2-3-4-5 years post-op report that they experience increased appetite the longer they're out. Many sleeve veterans also report that their appetite levels have never returned to pre-op levels.

It's also clear that the more sugary and high-starch foods WLS patients eat, the more we crave those foods. Likewise, the more WLS patients graze, the more we reduce weight loss and invite weight regain.

All that's to say we have a lot of power to extend our "honeymoon period" (when weight loss is relatively easy).

My own story is that I lost 19 pounds pre-op, and by 8.5 months post-op reached my weight goal of 150 pounds. By that point I'd lost 85 pounds. During the next 8 months I went on to lose another 15 pounds. I now weigh 135 pounds and am maintaining pretty easily.

I weigh every morning and track all my food / drink using My Fitness Pal. We'll see how I do going forward and how I might have to change my regimen to maintain this weight. I would really like to stay at 135. But I will also be grateful to remain below 150 pounds.

Congratulation! Thank you!

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[jaxmom 644]

@@AmyMarie79

You are on the right path. Keeping vigilant will pay off. Are you setting mini goals as you lose weight? At each goal treat yourself to something special.(non food) one of mine was toenail polish when I could easily bend over...I hope you find your honeymoon phase.

I agree with @Babbs. After you reach goal, Maintenance is a whole new situation. I have had weight gains. I think that's why I keep up with the new people. Love the enthusiasm. They remind me that this is a lifestyle. The goal for me is healthy not a pant size.

Your awesome attitude and advice are like a contact high (can you get that though the web? ).

Your post really hit home. I'm a month post- op and on a high so high I'm soaring... And I'm sure my poor family wishes I would keep on going so I can give their ears and legs a break!

Soooooo important to know that there will be bumps, stalls and gains along the way. Keeps me in check. Also nice to know there are wonderful, supportive HONEST people like you to turn to when I come down from the clouds.

Now I'm off again, la la la la!!

Jen

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[Healthy_life2 8,330]

@@jaxmom

Thank @Babbs. for my attitude..lol. She gave great advice in a thread a while back..Wish I could find it. I do have my crap days. I just have to keep perspective.