Question about food volume and Dr. [kinda long]

I just celebrated my 1-year surgiversary and believe I am at goal...altho not completely sure.  I had my 1-year checkup with the bariatric doctor two days ago and am still fuming about it.  My original doctor left the clinic and they replaced her with a different male doctor which is not a big deal but I had a most unpleasant experience with him.  At my 6 month apt with my original doctor, I asked her when will I know when I should stop losing weight and then what do I do differently for maintenance?  She informed me that I could potentially lose more and that I should just keep doing what I'm doing and let my body decide when to stop.  She stated that they wouldn't be concerned about me losing too much weight until I dropped below 120 or so.  I'm 5'3".  Ok so now I'm meeting my new Dr. at 1-year and he informs me that I have lost 96% of my excess weight and that I should stop losing immediately!  That I've lost too much and that's not good.  I am at 130 lbs.  I told him about what the previous Dr. told me and it should be documented somewhere I would think and he just gave me a confused look.  So he told me to up my amounts of food if possible and stop losing weight.  He also said everything else looks good and proceeded to get up and I had to tell him to slow down!  My lab results came back with a couple of abnormal readings and that everything does NOT look good!  What should I be concerned about?  He just said, "hmmmm, we'll just keep an eye on that OR have your regular Dr. keep an eye on that."  I'm thinking WHAT?  My general Dr. has not been involved in this bariatric process.  Really?  I was so upset with the interaction with this smug Dr. who was obviously in a hurry to get out of there as I was the last apt for the day, that I just got up and left.  I'm seriously thinking of never going back there and trying to find a different bariatric Dr. to see from now on.  My question is should I transfer to a different clinic even tho they have not been with me thru this whole process?  also, should I be upping my volume of food at each meal or adding in more snacks to get in more calories?  Maybe I should schedule another apt with my NUT even tho we were done with appts...??  Thanks for listening!

At your weight and height, I wouldn't worry about being too skinny or losing too much weight.  If you're comfortable with your eating plan, stick with it.  If you're comfortable with your current weight, you can start adding small amounts of calories to your daily intake if you want to.  And, yeah, another appointment with the NUT or with a nurse practitioner at the clinic (if there is one) might help.  I saw my surgeon twice after surgery, then I switched over to the NP (my choice) for everything else.

Will do thanks.  This wasn't the surgeon but the bariatric doctor assigned to my "Team" that I now am supposed to see occasionally for follow up appts.  Not sure that I will waste my time to see him again...

I would call his office and request copies of all your lab work.  This is something you should ALWAYS do.  It's important to watch for trends on your labs over time.  Don't rely on a doctor telling you that you have "abnormal readings."  You are your own best health care advocate and it's important to know what's going on in your body.

My point exactly!  I had already seen my lab test results as I have an online account thru my clinic and knew that my readings were a little off and had to point it out to the Dr.!  I know its best to keep track of my own labs but shouldn't the Dr also review my chart a bit more carefully before he says everything looks great?!

My thoughts are to get another doctor in the same clinic. Or maybe use a NP or PA. I'd also suggest sending a copy of your records to your GP. Always good to keep your GP in the loop.

Great idea - thanks!

There are 3 basic ways to add or subtract nutrition.

- Quantity

- Content

- Frequency

I'm a firm believer in keeping the meals small to preserve restriction for the long haul when you really need it, so I choose NOT to eat more per meal.

I like to adjust "content", a 200 calorie meal can be a 300 cal meal with just a blop of mayo or a couple tablespoons of gravy.... or added cheese...... you get the idea.

Adding a snack here and there would be my second choice, although the best snacks tend to be vegetables with fiber.

Sounds like you are doing great and have a pretty good idea of whats best for you !

frisco

Great ideas - thanks so much!

Eventually you will need to leave the surgeon and transition over to your regular PCP for ongoing checkups and maintenance.  Since you're unhappy with this new jerk, no time like the present. Most surgeons are more focused on the cutting and the recovery from it, than in things like labs, maintenance - you know, life.

Be VERY careful about deliberately upping your calories to stop losing weight, especially adding carbs - it can lead to gain. I'm in the same camp as your original doctor - keep doing what you're doing, and let your body decide.  Your capacity will slowly increase as well, and that alone will help slow/stop your weight loss.

Congrats on a job well done!  :-)