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[Sue swapping over 25]

Hi, hope someone can help…….. when I get to the weight I want to be how do you stop losing too much .? I’m really worried that I will loose too much and look old and ill

has anyone got to their weight and just kept it stable ?

please help and advise xxx

[FutureSkyDiver 76]

Once you reach your goal weight, if you are happy, you enter maintenance phase. You eat a few more calories to support your body. You should have a dietitian/nutritionist on your team who can help you decide what the appropriate number of calories is for weight loss, maintenance, etc. No one can really give you a number, because we are each different in our height, age, body composition, activity level, etc.

Good luck with your surgery.

[ShoppGirl 3,391]

I would venture to say that very few people will find that they are losing too much and have to make a real effort to stop. The averge WLS patient doesnt even necessarily make it below the “overweight” category on the BMI scale. Average weight loss is 60-70% of your excess body weight. You get this by subtracting the weight you should be from the weight you currently are and take 70 percent of that. That’s about how much you should lose. Now just subtract that number from what you weigh now and you will see if you lose the average amount what you should weigh. Having said that, several people on this site will tell you that they lost more or less than “average” (because it’s just a statistic) but I doubt there will be many that say they lost much more unintentionally.

Edited August 13, 2021 by ShoppGirl

[catwoman7 10,873]

honestly, there are a LOT more people who never make it to goal than there are those who make it. And only about 10-15% make it to a normal BMI (most people who are successful end up in the "overweight" or "class 1 obese" category (which is WAY better than being 100 lbs or more overweight!))

if you're one of the ones who makes it that far, though (and some of us do....), you can always stop the loss by increasing your calories. I was one of the ones who made it to a normal BMI, and my loss just sort of stopped on its own.

keep in mind that most of us experience a 10-20 lb rebound after hitting our lowest weight, so consider that if you feel like you're getting too thin. I eventually put on 20 lbs after hitting bottom, which in my case was a good thing.

P.S. class 1 obesity is defined as a BMI of 30-34.9. So...not very obese. I started out around a 60 BMI, so I would have been totally happy if I'd even made it to that range!

Edited August 13, 2021 by catwoman7

[ms.sss 14,693]

“Too thin” is all relative. You won’t know at what weight will look “too thin” to YOU, until you get there, and when you do, it’s generally quite easy to stop (just eat more or more higher calorie stuff)..

To date, I have only read of exactly ONE person on here who got BELOW normal BMI range and truly struggled to stop losing weight (and i’ve been on here for almost 3 years). Most peeps stuggle got to get/keep the weight off. Granted, i’ve read of people who lost a few more pounds after entering maintenance, but I don’t think anyone was truly unhappy about it for very long (i’e., weight came back or they just ended up liking being thinner).

Personal anecdote: I got to normal BMI range and stopped before I reached my original goal of 120 as I too felt like i was looking too thin at 127. Ended up losing a bit more, but not because the lbs were just melting off by itself, but because it took me a couple months to transition from consuming weight loss calories to consuming maintenance calories (like breaking a habit, physically AND mentally). Eventually I stopped at 115, and have been sitting here (+/- 5lbs) for over 2 years.

Funny thing is I think (and others agree) that I looked waaaaay more drawn and gaunt immediately after weight loss phase at 127 than I do today at 115 (i think it’s because of the carbs, lol)

Good Luck! ❤️

Edited August 13, 2021 by ms.sss

[Tony B - NJ 641]

10 hours ago, Sue swapping over said:

Hi, hope someone can help…….. when I get to the weight I want to be how do you stop losing too much .? I’m really worried that I will loose too much and look old and ill

has anyone got to their weight and just kept it stable ?

please help and advise xxx

eat...lol

[catwoman7 10,873]

3 hours ago, catwoman7 said:

honestly, there are a LOT more people who never make it to goal than there are those who make it. And only about 10-15% make it to a normal BMI (most people who are successful end up in the "overweight" or "class 1 obese" category (which is WAY better than being 100 lbs or more overweight!))

if you're one of the ones who makes it that far, though (and some of us do....), you can always stop the loss by increasing your calories. I was one of the ones who made it to a normal BMI, and my loss just sort of stopped on its own.

keep in mind that most of us experience a 10-20 lb rebound after hitting our lowest weight, so consider that if you feel like you're getting too thin. I eventually put on 20 lbs after hitting bottom, which in my case was a good thing.

P.S. class 1 obesity is defined as a BMI of 30-34.9. So...not very obese. I started out around a 60 BMI, so I would have been totally happy if I'd even made it to that range!

Whoops - I meant to say (first sentence) that there are a lot more people who don't make it to goal than there are who get too thin.

[ms.sss 14,693]

1 hour ago, catwoman7 said:

Whoops - I meant to say (first sentence) that there are a lot more people who don't make it to goal than there are who get too thin.

Actually i think your original statement is also true as well.

“honestly, there are a LOT more people who never make it to goal than there are those who make it.”

[Arabesque 6,492]

Like @ms.sss I too lost more than my original goal because it took a while for me to work out the calories I needed to maintain. That is the number of calories my body needs to function. Eat fewer calories, you lose weight. Eat more than your body needs, you’ll gain. I slowly increased the calories I was eating as I was physically able until I reached the number of calories I needed to maintain.

I lost another 11odd kilos over a year after goal. Been happily sitting at about that weight (+/- 1kg) for about 9months. But I’m really still a newbie. Time will tell. I do have wriggle room if I do succumb to the 5 odd kilo rebound gain in years 2 or 3.

