stagnation Weight Loss Stagnation 10 Months Post-Op

[Paul.VDH 5]

Hey Everyone, I hope you're doing well.

Here's a bit of background on me before I get into my current dilemma, if you don't care about that, skip to the TLDR at the end.

I'm a 27 year old man and I got my surgery last year. I've always been heavy (the last time I was less than 300 lbs was in elementary school) and I wanted to live a longer, happier life. I talked with my doctor and she said that Bariatric surgery was the best option for me. I went to one Bariatric clinic and was basically treated as a number, so after six months of prep and almost $1k, I left them and went to a Bariatric clinic that a family friend had had good luck with.

I had better luck with them and was able to get my surgery ~ 4 months after my first visit with them(vs almost a year with the first one). My finance(then GF) and I actually got COVID three months before my surgery, though it was not horrible for us. My hospital stay was fine and my recovery went pretty well. I had issues with the liquid diet following the surgery, but after that I was fine until now. Read after the TL;DR for my current dilemma.

TL;DR:

I'm 10 months post-op and my weight loss has stagnated. I'm prepping ~10 oz per meal, though I usually don't finish it, and have been doing that for about a month. I do about 20-30 minutes on a peddle bike (under my desk) per day. My doctor recommended Keto for me (which I tried pre-op and lost 90+lbs, though it was terrible for me psychologically) and I started it today.

I was wondering if anyone had any tips to push past the wall I'm stuck on.

Thanks for any advice.

Paul

Edited September 15, 2021 by Paul.VDH

[ms.sss 15,813]

The "10oz per meal"...do you know how many calories these meals consists of? At 10 months, weight loss is more affected by caloric value vs volume/mass. A 10oz salad is just a fraction of the calories of a 10oz burger.

If you can, try tracking your food intake and see if this is where you can make some changes. Track it for say, a week straight and you can get an idea of your average intake. Reduce if necessary.

Calorie intake is *usually* the issue if a stall lasts longer than a few weeks (months?). If not, I'd probably suggest to consult a medical professional to see if you have any circumstances that pre-dispose you to being heavier.

Good Luck! ❤️

Edited September 15, 2021 by ms.sss

[Paul.VDH 5]

@ms.sss I have a condition that makes me absorb more calories than the average person, at least that's what my GP said. I usually eat around 400 calories per meal, though I know I've eaten much more from time to time.

My surgeon recommended against salads, as they are usually made up of lettuce, which is just filler with little nutritional value. Is that not the case?

Do you have a recommended calculator for caloric intake that I could find somewhere?

[ms.sss 15,813]

Ok, as is always the case, when I come across something I never heard of before, I google the sh*t out of it. My preliminary searches could not find the condition that you describe...do you happen to know the name of it? I'm totally intrigued. I'm assuming its the opposite of malabsorption??

True, salads are usually made up of greens, but can still be nutritious by adding some yummer toppings (other veggies, Proteins, fruit, etc...). I would think that the concern about the filling-ability of salads is more a concern in the immediate months after surgery (due to limited stomach real estate) than at 10 months post. Does your surgeon still recommend against salads currently? But I'm no medical professional, so don't listen to me, lol.

There are alot of GENERAL calorie intake calculators out there, but you would probably be better served by a doctor or dietitian or nutritionist or dexa scan to determine YOUR true numbers. An online calculator is waaaaay too generalized. BUT, if you are curious, you can check this one out for funsies:

https://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html

[Paul.VDH 5]

@ms.sss My GP wasn't sure, but based on my diet and weight issues, she figured that had to be the case. What little I did find about it mentioned that it's not unheard of in people who are of Belgian/Irish descent. Both locations are prone to famines, so what was a life saving trait is now a malignant one in their descendants. I've never found a name for it when looking either.

I'm going to try Keto again for a week or two and see how I feel. My doc recommended it as a way to restart my weight loss, so we'll see how that goes.

I really appreciate your input!

[Tony B - NJ 644]

I cannot even imagine eating 10 ounces of anything. Your problem is fairly obviously too many calories and not enough exercise. Go out and walk for an hour a day, get rid of that cycle thing unless you do that AND walk. Use a calorie tracking app, Any one of them will work. Weigh every food item and know the calories.

I wonder if after 10 ounces of food per meal if your sleeve is not stretched out and not useful any longer

[LaoDaBeirut 158]

What are you actually eating? My weight loss stalled for quite a while and I was worried I was just done but then I became more careful with watching what I eat and making sure I get Protein and the scale moved again.

I'm also really confused that your GP apparently diagnosed you with something but you don't know the name of it. If you do actually have a condition that causes you to gain weight then you need to seek treatment for that.

[JDLane 140]

Can you provide an example of a typical day of eating? This may help people to pinpoint some advice.

Speaking in general terms I was told my team that 6-8oz per meal is the maximum quantity I should be consuming. Even years out I was told not to surpass 1 cup in volume at a sitting.

A calorie is a unit of energy, only a finite amount exist in a piece of food. Your body can fail to absorb the energy if the food were to pass right through but I don't think it can create extra in a given piece of something. Perhaps your doctor just meant you have a slower metabolism and your body doesn't burn the energy off the same way as others may.

[Paul.VDH 5]

To be clear, I was never diagnosed with that strange caloric condition, it was something my GP and I came up with after years of conversations and a bit of research on my end.

I think I'll do a bit of calorie counting and see where things go. I've been eating a lot more calories than I probably should have. I'm embarrassed to even talk about what I used to eat every day.

Thanks for the advice everyone...maybe this little dose of shame will do me well on my WL journey.

