In range

[3momchaos]

When I started with my bariatric office I always told them I’d be happy to be under 200lbs when they asked my goal weight. At my first appointment I was 297, surgery day I was 280. Today I am 189. I don’t care or put much credence in the BMI chart. If I did, and was required to be within “healthy” weight range, I would need to weigh 170lbs at the most and I can say right now, that’s not going to happen. I’m tall with wide hips and rib cage, I would look ill if I got down to that point. My loose goal was under 200, my range was 180-195. I had thyroid blood work done yesterday, and it’s off, like I knew it would be, so my endocrinologist is changing my dose. I’m still losing hair like crazy, so hopefully that will slow down with the medication adjustment. I didn’t think I’d get here this fast, and losing quickly is not all fantastic, plus I know I’m not quite ready for the maintenance phase. I might put a call into my dietitian and ask when would be an appropriate time to start that or if there really is one. I’m getting about 80 g of protein a day, drinking enough water, probably around 1000 calories, but I also haven’t been great at tracking the past few weeks. Anyone just starting out or in the beginning phase post op, don’t get frustrated by the scale-it’ll move, and be flexible with your goals. You might get to your goal weight and realize you can do more, or you get to it and realize your body is happy where it’s at.

 

[Roni]

Good bounce back from the other day. The focus is you. Here we believe that your goals and objectives are great. The main focus is for you to be happy. Do not let someone else’s expectations bring you down.

 

[3momchaos]

I went ahead and called my dietitian to ask how I know when to start maintenance, and she said there really isn’t a maintenance “phase”. Basically when my calories are increased to 1200, if I keep losing its not enough to stay at that weight, gaining more than 5 pounds would mean too many calories (but that I’ll keep a watch on just because I can gain that much in water weight), and when I’m at “maintenance” calories, I’ll just stop losing. It’s not an exact science, but it really can’t be with everyones body being different and caloric needs changing from time to time. I guess I’ll have to get serious about tracking again LOL

 

[WazzuCoug]

I went ahead and called my dietitian to ask how I know when to start maintenance, and she said there really isn’t a maintenance “phase”. Basically when my calories are increased to 1200, if I keep losing its not enough to stay at that weight, gaining more than 5 pounds would mean too many calories (but that I’ll keep a watch on just because I can gain that much in water weight), and when I’m at “maintenance” calories, I’ll just stop losing. It’s not an exact science, but it really can’t be with everyones body being different and caloric needs changing from time to time. I guess I’ll have to get serious about tracking again LOL

You will probably start to feel a bit more hungry once your body gets to its lowest weight. There will be a point when your brain decides the leptin levels are below what it has determined appropriate for your body. It is natural to hit a nadir and then come back up a couple pounds where you maintain. At that point, it will be about "listening" to our bodies and finding the right lifestyle to maintain that weight. The more I read about leptin resistance, the more I think that it sticks with you after surgery. Even though our brain does respond to leptin decrease okay after surgery, it may never regain it's full response to leptin increase, which is supposed to make us less hungry when we start adding fat. I suspect that is what leads a lot of people to regain. I don't think it takes much in to pass over that line where your brain stops responding appropriately to fat gain. I'm sure each person has varying degrees of response though.

 

[3momchaos]

You will probably start to feel a bit more hungry once your body gets to its lowest weight. There will be a point when your brain decides the leptin levels are below what it has determined appropriate for your body. It is natural to hit a nadir and then come back up a couple pounds where you maintain. At that point, it will be about "listening" to our bodies and finding the right lifestyle to maintain that weight. The more I read about leptin resistance, the more I think that it sticks with you after surgery. Even though our brain does respond to leptin decrease okay after surgery, it may never regain it's full response to leptin increase, which is supposed to make us less hungry when we start adding fat. I suspect that is what leads a lot of people to regain. I don't think it takes much in to pass over that line where your brain stops responding appropriately to fat gain. I'm sure each person has varying degrees of response though.

The hard part of that is because my cycles are so messed up, there are times when I am ravenous, times when I can’t even think about food, and then times where I’m satisfied with what I’ve had. It’s a weird sensation after not being hungry for so long. I just do my best to eat smart, drink lots of water, and make my protein goal.

 

[WazzuCoug]

The hard part of that is because my cycles are so messed up, there are times when I am ravenous, times when I can’t even think about food, and then times where I’m satisfied with what I’ve had. It’s a weird sensation after not being hungry for so long. I just do my best to eat smart, drink lots of water, and make my protein goal.

It sounds like you are doing well dealing with your challenges, even when it is really difficult. You've got such a great attitude, I'd put money on you to continue to be successful.