maintenanceman

I'm currently in maintenance and trying to accustom myself to what that means in terms of diet. Yesterday was wonky. I ate all good stuff but too much of it. Nothing ridiculous, maybe 300 calories over maintenance, but I know it can be a slippery slope. I think the culprit was too many slider foods... soup, yogurt, protein shake, etc. I stayed hungry even when I kept eating. I am concerned, however, that my cravings felt "out of control," like they did pre-op. How do you deal with cravings when you have them? Do you have any techniques?

Seeing myself in pictures and not being horrified... feeling kinda cute.

My initial goal was 159, which brought me to a normal BMI. Once I achieved that, I revised my goal to 150, just because. Now that I achieved 150, I have sent a tentative new goal of 145, which is my Ideal Body Weight. I'm in no rush to to get there, though, and I feel like I might be starting to look too thin. Overall, I am beyond thrilled with how much I have lost... so much more than I thought was possible!

Sweetgreen is amazing. Their salads are addictive. Yum.

I didn't have any hair loss.

@Arabesque It’s more a question of grazing. I’m drifting toward eating throughout the day. I’m wondering if I restrict my eating to 8 hours it will limit grazing. I’m just thinking about different approaches before I slide back into bad habits.

@SpartanMaker This is incredibly helpful. THANK YOU for taking the time to share such a thorough and thoughtful answer. I'm mostly considering IF because I'm concerned about weight regain. Now that I've moved into maintenance, my calorie count is creeping up. I find it pretty easy not to eat before lunch, so IF might help limit my snacking/potential overeating. Again, THANK YOU. You've given me lots to think about.

Is anyone using intermittent fasting as a maintenance strategy? If so, what model are you using? Thoughts/insights?

Went to buy new clothes yesterday, and I needed a SMALL. My problem now is finding clothes that are small enough!

You're doing great! You're a month ahead of me and have lost 20 lbs more than I have. I wonder if a goal weight of 130 is too low? At your height, 140-150 seems like the sweet spot, especially as a weight loss surgery patient.

Update: I started losing again. Down 3 pounds since this message. I should know by now, but stalls happen and do end.

This is all super helpful. Thank you all! I was just having a moment needed support from my fellow travelers on the journey. I appreciate the thoughtful feedback. ❤️

Anyone have experience with Orangetheory Fitness? I just joined. It seems like a structured way to mix cardio and strength training.

OK, I’m going to kick it up a notch. Just joined!

This is the "gold standard" calculator, based on almost 800,000 surgical outcomes. https://riskcalculator.facs.org/bariatric/

So, I'm at my 6 mo surgiversary. I have lost 60 pounds (down from 36 to 26 BMI), 72% EWL. I'm proud of my weight loss. I look a million times better, my diabetes and sleep apnea have resolved, I have lots more energy, and I have increased confidence to pursue my goals. My projected 12 mo weight per the online calculators is 173, and I'm currently at 167, so I'm certainly doing well. And... I would like to lose more weight, another 10-20 pounds, which would get me down to "healthy" BMI and closer to my ideal body weight. But... my weight loss has almost completely stalled. In the past month, I lost 2.6 pounds, and I haven't lost anything in the past 3 weeks. At this rate, losing another 10-20 pounds would be a loooooong haul. My daily calories have crept up to 1200 to 1400. If I go below 1200, I'm just too hungry. I will admit I could be more physically active. How should I think about all of this? Most friends and family are encouraging me to stop and be comfortable where I am... not to lose "too much." Should I just get comfortable with where I am and focus on maintenance? Or should I keep pushing against the odds?

March 2022 vs August 2022

This is a GREAT idea. Thank you!

This might be a silly question, but how can I tell if my saggy tummy is loose skin or fat? I'm 20 lbs away from my Ideal Body Weight (lost 73% of EBW), and I'm trying to figure out how much of that is loose skin vs. fat. When I pinch my saggy tummy, I don't feel a lot of subcutaneous fat. I'm a 50 year old man.

There are multiple ideal body weight formulas, but the results are within +-5 pounds of each other.

I don’t disagree. It’s just helpful to have some reference point for goal setting. And for better or worse, most data on weight loss surgery outcomes is based on ideal body weight and BMI.

How did you feel you looked at ideal body weight? Much of what I read indicates that ideal body weight for a formerly obese person is too small… results in you looking sick. True or false for you?

You and I have essentially the same stats. I also have bipolar disorder. I’m currently at 167, and I would love to get to 159… ideally 150. I’m ahead of the curve, but my loss is definitely slowing down. And I’m needing more calories to be satiated. Just wondering how realistic it is to get to 150.

How did your weight loss stop? Did you choose to go into maintenance mode, or did your body just decide you were done?

EWL = Excess Weight Loss: the difference between staring weight and ideal body weight. If your starting weight is 300, and your ideal body weight is 150, you have 150 pounds of excess weight. If you lose 75 pounds, you have lost 50% of your excess weight (% EWL). Ideal body weight calculator - https://www.mdcalc.com/calc/68/ideal-body-weight-adjusted-body-weight