Still Losing

I am 20 months post op (RNY).  I've reached my goal (YAY)  But I'm still losing.  I guess the solution is add more food.  But I'm not really sure how to do that because many things still upset my pouch.

I thought that the weight loss was supposed to level off at 18 mos.  I haven't seen that yet.  I don't want to lose any more.

When I hit 150 I thought "I could be happy at this weight" so my game plan was get down to 130 so if there was bounce back I'd be OK sitting at 150.  When I told the HRRH dietician my plan she was skeptical thinking I likely wouldn't see 130.  (I didn't really think I would either it was just my plan).  I'm 5'-4" tall.

Well I'm at 130 (128.5 as of this morning) and I'm concerned because the weight still seems to be coming off.

How do you add more food without it being the wrong food?  Would I really have to add that much or would a spoonful of peanutbutter do it?

Please help.  I don't want to be emaciated.

TIA

 

Sorry, I'm not quite 6 months post-op so I can't answer your question.  Actually I can't even imagine being in that situation.  I've never had a problem with loosing too much and find it really hard to wrap my head around it.  From what I've read, you need to weigh/measure everything you eat and when you know how many calories you are taking in, gradually increase your daily calories until you stop losing and are maintaining.  But I'm sure the vets will have much better advice than this relative newbie.  Just wanted to offer my encouragement.

Depending on how well your intestines adapt, malabsorption can last as long as 24 months, but 18 is the more usual norm, so you very possibly could still be in a malabsorptive state.  Obviously you are eating SOME foods and if you want to slow down your weight loss, eat more of what you know you can already tolerate.  You don't need to branch out or introduce anything new if you're worried about stomach upset.

You don't want to overdo the eating and start gaining weight again, so it's probably a good idea to track how many calories you are currently eating and then add in another 300 or so per day.  There are several apps and websites that can help you figure out what your maintenance calories should look like.  Each one is a bit different, so find one you like and stick with it. 

Good luck!  :D

Jen

My malabsorption went away at 30 months and I gained a pound a week with no changes in what I was eating.  I gained 14 pounds in 14 weeks. I finally stopped the weight gain by counting calories.  I think you should just enjoy being at a low weight until your intestines start absorbing calories again.

What she ^^^^^ said.  Never came across anyone who disappeared and maybe one or two who got below a normal BMI for any length  of time.   Make the most of it.

Fat and carbs. Nuts, avocado, fruits. 

More slider foods, soft foods . extra protein shake, fish, cooked veggies..add sweet potatoes, or winter squash for good carbs. Mix it with butter, or olive oil. 

Make protein shake with added fruits and some fat - like using full fat milk and some fruits plus proteins. 

When I try to eat more - I make things like homemade egg drop soup, add chopped avocado..or some butter. 

Cooked veggies are easier on my gut so I cook veggiesci can tolerate. 

I am in a situation like that now.  I discovered that I can tolerate berries and grapfruits. I try to eat 1-2 grapefruits a day. Or berries. 

Yesterday I had fish for lunch, with some cucumber salad. Bunch on nuts - I was grazing on them all day..then dinner was very thick chicken soup with added avocado and dill.  It took me 45 min to eat 8 oz of that. 30 min later I ate a grapefruit. 

Snacking on some roased almonds , or walnuts, or other mix nuts allows me to get more calories in. 

My gut is supper sensitive so I have to make sure food I eat is moist and fully cooked. 

I add mayo to my meats (cold cuts) ... 

What everyone else said. If you get dangerously low, the doctor can put you on digestive enzymes. However, it's rare with the RNY for that to happen. I went down to 182 for a bit....people thought i had a disease...I was way too thin., However, after a few months I bounced back up to 192 and stayed there for years.

Enjoy being super thin for a bit....it's part of the journey.

Scott

128 pounds at 5'4" is a very normal 22BMI. When we first lose weight we often look 'emancipated' and then the skin and what fat over time  kinda redistributes itself so we look a little better....

I also think we never imagine we could get to that weight so it feels foreign to us too. I had people telling me I didn't need to lose more 40 or 50 pounds ago...

I have heard it said here many times, very few people complain about being 'too thin' in year 3....

Thanks all.  I will follow up on all advice posted here, and see what they say at my two year follow up in March.

One way to know how you are really doing is to have a full body scan - body composition scan. Most likely Insurance is not going to pay for that - but a small labs - in universities, biger centers, big athletic centers can have equipment like that (body scan x-ray machine. I found one in city I love and for $125 (the cost can be 50- to 150) I had my full body scan. 

The scan showed me my.total body fat %, fat distribution, bone density on every part of my body. 

Woman needs 14-15% of essential body fat... Below that - we may get in trouble. 16-20 is an athlete level - female body builder. 20-25 % is consider lean. 25-30% body fat % is normal ...above 30- overweight. 

If you have that done - you may know how much fat you still have and if it safe for you to lose more. 

At 5'4" , even though I am still relatively heavy, 150, my body fat %was 21%.  At my age (above 50) I should not lose beyond 20% body fat. That will be simple ugly and not healty for me (i am not a body builder). 

At that point I knew I have to eat more and stop the weight loss.   

This is based on my personal experience- but getting too low body fat% can lead to different issues, like too low cholesterol, hormonal imbalances,  getting weaker immune system, low energy, depression...etc etc...

Since I lost and additional 4 lbs - I feel more cold. I get tired more easily.  

Also - when import too much weight in the past - and I kept losing - to stop that I give myself permission to eat anything and as often as I wanted.  That approach backfired on me a year later when I gained the 10 lbs I wanted ...but then I could not stop gaining... 

So this time - I am trying to just increase "good - real" food. And weight myself daily, so when I see weight gain beyond what I need to gain - I can stop that. 

In "my book"  - there is things like "too thin", not enough body fat %.