Rapid Weight Loss V.S "Slow and Steady"...is a super low calorie diet really that bad?

Ok ok ok ok ok.. So I'm STILL trying to "fine tune" my diet and exercise plan to be most effective and satisfactory. I'm pretty smart, and know about the whole "Body going into starvation mode" and "if you don't eat enough your body will stall" and "If you lose weight too fast you won't keep it off or it's just muscle and water" and "you need to burn more than you eat, but not too much or you won't lose weight" ...etc etc etc.. So I find out my BMR and know that to lose 1-2 lbs a week I should eat like 400 calories less than that. So this is all fine and great.. and OH did I mention SO PAINFULLY SLOW!

And then I look at the ONE time I lost a FREAKIN 160 lbs!!!! What did I do to make that happen? Viola! I had RNY Gastric BYPASS surgery...what did that do to me?! It FORCED me to eat probably starting at about 200 calories a day...and up to 600 a day.. but for a LONG time staying below 900 calories a day! So this whole theory of the body going into a stall if you don't eat enough doesn't make sense to me.. in fact what DOES make sense to me is if I eat more than 900 calories I don't lose weight! I stopped losing weight at about 10 months out...about the time I was able to eat around 1200 calories. 

So I'm "kind of " losing weight, I've stopped gaining and I seem to have lost about 5 lbs this month..but I've been working aout a lot..and keeping my calories pretty high (high compared to 900 calories). Is something REALLY so wrong with consuming very little calories? With pretending I'm a new post op and limiting myself to 900 calories.. logic and nutrionists and research and EVERYTHING says that's not a good idea cause I'll go into starvation mode and stall and all that stuff.. but my experience tells me that is the only time I've lost weight.

What do you all think.. I mean really think, we all know practically what is the "right way" to lose weight, but those of us who had RNY also consumed VERY little calories for a very long time...we didn't die, maybe lost a little hair, but we also lost a LOT of weight. I have 80 lbs still to lose, can I just put myself back into newly post op mode for 4 more months then gradually and slowly increase the calories to maintain..

Curious to read the discussion that follows this. Logic vs personal experience...

Thanks for your time and contribution as I figure this one out for myself.

Leslee

(p.s I just figured out if you use HTML Editor #2 it puts in paragraphs for you and doesn't keep everything all crammed together! hahaha..just now finding that out!) 

I've wondered about that myself. My nut told me that when we have RNY our bodies are shocked into losing weight. She said I had become resistant to diets (since I'd been on so many). I remember those first few months after RNY, not being able to eat much, and I was so weak I could hardly sit up. Another thing I've always heard is that if you stay on a low calorie diet for a long time, your body will adjust to it and learn to live off of those few calories, and then you're stuck with that forever. And surely you don't want to survive on those few calories from now on. I think you've got the right idea, eating a healthy diet and exercising a lot. You're not nearly as overweight as you once were, so it's probably not critical that you lose quickly from a medical standpoint. You'd probably be a lot better off losing the weight at a moderate speed, especially long-term. (That's easier said than done, I know. I'm the same as you - when I want to lose a few pounds I expect them to go PDQ.) I bet your measurements are reflecting some results, even when the scale is hung up.

You brought up a good point..AND after surgery it really was "forced" we physically COULD NOT eat more than that small little bit....but now being able to eat a lot more than that small little bit what's to say that I won't go low low low cal for even like 2 weeks lose 10 lbs and then not be able to stand it anymore and since I CAN eat more, there's a good chance that I would, and then all the weight would come right back, so that's a thought too. I'm liking james wagon plan the 15:7 rule, that sounds pretty  moderate to me, I just wonder if I can just eat like TWO of thsoe meals a day, instead of 5 or something...but what's to say I won't "give in" over eat and ruin the whole process... So yeah, I just wanted to open this up to discussion. Thanks Wanda.

Leslee 

leslee

what is the 15:7 rule?

This is EXACTLY the dialogue that I have with myself in my head.  My experience is that now if I eat low cals I don't lose weight, but my head tells me that it worked in the beginning even if I wasn't as fast a loser as others!  And that was without exercise.

I too am interested in reading others repies on this one - sorry I can't help as I feel as frustrated as you.

Leslee

i would like to start out by saying that i love your avatar pic and i looked at your wedding pics and you are absolutely beautiful.

i have had this same dialog in my head sometimes- and it makes me wonder .  but, i keep telling myself that "games" with food are what got me to 270# to begin with.  i remember eating one meal a day - my aunt calls it the dog diet - like you feed your dog once a day and they eat like there is no tomorrow until the food is gone - that's what i did - thinking that i was gonna lose wt - i also tried other tricks and diets that i thought would make me lose - but, nothing did - at least not permanently.

it concerns me that if you only eat twice a day - that i t will be similar and that your choices might not be as good.  i am only 15 months out - so, i am still believing what my doc told me.  he told me that i need to eat 5 or 6 meals a day from now on to maintain my wt and my health.  protien first forever. 

be sure to leave off the bad carbs and maybe your wt will continue to go down.  i dont know if this is a problem for you - but, i know it sure is for me. 

my doc is more than a surgeon - he is a  counselor and supporter - he attends our support group each month and usually has something to say to us about "post op life" after we have all been around the circle - our NUT comes too - and takes a few little notes - then she will send an email or an encouraging note with a tip .   my doc has his own board where the nut and the nurse prac check and post periodically - but, it is the other RNYrs and post op people who help us.  no, my surgeon has never been MO and probably doesnt know what it is like to live it out. but, i do feel supported and he tries to help us stay on track.

i hate that you are struggling with all of these thoughts going through your head - i have talked at length with other post op RNYrs like myladyheidi - she tells me that counting the protien everyday and eating 6 meals and getting in the water are the things that are basic and keep her on track - when i do what she recommends - i stay on track too.

i hope this helps -

i have those thoughts sometimes too and i feel sometimes like the "devil" is whispering in my ear to make me confused and upset  - i know that sounds crazy but, it is almost like an obsession sometimes - but, when i focus on counting my protien and my small frequent meals - it calms the storm

kf