What to do if you want to STOP losing weight after sleeve gastrectomy!

This post is definitely for the minority of people with a sleeve gastrectomy, but I’ve been asked a few times recently about what happens when you get to goal weight and the weight keeps coming off so I thought we should talk about it! For most people, after sleeve gastrectomy, the body tends to accommodate to a new baseline weight (usually around 60% of your excess body weight – we talked about how much weight you can expect to lose here), and for most people excess weight loss is not an issue. But for some people the surgery can work so well that they end up losing more than they feel comfortable with. So, what to do if you can’t stop losing weight after sleeve gastrectomy?

This is going to sound pretty simple, but if you feel like you’re losing too much weight or want to stabilise, you need to start eating more calories. You can do this by eating greater quantities, eating more frequently or drinking some calories between meals. However… you don’t want to start eating more than is comfortable, or eating crappy food (like slider foods) just to get the calories in, as this can potentially lead to long term weight gain due to poor eating habits. Instead, you want to:

• Keep aiming for quality – go for healthy foods with lots of nutrients.
• Look at your eating habits and make sure you’re not eating too little because you’re eating too quickly – sometimes when people slow down and focus on their eating habits, they actually eat a little more each meal.
• Add extra calories through healthy fats (for example, salad dressing, cooking with olive oil, spreading your nut butter a little thicker on your toast…)
• Adding a protein or calorie supplement to meals (Beneprotein, Benecalorie or clear protein powders such as Bodiez protein water work well).
• Choose full fat dairy over low fat.
• Add a snack between meals if you’re not already.
• Add energy through your drinks – try a protein drink or glass of milk between meals, or add a fresh juice or smoothie during the day.

Importantly, try adding one of these things at a time. You don’t want to over correct and gain weight and you don’t want to make yourself feel sick because you’re trying to eat too much.  Also make sure you’re doing some strength training, so you’re maintaining muscle throughout the weight loss process. And most important of all? Do all of this with your dietitian – they’ll be able to give you really specific and tailored advice that works for you.