How to slow down the weight loss?

I can't believe that I would ever actually want to slow down weight loss.... but here it is. I started at 289 in Dec. 07 when I had my RNY. Now- at just over 9 months out I am down to 152. I set my goal at 145 (I am 5'4" so that sets me just into the healthy weigth BMI) and I am nervous that I am loosing too fast. I have gone to my Nut and she says to increase protein... check, change to full fat cheese... check, use olive oil in cooking instead of Pam... check. Still I am loosing pretty quickly. At the beginning of June I was 188... I lost 15# in June, 11# in July, 5# in August and now so far 5# in September. I am even eating Skinny Cow ice creams almost daily. I still have 7# to go so I don't want to stop all the weight loss- just want to keep it in hand. Oh- and I will admit that I am known to eat a regular cooking now and then, some chips if I go to a mexican restaurante... etc. So I am not being ultra perfect or anything. I am strict about not eating and drinking together and about all I drink are crystal lite type drinks, water or protein shakes made with 1% fat milk. I don't seem to have any problem with sugars or fats but some things (like too much PB) will make me sleepy?? I do exercise 4-5 times per week but I am not a fiend... it is mostly walking at 3.5 rate on the treadmill for 2 miles (so 30 min or so****asionally pushing that to 3 miles with some jogging thrown in (just depends on my mood) Any suggestions other than what I am already doing?

I am a year out, RNY.  From  282 to lowest of 115.  5'1"...I ate crackers, peanut butter to gain.  I looked soooo sick.  Healthy for me is about 122-125 where I hover at now after my tummy tuck.    I do not know why, but if I eat alot of saltines, with peanut butter that helps me gain.  I know it is so surreal to have to change from losing to the mindset of maintaining or even gaining.    My Dr. Nurse told me to do that, and it worked.  Hope that helps!  Good luck!

I thought I was done at 145 because all my life my doctors and family always said I looked best at 150. I am 5ft 5 inches tall (down from 5 ft 6 inches at my highest - 10 years of shrinkage). I started at about 240 and at 11 months I was at 122..Guess what? I increased my calories to 2000 occasionally but no gain. No matter how I try or wish..no gain. Turns out after years of thinking (and being reassured) that I was big boned...I'm not. I'm petite.

There is some hope. At 122 at one year, I haven't gained more than a half pound or lost a half pound in a year. I was a size 4 in skirts last fall. This fall, I'm trying on my one year old fall clothing and ... they don't fit. I've re-distributed the weight. My waist is a bit smaller, my hips and bust are a bit bigger. I'm curvier but exactly (nearly) the same weight.

So my advice to you is don't develop any bad habits that will haunt you later when you start re-distributing your weight...If you do get alittle low, it's not a problem. The goal is maintenance, not a line in the sand or a number on the scale...

I agree w/ "Not the Same Dawn" in her last paragraph--good advice.  I think it sounds like you are doing everything very well, and my guess is that your body will continue to slow down and then bottom out.  So many people take awhile--after perhaps getting a little too low--for their bodies to adjust and (as Dawn said) redistribute their weight.  And although the "bounce-back" weight gain IS NOT inevitable, it sure does happen a lot--not always right away, but eventually.

I would NOT do much to add anything other than what you've already added.  Your exercise sounds good & so do your eating  habits.  I'm afraid other higher calorie foods will end up backfiring eventually.

Be happy--enjoy!!!

My changes went is stages as I tried to stop weight loss:

First, I tried to eat more.  That wasn't perfect as I could not eat enough volume wise.

Then I made a change to "FULL" foods like Whole Milk, Regular Yogurt, etc.  By eliminating Light foods I added about 400 calories a day.  This works well as I can always swtich BACK to the light foods again without impacting the quantity I am eating.

When all that failed, I needed to eat poorly for a while.  I was VERY VERY anxious that a frappucino a day was going to become a bad habit (along with other things) but, surprisingly, I was able to adjust once my weight loss stopped and got back up to goal.

I was still losing 12 to 15 lbs a month at 9 months (was still 40 lbs from goal so of course I wasn't concerned, I wasn't even eating all that perfect, i was surprised at how much I could eat (compared to the first four months of course lol), that I could get a way with "treats" now and then and still lose, I thought "man this is pretty easy"...11 months out? BAM! It all came to a halt,  I lost 10 more lbs in the following months, then come 14 months out..absolutely nothing, the weight gain began about 8 months after that...my habbits didn't change....and I continued to gain...and then my habbits slowly got worse as well.  What I could "get away" with at 9 months caused me to start a gain at 18 months...

It's SOOO great you're so close to your goal! I started at 360, if I had started where you are I would have been that close to my goal that soon as well.  Remember you lose the most/ fastest/ as much as your going to (sometimes) within the first year....If you're only 9 months out I wouldn't be too concerned yet...even if you drop a little below goal.  Once you're a year out, if you're still below goal and still dropping I would get concerned.  But like Dawn said, I wouldn't develop any bad habits that will haunt you, thinking "hey! I'm still losing weight" My two nieces and I all fell into that trap, and all gained between 20 and 35 lbs.  My one niece is now finally back down to goal, but the other neice and I are still trying to figure out how to "go back to basics"...since we developed some bad habits..that seriously did NOT slow down weight at 9 months, but caused weight gain at 18 months. 

I think the advice you've been given so far is perfect, full fat cheese, full fat yogurts, olive oil..etc..I wouldn't change more than a little at a time....and tell ya what.. I'll do the opposite of you!  I'll do low fat cheese, low fat yogurts, low fat meats, pam instead of oil, and egg beaters instead of eggs!

If you were further out , under goal, and still losing significant weight I'd tell you some other secrets I learned...about how to maintain or gain.. but it would would mean breaking some of the rules, and I don't think your weight loss is that desparate yet, I'd hate to sabatage your efforts.

Some people lose all their weight that early into the game, then they reach goal and slow way down or even come to a halt and bounce back weight I believe is far more common than losing TOO much and not being able to gain. So hope for the best and plan for the worst..just in case (don't pickup bad habits)   Remember your stomach hasn't reached it's full capacity yet, you're still going to be able to eat more in one setting in the next few months, so be careful about sneaking on the rules, to slow weight down, most likely it will happen on it's own.

Way to go girl! You're doing GREAT!

Leslee

I agree with Dawn, don't change anything right now; your body will eventually level out (most do anyway), I got below goal also and looking so thin but stopped losing at 12 months out and for the most part have maintained and gotten back to a healthier weight for me. 

I would not get into unhealthy habits because I can surely tell you that the further out you get the easier it is to eat more in quantity and it does become a daily awareness even more so than early out; that's my experience anyway.

Congrats girl on your success!

For now I will continue as I have been.... I always wanted from this surgery to be able to eat like my normal skinny friends.... they eat healthy with an occasional indulgence that they then make up for by increasing exercise or eating very sensibly afterwards. I want to be like that and for the most part that is what I do now. Lately I have been getting a lot of comments on how I need to stop loosing weight... and these are from friends that I believe are sincere. Right now I easily fit into most size 8 pants and wear a medium shirt. Most don't believe I am still technically in the overweight category. I just don't want to get that too skinny look going. Thanks everyone for the advice!