Looking for others who are unable to stop weight loss.

Why would they be worried about you "wasting away to nothing" when you are at a normal BMI right now?  

During the second year after surgery, it is smart to go 10, 20 or even 30 pounds under your goal weight.  That gives you a cushion for the bounce-back regain that will surely come next year.  Just enjoy being skinny and don't worry about regaining weight or about the loss stopping. 

Your body will stop when it is ready and it will figure out how to get the weight back on when it is ready.  The second year after surgery is a real challenge, because no matter what you do you will likely be too skinny.  You are currently about 40 pounds away from needing tube feeding and if you slowly increase your calories by about 100 a day each week then you will stabilize.

How many calories are you getting per day and what kind of exercise are you doing to burn them.  Have you tried nut butters, whole fat dairy products and high calorie meal supplements?  Cutting down on fat burning exercise?

I have seen posts like this over the years typically in the RNY forum. Quite a few of them tend to fall well below goal. Based on what I've seen they tend to regain to a healthier weight within a few years. I honestly wouldn't be worried about it at all unless you fall far below a Normal BMI. I've seen this quite a lot and I don't think you're strange or weird or that there's something wrong with you. I happen to think you just have a body that responds very well to weight loss surgery. There was even a video on youtube by a doctor that said certain families tend to have better success with WLS based on their genetics. You have good genes! The only other thing it could be is that I've seen a couple ladies post that they ended up having their thyroids become hyperactive suddenly after weight loss and cause additional weight loss. This would need to be checked with an endocrinologist. I doubt that's it but it never hurts to find out. I think you are just in a certain subset of post ops that fall well below goal and it levels out within a year or two. So I honestly don't see why this seems strange or weird or an anomaly.

What you're experiencing has got to be scary, likely something that would've never even appreared on your radar as a possibility. We come into this journery just hoping to reach whatever goal we set for ourselves and not that we may not know how to turn it off. After living a morbidly obese life for years this seems like the extreme in the other direction. I feel for you.  I'm glad you have a medical team that cares so much and I hope you find an answer soon.

I'm sending you a hug and virtual support. I'm sorry you received so many flippant responses (support group for anorexics?). People can be cold. And apparently misread the intention of your post. This journey is as much about support for the "after" challenges as it is for the "before" and "during". I hope you find the compassion you deserve and the answers to your challenges. Take care.

So sorry for your concern. I am only 10 days from surgery. I hope all your tests come out positive. Will have you in my thoughts and prayers.

Robin

It took me over 2 months of steadily increasing my calories a few hundred at a time until I stopped losing.  everyones maintenance intake is different depending on activity level and muscle mass.  I say increase the calories by 200 per day for a couple weeks.  but if you are losing 6lbs a month, that's about an extra 700 calories a day if you keep your activity constant.  Just be aware that as you increase your calories that much at once, the scale WILL so up as you replenish your glycogen stores and the water associated with that.  it will level out after a couple pounds.  a few hundred at a time while still losing ... it messes with your head less.  lol

I would add in more healthy carbs. Not sure what you are taking in now but for it doesn'tatter if I eat 900 or 1500 calories if the carb count is high I won't lose. The only thing that gets me losing is keeping my carbs under 40-50. For you I'd suggest making sure you get in 100+ and try that approach rather than the calorie counting. Gradually increase carbs until you reach a level where you aren't losing. 

I sure sure low cal alone worked but it doesn't for me

Believe me, I am not trying to make light of your situation.. I am also 5'7", very sedentary and will easily lose weight at the levels you are saying you are intaking as 1000-1500 is my LOSING weight calorie range at 3.5+ years out! Mind you, I have a desk job and have no formal activity, I require 1600-1800 just to maintain.

I dropped down to 135ish, without work-outs, and that was low, but I was far from wasting away, but I have a small frame. You may (understandibly) be worried at seeing yourself so tiny, and it takes time to get used to- but so long as your protein, albumen, prealbumen and all vite lab panels are up to par, I don't see any sort of TPN in your future unless you are celiac and uncontrolled? You do not have a malabsorptive surgery, and by your own account your caloric intake is at or UNDER BMR level for your size and age, which kind of explains the continued weight loss there..

Good luck, I do wish you the best, but truly believe you are under-eating your needs based only on what you yourself have said. Please give more details if you don't agree. There is bounce-back, I got a bit bony then recovered pretty quick once I ate higher cal/more cal dense foods..

What is driving your medical team to consider a PICC line? What labs are so low that they are offering this as an option? usually that is reserved for protein malnutrition- what were your last levels?

That (PICC/TPN) is not something to trifle with, and if you would post your intake (as others have requested) and for those that are up to speed with labs, please also post what your last lab levels tested at- there's a lot of true constructive help to be had here! But the details from you are really lacking atm to be of much assistance, much less honest support.

If it's coming to medical intervention, as you are suggesting, you need more than some kind words and hand-holding, you need some constructive solutions to set yourself on the path to health.. 

Crickets.