A few questions from a yearling for the wise and experienced vets!

It has been a year since surgery and, as all of you have experienced or are experiencing, what a year it has been...lots of hard work, laughs, tearing hair out ( not that it needed any help to come out!), highs and lows!  And so many thanks to OH for the support and advice over the last year!

Now I have a weird issue that I really need some advice on....

I am a young old lady at 67, started this journey at 262 lbs, presurgery weight at 232.  My doctor's goal was 162 for me....my secret goal was 145.( I am a very formidable 5' in bare feet!)...I decided I would let my weight come off as it needed to and my body would find a comfortable weight and settle there.  

I weighed 126 when I saw my surgeon 2 weeks ago and he was speechless when he saw me....you lost too much weight, I don't want my patients looking post chemo....he gasped.  You need to stop loosing now!

(First of all.... Just to let you know....I feel great!  I walk about 2-3 miles a day, almost no pain, am very energetic and buzzy......love my new life and so do my family and friends who now see a fun and exciting future with me...)

Easier said than done to follow my surgeon's orders! The last 8 weeks my weight loss accelerated to almost what it was in the first few months after the surgery.  I have increased my calories from 950 to about 1100 a day and have lost another 4 1/2 lbs since I saw the surgeon 2 weeks ago.  I have tried to slowly add food, I don't want to eat any trigger foods ( and I haven't this whole journey) but I honestly don't know what to add that won't fill me up too fast, add carbs or sugar so that I will eat the kitchen sink again, or certainly drink alcohol...

So the questions are for the experienced vets out there.....

1......is it weird to start loosing weight so quickly again? 

2......and how can I find my good calorie range to maintain?

3.......maybe for me, most important, how can I increase my calories without eating all the scary stuff (which for me is bread, pasta, cookies.....you get it I am sure!)

Thank you all for you help and support....you have no idea how essential your comments are to those of us on the journey behind you!

Lots of care and good thoughts to all of you

joan

Joan, I'm not laying claim to wisdom but we have a thing or two in common. I'm looking down the barrel at my 60th b'day this summer! I've not experienced the continued loss you have (wish we could blend our 2 metabolisms - we'd probably both be happy with that!)  - but let me ask. 

What does a typical day's menu look like for you?

Are you logging your food on My Fitness Pal or similar app/site to be sure you're eating what you think you are eating?

Did the dr. have any specific input for you as to how to take it up a notch (aside from more calories)?

Does your doc have a nutiritionist available or is there a hospital dietitian (better choice) that you can consult with?

Keep us posted! Lynn

Thank you Lynn for your reply!  Actually my general loss has been quite slow...just the last few months my sleepy erratic metabolism seems to have restarted!

I Usually have a decaf coffee with almond milk and then eat Bircher for breakfast with 0% fat Greek yogurt and a few blueberries

sometimes a snack of 1/2 a quest bar and decaf coffee

Lunch is variable...an egg white and whole egg omelet  with veggies or a tuna salad with 0% fat yogurt dressing, cold veggies and lettuce, chicken Caesar salad ( no dressing only lemon, hold the croutons and cheese...oh...I guess it's not a Caesar salad!)

Sometimes a snack of 8-10 nuts or a rice cake with lightest cream cheese ...sometimes heated almond milk with sugar free syrup

Dinner is usually grilled fish or chicken...steak does not go down well...1/4 sweet potato or one new potato maybe, veggies and or a salad...sometimes some sugar free jello afterwards and sometimes a low fat sugar free hotchocolate....

and yes, I am obsessive about my fitness pal and logging everything......

We eat out allot and travel to far flung places and we eat in any kind of restaurant ( except very very rarely fast food or pizza). 

My doctor does have a dietitian and he promised me this new one ( the fourth in a year...so far they have all been pretty useless!) was good.....we will see as I plan to call her after I see the shrink I saw pre op who I liked allot.  The surgeon( who I like allot and get along with very well) told me to eat anything I wanted and I told him that was not helpful advice!!

thanks for your help

joan

I really don't have an answer for you unfortunately, but I will suggest (if you haven't already) that it's time to get a complete blood panel to see where you're at.

Thank you Karen...brilliant minds think alike!

I just had one about 10 days ago and am waiting for the results

5 foot tall and 126 is not too thin. You barely have a normal BMI. Keep adding calories if you are concerned, but honestly it evens out by the 3rd year for the overwhelming majority of us.

Thanks Laura. My husband and I were thinking the same thing. I checked the BMI and I am not even in the middle of the BMI range

Very dense food and very nutritious foods are - nuts and nut butters. NSA. (no sugar added). That in itself never induce any cravings for em but added healthy fats, with some carbs and proteins.   Very good for the joins. 

Thanks!  Anything for these old joints....now that anti inflammatories can't calm them down.  I didn't realise nuts had anti inflamitory properties.

Nuts - nut oils - omega 3. Specially almonds, walnuts..  Brazil nuts great for selenium. 

peanuts - are really legumes...(beans) - but they do taste great. lol...