During my weight loss, I ordered all my coffee black and then added my own artificial sweetener and milk to it so I could measure the calories. I figured out I got some protein from the milk (generally I'd go with 2%) and not a terrible amount of calories. In maintenance, I'll now order a Latte with whole milk and no sweetener at all and I love them. I do that maybe 2-3 times per month. I actually have asked the Barista roughly how much milk they use to expresso so I can track them. I'm not noticing any negative trend because tracking them means I'm accounting for the calories. I would have been hard-pressed to include 170 calories into my day during weight loss phase though. I found the best way to drink coffee I really enjoyed, that was easily tracked, was to learn to make good coffee at home. I use heavy cream and premier protein to flavor mine.

Before surgery I was completely addicted to Coke. I had to have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner plus in between. After surgery, I couldn't have it soI learned to drink coffee. Unfortunately, I found Starbucks to be delightful in it's mocha form. Now, I allowed myself to enjoy this concoction maybe once a week because I would allow it only in the Skinny version (sugar free and non fat milk). I now have it at least twice or three times a week. Is this terribly bad? Do you think that even though it's sugar free it's still causing weight gain?

What are are your thoughts?

Yikes, I bristled when reading some of the replies, for my sake, I'm not on any form of social media much, bariatric surgery related or not.

What Basset said about "retraining" your brain, is somewhat true, I have though a different take, being farther out, with unusual cir****tances and severe chronic pain.

I eat carbs all the time, just very little of them. Some times my weight due to metabolic and thyroid issues will bounce up or down, due to cir****tances that aren't predictable.

I'm also in menopause, which helped initially with losing some regain, it isn't helping now (I've been in menopause for over 2 years).

But the point I'm making is that I know other "grandma or grandpa" grads who've lost weight by following the rules of the tool, like 15, 16, 17+ years post rny.

Rules like already suggested to you, such as trying 5DPT, which can give you an idea of your "pouch" being effective or not, it doesn't teach though how to handle a relationship with food, that you're most comfortable with.

I get that in my case, I'm already controversial in the wls community because I had to have a reversal, almost 7 1/2 years ago, but I participate in the wls communities still (not as actively, unless with complications) regardless of someone had an optimal to catastrophic outcome.

In my case, I have many long term peers that I have social media ties, that talk about regain or maintaining long term weight loss, some are on here, some are spread all over social media.

And in their case, for a lot of bariatric post ops, it does work best for them, to do everything by the book, to lose or maintain their weight loss.

It wouldn't for me. So I've found I'm better off making my own rules being so far out (would NEVER suggest this to a post op who isn't, but you are) especially given the fact I got my whole crappy digestive system back, with a lot of caveats.

In my case, I can't micromanage my diet or my fitness, at this stage of the game, with severe chronic pain, I do my best to not have food be my best friend or worst enemy (which it isn't neither). It's just food.

In my case it helps to look at that I can't have an all or nothing attitude towards food or fitness. There are foods I don't keep in my house, it's very rare though, I find a food that I will binge on, but there are foods like that, such as Target's Market Place Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream (I could only tolerate ice cream, in the last 2 years, 5 years post reversal and 14 years post rny) but for some godforsaken reason, I'll eat that until I throw up, NOT GOOD.

In my case, I have to be careful, if I go too low in calories my wicked severe reactive hypoglycemia comes back and I'm blacking out again. So I try to eat a combo of both carbs that I like and protein that I like and walk when I can, but having degenerative disc and fibro, I have an idea of what your pain and medical barriers are, before I became disabled, I did get a certification (like 12 1/2 years ago) as a CPT, but while I would be my ideal client now, as I wanted to specialize in bariatrics, with respect to rehabilitative and adaptive personal training for exercise, it is difficult. I just bite the bullet, so to speak, on days that I plan on being active, knowing as a "spoonie", that it will knock me out and I won't be able to do a lot, for a few days after that, but that's not a good idea.

Point I'm making with all of this, Cynthia, is the "retraining the brain", is the most important part of this journey, I think some of that you already know. With some wls peeps, for them it is in their best interest to have a more single minded focus on food and fitness and that works for them, with the goal of keeping most, if not all their excess weight off.

But that doesn't work for a lot of people and that doesn't make people like you or me, who can't do what others do, due to physical limitations any less.

I'd see with medical supervision and approval of playing around with what you eat and increasing slightly if you can, your activity level, if that helps, once you've established whether or not you have restriction.

But it might also help though to rule out metabolic and thyroid issues if you haven't already. And if you have "female type of issues", as I went into menopause, fairly young (45 1/2) not peri but full blown, have your FSH levels.

In my case, I didn't want everything I went through for to be for nothing, so I'm okay trying to maintain 1/2 my excess weight off, for you, you'll have to find what will ideally best work for you, realistically. I'm not trying to impose my own limitations on you, just saying that with advice that's thoughtfully given, decide what you need to do, with ruling out other stuff, such as the metabolic and thyroid issues, can help, you figure out what's best for you know in terms of weight loss and going forward.

Wishing you the best of luck. Peace, Lisa

I gained the most weight I ever gained while being a vegetarian.

I'm looking at it from a much more practical level then theoretical; Is the vegan lifestyle time consuming? is it easy for someone busy with stressful busy schedule?