Elin_7 Or Anyone Else...Please Help! At My Wits End! Thanks!

I had VSG on 2/11/14.  I am a lightweight! I started this journey in Nov 2013. It took 2 months for my PCP to finally give me medial clearance. In the 2 months that I was waiting for the clearance I lost about 10 lbs leaving me with even less weight to lose.

As of today I have lost 34 lbs.  The weight is literally falling off. But, I have a huge problem!  I have absolutely no appetite and am afraid that I am going to get too skinny! How can I make this weight loss stop or slow down?

I informed my surgeon at my 2 month check up that I had no appetite and he simply says to make sure I get my protein in and then my vegetables!  Duh!!  Hello, Dr. I have no appetite!  He assured me that I would not get too skinny but even I know that if I don't eat I will continue to lose weight! Also, my doctor's eating plan is to eat only when you're hungry! Yet, try to get at least 50 grams of protein in and my water in! (Even getting my water in is a problem!)

Can someone advise me as of approximately how may calories I may need to (try) and consume to stop my weight loss? I am 5' 6" and I do not exercise for fear of the too skinny thing! I would feel comfortable if I ended up losing about 10-15 more lbs but that would be all I could stand to lose at this point.

I am at my wits end with this and don't know where to turn! I know I need to eat but it seems almost impossible!

Any advise or tough love would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks, Kim

Hi Kim,

you need to eat on a schedule and approach the business of eating as fueling your body with the energy and nutrition it needs by eating good, healthy, nutritious foods. And take your vitamins! It is not about appetite. It is about what your body needs to live healthily. Hydration is not negotiable. You must get your liquids in like it or not. 

What was your starting weight? If I look at the few figures you have provided, you lost a total of 34 lbs and want to lose another 10-15 so you want your total loss to be around 50 lbs? 

Exercise is great for your overall health and may give you an appetite. It will also build muscle mass and that is a good thing. So don't avoid exercise fearing that it will make you skinny. It will not. Losing weight and getting skinny is 90% diet, ie caloric deficit, and 10% exercise. So hit the gym and build some muscle!

another thing about the VSG is that in removing 80-85% of your stomach the surgeon also removed the grehlin producing areas. Grehlin is the hormone that makes you feel hunger. That is one of the purposes of the surgery - to make people feel less hunger and help them sustain a low calorie diet while in weight loss mode. The feelings of hunger come back for some and not for others. 

the only way I know how to stop or slow down the weight loss is to increase calories. Best of luck!

Great advice!! 

If you specifically want a reply from Elina, you might try posting this on the VSG board where she is most likely to see that her input is wanted!

If you want to stop losing weight, you need to continue eating - even if you have no appetite.   Most WLS'ers eat on a schedule and it seems as if you will have to do the same.

How much do you weigh now?   Our bodies are pretty good at stopping losing before we get to an underweight BMI - which is less than 18.   

For someone 5'6", you would have to get down to 111 pounds to be considered "underweight" by the BMI charts. 2 weeks ago you posted you weigh 182, so you are far from being "too thin".

Try to relax and take care of your body, which means eating for fuel even when you do not want to.

Thanks, Ladies for the replies!

I'm currently at 178.2! Some Many)  years ago I was in a very stressful situation and had no appetite, even the smell of food at that time would make me sick!  I eventually lost weight all the way down to about 130 lbs. It was not a good look!  I looked ill! I had none of my ethnic curves left!

So I guess I may be being a little paranoid! 

I do believe that the best thing for me is going to have to eat on a schedule!

Thanks, again!...Kim