Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!

How Much Does BMR Drop After surgery



Recommended Posts

With the sometimes significant loss of tissue That accompanies bariatric surgery, it only makes logical sense that BMR would drop. There is simply less tissue metabolizing nutrients to stay alive.

But is there a systemic/hormonal drop in BMR on top of that more mechanical one?
Is that why caloric needs for Bariatric patients seems to be relatively lower than the general population?

I am a large man even after weight loss, 6 foot one and 230 pounds. Yet my body fat percentage is 19% which is just barely within the normal range. I have very high muscle mass. So according to the inbody analyses I have had done at my local YMCA, my BMR alone based on muscle mass is close to 2600 calories a day. But then I am also super active on top of that, I exercise hard and regularly, and according to the standard model of 1 mile running equals 100 cal burned, it would seem that I would be burning another 500 to 1000 cal a day on top of BMR.
But then when I see my dietitian she says my goal should be under 1500 cal of intake. Generally I am under 2000 for sure. And all my food is good quality non processed, Protein centric, etc.

All of this, and my weight has stayed within 5 pounds for two years. It would seem if the math were as simple as it sounds, I should be losing a lot of weight still. But something seems to be happening metabolically.

Does anyone have any knowledge about what percentage of standard BMR having had bariatric surgery reduces?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, wwboy said:

With the sometimes significant loss of tissue That accompanies bariatric surgery, it only makes logical sense that BMR would drop. There is simply less tissue metabolizing nutrients to stay alive.

But is there a systemic/hormonal drop in BMR on top of that more mechanical one?
Is that why caloric needs for Bariatric patients seems to be relatively lower than the general population?

I am a large man even after weight loss, 6 foot one and 230 pounds. Yet my body fat percentage is 19% which is just barely within the normal range. I have very high muscle mass. So according to the inbody analyses I have had done at my local YMCA, my BMR alone based on muscle mass is close to 2600 calories a day. But then I am also super active on top of that, I exercise hard and regularly, and according to the standard model of 1 mile running equals 100 cal burned, it would seem that I would be burning another 500 to 1000 cal a day on top of BMR.
But then when I see my dietitian she says my goal should be under 1500 cal of intake. Generally I am under 2000 for sure. And all my food is good quality non processed, Protein centric, etc.

All of this, and my weight has stayed within 5 pounds for two years. It would seem if the math were as simple as it sounds, I should be losing a lot of weight still. But something seems to be happening metabolically.

Does anyone have any knowledge about what percentage of standard BMR having had bariatric surgery reduces?

BMR is weight and age sensitive, I'm pretty sure it doesn't change just from having the surgery, it's the weight loss that changes the BMR total.

https://bariatricsurgeryco.org/bariatric-surgery-information/bmi-calculators/bmr-us-basic-metabolic-rate/

Something lots of folks miss is the Water, the human body requires water to not only work it's normal day to day processes, but for fat removal as well, if we don't give the body enough water to meet it's needs and then extra for the fat reduction, fat processing suffers.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I get BMR and it also confuses me. I know what it is, I know (mostly) how it works, it was covered in a nutrition class I took in college but sometimes it doesn't make sense to me. With my weight/height/age/gender my BMR should be roughly 1765, I eat less than 1000 calories, and I exercise about an hour a day. I've been drinking about 80 ounces of Water but I'm not really losing much, only a few pounds a month lately. I can't see how I can physically fit more water in. I'm technically 4.5 months out, 67 pounds down. I need to re-do my measurements again. But I've lost 35 inches

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So - I'm 2 years out and just had a resting metabolic assessment today (which is used to calculate BMR). I'm half the person I was when I started this journey. But keep in mind, most times my resting heart rate is in the mid 40s. My body fat is around 30% which is pretty darn good for a post-menopausal woman who has had two kids.

I also know that I have always had a slow metabolism. I was a competitive athlete in my teens and even with training 4-5 hours a day, I needed to stay under 2500 calories to make weight. (I was an ice dancer - if I went over 125, my partner would drop me.)

Told my nutrition coach this prior to the test and he didn't believe me. Preliminary results are that I need 1100 calories to keep the lights on - which is what I have been eating. Occasionally, I'll lose a pound here and there, but at this point I'm more concerned with replacing fat with muscle.

The research I've read indicates that for men, age is the single greatest factor to decreasing BMR and it goes down with each year once you reach about 30.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Diana_in_Philly said:

So - I'm 2 years out and just had a resting metabolic assessment today (which is used to calculate BMR). I'm half the person I was when I started this journey. But keep in mind, most times my resting heart rate is in the mid 40s. My body fat is around 30% which is pretty darn good for a post-menopausal woman who has had two kids.

I also know that I have always had a slow metabolism. I was a competitive athlete in my teens and even with training 4-5 hours a day, I needed to stay under 2500 calories to make weight. (I was an ice dancer - if I went over 125, my partner would drop me.)

Told my nutrition coach this prior to the test and he didn't believe me. Preliminary results are that I need 1100 calories to keep the lights on - which is what I have been eating. Occasionally, I'll lose a pound here and there, but at this point I'm more concerned with replacing fat with muscle.

The research I've read indicates that for men, age is the single greatest factor to decreasing BMR and it goes down with each year once you reach about 30.

That's an awesome body fat percentage for any age for a woman! My resting heart rate is low to mid 50s, I'm approaching 40.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Trending Products

  • Trending Topics

  • Recent Status Updates

    • LeighaTR

      I am new here today... and only two weeks out from my sleeve surgery on the 23rd. I am amazed I have kept my calories down to 467 today so far... that leaves me almost 750 left for dinner and maybe a snack. This is going to be tough for two weeks... but I have to believe I can do it!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Doughgurl

      Hey everyone. I'm new here so I thought I should introduce myself. I am 53y/o and am scheduled for Gastric Bypass on June 25th, 2025. I'm located in San Antonio, Texas. I will be having my surgery in Tiajuana Mexico. I've wanted this for years, but I always had insurance where bariatric procedures were excluded. Finally I am able to afford to pay out of pocket.  I can't wait to get started, and I hope I'm prepared for the initial period of "hell". I know what I have signed up for, but I'm sure the good to come will out way the temporary period of discomfort and feelings of regret. I'd love to find people to talk to who have been through the same procedure or experience before. So I look forward to meeting you all. Hope you have a great week!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
  • Recent Topics

  • Hot Products

  • Sign Up For
    Our Newsletter

    Follow us for the latest news
    and special product offers!
  • Together, we have lost...
      lbs

    PatchAid Vitamin Patches

    ×