In your experience when does the weight loss slow down?

My weight loss slowed down at 6 months post-op. I reviewed what I was eating and realized the bulk of my protein was coming from soft sources like protein shakes, cheese, Greek yogurt, beans.

I changed to dense protein, mainly tender beef and seafood, and saw my weight loss resume and felt a lot of restriction. Dense protein fills you up with a small amount and keeps you full longer. For example,  I can eat 8 oz. of Lentil soup with no problem but 4 oz. of steak fills me right up.

Limiting my carbs to less than 40 grams per day was also instrumental for my continued weight loss. When my carbs got too high my weight loss slowed.

I followed the plan my doctor gave me and lost 100% of my excess weight and have kept it off without a lot of effort.

1. Eat 600-800 calories per day when losing weight and 1,200 calories to maintain
2. Limit carbs to less than 40 grams per day
3. Eat 70-100 gram of protein daily
4. Minimum 64 oz. liquids daily
5. Regular exercise/physical activity
6. Track what you eat ( I use myfitnesspal.com to track calories, carbs, protein, etc.)

Review what you are eating and make appropriate adjustments. Cut out slider foods like bread, rice, potato, chips, carbs in general. You can eat slider foods all day long and feel no restriction.

Dense protein, limiting carbs and regular physical activity were responsible for me reaching my weight loss goal without stalls and maintaining.

Good luck,
George

I was at my doc's office yesterday for my 9 month check-up.  The PA mentioned that, for the sleeve, her experience is that the "honeymoon" is a minimum of 9 months and can go up to a year.

My opinion, you can continue losing weight as long as you want (within reason).  It just gets harder further out because it's hard for us, as humans, to maintain focus for long periods of time - so we start drifting away from our food plans.  And the weight becomes harder to get off when you get down to the last 20 lbs or so, just like with non-WLS folks.  You have to work harder to get them off.

At 5 months I went from steady as she goes to more of a stair-step loss; however, my total monthly loss has actually accelerated some as I am getting stronger and can do more lifting.  I'm 6 1/2 months out and down 10+lbs in the last 4 weeks.  It just goes flat one week, down 5 the next instead of  1/2lb a day. 

Having said that, I strictly follow my plan for eating and supplements. I eat 2-3oz of protien, 1 oz of veggie at each meal.  I get 70-80g of protein a day, and 80-100oz of water.  I exercise 5-7 days a week including strength training.  I do not eat ANY bread, rice, etc.  My carbs come from cottage cheese, greek yogurt, and veggies. 

Some things that help me....  

I make Tzatziki sauce (greek yogurt, lemon, cumin, salt, shredded cucumber)  and use it with almost any protein. It's a bright  kind of acidic sauce (with protien) that cuts the 'meat, meat, and more meat' sensation you get after a while on any low-carb diet.  

 I just don't eat, I eat REALLY well meaning I cook complex meals jam-packed with flavor at least once if not twice a week. I take leftovers for lunches since I can only eat a fraction of a portion.   This week I made Chicken Tikki (chicken breast marinated in greek yogurt, indian spices and lemon juice grilled on a skewer) with a yogurt dipping sauce and Saag Paneer (Indian spinach dish with marinated and seared homemade cheese)  from scrat*****luding making the Paneer (actually quite easy to make).

People ask me how I can still love to cook so much when I can eat so little, but I find that 2-3oz of incredibly flavorful food that I make myself helps keep down my food envy.  I tend to gravitate to spice, but that's my personal taste.  I love Greek, Indian, Thai, and Vietnamese food in general; so, those tend to be the flavors I work with.

Caprese Salad appetizer is a good 'go to' meal at restaurants when eating out.  With Fresh Mozzarella, Tomato, Basil, and Balsamic Vinegar it's pretty 'plan friendly' but not without calories.   You're looking at 300 calories +/-, so plan the rest of the day accordingly.   I avoid soup when eating out because I generally avoid sodium.  I will eat chili out because it tends to not be so heavily salted.  Another 'go to' for me is a sashimi style Seared Ahi Tuna (like at Outback).

My low-cost, "I didn't cook anything last night" lunch is a Starkist Albacore Tuna Lunch Kit minus the crackers.  2.7oz of tuna, light mayo, and a little pickle relish is pretty much a perfect lunch. I give the crackers to one of my coworkers.