Hi,

I need help! I had the sleeve in March of 2015. About a year ago I started gaining weight back. I've gained about 25 lbs back. I recently got a personal trainer and have been working out consistently for 2 months. The problem is the scale hasn't moved. My trainer focuses on strength training. So 4 of the 5 days we workout we are lifting and 1 day is cardio for about 30 minutes. He wants me to eat more because of this but physically I can't ( you guys can relate). He wants me to eat more than 1200 calories a day but I'm only getting in about 600. Maybe 700 or 800 on a good day.

I just need advice. I don't know if I should cut back on the strength training or revamp my eating (which I don't know what I should do with my eating). I just want to lose the weight I gained so that I can feel better in my body like I did year 1 and 2 after surgery.

Any advise who would!

Thanks in advanced.

600 kcal a day at five years out is REALLY low. Maintenance for most people is somewhere in the 1200-1500 range (fortunately, for me it's more like 1700). Have you been eating 600 calories all along? Most of us just eat at that level the first year post-op. I can lose if my intake is 1500 or fewer calories - but of course that's going to be different for everyone.

Weight loss is supposedly 80% diet and 20% exercise, so losing is going to be more impacted by food choices than exercise (although exercise helps somewhat - and it's GREAT for general health). I wouldn't necessarily cut back on strength training. It doesn't burn many calories, and some people gain a few lbs when they first start (usually less than five lbs - and that's usually temporary), but in the long term it does increase your metabolism.

When I want to lose, I try to go back to the basics - protein first, then vegetables, and then if I have room, maybe a small serving of fruit or whole-grain carb. I also figure out how many calories I'm averaging a day (and you can do this by tracking your intake for a few days, if you're not already doing that), and then cut back about 100 calories. If after a couple weeks nothing happens, then cut another 100. Rinse and repeat. But if you're truly only eating 600 kcal a day, I would NOT cut back from that. That's too low as it is.

are you getting enough protein? Drinking enough fluids?

also, keep in mind that if you're at or near a normal BMI, that last 20 lbs can be a BEAR to lose. I've been on a mission to lose 10 these last couple of months, and I can only manage to eke out about 2 lbs a month. That may be what you're dealing with as well..

36 minutes ago, catwoman7 said:

600 kcal a day at five years out is REALLY low. Maintenance for most people is somewhere in the 1200-1500 range (fortunately, for me it's more like 1700). Have you been eating 600 calories all along? Most of us just eat at that level the first year post-op. I can lose if my intake is 1500 or fewer calories - but of course that's going to be different for everyone.

Weight loss is supposedly 80% diet and 20% exercise, so losing is going to be more impacted by food choices than exercise (although exercise helps somewhat - and it's GREAT for general health). I wouldn't necessarily cut back on strength training. It doesn't burn many calories, and some people gain a few lbs when they first start (usually less than five lbs - and that's usually temporary), but in the long term it does increase your metabolism.

When I want to lose, I try to go back to the basics - Protein first, then vegetables, and then if I have room, maybe a small serving of fruit or whole-grain carb. I also figure out how many calories I'm averaging a day (and you can do this by tracking your intake for a few days, if you're not already doing that), and then cut back about 100 calories. If after a couple weeks nothing happens, then cut another 100. Rinse and repeat. But if you're truly only eating 600 kcal a day, I would NOT cut back from that. That's too low as it is.

are you getting enough protein? Drinking enough fluids?

also, keep in mind that if you're at or near a normal BMI, that last 20 lbs can be a BEAR to lose. I've been on a mission to lose 10 these last couple of months, and I can only manage to eke out about 2 lbs a month. That may be what you're dealing with as well..

I truly appreciate this feedback. Yes I have been eating about this much since year 1. Some days I eat more but it's mostly 600-800. I tried eating more and it was an interesting day. I honestly don't get enough fluids and I know I'm probably not getting enough protein. I think I need to get back to the basics. Thank you so much again. I think I'm going to reset and then start here and see what happens

I think you need to focus more on cardio than strength training if you’re trying to lose weight. I do 5 days a week of 1 hour cardio and 3 days a week strength training which is about an hour and a half. 30 minutes of cardio a week isn’t going to do anything for you if you’re trying to lose weight.

8 minutes ago, MVK said:

I think you need to focus more on cardio than strength training if you’re trying to lose weight. I do 5 days a week of 1 hour cardio and 3 days a week strength training which is about an hour and a half. 30 minutes of cardio a week isn’t going to do anything for you if you’re trying to lose weight.

I was thinking that as well. Thanks for that confirmation.

23 hours ago, Kimyana1 said:

Hi,

I need help! I had the sleeve in March of 2015. About a year ago I started gaining weight back. I've gained about 25 lbs back. I recently got a personal trainer and have been working out consistently for 2 months. The problem is the scale hasn't moved. My trainer focuses on strength training. So 4 of the 5 days we workout we are lifting and 1 day is cardio for about 30 minutes. He wants me to eat more because of this but physically I can't ( you guys can relate). He wants me to eat more than 1200 calories a day but I'm only getting in about 600. Maybe 700 or 800 on a good day.

