A question rarely asked...
I had Gastric Bypass Aug 18 2008.. my peak weight was at 423, now Im down to 259 (164lbs in 6 months).. My weight loss has started dropping off a bit (I lost 4lbs in the past two weeks). My "target" goal was 240lbs, and Im wondering if there's anything different i should be doing to try and "stave off" further weight loss.. its my understanding that it will stop eventually, but if it progresses at its current rate, when i hit my 1 year anniversary, i could be well beyond my goal (a lot of my family keeps telling me if i were to lose the excess skin right now, i'd likely be at 240, but i know thats not really an option for a few years).
So short of grabbing a big bag of chocolate (kidding Paula), what do i need to do to start my "maintenance" mode?
I think it would be best for you to see your surgeon. Make sure you are almost at goal. The two of you might reevaluate your weight goal and decide that maybe a lower number would be ok, or maybe you are ready to stop right now... but definitely that's a call that the two of you should make.
As for putting the skids on your weight loss, my main advice is ADD FOOD SLOWLY. Yes you will need to add calories, but the types of food could negatively impact your weight. I remember making it to my goal, then adding some milk and wheat bread to my diet. OH garsh. That was awful. I gained weight within 3 weeks, and had to start back again trying to lose. As a result, I dipped below my surgeon's goal for me so that in case there was that "bounce back" weight gain, I would be AT goal. But here is something I wrote awhile back re: maintenance.
From my website: Recovering Fatty
You’ve spent months possibly years in obtaining your personal weight loss goal. Now you find yourself at a time of altering, change, and adding food back to your diet regime. You have to re-evaluate your goals, set new ones, and it can be frightening because you are entering uncharted territory! One thing you do know very well at this point: how to eat for the purpose of losing weight. You’ve settled into a routine that works best for you, and now those routines now need to be altered in order for you to put the brakes on your weight loss.
There is an overall feeling of fear and anxiety that can grip a person who must add food to their diet. Considering the amount of sacrifice, money, time and effort put into losing a massive amount of weight, it’s of little wonder that to ADD food to one’s diet would cause stress. Even normal people would be concerned at the question “What if I eat too much or the wrong food and gain weight back?” But the gastric bypass patient has other legitimate stressors that normal people do not, such as “What if I stretch my pouch?” or “What if I become addicted to carbohydrates, spiraling out of control?” Last, “What if I gain all my weight back?”
The key to maintenance is to add calories very slowly. Adding too much too soon is the quickest way to weight regain. A few short days after I reached my weight loss goal, I contacted my nutritionist who instructed me to add “whole grain breads, low carbohydrates wraps, rice, and milk” to my diet. I began with milk every few days in my protein shakes. I also started to add higher calorie items such as salad dressing, whipped cream and peanut butter. I bought some whole wheat bread (the lowest carb version I could find) and within 3 weeks, I had gained 5 lbs! I was devastated! It didn’t take too long for me to realize that my body could not handle these new additions all at once. (Too much of a good thing can become a bad thing!)
There are some people who continue to lose rapidly and must take drastic measures to stop their body from losing. If not, their weight could fall to an unhealthy level which could cause other problems for them. I never faced this as my weight loss slowed to a crawl toward the end anyway. So I did not need to increase the calories much to end all weight loss.
Continue to journal all food intake. Start with adding a few calories each day. One example would be to add whipped cream to your protein drink. Or, add a higher calorie salad dressing or mayonnaise to your salad, chicken or tuna. Closely monitor your daily caloric intake and the scales to make sure they are not declining. As you add a certain item, and see the scales stop, you will be able to know how many calories it takes for your body to no longer shed weight. However, if the scale jumps a pound or two, you will know just exactly what your daily calories should not exceed. Every weight loss journey person must go through this phase at one point or other. It cannot be avoided! We have to know at what level our bodies stop or gain.
Plan all of your food. Prepare a menu and do not turn to mindless snacking. Something occurred within two months of my “goal”. I thought “Wow, I can treat myself now and have some things that I have not been able to.” Rightly so, I had earned the right to have a taste of pie again. But, this is dangerous because it can get away from you before you realize what has happened and your scales are on the climb!
