My VSG still works and all I needed to do was EAT MORE!!!

I cannot think of a better forum to share this joy with! For the past few months my weight loss just stopped. I would keep going up and down by the same five pounds or more. Very discouraging when you are eating well and consistently exercising. To make matters worse, I was hungrier than ever and starving myself trying to stick with our stringent requirement. I was struggling to eat 800 calories and be below 50 grams of carbs.

Well, within less than five days, I am now 0.6 pounds away from my lowest! The funny thing is, in order to accomplish this, I had to eat a minimum of 1200 calories a day and up my protein to 110, 125 or more grams of protein. It was hard trying to eat protein every three hours along with the 10 plus glasses of water I drink a day, but I DID!!! Some days I have lost over a pound a day!!!!! I was burning over 2,000 a day with my workouts but i just couldn't make the scale go and stay down. 

I am just glad that I found what works for me in the stage of the journey, (I am 16 months out), versus feeling so hopeless and broken. I refused to give up or have another form of bariatric surgery. I will be successful and make this work and my goal weight is finally closer! For any of you that need encouragement, I hope this has encouraged you.

The 600 to 800 calories will work during the first six months or so after WLS. However, for many of us, especially who are or have become extremely active, you will need to up the calories and protein (even if you don't up the carbs). I now try to make sure I am eating a minimum of twice the amount of protein as I am carbs which is what my doctor recommends. The body telling you its hungry or if you have increasing hunger as you are further out is a good thing. Just because you cannot eat very much at one time does not mean that the body isn't hungry or that you should not feed it something every few hours to keep the metabolism going. After all, it has been through a lot including starvation (for most). Now it's time to make it stronger and healthier as you continue on in the journey.

Good luck to all my Back On Trackers,

I think the VSG would have been the perfect surgery for me.  My BMI was 35 the morning of surgery.  I ate the right foods just too many of them.  I received a large pouch, stoma and short bypass because I didn't have much weight to lose.  Unfortunately removing the pyloric valve was catastrophic for me.  I can't even swallow foods as large as my stoma or I would choke.   I just wanted to eat less (not more).  I would love to switch to the VSG but, my insurance co. only pays for one bariatric surgery in a lifetime.  A dietitian said once that she sees people lose the first year, maintain the second year and regain the 3rd year.  Dr. Roslin in NY said he feels the VSG, DS or perhaps some new surgery that retains the pyloric valve will replace the RNY as the gold standard of bariatric surgeries.  It appears that my surgeon's patients that have the VSG are doing better than even the more invasive RNYs.  Good luck on your journey and congratulations on your success. Tri

Thank you and I pray that your situation will get better. I think we all think about whether we picked the right surgery or not. Sometimes when I stall I wonder about the RNY but I remind myself this is the one I wanted and I just need to work with it. Whatever we do, I just don't want to regain or stop losing which I hadn't for a few months still trying to work 600 to 800 calories. I guess there is always constant adjustments and changes.

Good luck in your journey!

Awesome Job!  Keep up the good work.  Glad you found your mojo again.

Thank you! Since getting BOT, I have been losing on average a pound a day! This makes exercise and nutrition so much easier and I am glad it is finally working out!