As @FluffyChix stated in the original thread:

Quote

Let's share all our sophomore experiences, our angst, our struggles, our suggestions--let's talk about life! Let's become friends! You can be on any kind of food plan, do any kind of exercise or not, be gay or straight, engage in cardio or not--you just have to be in the "tweener" stage post WLS.

Not a Newbie but not yet a Vet - Sophomores have different challenges and are coping with an awkward middle stage, so please only post if you've passed the six month post-surgery mark!

3 hours ago, thatch said:

HI folks, I'm a little over 8 months out from my surgery and lately I feel as if I've failed. I've only lost 36 pounds since my surgery (just over 60 pounds from my heaviest weight last year) and my surgeon is concerned. Things I'm trying:

Drinking lots more Water -- I was stuck on 60 to 64 ounces for months but now I shoot for 80

Measuring, measuring, measuring -- I was just eyeballing before and after actually MEASURING what I was eating it was eye opening to say the least ?

Eating like I just had surgery -- tiny bites, counting my chews, putting my fork/spoon down between bites and taking a long time to eat -- I've always been a speedy eater and it's been a hard habit to break

Adding a HIIT day to my workouts -- I lift 2 days a week and walk at least 45 minutes every day -- doctor wants me to do more cardio but I HATE cardio

Tracking every damn thing I put in my mouth -- even those Trader Joe's samples

Getting at least 90 grams of Protein daily

What piece of the puzzle am I missing? Any words of wisdom from you vets? I'm trying not to compare myself to some members' AMAZING weight loss progress, but it's hard not to get down about it.

I have to do this to lose only 1 lb in a couple of weeks. Plus I also IF.

How many calories are you eating and what are your macros?

Give us a day or two of meals to review.

Oops, forgot to mention my calories, @FluffyChix! I'm getting around 1200 daily. I'm shooting for 90 grams of protein, and I haven't really tracked my carbs but I stay away from processed carbs. Maybe that's a place where I can be more mindful, in tracking my macros. Here's a typical day:

Breakfast: 1/2 cup steel cut oats (cooked with Fairlife milk and protein powder), 2 slices bacon - 300 calories, 17 g protein

Mid-morning: Pure Protein bar - 200 calories, 21 g protein

Lunch: Ground beef and zucchini (3 oz. ground beef, with about 1/4 cup zucchini, tomatoes, and onions) 300 calories, 21 g protein

Mid afternoon: part skim mozz cheese stick - 80 calories, 6 g protein

Dinner: 3 oz. steak, 1/4 cup wilted spinach with walnuts and goat cheese - around 350 calories, 24 g protein

That said, I don't always eat this well...

2 minutes ago, thatch said:

Oops, forgot to mention my calories, @FluffyChix! I'm getting around 1200 daily. I'm shooting for 90 grams of Protein, and I haven't really tracked my carbs but I stay away from processed carbs. Maybe that's a place where I can be more mindful, in tracking my macros. Here's a typical day:

Breakfast: 1/2 cup steel cut oats (cooked with Fairlife milk and protein powder), 2 slices bacon - 300 calories, 17 g protein

Mid-morning: Pure Protein Bar - 200 calories, 21 g protein

Lunch: Ground beef and zucchini (3 oz. ground beef, with about 1/4 cup zucchini, tomatoes, and onions) 300 calories, 21 g protein

Mid afternoon: part skim mozz cheese stick - 80 calories, 6 g protein

Dinner: 3 oz. steak, 1/4 cup wilted spinach with walnuts and goat cheese - around 350 calories, 24 g protein

That said, I don't always eat this well...

I would be gaining weight your diet and I am 13 months out.

To lose I really have to keep it between about 650-800cals, <30g carbs, 60-70g protein and around 30g fat.

Edited March 25, 20197 yr by FluffyChix

Thanks for the response, @FluffyChix. My surgeon put me on that number of calories because I lift weights, but I'll talk to her about it.

I’m glad I found this thread. I’m closing in on my goal weight , I’m pretty impatient but I’m not setting a strict timeline for myself. I am older (58) and the weight simply comes off slower than I wish, but it does come off. I’m losing around 4 lbs a month now.

I weigh everything I eat, measure everything I drink and chart everything everyday. I’m the type of person who will have to do this forever as a part of my life. I eat 650-900 calories a day. (I stay around 750 90% of the time) My weakness is a late night snack of 100 calorie crackers, (gasp) but it keeps me sane and I count it. I keep my carbs 20-60 a day depending on my mood. I drink water and coffee and get about 80 oz a day. I have not had a “bad day” yet...

I hate working out but it really does make a difference with me. I would like to build up my muscle mass so I can have more calories once I hit the maintain stage. I have a home gym but I do the bare minimum here so I’m joining the gym in my hospital this month.

I’m Im still very motivated and plan to stay that way. I look forward to exchanging ideas and stories with everyone.

Edited March 25, 20197 yr by Cheeseburgh
I forgot my age

35 minutes ago, Cheeseburgh said:

I’m glad I found this thread. I’m closing in on my goal weight , I’m pretty impatient but I’m not setting a strict timeline for myself. I am older (58) and the weight simply comes off slower than I wish, but it does come off. I’m losing around 4 lbs a month now.

