new goal - not sure I like it: :)

Had my 2 week follow up with the NUT and surgeon a couple of days ago.  Graduated to soft foods - YEA!!!!  At the NUT appt., they have a new scale that measures fat, lean muscle mass, etc.  Well, all along, my goal has been to be in the high 140's, which would bring me into the normal BMI range.  However, based on the results of the new scale, the NUT said I should weigh around 180, maybe a few lbs less.  Seems I have a lot of lean muscle mass, and if I lose much more than down to around 180, I either won't have enough fat to be healthy, or will eat into the lean muscle.  All along I figured I was a big old marshmallow, and here I've been a lean mean fighting machine disguised in a fat lady's body all along and didn't know it! LOL  She did say the rule of thumb is for every 9 lbs of fat lost, you can lose 1 lbs of muscle mass, up to a point.  So I guess I'll go along with the goal of 180 for now - it certainly will be easier to attain, and she and I will see where the dust settles and decide if a few more lbs would be okay.  I haven't weighed 180 since right after high school, when I got down to 148 for a nanosecond, so I have no clue what 180 will even be like.  I definitely want to find out though!

I hadn't heard that rule of thumb, but it's consistent with what I've experienced. I have set my goal to get down to about a 15% body fat (on the lean side of normal for men), which worked out to an initial weight goal of about 200lb for me, with the gross assumption that only fat would be lost and that I would readjust the goal as I got closer. Which is what I have done in the past month as I got into the 2/3 to goal region, and reset my goal down another 10lb.

The caution I got from my doc's program RN (they've been using the body comp scale for years in monitoring their patients) is that their readings aren't that accurate for the first 2-3 months post-op, presumably because our hydration isn't that stable initially. Their body fat measurements are hydration sensitive - you can easily see a 5 point difference in your body fat reading between early morning when you tend to be dehydrated and late afternoon when your hydration would be more normal. So, don't be surprised to see her goal estimate for you change as get further out.


Good luck in your journey,

Its good you are setting realistic goals for yourself by figuring out your lean body mass..alot of people just pick a number that isnt realistic for their body..

as you get closer you will see what number is best for you and where your body wants to be..

i too had a pretty high lean body mass, but did lose some muscle as i lost weight..which made me lose more than my original goal..

you are going to do great and will see what is best for you as you keep losing.

keep going!

Unless you work out like a fiend you WILL lose lean muscle weight.  It is almost impossible not to do so. 

The reason you have so much lean muscle now - is because your body has had to carry around a lot of extra weight.  Most overweight people have a pretty decent set of muscles under their fat....how else do you think they able to carry around 100+ pounds and function.  Think of how buff someone would need to be (at a normal weight) to carry around a 100 pounds of weights strapped to them all day.

That being said....as you lose your excess weight....your need for your CURRENT amount of lean muscle mass will go down....less weight to carry....less muscle needed.

This will also lower your basal metabolism and calories needed too.  It's not a bad thing....you just don't need all that muscle anymore since you weigh less.

Now....you CAN work out and preserve some of that muscle....that is the best case scenario.  But you will lose some of it as you lose weight.  It's expected.

I did my body fat calcs and I have approx 208 lbs of lean tissue.....so if I had ZERO percent body fat right now I would weigh 208.  I also have 142 lbs of fat that I am carrying around.  My ideal body weight is around 180-185.  So to get there and have even a good 10% body fat (ok for a guy) I would only have 160-165 lbs lean body mass. 

So I would lose around 50 lbs lean body mass as I get down to my ideal weight.  That is ok.  Sorry for the rambling....its late. :)

Long story short....You will lose muscle mass and there is nothing wrong with it - just exercise as you lose weight and your body will decide what is right for it.  It's too early to tell.

Thanks for the added info.  She did say that my body, especially my legs has needed all that muscle to carry around the excess weight, and even if I lost 10 lbs of that muscle, I'd be fine.  I did join a gym prior to surgery and am starting a tap and jazz class next week.  Have to wait until the 6 week mark to do the weight machines, but can do all the cardio I want.  I'm sure things will change a bit as I go along.