Even though my BMI is on the lower end at around 18.7, I’m certainly not bony nor look undernourished. Honestly, you can look a little drawn when you get near your goal but it all seems to settle after a couple of months. Eating a little more: a few more carbs, vegetables, fruit, etc. all helps. A year ago, my uncle very kindly (not!) told my mother I looked like death. Now he tells me how great I look. As for looking older. I don’t think I do. Most importantly, I can actually see my real face now: cheekbones, jawline, eyes, etc. because there’s no fat distorting it shape.

You may meet your goal, you may not or you may exceed it. Age, genetics, weight loss history, metabolic rate, etc. influence how much weight we can lose after surgery. But let’s be honest (some straight talking coming), in the end we control what we put in our mouths & that is the biggest influence on our weight.

I think your weight is individual. Not just a number on a scale or a number you’re ‘supposed’ to be but how you feel in your own skin. Happy, healthy & enjoying life.

[Numbheart 108]

Weight goals are achieved by a combination of changes in diet, exercise, eating habits and keeping your emotional life in balance.

[mswillis5 127]

Congratulation on having the surgery and entering this journey. For me, I have lost all that I have wanted to lose at this point. My doctor wanted me to weigh around 175 but I kept on losing and ended up at right around 160. I have been able to maintain my weight within a 5lb variance since I made it down to 160 by eating more. If I ate less, I would lose weight again but only if I tried to do so. As I am not trying to do that, I increased my intake and now consume a reasonable amount of calories daily.

My wife and I had surgery on the same day. She had a bit more to lose than I did and she still wants to lose another 40 or so lbs while I have made it to a maintainable weight. To increase my calories I have added 2 additional Snacks a day. Almost every day I have 1-2 oz of low sugar trail mix to help increase the calories. The high calorie nuts have definitely helped me in stabilizing my weight. I do have other mixed nuts on occasion but I tend to prefer the trail mix. My portion size has not increased too much lately so that is why I had to add more snacks during my day. For now this is working for me and I plan to keep it this way until the 2-3 year regain that is likely.

Unlike some of the others, I am just now entering my maintenance phase. I do feel like I look quite a bit older now but I was already losing my hair and balding. I'm not sure if this will change for me or if I will look a bit younger again, but this was also bound to happen to me as balding is common in my family.

[Maribelle76 82]

Hello! Since I've had the surgery, I have realized it is taking a lot more actual effort to lose weight than I thought it would. Don't get me wrong, it is still much easier than when I had to do it on my own. But I have to be careful about tracking calories, and I have to consciously decide to make the right choices and overcome head hunger. However, I think the doctor cut my stomach relatively big because I have had no issues with any foods at all and I don't really notice any restriction. Ultimately what it means is that my weight is not just falling off of me. I think the only type of surgery patient who might lose too much would be a person who has a lot of complications or an extremely small sleeve.

[Jaelzion 1,122]

I agree that this is unlikely to be a major problem. I initially got down to a weight that looked and felt "too thin" to me. I added a few more carbs to my diet and that took care of itself quickly, LOL. Finding your maintenance level of calories is really just trial and error. Keep adding a bit more until your weight loss stops (besides normal fluctuations), but you also don't gain (besides normal fluctuations) and that's it!

[Arabesque 6,492]

8 hours ago, Maribelle76 said:

Hello! Since I've had the surgery, I have realized it is taking a lot more actual effort to lose weight than I thought it would. Don't get me wrong, it is still much easier than when I had to do it on my own. But I have to be careful about tracking calories, and I have to consciously decide to make the right choices and overcome head hunger. However, I think the doctor cut my stomach relatively big because I have had no issues with any foods at all and I don't really notice any restriction. Ultimately what it means is that my weight is not just falling off of me. I think the only type of surgery patient who might lose too much would be a person who has a lot of complications or an extremely small sleeve.

There’s really no right or wrong rate of losing. You’ll lose at your rate. Your weight won’t be falling off you - no 100lb a month losses like On My 600lb Life cause you’re not 600lb+

Not sure what stage you’re at yet but you won’t really start to feel your restriction until you are eating solid food (not purée or soft) & the nerves that were damaged during the surgery are more fully healed. Plus you’re likely still eating quite small portions so you’re restriction doesn’t need to warn you that you’ve eating too much. The first time you eat too quickly, too much or eat something that sits too heavily in your tummy you’ll feel that tightness across your chest.

The effort you’re putting in is what will make you more successful with your weight loss this time. We used to fail to lose weight &/or maintain a lower weight in the past because we never dealt the reasons we were driven to eat and we didn’t permanently decide to eat more nutritious foods & reduce the amount of food we ate.

Anyone can lose ‘too much’ just by being too restrictive in their diet & eating too few calories but ‘too much’ is individual & personal. As long as you’re happy & healthy & can live the life you want all us good. I lost way more than I thought I would be able to but I’m very happy at my weight, am in good healthy & enjoy my life.

Good luck.

[Tony B - NJ 641]

On 8/21/2021 at 2:16 PM, Maribelle76 said:

Hello! Since I've had the surgery, I have realized it is taking a lot more actual effort to lose weight than I thought it would. Don't get me wrong, it is still much easier than when I had to do it on my own. But I have to be careful about tracking calories, and I have to consciously decide to make the right choices and overcome head hunger. However, I think the doctor cut my stomach relatively big because I have had no issues with any foods at all and I don't really notice any restriction. Ultimately what it means is that my weight is not just falling off of me. I think the only type of surgery patient who might lose too much would be a person who has a lot of complications or an extremely small sleeve.

I think I would be able to figure it out if I got to the point of losing too much weight. I know EXACTLY how to gain weight when I need to gain weight so for me, that is not anything I would worry about. a tweek of calorie intake should be fairly easy to do with your nutritionist help. Or in my case, a cheesesteak would do the trick....kidding of course.