A helpful formula for frustrated lightweights

Today I am 4.5 weeks out from my revision from Band to RNY. I was not a "typical" RNY patient because I started at 164lbs (surgery day) with a BMI of 33. I was warned that lightweights and revisions lose slower but I still imagined I'd blow them all away and be at my goal weight in no time!

But here we are, almost 5 weeks out and I'm only down 14lbs. Good news is that I'm out of the obese category, but it's hard to imagine how I can eat so little and lose so little!

Today at my 4 week NUT appointment I got some answers, in case other lightweights are curious...it's all stuff I technically knew, already but good to hear it laid out!

She talked about the calories we burn just by living life, normally. Mathematically, it is generally about 10x our body weight. So for me at 150lbs today, I burn 1500 just by breathing, blinking and walking around. Compare that to a person who is 300lbs. They are naturally burning 3000 calories.

After surgery both the person who is 150lbs and the person who is 300lbs are eating 600ish calories, in order to get in the right amount of protein. To lose a pound, we have to create a deficit of 3500 calories. So naturally, the deficit comes much faster to the person at the higher weight, to start. To lose at that same rate I'd have to reduce my calories to a point that it would be impossible to get in proper nutrition/protein.

Again, probably not "new" info for most of you, but it was nice to see it laid out so straightforward and data-driven, so that it's easier to wrap my head around. Hope it's helpful to you all, too!

You are exactly right.  That is why it is so much harder to lose once we get to goal and then regain.  It takes so little to keep us going in the first place every little bit over ends up being pounds.  Reaching that magically balance is hard.

I read an article recently that said to lose a pound was cutting more like 7000 calories instead of 3500.  Don't remember the exact logic but it made sense when I read it. 

Sounds like you are doing great.  Now just keep on keeping on.