I had my VSzG in 3015 and lost 135 lbs. Then had to have my gallbladder out and almost immediately regained 30lbs that have taken up permanent residence again. My issue along with that is prior to surgery I NEVER craved sweets and I mean NEVER. Now i ALWAYS crave them. I've tried numerous suggestions and sti have the problem. 5 years out I still have not one bite of fast food or carbonated drinks. My exercise is limited due to chronic pain. I have tears in my eyes as I write this...I was close to having the extra skin on my tummy removed but now I wonder if they will due to the weight gain. Any insight anyone can give me would be very much appreciated.

Congratulations on your weight loss... All of us have some sort of regain and it's great that you acknowledge it and are wanting to do something about it! I limit my sugar intake and I find that when I am consuming "sugar-free" products, I crave more sugar... so, it's a catch-22 damned if you do + damned if you don't! You have done well with staying away from fast food and sodas! Have you tried water therapy? it's less stress on your joints and easier to get moving. I have fibromyalgia so I feel you on the chronic pain aspect.

Talk to your bariatric surgeon/nutritionist and plastic surgeon... see what your options are so you can plan accordingly. Talk to a nutritionist to see if there are food choices that will help move the scale in the right direction.

Best of luck!

You had your VSG in 3015? You're the first time traveller we've had on the forum! I would have thought by the year 3015 there would be better treatments for obesity, though.

Seriously, though, you've accomplished a lot, giving up fast food.

About the sugar cravings, I have a few ideas you might try:

• Give up all added sugar (read food labels carefully). Sugar that occurs naturally in fruits and veggies is OK because it's packaged with fibre, which slows absorption. It will be hard at first, but it will get easier. If you're following a keto diet, I guess you need to avoid fruit too. Otherwise, over time you will appreciate the sweetness of fruit more. Dates (in moderation) are good for sweetening food.
• Some people find that artificial sweeteners make them overeat or crave real sugar. There is some research to support this, but according to the doctors and dietitians I've spoken to, the jury is still out. In the meantime, I suggest you observe your own reaction when using artificial sweeteners, and decide if you need to avoid them. Maybe a different sweetener will affect you differently; it's worth some experimentation.
• Based on the literature I've read, the best/safest/healthiest type of sweetener is erythritol. Although most sweeteners ending in -itol can cause tummy upset, erythritol is digested normally, and doesn't seem to cause problems for most people. Also, it doesn't normally affect blood sugar. Erythritol is slightly less sweet than table sugar, so it's typically sold in a mixture with stevia. (Stevia has an aftertaste that I don't like, but in the mixture it's fine.) The resulting mixture is a 1:1 replacement for sugar.

I'm so sorry about the pain you're experiencing. If it's any consolation, while exercise is important for your health, it doesn't have much of an effect on weight loss either way. So it won't affect your ability to lose weight.

Some surgeons may still remove excess skin if you are not at goal, but some don't. If you are still gaining I definitely would wait on plastic surgery. Even a small gain can mess up your results.

You have to be honest with yourself about how much and what you are eating. Only then can you make a plan and do something about it. Weigh or measure every bite. Track it on myfitnesspal, or other similar site. Drink plenty of water. Get enough sleep. Take your vitamins.

Good luck!!

While I appreciate your reply, this is something I struggle with....people thinking I'm not being honest about my food, or careful with my portions. I still weigh and weigh my food, ensure I get the amount of protein, even pulled down my food diaries from the first few months and followed them. If you google what happens to sleeve patients after having their gallbladder out, you will see I'm not alone and the struggle is real .

What does a typical food day look like for you? There are very knowledgeable people here who can give you ideas of things to try in your diet but you have to give more information.

I did not say the struggle is not real, but we have to take personal responsibility for what we eat and if our plan is not working we must change our plan.

I gained 30 pounds over the last year but i made changes and now I have lost 12 of the 30. I will do whatever it takes to lose the last 18.

As the saying goes,

If You Always Do What You've Always Done, You Always Get What You've Always Gotten

I had my gallbladder out years before getting VSG, and it didn't affect my ability to lose weight.

Color me skeptical on this claim.

I had my gallbladder out, when I was SIXTEEN, after it gangrened, burst, and nearly killed me...but that's a drama for another day...

Fast forward, to age 44...WLS...but I had RNY...but, as a retired nurse, who usually knows stuff, I have never known GB removal to cause wt gain (in, and of the procedure itself) in post VSG folks - and I have known many - NOT arguing - just sharing my experience

I have to get my calories down to 900 per day to lose a pound a week. And include exercise of an hour at least every other day. Same before my gallbladder removal. Having weight loss surgery made my metabolism work much slower. I used to lose on 1200 a day before surgery.

It takes 10 calories a day to maintain one pound, Multiply current weight by 10. Subtract 500 calories and that is what can eat every day to lose one pound a week. Track your water and exercise.