Losing too fast

Hello,

I just had my 2 month post op appointment and was told I'm losing weight too fast?

I've lost 20kgs/44lbs in the past two months and my Dr flipped out and told me to raise my calories.

Is this normal?

"Too fast" is a matter of context - if your goal is to lose 50 lb, then you are losing too fast and should ease up on things to avoid over shooting the mark by too much. Some will say that you can't lose too fast, and you should lose as much as quickly as you can, which is a good strategy for those who need to lose 300 lb or more and are taxing the ability of their surgery to deliver the goods. For those of us in the "moderate" WLS range, it is reasonable to shoot for a middle ground, maybe allowing for a more moderated and varied diet consistent with long term sustainability rather than outright maximum loss rate (and then figure out how to maintain it later.)

I was down 47 lb at two months and there was no worry about that - not until I was at about six months did they want me to slow it down (and I agreed, as that put me to within 10 lb of my goal weight so a correction was appropriate.)

Your loss rate will slow as you proceed, so one needs to be careful about slowing things down to much as then one may fall short of the mark. My general philosophy is to let things ride until you are within about 10 lb of your goal weight and then consider slowing things down to ease into maintenance and avoid too much overshoot. I was still losing steadily at 10 lb per month when I got within 10 lb of goal, so it was good to slow things down (and I stretched that last 10 lb loss over the next two months.) If it has taken a year and a half to get that close to goal, then you need to keep pushing it until you get there, and maybe a bit below.

So again, it is a matter of context. Even if that first two month's loss is around half of your total desired loss, that will typically still put around six months or so to goal weight, given typical loss rates.

Thank you so much for your response. I have a total of 40kgs/89lbs to lose.

I think I'll slow down closer to goal most likely

There is no "losing to fast". You need to utilize your honeymoon period to its fullest extent. For all you know next month you might only lose 5lbs. Some people lose 10-20lbs a month for the first few then start to slow.

Don't let your doctor side rail you by saying you're losing to fast. Just keep doing what you're doing.

Thank you for your reply :)

I was so confused by it all

If you're getting appropriate protein, fluids and have energy - I would carry on as you are and enjoy the fact that you're losing so quickly. Everyone is different. Congrats - you are lucky!

Thank you for your reply :)

It's like driving a car with the engine off. It will slow down on its own. I'd be willing to bet that in a month or two you'll be freaking out about the stall you're in.

Keep doing what you are doing.

My surgeon said the same thing to me at about your point, but they have been super pleased with where I ended up. My weight loss is in my signature.

Did your doctor give any additional context? Are they thinking you're losing muscle mass? Is your daily protein up to snuff? Are your vitamin levels good?

As long as I was energetic, meeting protein and water goals, able to exercise, and showing strong vitamin levels, I'd be happy to lose 5lbs per week! I pretty much only saw that level of loss during my pre op diet and a week or two after the surgery. You'll probably plateau soon, and you'll be happy you banked some good losses. Still, it's good to fully understand your docs reasoning. If you're confused, you should have them clarify the "why".