I weigh everything I eat, measure everything I drink and chart everything everyday. I’m the type of person who will have to do this forever as a part of my life. I eat 650-900 calories a day. (I stay around 750 90% of the time) My weakness is a late night snack of 100 calorie crackers, (gasp) but it keeps me sane and I count it. I keep my carbs 20-60 a day depending on my mood. I drink Water and coffee and get about 80 oz a day. I have not had a “bad day” yet...

I hate working out but it really does make a difference with me. I would like to build up my muscle mass so I can have more calories once I hit the maintain stage. I have a home gym but I do the bare minimum here so I’m joining the gym in my hospital this month.

I’m Im still very motivated and plan to stay that way. I look forward to exchanging ideas and stories with everyone.

Welcome!

Welcome to the new crop of sophomores!

6 hours ago, thatch said:

Oops, forgot to mention my calories, @FluffyChix! I'm getting around 1200 daily. I'm shooting for 90 grams of Protein, and I haven't really tracked my carbs but I stay away from processed carbs. Maybe that's a place where I can be more mindful, in tracking my macros. Here's a typical day:

Breakfast: 1/2 cup steel cut oats (cooked with Fairlife milk and protein powder), 2 slices bacon - 300 calories, 17 g protein

Mid-morning: Pure Protein Bar - 200 calories, 21 g protein

Lunch: Ground beef and zucchini (3 oz. ground beef, with about 1/4 cup zucchini, tomatoes, and onions) 300 calories, 21 g protein

Mid afternoon: part skim mozz cheese stick - 80 calories, 6 g protein

Dinner: 3 oz. steak, 1/4 cup wilted spinach with walnuts and goat cheese - around 350 calories, 24 g protein

That said, I don't always eat this well...

Hi @thatch

Try removing the oatmeal and protein bar. Go super clean. Try something different in the mornings like water then a smoothie or super bowl from chia seeds (fruit blended with protein powder or yogurt or cottage cheese)

Remove the wilted spinach and eat it raw less goat cheese less nuts (weigh those bad boys)

FIBER

WATER

EAT NO SNACKS... SORRY drink instead see if your weight begins to move again.

Thank you, @GreenTealael, I'll give that a shot!

7 hours ago, FluffyChix said:

I would be gaining weight your diet and I am 13 months out.

To lose I really have to keep it between about 650-800cals, <30g carbs, 60-70g protein and around 30g fat.

Me too ?

On 03/25/2019 at 18:42, GreenTealael said:

Me too ?

Wow, eating 650-800 sounds really hard (impossible) to me, but maybe that’s what I need to try in order to get my weight moving again.

How much exercise are you doing with that kind of calorie intake? I asked my NUT about it and she encouraged 1000-1300 per day so I’m really surprised to see such low calories (and similarly worried about whether I could actually get myself to do calories that low)...might need to shift my mindset?

“Drinking is the new snacking” for me as well, as long as the drink is less than 50 cals. So that’s meant coffee, tea, Crystal Light, ice cold water out of the fridge, etc.

I also have to get good at leaving food on the plate. Not because I’m still hungry and leaving it, but because if I’m not hungry, eating it because I paid for it is a HORRIBLE rule of thumb. I’ve just left half a piece of banana bread on a cafe table because it was a mistake to buy in the first place. Getting comfortable with leaving food behind has been a huge part of this for me.

Welcome new sophomores!

4 minutes ago, sideeye said:

“Drinking is the new snacking” for me as well, as long as the drink is less than 50 cals. So that’s meant coffee, tea, Crystal Light, ice cold Water out of the fridge, etc.

I also have to get good at leaving food on the plate. Not because I’m still hungry and leaving it, but because if I’m not hungry, eating it because I paid for it is a HORRIBLE rule of thumb. I’ve just left half a piece of banana bread on a cafe table because it was a mistake to buy in the first place. Getting comfortable with leaving food behind has been a huge part of this for me.

Welcome new sophomores!

truer words never spoken...

16 minutes ago, AEdoesRnY said:

Wow, eating 650-800 sounds really hard (impossible) to me, but maybe that’s what I need to try in order to get my weight moving again.

How much exercise are you doing with that kind of calorie intake? I asked my NUT about it and she encouraged 1000-1300 per day so I’m really surprised to see such low calories (and similarly worried about whether I could actually get myself to do calories that low)...might need to shift my mindset?

That's just for weight loss mode... Go by what your NUT says but if you aren't seeing result with high cals ask them to re evaluate.

Maintenance is a different beast. That goes by BMR as most VETS will tell you but you'll only find out what that will be through trail and error once you hit maintenance.

I don't exercise much if at all honestly. Just walking. The majority of my weight loss happened in the kitchen.

15 minutes ago, GreenTealael said:

That's just for weight loss mode... Go by what your NUT says but if you aren't seeing result with high cals ask them to re evaluate.

Maintenance is a different beast. That goes by BMR as most VETS will tell you but you'll only find out what that will be through trail and error once you hit maintenance.

I don't exercise much if at all honestly. Just walking. The majority of my weight loss happened in the kitchen.

Brilliant! Yes. Agree 100%.

I am still in weight loss mode. I walk almost 7 days a week—at least an hour per day. I do not “eat back” my exercise calories because honestly? The intensity nor duration warrant it. If I suddenly started dropping 3-4lbs per week at my stage, then I would re-evaluate. IMHO, if you aren’t losing and you’ve ruled out ALL variables and you know you’re faithfully accounting for everything, then you are consuming too many calls or carbs for your individual metabolism.