Edited September 15, 2021 by Paul.VDH

[MandoGetsSleeved 444]

Hi Paul - Going to "sort of" agree with some of the other posters - 10 ounces would make a lot of us sleevers pretty miserable so I am definitely going to suggest a couple of apps for you - I use "Baritastic" and "Lose It" (both free). They are super convenient and allow you track your food. What I would suggest trying is to do NOTHING different for about a week or two. Weigh yourself and if no loss, try and reduce the caloric intake by 100 calories per day for another week. Since you'll be tracking, it may be as simple as cutting out an ounce from the 10oz per meal.

1200 calories per day doesn't sound like a lot for a man, but as you noted, we're all different and you may aborb calories differently and require less. Substituting "heavy" foods that stick in your stomach may also help with keeping you fuller for longer. I also try and make sure that whenever I'm feeling snacky, I drink Water first.

[MandoGetsSleeved 444]

@Paul.VDH I'd also like to add - Please don't be ashamed on this forum - It's a journey - We all make mistakes, some of us get complacent, some of us get plain ole lazy (ME!), but we just have to keep on trying. Using the app is one way to hold yourself accountable without feeling the "shame" of sharing it with the world. I know if I stop tracking, I start snacking (It's easy to convince myself that everything is good...).

[blackcatsandbaddecisions 854]

I personally eat a lot of salad now (I’m 10 months out as well)- Leafy greens have a ton of good nutrition to them and are lower calorie to boot. And I like that they fill my stomach- that’s what I’m after! I frequently will eat a salad with chicken breast. At ten months out we don’t need to be as paranoid about making every bite as nutritionally dense as possible. Eating a good variety of non processed foods is your best bet.

I find that I keep on having to catch new ways I’m unconsciously eating more calories than I should- grazing on nuts, eating multiple Snacks, eating super calorically dense food, etc.

It’s possible to eat a very healthy and nutritionally sound diet that a nutritionist would love and still be eating too much of it and gain weight. My end goal is still to lose weight, so I’m eating with that mindset first.

[Paul.VDH 5]

@MandoGetsSleeved I appreciate the kind words, I've been struggling with the fact that my weight plateaued for the last month or so and it's been making me feel like a complete failure and that I wasted my money on the surgery since I was wasting it (stretching the pouch out). I downloaded Baritastic and have put in my current Breakfast, hopefully it helps keep me on track without making me crazy (I know My Fitness Pal had a tendency to do that to me).

@blackcatsandbaddecisions Thanks for the advice, I'll look into eating a salad or two throughout the week to keep my calorie intake down. I know I haven't been doing an amazing job in eating the right foods, but I thought that if I was keeping to ten ounces or so, I'd be fine. I guess that's incorrect, so now I got back to counting calories...my least favorite form of weight loss program.

I'm considering doing/am started on a pouch reset. I'm worried that I've stretched out my pouch to double it's original size and from what little research I've done, that appears to be the only non-surgical way to shrink it back.

If anyone has any advice (including "Don't Do It!) about Pouch Resets, please let me know.

[MandoGetsSleeved 444]

@Paul.VDH No worries - OK, my 2 cents on "pouch reset" and "counting calories" - Let's look at it logically.... We all know you have to consume less calories than you burn - Otherwise = weight gain. At 10 months out, let's face it, you're bored with the "diet" and ready to venture into new foods. At least I know I was. For me, I simply had to come to a compromise with myself and knock on wood, so far it's working. You can do the pouch reset, and you WILL lose weight by going through the phases again - IF you're doing that to get back on track, then go for it. IF you're doing it to lose 5-10 lbs quickly and then go back to what you're doing today - It's a temp fix. No different than what many of us have done before on previous diets. Use the app to make yourself AWARE of what you're doing to self-sabotage and make realistic modifications from there. If you want something that's "forbidden" (cake, alcohol, fried food, etc.), have it - BUT, in a reasonable quantity - I was just talking to a friend last night who also did the surgery and we were talking about these things - Instead of eating something like it's the last time you will EVER have it again (food funeral?), have a bite or two and then put it up and replace it with something more reasonable if you're still hungry. Example - Last night my husband had country fried steak (one of my all time favorites - can you say comfort food!!) - Rather than have 3-4 ounces of it - I had two bites and was still hungry so I had a Protein Shake. A month or so ago, I would have eaten it until I was stuffed and then swear I wouldn't indulge again (and of course I would!). Drinking... well, again, I told myself that if I was going to fall off the wagon, I should make it worth it and over do it. I'm consciously working on enjoying a glass of wine (vs. a bottle) or a glass of bourbon (vs 1/2 a bottle!).

At just over a year out, I pretty much eat and drink whatever I want. It's been an adjustment, but slowly but surely I'm getting where I want to be. Many days/weeks I don't track. When I find that I'm self-sabotaging (I get on the scale each and every day), I go back to tracking. Seeing it in black and white (both the scale and the tracking) helps me get back on track to maintain and/or lose. I may or may not ever get to my goal weight, but I'll be damned if I'm going back to where I started.

[GreenTealael 25,579]

On 9/15/2021 at 1:27 PM, Paul.VDH said:

I have a condition that makes me absorb more calories than the average person, at least that's what my GP said. I usually eat around 400 calories per meal, though I know I've eaten much more from time to time.

My surgeon recommended against salads, as they are usually made up of lettuce, which is just filler with little nutritional value. Is that not the case?

Do you have a recommended calculator for caloric intake that I could find somewhere?

Now I’m intrigued…

The closet thing I could find to what you’re describing is the hypothesis of “Thrifty Genes”. Is that what you meant?

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.3132/dvdr.2006.010

https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/221/Suppl_1/jeb167254/34007/The-evolution-of-body-fatness-trading-off-disease

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23862645/

Also when my hunger returned post op, I ate salads because they were filler foods that were high in Water and/or Fiber. Both of which helped to prevent me from overeating higher calorie foods.

Edited September 18, 2021 by GreenTealael