It could be water retention from the flights. Did affect me, one flight, 12hn gained 2kgs, took 3 days to go away, 1 flight 14 hours, gained 3 kgs, took one week to go away! swollen ankles are for sure a sign! take care!

UPDATE: I've lost 5 lbs already but realized it was a LOT of water weight that was gained. My ankles were very swollen yesterday and the are not today

I just had our vacation also, ate and drank whatever I wanted and only gained 3.3 pounds, which is already coming off! Isn't the sleeve fantastic!

How fun! Good to know the sleeve is doing its job!

wow, 8 oz is a lot!! good for you. I'll be happy with 1/2 that... and some bbq of course!!

UPDATE...I bought some Michelob Ultras, 8 oz cans, which I loved since I knew I would drink them slower and the smaller would be easier to try and drink before they got warm. I was at the pool with friends and by the 3rd one over a couple of hours I felt very full and bloated so knew that I was done. Didn't affect me in any way other than that. But it was nice to be able to sit at the pool with a cocktail with friends.

I had a sip at my husband's sparkling water a few weeks ago, was not the best feeling. But my doctor told me I should be able to drink sparkling water before the end of my first year. Beer should be fine too I guess, especially since you are at two years, but have some food 30 mns before, just to avoid the alcohol to get to you too fast....

I love beer... im still too early on, but I can't wait till im able to have some burger and a beer... Even if its only 1/2 of each, its goona be wonderful!!

Carbonation is the one and only thing my sleeve can't do. It's just too uncomfortable. I've had beer a few times, but 1 or 2 swallows from someone else's bottle is all I can do. I've had hard cider, poured over ice and let defizz and I could sip that OK. I have no problems with hard alcohol, just carbonation. In fact, I drank a boatload of bourbon disguised as mint julips at the Derby party last Saturday.

Thank you for the input. I have my cosmopolitans when I want but would love a beer on occasion. I know my weight gain had nothing to do with my intake of beer it was always the food so I figured if I had one once in awhile it wasn't going to hurt me. I've had a sip in the past of someones but haven't tried to drink one of my own but I do see that happening in the near future

Dr Verboonen, my great doc who has been through the surgery himself, loves his beer. I love wine and have it all the time. It will really fill you up!

I had some soda (Don't shoot!!)
It was ok. Fuzzy feeling, little strange.

I'm 164. I was told that your body will stop where it needs to be also and for a while, that was my concern. I have been 164 for the longest so I assume this is where my body has settled comfortably. I don't do anything differently and I manage to stay within 164-166 with minimal effort. I guess it may be different for others because my friend, who is taller than I am and also in the 160's, has to work to maintain and not lose. She is actually trying to get back into the 170s because she feels she is too small. Hopefully, you figure out what works for you. Good luck and keep us posted.

amazing!! congrats!

Congratulations on the weight loss!! I do hope that your doctor's will be able to get all of your other concerns in check!

That's bull, you're body will stop where it needs to be. You may look a little too thin at first when you hit the weight your body wants to be at but that's only because it left so fast. I looked a little too thin at first in my face but it started looking healthy again after a few months. You know you're eating health and that's all that matters. Treat your body well. Good luck.

You had me worried when you said 19 months out lol. But I sure hope I figure out a way to get enough calories in without garbage food. She is worried because I've steadily been losing and not stalling so she feels I will fall way below the 150 lbs. Now mind you I was 122 lbs when I was 20 and got pregnant with my son but at my age that weight would look anorexic on me. And could you imagine the loose wrinkly skin that I would have. UGH

19 weeks out, not 19 months sorry

Wow, who would have thought we would get this advice, I hope this is for me also. I drink a glass of wine 4oz every night, sometimes 2, which I love love love (coming from being able to drink a bottle in one sitting). Wine adds about 1-220 cals so I average 1050-1100 a day, 80g protein, 70-80 g carbs and 25 g fat. Exercise 4 times a week hard and pretty much eat whatever I want because what I want now is very different than what I used to want. I'm 19 months out and 52 pounds down, I'd like to get to 155 is thats possible, i figure when my body stops losing it will be because its at the stable point it wants to be at. I hope I have your problem where weight lose is to much!!!!!

OK, this is a real problem that's not that bad. I know this problem and have figured out how to deal with it. And I felt the same way -- freaked out a little.

My weight goal was also 150 pounds. But here's the deal -- I ate 500 cals Month One, 800 cals Months 2-4, 1000 cals Months 5-6, and 1200 cals Months 7-8. And I hit 150 pounds at 8.3 months out. At that point I started adding cals SLOWLY. I think slowly is key. And like you I didn't want to drink milkshakes and eat ice cream, but wanted to add healthy food.