Realize that it’s OK to obsess over the scale and continue to follow your gastric guidelines. You are as normal as normal can be considering that you are a gastric bypass patient. You will continue to watch your eating throughout your life in order to be a long term success. We have heard too often of those *****gained because they wanted to return to “normal” as quickly as possible, and they never altered their eating lifestyles during weight loss mode. Always embrace and hold dear those new routines and habits that you learned so soon after your surgery: protein first, low/moderate carbohydrates in vegetables second, staying clear from simple carbohydrates.
When you do treat yourself to the occasional bite (or three) of a dessert, don’t allow yourself to be overwhelmed or burdened with guilt. You had this surgery to be happy and healthy! You did not have the surgery to be chained to the scales, and live in fear of food. Develop a healthy relationship with your protein filled foods and frequent them often, while enjoy the treats rarely but savoring every bite.
Be cognizant of eating patterns or tendencies such as snacking or eating poor choices. Ask yourself, “Why am I eating this food?” One example is eating when under stress. If you find that you want food for comfort when upset, try to find other healthier ways to deal with problems. You may need a counselor’s assistance. Treat yourself with a massage, pedicure or manicure, buy a new pair of earrings, give yourself a bubble bath. Read a book, look at a magazine, go for a walk, buy great smelling lotions or candles to enjoy. The possibilities are endless.
Many of us view “Maintenance” as the finish line to our weight loss journeys. In many ways, it’s actually just a resting place where we gain our composure, grab a drink for a time of refreshing, and then start chugging along again in the journey. The next phase is almost just as, if not tougher, than the actual first phase! We are forced to come face to face with the reasons we became obese in the first place, and correct those emotional, mental and psychological dependencies to ensure our success.
It’s also a wonderful time because our weight has finally stabilized and we can buy clothes which will remain a permanent fixture in our wardrobe. We now know what we will look like in our bodies: where the loose skin is, what areas will need plastic surgery, etc. However, we continue to struggle for the next six months to two years in accepting and seeing ourselves as “thin” instead of “obese”. The unwanted pounds have been shed; the obese mentality, however, has not. It takes time to change this.
John, this certain answer is in response to your title, "A question rarely asked." I also want to add that there are a lot of subjects that veterans don't talk about on the boards. That's why it is so important to develop real life relationships with wls folks... so that you can discuss other issues that come up along the way in private... or with people who may be experiencing the same things. Not that its meant to be secretive, but there are things that you will encounter along the way and may not want to speak them on the board. For me, there are things that I don't discuss on the board when it comes to eating tendences, changes in calories, changes in adding certain foods back to the diet because they might confuse a new person. They may see that I am eating something that they are unable to eat. I see this happen on another board where there are tons of recipes, and new postops immediately come home from the hospital making sugar free treats and desserts, then crying because they did not lose much weight that week. Many of those desserts and treats are not for new postops, many are for people who are at maintenance, or as my doctor says, "who have lost 75% of their excess body weight".
So I think that some things are left in smaller groups of people who are all at the same place you are, or farther out so that they can understand, provide support, guidance, advice... when those who are fresh out aren't ready for that kind of info.
The first thing to do is ask your Dr and Nut! They are the "professionals" in this case.
The question I asked was "How will my body know that it doesn't need to lose anymore?" I got a wide response of answers. The one that really surprised me was, "It will know!"
Guess what? For me and my situation, that was right! Now, it might not be for all. In fact I know of 2 people right now, that are concerned that they have lost too much and are having trouble slowing down the process! I think that is what scared me the most! I was afraid I would be anorexic looking. And for a former "fat guy", that was not the look I was going for!
My weight loss has been slowed down for about 4 months now. I fluctuate between 190 and 195 most of the time! There was one week that it went to 197 and I just got right back on track and things went back to normal.
Now with all this said...I think the best thing to do is ask your Doc, or your Nut! I love this statement...I am not a Dr. nor do I play one on TV,
I'm just a gastric bypass patient attempting to live a normal life!
Hang in there and I'll see you at support group in a couple of weeks! Tell your wife we said Hey!
