Eat more, lose more?

I'm currently trying to maintain my weight because I expect to lose anywhere from 8 to 10 pounds of skin and tissue with my next Plastics round. So I started eating more. Guess what? I lost more weight. Ok, I know that this is not a particular problem for most people, but I don't understand how eating 6 to 7 times a day (1600 calories) has made me lose more weight. I went nearly a year without dropping a single pound and now I can't stop. My iron pills seem to make me hungry all the time, so I should be either maintaining or gaining a little bit. Anyone else have this problem. My goal was 155, I'm now 146. I don't want to be skeletal. I already wear 6's and smalls and size 5 underwear. Where to you get underwear smaller than that? I know, what am I complaining about. I just want to maintain!!

Hi Jane: This happened to me also, after awhile I started to gain again. Now I'm at were I want to be and staying there on 1500 calories. Our bodies are mysterious aren't they. Have a great day karen

Believe it or not ... Eating fuels the motabolism and sometimes causes you to loose . I know when I am dilegent about my food intake .. and eat my small meals through out the day .. I can loose .. so I have begun to scale back the meals . But I am now doing the weight training so I now I ponder to eat a little more protein .. I am curious as to how the scale will react .. most people say weight training makes them gain .. but for me it has always made me lose . HMmmm And yes .. there are smaller undies ... tis why I donot wear them any more .. to hard to find .. unless you go to the little girls department .. NOT ... LOL .. Here is to ... MAINTAINING !!! Hugs, Nat

HeeHee. TMI my friend. Now I'll be wondering if you have undies on when I see you in March (I hopefully can be at your bachelorette party!) It's a weird thing about our metabolism. I was told about 3 years ago before WLS that I have a damaged metabolism from yo-yo dieting. That I would have to eat a very restrictive diet to lose even after WLS. I think they were wrong. Lately I feel like a cow grazing in the pasture. I started working out again. Not gung ho, but still doing at least 1 hour a day and about a 30 minute walk at night. Exercise makes me ravenous. I just want to stay where I am at. No losing , no gaining. It's harder than people think it is to do. Hugs, Jane

Yep, I've found this to be true at times too! Finding the right balance to maintain for your particular body and needs can be so difficult~its so much trial and error and sometimes has no rhymn or reason to it! Good Luck with Maintenance Mode!!!!! Tracy B 328/150 5'9"

Unless you wanna start wearin' undies with cartoon characters on 'em or days of the week(which some of us could probably use..HE! HE!), you might wanna(gulp!)add a little extra carb to the diet(preferably, the veggie type). I, too, have the PCOS and insulin-resistance issues, so that scares the hell out of me, but...whatever works, right? The iron is a problem for me, too. I hope you find your happy-medium to get to balancing out the scale. Good luck, Julie

Hi Jane, I wish I looked as good as you. We met over the Richmond weekend, and I thought you looked wonderful. I would have thought that you were smaller than a 6, but we are all different. I am in a 10, and weight about 150 and I am 5'3''. I have often wondered about the maintaining part, you know if we could stop losing? After a lifetime of being so heavy, just talking like this sounds crazy. Good luck on your next surgery, I know you have a busy life and schedule with your mom being sick and school. Try to take care of yourself. Donut

Hey Jane! I'm over 5 years post. Over 3.5 years ago I had had bowel obstruction & surgery & got down to 128ish. I'm 5' 7" and was in 2's & 4's. I look like an emaciated old woman... Considering I was probably carrying 5 - 7 lbs of extra full-body skin (I was big EVERYWHERE before) I probably had a "net weight" (actual body minus weight of skin) of 120 - 121. Baaaad. I struggled to maintain and decided my body FELT better with more weight (even though my "head" liked 2's & 4's... how wacked is that). After talking w/ my nutritionist, I began sipping liquids with my meals and snacks. Wheat Thins & cheese cubes became my 2x to 3x per day snacks. (I worked at balanced MEALS always) As a result I noticed an immediate stopping of the weight loss. The "gain" took almost a year - but I managed to gain!! I gained very well~!~!! I went back up to 179!!! THEN I realized I had to STOP STOP STOP! What is so amazing about this tool (for me) is that IT WORKS WHEN I WORK IT! I stopped drinking when eating (85 - 90% of time) (it's difficult but can be done!). I lost the excess and am sitting in "ideal" range (158 - 159) for over 2 years! Sidenote: during the intentional "re-gain" - my blood work was PERFECT - right in the middle of all ranges. Post re-gain: my blood work IS perfect! My issue was about sheer VOLUME. You can do this. You'll reach a point where your body won't be able to use what you're ingesting as "fuel" - you'll have extra "fuel" in your tank which ='s maintain or gain. But remember: You are in control. You'll only maintain or gain based on the changes YOU make. YOU CAN DO THIS!! Don't fear! You've got more control than you know! Talk w/ your nutritionist & get a game plan! Or trust your instincts! ( and wisdom from experience gained from your journey this far...!) Take care!

I:m in the same boat. I was told to increase my calories as I was 1 year out now and I started losing again. My goal weight as per my surgeon and my GP was 147. I now weight 131. I have increased my carbs (I don't really count) and have decreased my calories to about 1000 and have stuck to 131 -133lbs now for a month. I am scared to increase the calories any more because I dont' want to lose any more lbs. Leanne