Hello all,

My name is Jen. This is my first post and I hope to find some support within this community. I had my gastric sleeve procedure in July 2017 at 22 years old. I was 310 pounds before the two-week fast and was 291 pounds at the time of the surgery. After the surgery, I lost weight rapidly, I was down to 225 pounds by December of that same year. But then my weight loss decreased and for the past 2.5 years, I've been stuck at an average weight of 215 pounds. Since COVID started, I have actually gained weight and am now 235 lbs (not being able to go to the gym has sucked). At one point nearly 2 years after my surgery I had even gotten to 196 lbs, which was a 100-pound weight loss. I want to lose another 100 pounds to meet my goal weight range of 135-140 lbs, which would be a healthy weight for my height and build.

But I need help. I have other factors that are making weight loss more difficult. I have PCOS which naturally makes weight loss difficult. I use birth control pills to help regulate the hormones that are affected by PCOS. I also have had bone and joint problems since I was a child. I've been trying to focus on my diet, but I must admit I have a giant sweet tooth and I am a picky eater. Pizza and candy are my banes. I'm also a graduate student who is under a ton of stress and has very limited personal time. This makes exercising and preparing meals difficult.

Despite these complications, I don't eat out at all, nor do I order take-in. I have a treadmill that I walk or jog on for at least an hour each day, and I attend Zumba twice a weak (I'm not very good at it haha). I am not diabetic or pre-diabetic but I do have asthma.

So, is anyone else in a similar situation that would like to build a little group? I've never had any weight loss support and I am hoping that by building a group, I can find more motivation and encouragement as I lose 100 more pounds.

TLDR: 4 years since VSG surgery and I'm still not at goal weight, keep stalling or gaining weight. Need friends in similar situations for support, guidance, motivation, and encouragement.

I found the most success (pre-op) when I combined diet with weight/resistance training. What about buying some dumbbells or kettlebells? You can find training programs online if you're not yet comfortable going to the gym (understandable!).

Everything I've read says you can't out-exercise a bad diet, so I think that's where you need to focus. I have a giant sweet tooth too, so I've learned that when I don't eat any sweets except fruit, I don't crave them. Really. Personally, I can have splenda in my coffee and be fine, but some people can't. I would stop with the candy. It's got no nutritional value and you need to find vegetables you like. Try roasted veggies. You can roast them while you are studying (I roast them while I'm working from home). Try red bell peppers or cucumbers with tzatziki or hummus or greek yogurt with everything but the bagel seasoning. Eat fruits that are in season, they will taste better and be cheaper. Or use frozen fruits to sweeten light Greek yogurt. Make a pancake from a really ripe banana, an egg (or egg product), and a scoop of unflavored protein powder, then top with sugar free syrup. Excellent for breakfast or dessert.

Edited August 24, 20214 yr by lizonaplane

8 hours ago, vikingbeast said:

I found the most success (pre-op) when I combined diet with weight/resistance training. What about buying some dumbbells or kettlebells? You can find training programs online if you're not yet comfortable going to the gym (understandable!).

Thank you for the suggestion! I haven't tried weight or resistance training. Probably because I wouldn't know where to start and years ago when I had my surgery, I was told to focus on cardio. Do you have suggestions for some beginner programs or exercises or online resources that you've found helpful?

5 hours ago, lizonaplane said:

Everything I've read says you can't out-exercise a bad diet, so I think that's where you need to focus. I have a giant sweet tooth too, so I've learned that when I don't eat any sweets except fruit, I don't crave them. Really. Personally, I can have splenda in my coffee and be fine, but some people can't. I would stop with the candy. It's got no nutritional value and you need to find vegetables you like. Try roasted veggies. You can roast them while you are studying (I roast them while I'm working from home). Try red bell peppers or cucumbers with tzatziki or hummus or greek yogurt with everything but the bagel seasoning. Eat fruits that are in season, they will taste better and be cheaper. Or use frozen fruits to sweeten light Greek yogurt. Make a pancake from a really ripe banana, an egg (or egg product), and a scoop of unflavored Protein Powder, then top with sugar free Syrup. Excellent for Breakfast or dessert.

Hi! Thank you for the comment, I agree the diet is probably the most important part. And perhaps my post made it seem like I just eat candy but I try to limit myself and don't gorge. Although I do acknowledge that I need to eat less sugar and have been making efforts to do so by eating more fruit in substitute for a sugar craving like you suggested. Unfortunately, I am unable to use artificial sweeteners such as Splenda because my gut doesn't react well (to put it lightly haha). Perhaps someone has had a similar experience with this and has some advice on what they did to limit the use of sugar without using artificials?

The truth is exercising only contributes to a maximum of 20% of the weight you have to lose. You’d have to walk 6km in an hour or run 8km in 45 mins to burn 360 calories (about two slices of pizza). Of course there’s lots of other benefits to building & maintaining your fitness. Making adjustments to your diet & reducing your calorie intake is the real key coupled with portion sizes to weight loss. If you consume fewer calories then your body needs to function you’ll lose weight.

Work at reducing your sugar intake. Stop the candies for a month but avoid sugar rich alternatives. Then drop any cakes or biscuits. Look to fresh fruit for a sweet treat. Make other small changes to your food choices like @lizonaplane suggested. Again you don’t have to change everything at once. Swap out a couple of things at a time & give yourself time to get used to it. You’ll likely find it much easier to make & adopt small changes to your food choices. You may not see changes in the scale straight away but it will happen.

Go back to tracking your food - calories & portion sizes. It’s easy to let these slip especially if you’re guessing or not being as vigilant. Check your protein & fluid intake & increase if needed.

Did you have a therapist when you had your surgery? Maybe get back in contact with them or ask your bariatric team for a recommendation. The therapist may help you better manage your stress & what may be driving your cravings.

You can get back on top of this. Good luck.

Hi Jen! I think forming a little group is a great idea! I'm basically in the same boat. Vsg 3 years ago, never got to goal and have gained 10/15 lbs over the last year and a half. I also have pcos and am pre diabetic. I am having a hard time getting back on track and I want to lose about 25/30 lbs. I could really use the support/ motivation from people that are in my shoes.

10 hours ago, alleamarie said:

Hi Jen! I think forming a little group is a great idea! I'm basically in the same boat. Vsg 3 years ago, never got to goal and have gained 10/15 lbs over the last year and a half. I also have pcos and am pre diabetic. I am having a hard time getting back on track and I want to lose about 25/30 lbs. I could really use the support/ motivation from people that are in my shoes.

Hi Allea Marie! Let's connect We can follow each other and start messaging on here if that sounds good to you? I don't have experience with starting or maintaining a small support group but I think this is the first step!

So I am 2 1/2 years out from my sleeve surgery. 1000% the best thing I every did. About a year after my surgery I fell down some stairs and hurt my foot. I wasn’t able to walk/exercise for 11 months. I was at my lowest weight of 203. Well of course I have gained some back. I am now able to walk but can’t go very long without pain. I have to fully concentrate on what I eat. I started a new job and they love to eat!!! I have gain some more weight back and have to change something. I have decided to do a 10 day reset just to get my mind right. After that I will be watching portions and what I’m eating. I was scared that I had stretched my stomach but did a test this weekend and I really haven’t. If you look at what you are supposed to be eating which is the 6 oz. I’m usually between 4-5 oz. So long story short I just need to make better choices. We can do it and I think a group will be great. Especially for us that are years out. I can answer questions and given my experiences to anyone that needs them.