I just need advice. I don't know if I should cut back on the strength training or revamp my eating (which I don't know what I should do with my eating). I just want to lose the weight I gained so that I can feel better in my body like I did year 1 and 2 after surgery.

Any advise who would!

Thanks in advanced.

Question. How did you gain 25 pounds eating 600 to 700 calories?

42 minutes ago, afterthought said:

Question. How did you gain 25 pounds eating 600 to 700 calories?

It didn’t happen over night. It’s been over the last 2.5 years. I know I said a year but I’m counting the time since I moved away from home. Eating all the wrong things. Not being active at all. I’m sure before i was eating more than that but I’ve cut back to eating about that over the last few months. My job keeps me so busy that if I don’t intentionally make myself eat i won’t eat. But I’m going to start back meal prepping because that seems to be the way I can eat when I’m supposed to and get my calories in.

1 hour ago, afterthought said:

Question. How did you gain 25 pounds eating 600 to 700 calories?

Also the 600 calories has only been since I’ve been working out. So over the last 2 months. Before I wouldn’t eat often but i would eat the wrong things. Mainly fast food because my job is so demanding.

@Kimyana1, if you don't mind me asking, how tall are you and how much do you weigh right now? As the other poster said above, if you are close to "normal" BMI, the weight comes off sooooooooo much slower.

(Though at 600 cals a day + the workouts you report, that would make anyone lose weight over 2 months...even a 5-foot tall, 100lb woman...so if that's the case maybe consult with your PCP? You may have some underlying issue....)

33 minutes ago, ms.sss said:

@Kimyana1, if you don't mind me asking, how tall are you and how much do you weigh right now? As the other poster said above, if you are close to "normal" BMI, the weight comes off sooooooooo much slower.

(Though at 600 cals a day + the workouts you report, that would make anyone lose weight over 2 months...even a 5-foot tall, 100lb woman...so if that's the case maybe consult with your PCP? You may have some underlying issue....)

I am 5’2 and weighing at 195 lbs.

2 hours ago, Kimyana1 said:

I am 5’2 and weighing at 195 lbs.

Ok, yeah, at 5'2" and 195 lbs, you SHOULD be losing weight at 600 cals w/ your stated exercise, especially after 2 straight months of doing this. I'm really surprised that you aren't.

Maybe consult with your PCP?

2 minutes ago, ms.sss said:

Ok, yeah, at 5'2" and 195 lbs, you SHOULD be losing weight at 600 cals w/ your stated exercise, especially after 2 straight months of doing this. I'm really surprised that you aren't.

Maybe consult with your PCP?

I think i will. I’m going to try doing the reset diet to jump start it. If that doesn’t work then I am definitely going to reach out to him.

Hi Kimyana

First, I just want to say that I completely sympathise with you. I'm 5 years out from my surgery and I've gained back about 8kg (or 17lbs). It's hard to shake and it feels awful.

I do think, however, that you need to be really really strict with yourself about how you're recording calories. Can you tell us here how you record them? Are you using an application like myfitnesspal? do you use the exact item/brand you ate to track? Are you breaking down each meal you cook into its parts and weighing them to track?

To be accurate with calories, you need to weigh and track every single item that passes your lips throughout the day. Including all drinks.

I say this because I'll be honest with you.. it's basically impossible for a person, at any weight, to be eating 600 calories a day consistently and not lose any weight. And that's when they're sedentary. 600 calories is a staggeringly small amount of food. To compare, 3 of the VLCD Optifast shakes made with water only are 500 calories a day.

Unfortunately, underestimating our calorie intake is very easy. I often will think oh, I can't have eaten more than 1400-1500 calories today. If I add it all up, on a day where I haven't been taking much care etc, I can easily have eaten 1800-2000 calories. It's not as much food as it sounds, and I cook all my own food and eat lots of veg. It's just easily done.

Without getting into it, I'm a doctor and I have seen people starve in the beds on calorie intakes more than 600. Even a person with underlying medical issues like PCOS or thyroid dysfunction should easily drop weight on 600 calories a day, especially when they're significantly overweight like you are (at 195lbs) or exercising.

I know it's not easy to hear and it's not easy to say, to be honest. But I think you need to be really honest with yourself about how you're tracking your calorie intake and aim to track by weighing every single thing you eat and tracking it accurately (ie if the item is not listed to track, then make your own item with accurate calorie content and then track it) so that you can get a true sense of what you are taking in.

Edited May 7, 20206 yr by RylbmiK

12 minutes ago, RylbmiK said:

Hi Kimyana

First, I just want to say that I completely sympathise with you. I'm 5 years out from my surgery and I've gained back about 8kg (or 17lbs). It's hard to shake and it feels awful.

