8th Month Follow-up and Maint Plan

On Thursday I had my 8^th month follow up with Dr. Nishimura. I told him that I want to stop losing. I feel great and am pleased with the way I look.  I believe that I will look horrible at a normal BMI which would put me around 180 pounds.  He was very pleased with my progress and said that if I’m happy with my weight loss then I should stop. I don’t have to reach a normal BMI if I’m not comfortable losing more weight. He said although my rapid weight loss maybe over I may still experience weight loss over time and I should be prepared for that. Dr. Nish said that my body will stop before it gets to an unsafe point. He advised me to talk to the dietician. He asked me if I was exercising. I told him I was doing Spin classes at the Gym a couple of times a week.  He advised that I should cut down on the aerobics and increase the weight training and build muscle.  He reviewed my blood work and everything was in the normal range. Last test I had a problem with Iron and B-1. I also had an abdominal sonogram done to check for gallbladder issues. Received a clean bill of health on that as well. The only other advice he gave me was to cut down on the Diet Snapple (I drink this like water). He said that it has tannic acid which has been linked to cause ulcers.

I then spent a lot of time with Jill the Dietician. She took all my stats (via a Tanita Body Composition Analyzer) and compared them to my initial consult:

I provided Jill with my food tracking via myfitnesspal.com. I’m currently consuming about 1200 calories a day she said at this rate I will continue to lose weight. She said if I want to maintain I need to add at least another 500 to 800 calories a day. She suggested having a couple additional protein shakes.  She said that 50% of my caloric intake should be protein, 25-30% fat and 25-30% carbs. She concurred with Dr. Nish on the exercise. If I continue to do more aerobics I’ll need to increase my caloric intake to compensate for the additional calories I burn to maintain my weight. Weight training will add muscle which is heavier than fat. It may also help with some of my loose skin.

Don’t know how I’m going to be able to add that many more calories. She said that I should be able to eat more soon as my pouch stretches. I told her I don’t have a pouch but she insists that I will be able to eat more in the future. She also said that it’s typical that before two years I’ll gain another 15 to 20 pounds.

Dr. Nish said he considers my operation a complete success. I should come back for a follow-up in four months. This will put me at the year mark. Jill said I should come back much sooner to way in and discuss any nutrition issues.