Natural Weight...

Since I’m posting today (and thereby taking my career into my own hands like the simpleton that I am), I figure I’ll go all out.

I’ve been chewing on something lately and I want to hear what you think.

 

My surgeon. Great guy that he is. Believes in something called a “natural weight." I asked him to explain this concept to me. He says it is the weight you come back to when everything is in balance. When you are moving enough and eating the right amount, your body will achieve its natural weight.

 

This, he theorizes, explains why I never got to be Beyonce. Because Beyonce is not my natural weight.

 

Ok, so taking this into account, when I eat like a sane person and move my body I usually land somewhere between 190-195. Somehow I have a hard time accepting this is my natural weight but I also have to factor in that when I am eating like a sane person and moving my body I am also a size 10, which is quite average.

 

So anyway. What say you? What do you think of the concept of having a “natural weight"? Is this all feel good foolishness? And if your natural weight turned out to be higher than your goal how would you feel about that? And if it turned out to be smaller than you wanted to be? How do you feel about THAT?

my surgeon preached something like this early on....being that I was around this size pre kids around 128... his goal was that while mine was 175 ish...
you already KNOW I hate being this boney/skinny...

They used to call it the set point.  I do believe there are points that the body seems to settle in to.  Back when I was in my 30's I managed to cut out all refined carbs and got down to 118lbs.  I did not track my food, count calories or do any structured exercise and my weight stayed stable until I started in on the refined carbs again.
I do think that even at our set point we can change that.  Obviously, eating more will cause weight gain.  I think that if a person only ate 500 calories a day they will surely lose weight.  Not that I am saying anyone should eat that little, just that there are other factors involved then just a set point.  But on the whole, yes, I do believe that our bodies find a place where they are comfortable with the balance of food intake and exercise and will hang out there for a while unless there is some kind of shake up.

Oh yes, he stressed that you can weigh less than your natural weight and certainly more. But he said you have to do “over and above" things to achieve that. So to weigh less you have to restrict caloric intake and exercise more intensely. To weigh more you eat more calories and move less.

 

He stressed natural weight is a result of balance. Doing just enough of everything for your body to be healthy. He was trying to make the point that if you are happy with your natural weight, it’s actually fairly easy to maintain. I’m still skeptical.

 I actually agree with him.  With my first WLS I got to a very low weight and then started to regain.  I cut out refined carbs and lost down to about 150 and maintained there for a long time comfortably without much effort, again until I started back on the refined carbs.  I was perfectly fine there and was comfortable with the way I was eating, which while it was healthier it was a larger quanity.  I knew that if I cut back on the volume of food I was eating I could probably lose more weight but I was fine staying the way I was and eating the way I was.

My surgeon has a smiliar belief.... which is why she refuses to give anyone a goal weight or even speculate about where they might end up.  I personally think it is true.  I think THAT is what accounts for the "bounceback".  Our bodies get below where they are comfortable and they adjust to get back to where they ARE comfortable.  Our bodies have some pretty miraculous survival mechanisms (e.g. the ability to oevrcome the caloric malabsorption after the bypass) and it makes complete sense to me that, because our bodies know that they need a certain fat reserve for illness/pregnancy, etc., they have a popint at which the body is in balance.  I accepted my PCP's goal weight of 145 even though I wanted to set it lower... because when he explained his reasoning (age, big boobs and muscular legs, etc.), it made sense.  At 20 months out, I got down to a low weight of 142, stopped losing completely, and then almost immediately popped back up to about 148 which is where I have stayed -- hovering in my 5 pound window -- for the entire 2+ years since then. 

There is still part of me that REALLY wanted to get under 140 pounds (even 139 would have been great), but that was a completely arbitrary number and is clearly never going to happen because even drastically cutting back my calories and a brief stint of exercising like mad did not change the scale... it just aggravated my bad knee.  My head knows that 148-150 is a healthy weight for me, given my body type... and, like you, it puts me in size 10 pants (but larger shirts thanks to the 36DDD breasts).  I would have LOVED to be a size 8, but it isn't going to happen.  So I try to console myself with the knowledge that I am MAINTAINING a healthy, normal size body (even if not a skinny one)... and, given the number of people who struggle with regain, I am DAMN proud of that maintenance!

Lora

I do think there is some validity to a natural weight.  Consider all things that are part of you (general you); height, bone structure, etc.

I didn't go into WLS looking for a magic number.  Never even considered where I wanted to land, just wanting to get rid of the comorbidities.  My surgeon gave me what his goal weight was for me based on my height and build.  I literally had to pick my jaw off the ground.  There was NO way in my thoughts that it was a possibility. 

I reached his goal weight and went pass that number.  Settled in about 6 months later to my goal weight.  I'm currently way below goal (due to divorce, stress, finances) and I'm now hearing so much about needing to gain weight.  I'm just so sick and tired of people thinking it's OK to comment on my weight. 

Sorry not trying to make it about me.  I had a conversation this morning with my mother and I'm just venting.  I want to start a new thread about that when I can put it into words.

I can remember at my consult, my surgeon said, " I can get you to 150"....he never set that as my goal...140-145 was set by nutritionist...

I do believe in a natural weight -- I think mine is probably somewhere around 150-155. I will prob let myself get there someday as I think i would look a lot better.

I do belive that. But I also belive that the "set point" or "natural weight" can change as we age, or.. even as we gain or lose weight. 

I think that some diets claim to be able to change "body set points". 
I think for some of us - who were unable to lose weight before RNY - the WLS allows for that to change.

   

 

Yes, ,I also believe in the "natural weight" concept.

When I started all this, I imagined myself getting into the 140's. Mid range of BMI would put me in the 130's - but I haven't been in the 130's for almost 30 years (pre 2nd pregnancy).

The truth is, my body is naturally settling in at 155, give or take a couple of pounds. I have this dream of seeing the day went I actually AM in the 140's - even 149 - but if that happens, it will probably only last for about 7 minutes.

I do get a little envious, still, when I see those who started about where I started (258) who are now in the 130's or even the 120's. But then I ask myself: Am I healthy? Am I feeling good? Do I like how I look now?

And the real question - which my husband asks me when I get all whacked out - Two years ago, if someone had said to me that in July 2011, I would "only" be able to lose ~100 lbs., and that they could "only" get me down to a size 6-8, would I have accepted that as a desirable goal?

YOU BET!!!

And I also have learned much about how differently we are all constructed. I know that Lora has posted about the frustration of clothing sizes. She weighs less than I do - but I have no rear end to speak of and am not the least bit busty. I guess I have a small frame - just had my ring resized to a 4 1/2.