I do think, however, that you need to be really really strict with yourself about how you're recording calories. Can you tell us here how you record them? Are you using an application like myfitnesspal? do you use the exact item/brand you ate to track? Are you breaking down each meal you cook into its parts and weighing them to track?

To be accurate with calories, you need to weigh and track every single item that passes your lips throughout the day. Including all drinks.

I say this because I'll be honest with you.. it's basically impossible for a person, at any weight, to be eating 600 calories a day consistently and not lose any weight. And that's when they're sedentary. 600 calories is a staggeringly small amount of food. To compare, 3 of the VLCD Optifast shakes made with Water only are 500 calories a day.

Unfortunately, underestimating our calorie intake is very easy. I often will think oh, I can't have eaten more than 1400-1500 calories today. If I add it all up, on a day where I haven't been taking much care etc, I can easily have eaten 1800-2000 calories. It's not as much food as it sounds, and I cook all my own food and eat lots of veg. It's just easily done.

Without getting into it, I'm a doctor and I have seen people starve in the beds on calorie intakes more than 600. Even a person with underlying medical issues like PCOS or thyroid dysfunction should easily drop weight on 600 calories a day, especially when they're significantly overweight like you are (at 195lbs) or exercising.

I know it's not easy to hear and it's not easy to say, to be honest. But I think you need to be really honest with yourself about how you're tracking your calorie intake and aim to track by weighing every single thing you eat and tracking it accurately (ie if the item is not listed to track, then make your own item with accurate calorie content and then track it) so that you can get a true sense of what you are taking in.

I definitely understand that. When I started with my trainer I started cutting back. But I didn’t realize that i had cut back so much. I was literally eating OMAD and a protein shake after my workout. Now I am being more cognizant about what I’m eating. I am now using my fitnesspal to track my food. And now that I’m wfh it’s easier to tell myself hey you haven’t eaten anything in about 2 hours grab some fruit or something. So over the last few days I can say I have upped my calorie intake. Today I ate about 1400 calories but that’s because I was making sure that every other hour I was eating. Whether it was fruit or yogurt. After reading some responses I truly think I haven’t been eating enough and with working out 5 days a week my body was going into starvation mode and hanging on to the food.

I was hesitant to reply to this, as I'm wary of the back and forth that will naturally ensue, but I just feel bad for the future newbie who would read this and be possibly led down a less-efficient track...

With that said:

I always feel like the term "starvation mode" is thrown around alot on here and used to explain situations that might not necessarily be 100% true or correct.

The idea that one would NOT lose weight (or even gain weight!) OVER A PERIOD OF TIME at severely restricted calories + exercise with BMI classifying them as OBESE, is a fallacy.

Sure, deceased calories may slow down your metabolic rate (as will inactivity, all over all mass reduction, etc), but it will NOT stop it until you are dead. And long before you get to that point, weight loss will be the least of your worries. Unless one has some serious underlying issue, an OBESE person eating less than NET 600 cals a day over two months WILL LOSE WEIGHT.

Things get a little cloudier/less clear-cut when a person is at normal or under-weight, but that is not the case here.

Further, I think less than NET 600 cals a day, every day, for more than 2 months straight is tough to do so far out of surgery, and I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone other than the "professional" fasters. But that is ultimately up to you.

Google is your friend, educate yourselves.

P.S. Sorry if this post will get some people upset! My intention is not to blame nor point fingers, or otherwise dismiss you. I honestly just want you all to succeed/feel awesome. ❤️

47 minutes ago, ms.sss said:

I was hesitant to reply to this, as I'm wary of the back and forth that will naturally ensue, but I just feel bad for the future newbie who would read this and be possibly led down a less-efficient track...

With that said:

I always feel like the term "starvation mode" is thrown around alot on here and used to explain situations that might not necessarily be 100% true or correct.

The idea that one would NOT lose weight (or even gain weight!) OVER A PERIOD OF TIME at severely restricted calories + exercise with BMI classifying them as OBESE, is a fallacy.

Sure, deceased calories may slow down your metabolic rate (as will inactivity, all over all mass reduction, etc), but it will NOT stop it until you are dead. And long before you get to that point, weight loss will be the least of your worries. Unless one has some serious underlying issue, an OBESE person eating less than NET 600 cals a day over two months WILL LOSE WEIGHT.

Things get a little cloudier/less clear-cut when a person is at normal or under-weight, but that is not the case here.

Further, I think less than NET 600 cals a day, every day, for more than 2 months straight is tough to do so far out of surgery, and I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone other than the "professional" fasters. But that is ultimately up to you.

Google is your friend, educate yourselves.

P.S. Sorry if this post will get some people upset! My intention is not to blame nor point fingers, or otherwise dismiss you. I honestly just want you all to succeed/feel awesome. ❤️

^^^ I totally agree with this. The whole "starvation mode" theory is pretty controversial.