So I consulted my NUT, my exercise consultant, my bariatric PA to see what we all thought my maintenance calorie budget would be. We settled on 1,750 calories a day. Hoo boy! I never thought I'd be able to maintain my weight in normal range on that many cals. But guess what ... for me, that's what works.

I'll warn you I have other friends who ate lower calorie like you for all their weight-losing phases and they can't eat as much as me (a 69-year-old broad who moves and exercises, but isn't a gym rat) without gaining weight. So there's that. Again, who knew this would be my deal.

Anyway, it's HARD to eat that much. I've been working at it for 3 months now -- am not yet averaging that much (last week I averaged 1700 cals/day), and consequently have lost another 7 pounds (was 143.4 lbs. this morning).

Today's cals will be 1,664 with 121 grams of protein, 162 carbs, more sodium than typical, and 24 grams of fiber (women need at least 21 grams/day). Today I'm eating 4 veggies/fruits (apple, peach, tomato, green beans -- my daily goal is 5, so I'm short today). In the whole grains department I'm eating brown rice, two pieces of bread, and a Wasa cracker. For protein today, I have a protein drink, roast beef, salmon, Greek yogurt, cheddar cheese, skim milk. And I'm having chardonnay for dinner.

I tried to get my My Fitness Pal record for today to load here, but it wouldn't (I can add those to forum posts, but not to blog comments - rats!).

Anyway, doc's right -- you better start eating more now.

Go shopping! You will feel like a million bucks! It always motivated me to keep on going. Congratulations!!!

WOW !!! amazing. You still haven't bought new clothes with almost 100 lbs of weight loss, lol OMG. How is that even possible, giggles. You must love walking and your clothes just fall off you and trying to catch them. Congrats

Oh, wow! That is so great on ALL counts. That's so many scale and NSVs in one post I can hardly count 'em. Congratulations to you. You WILL reach your weight goal.

Great job! You sound like you have it figured out.

I'm glad you asked this question as I am a little concerned lately. I haven't gained any weight but some days I have the "munchies" all day and when I get something to eat I can only eat a little before I feel full. Sometimes it is less than I ate 6 months ago and sometimes it is more than ever. I am 15 months out and I must admit that I am a little anxious at the way my capacity seems to yo-yo. Still I guess that if I'm still losing and not gaining, then I should just let nature take its course. What do others think? This post seems rather disjointed so I hope people can understand what I'm getting at here.

I am at 1 1/2 years out - totally depends on what I am eating - meat, chicken, etc. I can feel restriction after about 2-3 ounces - if I am eating other things, sometimes I am amazed - like popcorn etc. - It is so easy to stray = I eat often small amounts but that no grazing rule is important. I don't eat much at a sitting but am often hungry an hour later. I have also gained 7 pounds am and really nervous - I am still down 85 pounds but the fear of gaining never goes away but the when the honeymoon phase is over you CAN STILL GAIN. I agree with goestogym- I miss the days I could only take two bites - my honeymoon was 7 months - everything slowed to a halt then but then I was only about 15 pounds from the charts weight and at my personal goal.

It is said that year one is the "honeymoon" phase---It certainly was for me. The restriction was at it's best. Now after 2 1/2 years I can eat almost as much as I used to. I miss the good old days.

I am 7 months out and have the same issue. Chicken has been a no go for me since surgery I think its to dense it just makes my stomach hurt. As far as the amount of food I was just telling my daughter the other day I feel like I am able to eat less lately, things I could finish before I can't now. My husband jokes we dont need a kitchen because all I eat is Greek yogurt and cottage cheese, I know I can tolerate these so I stick to them. All this being said I 've been stalled for the last little while.

The thing about protein is that I found for myself that I fill up faster with dense protein like chicken or meat. You really have to pulverize it through chewing in order to get more in. I just can't eat as much dense protein. I was eating a lot of fish and protein shakes to get more in my stomach at first. Your stomach may be smaller because of your anatomy. If you had a wide stomach vs. a long stomach, your stomach will be smaller. You're still in the early days of eating, I found that eating became much easier with each day. Your stomach is still so new! I had to learn to chew everything I eat a lot more and this helps avoid that hard restrictive feeling too early.

I am no where near 6 months but i can tell you that I too am really never hungry but i eat according to the schedule my doctor gave me. I have not even felt myself get full from eating so I have no idea what my sleeve restriction feels like. When I asked my doctor he looked at me like I was sort of crazy and said, you're losing weight, getting in your protein, you're doing everything right! So if you're following the doctors instructions, loosing weight and getting in your protein, maybe you too doing everything right!