The other thing that should be emphasized is how tiny the amount of extra food it takes to get the regain ball rolling. 100 extra calories per day is 36,500 calories in a year, or 10.4 pounds of fat.

100 extra calories per day is nothing. If you are eyeballing or using measuring cups instead of a scale, you will never get as close as 100 calories. 100 calories is a tablespoon of peanut butter. 1.5 slices of bread. 8 crackers. 3 pats of butter. A dollop of blue cheese dressing. It all adds up really, really fast. We need to stay vigilant.

100 extra calories per day for 5 years is a 55 pound regain.

Great points Grim! 100 extra Calories is so easy to do if we allow it. I had trouble with grazing a few weeks ago, cut out protein bars and increased protein and the grazing has stopped. This board has helped me tremendously!

I've seen this myself; I can overeat by a couple hundred calories of whole foods and not gain, but if I start eating simple carbs the scale starts to creep up.

We all know that calorie intake is important, but the type of food we eat in my mind is just as important. 

It doesnt help that 100 calories is sold as "ONLY 100 calories".  Marketers even sell those 100 calorie packs of CRACKERS and cookies.

Please pass my raw sweet red pepper.

I could use a poster showing a slew of items that equal 100 calories. Although I have maintained succussfully for a while now, this is exactly how I gained weight that led to obesity, and my biggest risk area in regain post op! I am not one to regain due to eating a few extra bites of steak or asparagus, but a few crackers or cookies- that would be me!

I agree that doctors should talk to their patients more about their loss, their goals, and what is or is not reasonable.  I feel like my doc just cut me, then his staff is now meeting with me, this staff changes each visit and so does their info.

Upon face value of the information you posted I do think it's possible for all patients to regain 5-10% of their lost excess weight.  I base this on the possibly of even setting correct and percise goals in the first place.  The BMI scale is a big range for each height.  Mine is about 30lbs of range for a "normal" weight at 5 9".  So when I asked the PA to give me a realistic goal she pulls out the chart and blinks several times before picking a number.  I left thinking... why would I have asked her for my goal?  Stupid! The thing is my goal is going to be based on my body build and some factual science I need to look into in order to set a goal for myself.  It's not something she can do while blinking at a chart.

I do think you can loose/gain your "excess" body weight by 5-10% for sure.  I also think it's hard to even say what is your "excess body weight".  I asked my doc's office how they calculate the "most patients will lose 60-70% of their excess body weight" info they put in the brochures.  I wanted to know what weight for my height they would use to calculate this for me.  But they can't answer that because a normal BMI is a 30lbs range!  That's far too large of a range to calculate a 60-70% range much less a 5-10% range.

I've made a personal goal of 180 because it's 100lbs less than I started.  Once there I will access how happy I am with my body, how I feel and how easy or hard that weight is to maintain.  That's a bit above a normal BMI but I'm just going to feel things out at that point and then reset a goal at that point. 

5% being normal is extremely conservative of an expectation average.  Each procedure has a different percentage of regain stats, and I can assure you that none are as low as 5% for long-term weight maintenance.

6 lbs in one month this far post op is great. Trust me.  I took me 3 months to lose last  5 lbs of regain and stabiliDr my weight where it would stay in a mid range with a not a lot of effort on my part. My range is 5 lbs.. But in reality my morning weight fluctuate within 2-3 lbs... Now morning to evening - that's completely different story.  

Getting to 142 is one thing, remaining there - resetting the "weight set point" is a completely different issue. 

Good post and I agree with all you said-especially the regain, and like you I work out pretty stringently. And fortunately you are one who do weigh themselves daily! As with me, 1 or 2 lbs makes me adjust to what I am eating as well as my activity. Just think of those who do not realize that the work starts after the surgery has done what it has promise -those who do not train or watch what they eat! 

My excess weight to lose was 140 lbs. Unlike you I am not at goal yet-I still have about 25-40 lbs to lose, I lost about 80 lbs probably in the first year, only about 20 lbs into this 2nd year. I guess we get spoiled the first year doing nothing, yet still losing weight, then after a few months we become active and watch what we eat but the weight loss slows.

My 2 year anniversary comes up next month Aug 26,2016. Of course when I had the surgery I thought that at two years I would be around 190-200 lbs but I was never promised that-just that sleeve surgery would get off 50%-70% of excess weight which it has done. Now, it's on me. Is it hard, yes, very much so but we also have in place a tool that stops very rapid regain when we binge and go off program-which admittedly I do at times. I just want to stay on program, eat properly and enjoy a healthy lifestyle. Resistant training is key! Yes, I definitely want to lose another 25-40 lbs-that was and still is my goal and I am confident I will just not in the time table I thought.

I do believe surgeons have the responsibility to let patients know that this is NOT a magic pill-it is a jump starter but afterwards it is very hard work. That we can regain weight, most likely WILL regain some weight, but have to now ourselves become the tool! Like in the beginning when we had had the motivation, focus and energy as we saw the weight melt off-THAT is what we have to keep up for the rest of our lives-that NEW mindset!

I agree, how much easier if the surgeon impressed this upon us in the beginning-and maybe mine did, but at the time either I wasn't focused or very receptive to it-I JUST WANTED SURGERY!! : )  But as you said "WLS centers should also be more blatant about regain and actually sit with EACH patient after they have met goal and DO EACH PATIENTS MATH WITH THEM to show them HOW LITTLE a "REGAIN" is." I agree 100% with this, because afterwards we would then be in a more receptive and understandable frame of mind. So when I reach goal I hope to speak with my surgeon.

Yet, all in all, look at how knowledgeable you, we,  have become about ourselves, our body, losing weight, and what it takes to stay on this journey! When we go through and learn things ourselves, it is impressed upon us much, much more-and then others learn from you!! Thanks for the post!

Wilie,

I bow down to you!  

And you are right about the receptive part. I see so many people desperate for surgery on these boards, and within 2-4 weeks post-op they ask "When can I eat normally again?"

The answer is never. Because we werent eating normally for our bodies metabolism THE FIRST TIME.

But I hear ya, when I finally "pulled the trigger" I too was so fixated on getting the surgery. It was like buying my first car! I researched it, dreamed of it, talked about it to people online and in the real world, and was just so fixated on it.

You are spot on with the reception comment.

Blessings to you.

On your continued journey, have you tried HIIT training? Despite running and walking for a marathon (i.e. training for a marathon), I let figure skating, weights, tae bo, and piloxing "go" for about 3 months. I have seen unfortunate small changes in my physique. For example, I lost the "V" in my bicep. I think my tummy looks more excess skin flappy (it seemed like I could see the start of a 6 pack before). I cant say I have gotten fatter..but I can say i have lost my definition. I dont like it. I like the cut look. Weights and HIIT training (i.e. tae bo and piloxing) were in my regemine for that.

I hate that there are only 24 hours in a day and I need to sleep for 6 of them,

Skinny