I was sleeved 7/1/17 and it's been about a month now since my surgery. I used to weight myself every single day until I started loosing less at about 3 weeks post-op. I am now at the solid foods stage and noticed that I'm probably eating more than I should. I also noticed that I can eat a lot of chips (which I know it's not good, and I stopped already.) but I weighed myself on Thursday, 7/27, and noticed I had gained 2 pounds! I really started freaking out. I'm kind of scared that I'm over eating and starting to gain...?! Is that possible?? Since my operation I have lost 26 pounds... counting my pre-op stage I have lost a total of 40 pounds.

Being completely honest... i don't weigh my food, and don't really follow a strict diet. I am kind of doing the "Low Carb diet" because that's what my dr kind of told me to do... I have a 4oz smoothie in the morning, then a 2oz tuna salad for a snack. For lunch I'll have a soup, then a small fruit after like an hour because I get a bit hungry. And for dinner I'll have like a 2oz chicken with a tiny bit of soup. My struggle is in the night!! I'm a night eater. I get so hungry like around 8-9ish and I feel like o start to graze. Any suggestions??? I'M REALLY SCARED to start gaining weight after just a month of my surgery! [emoji31]

First you aren't low carbing if you are eating chips. Not at all.

You are naming off what you eat but leaving out the chips? what is your real food log like?

If you keep eating chips you are going to keep gaining.

Chips break down to nothing. I could easily eat a whole family size bag in one sitting if I wanted to.

When you are low carbing you have basically no glycogen in your system. As soon as you eat carbs your liver starts filling up with glycogen again. Instant basically over night weight gain.

Weigh your food, track your food. This is the easiest weight loss is ever going to be for you in your life. Work with your sleeve, not against it.

26 pounds is great! It's unlikely you're gaining fat. But, from what I've read from so many of the successful vets on here, you really should start weighing/measuring and tracking your food.

You're probably just retaining water, which is totally normal and happens to all of us! If you tend to freak out about the scale, you may want to weigh weekly instead of daily. To gain weight, you need a surplus of calories. You're probably not getting that at only 1 month out. That doesn't mean that it's impossible. Some people do get even heavier in their first year by eating slider foods like chips, eating ice cream, and drinking milkshakes. Don't be one of them. Make good choices, weigh/measure your food, hold yourself accountable by tracking what you eat (I like my fitness pal), and try to work towards a healthier relationship with food.

Side note: I'm not seeing any sort of protein shake in your meals. Are you getting your required protein in?

First you aren't low carbing if you are eating chips. Not at all.
You are naming off what you eat but leaving out the chips? what is your real food log like?
If you keep eating chips you are going to keep gaining.
Chips break down to nothing. I could easily eat a whole family size bag in one sitting if I wanted to.
When you are low carbing you have basically no glycogen in your system. As soon as you eat carbs your liver starts filling up with glycogen again. Instant basically over night weight gain.
Weigh your food, track your food. This is the easiest weight loss is ever going to be for you in your life. Work with your sleeve, not against it.

That's what a normal day of eating looks like for me, in the nights is when I tend to eat chips, or drink a snaple, or junk like that. Since I noticed I gained the 2 pounds I stopped eating the junk food, and am really trying hard to stick to my diet. It's just extremely hard for me since I still have the obese mentality.

26 pounds is great! It's unlikely you're gaining fat. But, from what I've read from so many of the successful vets on here, you really should start weighing/measuring and tracking your food.

You're probably just retaining water, which is totally normal and happens to all of us! If you tend to freak out about the scale, you may want to weigh weekly instead of daily. To gain weight, you need a surplus of calories. You're probably not getting that at only 1 month out. That doesn't mean that it's impossible. Some people do get even heavier in their first year by eating slider foods like chips, eating ice cream, and drinking milkshakes. Don't be one of them. Make good choices, weigh/measure your food, hold yourself accountable by tracking what you eat (I like my fitness pal), and try to work towards a healthier relationship with food.
Side note: I'm not seeing any sort of protein shake in your meals. Are you getting your required protein in?

I am actually not taking any protein shakes... I know I should, but i just don't know how much of it to drink?! Like I said on my post, i don't weigh my food or even count how much protein I'm having in the day... And that is completely my fault. I just don't know how to do all of that. I wish I just had a simple eating plan day to day that told me exactly what to eat and how much of it. All the time I look for things I end up getting more confused.

1 minute ago, pherrera92 said:

I am actually not taking any protein shakes... I know I should, but i just don't know how much of it to drink?! Like I said on my post, i don't weigh my food or even count how much protein I'm having in the day... And that is completely my fault. I just don't know how to do all of that. I wish I just had a simple eating plan day to day that told me exactly what to eat and how much of it. All the time I look for things I end up getting more confused.

Did you have any sort of classes with your NUT? Or get some sort of eating plan? In general, if you can eat real food, protein shakes should supplement your protein intake, not be the main source. So 1 protein shake a day if it'll make the difference between the food you eat that day and your protein goal. More if you need more protein.

As a general guideline, these protein numbers are about the norm from what I've seen: absolute minimum of 40g or protein a day for women and 50g for men. As you move further out, I've seen 60g all the way up to 120g a day be the protein goal. I aim for a minimum of about 70g a day, usually surpassing it.

You'll want to stay under 60g of carbs while early out. If you really really want to low carb it, people who are hardcore into keto (a diet that is high fat, moderate protein, low carb) only consume 20g of carbs in a day or less.

Fat is up to you, there are so many conflicting studies out there and you'll just have to figure out what works best for your body to lose weight.

