Weight

Is it true that the smaller you are the slower the weight will come off?

 

I am 255lbs so will I lose a lot slower then at 300lbs person

It is true that lightweights tend to lose slower than those that are heavier.  The difference between 250 and 300 is not that big a deal.

 

Heres the thing, at the heavier weights your basal metabolic rate, the amount of energy you burn just living, is much higher than when you are lighter.  So, someone who starts their journey heavy - is burning more calories just breathing than someone who starts their journey 100 lbs less.  As you lose, you have to exercise and increase your activities to burn an equivalent number of calories.  This is why so many people notice that their weight loss slows down as they get closer to goal.

I am a slow loser and a light weight. The two don't necessarily go together. There are lots of lightweights, Elina comes to mind, that have lost all of their weight in a short amount of time. I believe that if you lose slowly now, you will lose slowly after surgery. WLS doesn't change the rate you lose weight, imo. JMO, of course.

Last year, pre-surgery, my RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) was 1814 (yep, you read that right. Can't blame the weight gain on a slow metabolism). 1814 put my metabolism above average.

A year later, a few weeks ago, my RMR was 1555. At my old weight that would put my metabolic rate below average. But, I now weigh 155 lbs. So, my RMR is still well above average.

This shows me a few things:

*My body requires less food (good if you don't like food. Bad if you love food. Neither good nor bad if you have dealt with your issues with food.)

*I have less fat to burn (woohoo!)

*Because I have less fat to burn, I have to work harder to burn it. (what the...that's not effing fair. Grrr.)

**Exercise becomes a key component to losing the last few lbs because it will help offset what metabolism no longer burns - I now have a 259 calorie deficit that I have to somehow get back.

I've seen many heavier people on this forum, give up when it got harder to lose. IMO, it is all about how badly you want to reach your goal and NOT about the length of time it takes you to get there.

So, do people with more weight lose faster/better? Yes and no. It really depends on how their bodies lose normally. At some point, almost everyone hits a wall. It's what you do when you hit that wall that will decide how you lose.

I too am a lightweight and have lost really slowly 60lbs in 14 months, doing, 600-800 cals 30-40 carbs a day.  I had lost lots of weight before, certainly a lot more than this, in a shorter amount of time and with 50% more calories. Until sleeve surgery, dropping pounds was never a problem.  Having said that i believe i just should not have been so drastic in my calorie reduction but once i was and i realized it i was already on the train and scared to up my calories because i believed i had damaged my metabolism. 

 

Most people here really like and have great success with this number.  I believe if i had started off with more calories I could have had a place to go in terms of reduction when i stalled.  I'm also worried about maintenance.  I always said that maintaining at 1200 calories would be a nightmare for me but i can't see how the scenario will be much different than that.

 

Here's the other thing, while you will lose slower than a 300lb person 255 is not such a low weight that you won't have a good amount of loss at least at the beginning.  I started at 188 so yes i have fought for every.   it also depends on if you've lost all your weight before.  I had lost all my weight before (on higher calories 1200) maintained the loss for 12 years, so my metabolism was also different.

 

I'd say it's not something to worry about unless you have underlying conditions.  I too got my BMR done and it was 1480. Clearly it's not.  Like i said the rate you lose has a lot of components and until you start to, you will in all probability not know which category you fit in.

 

You should look to others who started in your weight range and chart their progress.  while we are all different, it may give you some idea what your journey could, could look like.

Good luck

Each person is different. To maximize your loss, I suggest:

a) eat 'on plan'  - 600-800 calories a day (once you are out of mushies), less than 40 carbs.

b) Exercise - cardio and strength to maintain your lean mass. As you get lighter, you lose lean mass since its easier just to get around. Metabolism is a function of lean mass.  Also, exercise reduces stress and stress hormones which impede weight loss

c) Drink water - fluid is necessary for metabolizing fat

d) Sleep - Sleeping 7-8 hours a night is shown to facilitate weight loss

e) Take your vitamins

 

I don't think you can compare like that. YOU will lose faster at 255 than YOU will at 185. If you are starting your weight loss at 255 it will come off quicker than if you have been dieting for 2 months and then have the VSG.

There are too many variables to make sweeping statements.

For instance, my sis was 190 and I was 263 the day we both had our surgery. She's 3.5 years older than me and has a desk job, while I'm retired and take aquasize classes 3 days a week. Taken together I should theoretically lose much faster than her, BUT - she's lost 42# to my 45#. - not a big difference, really.

Reality is that I was maintaining my weight at 15-1800 calories a day, as was she, so we lost at roughly the same rate. The problem with comparing your loss with someone else's is that unless you know how many calories they were maintaining at, you have no real way to compare.

If you look at your past weight loss efforts you'll have an idea of how quickly you'll lose, but in the long run the real difference you're going to experience is that the weight will come off without you being miserably hungry ALL THE TIME and you'll find it possible to feel comfortably full on much smaller portions. That is the wonderful, magical thing about the VSG. Not magical, super fast weight loss, but weight loss that happens without miserable, unrelenting hunger, and a way of feeling satisfied with those smaller portions.

Perfect example: My husband and I went out for lunch today and ordered lentil soup and an appetiser platter to share. I ate 1/2 of my soup, 1/4 piece of pita, 2 dolmas and a small cheese roll. I was comfortable at that point and stopped. My hubby finished my soup and pita, and made a serious dent in the rest. Because I eat slowly now we were done at the same time. It was a lovely meal out and I don't feel deprived in the least, even though I'd have eaten easily 3 times as much pre-surgery.