2years post op need working dieting advice

[BlueAngelEyes 164]

Hey im 2 years post op i had the gastric sleeve. i never got down to my goal sadly! Covid showing up didnt help ether. I started at 245 and got down to 160 but ive gained 20pounds and keep doing yoyo diets where i lose 5 pounds cheat tank it and gain the 5pounds back again. I need a diet i can stick too but dont know what that could be. I heard Keto is worth trying but heard to lose weight u have to stick to under 20g net carbs but how do you do that with adding in keto bread and veggies and what not. Its not making sence to me sadly. Any advise would be appreciated sence im struggling right now.. thank you

[joy59 81]

I definitely feel the pain. I had started at 286 got down to 130. That was 7 years ago. In the last 3years I went to 150. But then this last year with COVID I jumped up to 170. I tried many things with no results and finally went back to my original Post surgical weight. Low carbs and cutting portion sizes. I am back down to 150 and working towards my goal of 135. We worked hard for the surgery and postop. Don’t give up we can do it.

[catwoman7 10,972]

you have to find something that works for you. Some people swear by Keto, but others find it difficult to follow for more than a week or two. Others swear by Weight Watchers - or intermittent fasting - or Atkins. I usually just cut calories, watch my portion sizes, and go back to the way we were supposed to eat that first year (NOT all the way back to Protein Shakes - but I mean how we ate after the first couple of months post-op - Protein first, then non-starchy vegetables, and then, if we still have room (and if wanted/needed), a small serving of fruit or whole-grain carb). And start logging your food again if you aren't still doing that. You may be eating more than you think you are. I stopped logging (and weighing myself) for about a month last year when I was overseas, and I came back a few pounds heavier, even though I thought I was being "good". I learned I have to monitor myself like a hawk - and probably will for the rest of my life!

btw - if it's too hard to drastically cut calories (if you decide on the calorie-counting method, which I do when I want to lose a few pounds), then do it gradually. Log your food for a week or two to see how many calories you typically average. That's your baseline. Then cut it by 100 calories. If a couple of weeks go by and the scale isn't moving, then cut by another 100 calories. Rinse and repeat. Eventually you'll find the calorie level that'll get the scale moving again.

[Circus321 58]

I did Keto for a while and it’s really hard the first few weeks but then after you get in ketosis it’s much easier. You can’t have bread at all on keto. The only carbs you should eat are green, non-starchy vegetables, which are easily under 20g of net carbs a day (net carbs=total carbs minus fiber). Focus on meat, cheese, and green vegetables. I lost a good amount of weight with keto but it gave me gallbladder and stomach problems so I had to stop and ended up 20lbs higher than I was before. So I don’t know if I’d recommend it, but that’s how to do it.

[ms.sss 14,935]

Ok. This is just my observations based on MY experience. It may apply to you, it may not, the only real way to find it what works for YOU is to try different approaches. But the main thing to keep in mind, is to give it some time to see if it works. I read alot of people lament a strategy isn't working (or is working) after only a week or so. Change over time is the determining factor in a successful or not strategy. Results after a couple of days is not indicative of the effectiveness of a change.

With that said:

KETO: At first, I tried to do Keto, but I just couldn't keep up with the fat requirement percentages while aiming for 60g Protein, along with my inability to take in volume of food and staying below a certain calorie level. Eventually my diet morphed into protein-forward, ultra-low carb one (max 20g NET carbs, min 60g protein, and let the fat fall where it may, staying under a certain calorie level for my current phase).

INTERMITTENT FASTING: I didn't know it until I read up about it, but I was actually doing IF. I didn't/don't eat until after noon (which was normal for me even pre-op), and I didn't eat beyond 7pm..this because I had a horrible experience waking up in the middle of the night spitting up food after surgery and it was enough for me to ensure that I went to bed every night on an empty stomach. I am not yet convinced (though I'm sure others have differing opinions) that IF actually makes you burn more fat, but I do recognize that keeping eating to a limited window does make you eat less calories over all vs. eating all day, so yeah, this would accelerate weight loss.

I am now 2+ years post op, and for ME I have learned that it doesn't matter at all what my macros or eating times are, all that matters is total calories, in short CICO.

I stopped being ultra-low carb after weight loss phase, and have even re-introduced bread (only my homemade ones, cuz they are delicious, lol) into my diet, and it makes zero difference on my weight (all other things being equal). There was a almost a week after Xmas where my diet consisted almost solely of just Desserts. No diff to my weight. I guess because my total average calories per day was still 1800. Of course, health-wise, this wasn't the best idea, but we are just talking weight here.

Because of this observation, and my super-anal disposition, I am a big proponent of tracking what you eat with the conscious intention to stay within your maintenance calories the majority of the time. As well as daily weighing, if you can stand it (some cannot, and that's cool...they just have to find another way that works for them).

Also, i accept that maintenance is a never-ending series of adjustments. What works for me today may not work for me tomorrow. And what weight/size I consider acceptable today may be 10 lbs heavier further down the line.

In short decide what you want today, and determine if you are willing to do what it takes to get it. If you aren't, change what you want.

Sorry this was so long.

Good Luck!

P.S. after re-reading my post, I realize I sort of went off topic, but whateves, it's still what I wanted to say! LOL. Sorry!

P.P.S. Also wanted to add the while I think going low or ultra-low carb makes little difference to my weight, it does make a difference to how I look. Lower carb intake levels make me look LESS puffier/fuller, which is good for my bod, but bad for face.

Edited February 27, 2021 by ms.sss