Hello all!

I just registered but looking around here before that I didn't see anyone else ask this. I am either missing it or everyone else knows the answer to the question already. I just signed up to take a 2hr informational seminar on bariatric surgery on Aug 28th. It is the first step in the process I have to go through with my insurance company Masshealth BMC Healthnet. So please bear with me as I am really new to this and most likely have only a fraction of the information I need. As well as very short time learning this app. Ok so all that aside, I have been overweight since I was 10 years old. I am 29 now. It is time I took drastic measures to get this under control as dieting clearly has failed for me. I have tried many never being able to keep more than 30lbs off in a year. Now to the silly question. Every diet I have ever been on says that eating not enough calories will put you into starvation mode and basically won't work long term. Everything says it's horrible for your body and will actually hinder weight loss. I don't understand how the sleeve works then if it is strictly a reduction surgery? From what I have read the normal calories is 1000 a day. At 245lbs at 5'4" that is below starvation mode for everything I read. Please enlighten me! Thanks for being patient and helping this lost member.

Hi there ! I am pre op myself and just learning lots of things too! I think with the surgery it sets you body to s new set point.also that I'd why it is so important to get enough protein and take your vitamins. You need to be eating more times a day but very small amounts so your body doesn't slow down your metabolism and go into starvation mode.at least that's what I was told. :-) good luck

Thank you so much for your help! Good luck on your journey !

Evidently my body didn't get that memo as I ate under 800 calories a day for over a year after surgery, and am still eating under 1200 calories a day, have lost 185 lbs and am still losing weight! And I am healthier than I have ever been for sure. Good luck to you going forward!

Bufflehead, thanks for that! Do you mind me asking what specific surgery you had? Thanks for your help!

The main reason most diets tell you not to drop below 1000 calories a day is because it is extremely difficult to get sufficient nutrition from fewer than 1000 calories. That is why bariatric patients have to focus so heavily on Protein and take so many vitamins/supplements.

As for slowing your metabolism, that will happen. Once you reach your steady weight, it will take fewer calories to sustain you than it would to sustain someone that same weight who had never been obese or had bariatric surgery. However, by getting your protein and exercise in, you can curb that a bit.

Jamielogical that makes a lot of sense. It's just so hard when you have been mentally trained one way for years with out success then something else makes you think the total opposite way. I have been looking more around the app and have seen great success stories. Gosh I hope to be one of them!

@@Wishfull.shrinking I had the gastric sleeve