If you're physically active, I found this elsewhere on the forum and thought it'd be helpful in terms of calorie progression:
Months 1 through 3 = about 800 kcals/day
Months 4 through 6 = about 1000 to 1200 kcals/day
Months 7 through 9 = about 1200 to 1500 kcals/day
By 12 months out = about 1700 kcals/day
By 18 months out = 1800 to 2200 kcals/day

In order to know how much you're consuming, you NEED to track your food. There are many apps for it out there including SHealth which is pre-installed on samsung phones. I personally use myfitnesspal, you can find me under the name tia_527. All you do with these apps is put in what foods you had at each meal and what amounts. You can also log exercise if you want. These apps will tell you how many calories you eat and what your macros were (how many grams of carbs vs protein vs fat you've had).

Did you have any sort of classes with your NUT? Or get some sort of eating plan? In general, if you can eat real food, protein shakes should supplement your protein intake, not be the main source. So 1 protein shake a day if it'll make the difference between the food you eat that day and your protein goal. More if you need more protein.

As a general guideline, these protein numbers are about the norm from what I've seen: absolute minimum of 40g or protein a day for women and 50g for men. As you move further out, I've seen 60g all the way up to 120g a day be the protein goal. I aim for a minimum of about 70g a day, usually surpassing it.

You'll want to stay under 60g of carbs while early out. If you really really want to low carb it, people who are hardcore into keto (a diet that is high fat, moderate protein, low carb) only consume 20g of carbs in a day or less.

Fat is up to you, there are so many conflicting studies out there and you'll just have to figure out what works best for your body to lose weight.

If you're physically active, I found this elsewhere on the forum and thought it'd be helpful in terms of calorie progression:
Months 1 through 3 = about 800 kcals/day
Months 4 through 6 = about 1000 to 1200 kcals/day
Months 7 through 9 = about 1200 to 1500 kcals/day
By 12 months out = about 1700 kcals/day
By 18 months out = 1800 to 2200 kcals/day

In order to know how much you're consuming, you NEED to track your food. There are many apps for it out there including SHealth which is pre-installed on samsung phones. I personally use myfitnesspal, you can find me under the name tia_527. All you do with these apps is put in what foods you had at each meal and what amounts. You can also log exercise if you want. These apps will tell you how many calories you eat and what your macros were (how many grams of carbs vs protein vs fat you've had).

I haven't seen a NUT, and my doctor gave me a general diet to follow, but it's not all that great. I'm definitely gonna download that app!! Thanks so much!!

Well said PAstudent!! I wonder if your Surgeon or Nutronist has given you any guidelines? It is a work in progress, you HAVE too do the work. If you want to be successful track your food. Did your Dr say you can eat solid foods? Yu are just 1 month out, I had the RNY and I had to do Protein Drinks for 4 weeks after surgery. Then I went to soft blended foods. But to tell you the truth I was to scared to eat at all. I still use my GENEPRO protein with my espresso everyday to help me get my protein in. Hon, protein helps ud heal. Please work on getting the amount that you were told to do, also drink lots of fluids because with surgery our pouches can't hold much at a time and you don't want to become dehydrated. That is a whole another dilemma. Take care and keep us posted. If I can help in anyy way just ask.

You have to keep an honest account of what you are eating, even when you are eating poorly.

The three most important elements after Weight Loss Surgery are to meet your daily protein, fluid and vitamin requirements. Food is secondary because your body is converting your stored fat into the energy that drives your body. Thus you lose weight.

Weight loss is achieved after surgery through meal volume control. You begin at 2 ounces (1/4 cup) per meal and gradually increase the volume per meal. With this minuscule amount of food, it is next to impossible to meet your protein daily requirements by food alone, so therefore you need to rely on supplements such as protein shakes.

The Weight Loss Phase is short and then you will slide naturally into the Maintenance phase. If you want to get the most out of your surgery, it is extremely important to follow the detailed guidelines given to you by your surgeon.

4 hours ago, pherrera92 said:

I haven't seen a NUT, and my doctor gave me a general diet to follow, but it's not all that great. I'm definitely gonna download that app!! Thanks so much!!

Good luck to you man! And, it might be wise to talk to your doctor about the fact that you underwent this major surgery and don't feel like you have all of the information necessary for success. Maybe it'll get him to make some changes and bring a nutritionist onto the team. That would definitely help you and future patients!

Talk to your doctor about taking vitamin supplements, getting bloodwork to get vitamin levels checked out, and protein/weight loss goals. It also seems like you're a little unsure of what to expect. Do you have regular check ups with him to ensure everything is going ok in the early months? Everything everyone is saying here is useful and you should listen to them, but no one knows your medical history or special needs. Your surgeon does and would be the best person to give you advice.

It's worth tracking what you eat for at least a week or more, just so you can get an idea of what your macros look like based on what you usually eat. Of course, tracking every day is best, but I know that not everyone does it (including me). However, my food intake hasn't changed too much from week to week, and I mostly eat the same kinds of food every day, so I know that I'm hitting my goals.

Also, what's your water intake like? Even now, 6 months out, I find it hard to get in all my water and all my food during the day - I have to constantly remind myself to keep drinking, especially now when the weather is so hot and humid. If you are drinking a lot, you probably won't be eating as much.

Finally, if you find yourself snacking at night, you may want to impose a limit on yourself (for example, no food after 8 p.m.) and/or find something else to do to occupy your time (like go for a walk). I find the more I sit around at home, the more I tend to eat - which makes weekends more of a struggle for me, rather than during the week when I'm busy at work.