Burning question about Bounce back Weight for VSG Alum

80/20 did notwork for me either. To lose regain- I needed to do 95/5... to maintain - it is more like 85/15 or 90/10. And if I see a gain of 3-4 lbs .. I m back to 95/5. until I am at least 2-3 lbs lower than I need to be.

regain happens because we get tired of the diet, we relax what and how much we eat. We estimate, stop measuring our food , start maybe adding things here and there. like a glass of wine. or the extra bite of this or that. we stop weighing every day, or at least once a week.

as we age - our body changes - when we stop exercise - we start losing muscles, and replacing that with fat...for a while our weight may remain the same - but as we lose muscles -our calorie needs get smaller - so we can gain weight on less food/calories.

give it time - and dedication...once you get to your personal goal - you may try to relax and do 80/20..but- IMO - to lose- you may need to do 95/5. I know I had to...

Can you explain what the ratios mean? Thanks!

80/20 ... clean eating 80% of the time and on plan, 20% of murkiier food choices that may or may not derail the weight loss

I was wondering the same thing? -- Several have said that it means 80% on plan and 20% off?

I am only 3.5 years out, and I haven't suffered regain/bounce back yet -- but I cannot eat 20% off plan and maintain my current weight. Different things work for different people, I guess.

When I ate 80-85% on plan and 15-20% off ...I regained 35 lbs. Slowly. Over a couple of years. It took serious dedication to lose the regain.

To maintain - I eat on plan 90+% of the time. I do have a "whatever I want meal" once in a while, but I am below my personal goal. And that far post op - they is nothing that I really miss or really really want to eat. Except filet minion. It is but too pricy to have it more often. Lol. Plus - when I have that - I can have 4-5 oz of the meat and a couple bites of a side. And I am done. Full for a few hours. Happily full.

I'll be six years out in September. I cannot follow an 80/20 eating plan and expect to maintain. Like Hala, I need to follow something closer to 95/5.

I don't think my body has settled at any particular weight, ever. If I weigh X amount, it is a direct reflection of my intake. I cannot eat the way a non WLS person does. It's kind of a ****** but that's just the way it is.

I don't starve myself. I keep my calories in a range that allows me to stay at a desirable weight.

I had surgery in 2011 so pretty close to you. I agree with you- it is different. And it also changed over the years too. Once I hit goal, for that first year after or so if my weight popped up 5 pounds I could just clamp down on the diet for just a few days and it would drop quickly. Now- nope. Still effective, but I seem to lose much slower now. In my case though, it is not comparing apples to apples. In my original weight loss phase I exercised crazy consistently and vigorously. Now, not moving much. So it makes sense that it would come off slower.

I do feel like I can gain more easily though. The calorie quality also seems to matter significantly. For example, I feel like 1500 calories of good clean eating is not causing much if any gain. 1500 calories where 50% of them is from sugary desserts and I quickly gain. I have not super carefully monitored for this so I can't even confirm if it is true- but at least it is enough of a pattern I think it could be if that makes sense.

Yes, this is totally normal. I'm 12 years from DS and regained 20 lbs my lowest. I can eat whatever I want and not exercise, and I stay right here. If I work my ass off and diet obsessively, I stay right here. I'm a pretty normal size 10, so I'm not complaining at all. I had a couple of years at size 6-8 and it was fun, but I like it here without stressing.

You're below the average for regain. Let it remind you to be mindful, but don't stress out over it.