Can't stop losing...

Okay.  I'm sure a few of you are like "shut-up," but I'm getting a little concerned.  My 2's are getting baggy and I don't want to be able to keep myself warm next winter by wrapping loose skin around myself if this keeps up...

The weight loss has slowed, but at this rate, we're still talking another 20lbs in a year.

I have a call into my nutritionist to see what to do.  I'm about 4lbs below goal and you guys know how active I am.  I haven't run in over 4 weeks and have cut way back on Crossfit to see if it would make a difference.  I started logging every bite to see where I'm at:

800-1100 calories per day
90-110g of protien
60-90g of carbs

I rarely take in more than 100 calories at a time, but I eat about every hour or two.  I do have a designated breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but they aren't that much larger than the snacks.  Snacks consist of nuts.  Meals are usually those "eat-rite" pizzas (can only eat 1/3 at a time), sauteed fish, quinoa, butternut squash, eggs...pretty much sums up my current diet.  Will have a bite or two of my kid's meals they don't finish (usually carby) but log those too.  Everything is accounted for.  Drink (2) crystal lite with unjury a day along with 2-3 cups of coffee.

I know you're going to say just up my calories.  I don't know how though because I feel like I'm eating ALL DAY LONG.  My biggest fear is stretching my stomach back out.  I had this surgery because I physically could not control the true, raging hunger I had.  I can't get that back or I will fail, again...

I don't want to give up the activity either because I love the muscle definition I've developed and I worked hard for that.

What do you experts think?????

I have been exactly where you are just a few months ego.  First, take a deep breath and stop worrying, nothing bad is going to happen, you will just need to put the breaks on.  Second, you need to increase the caloric density of your food not the quantity of it.  So this means more healthy fats, think adding an avocado a day and eating more high fat meat and dairy, nuts are great at this stage.  Don't go crazy with it, just add in another 200 calories of fat and you should eventually be just fine.  You might continue losing for a little while longer even when you add the calories, I did.  But the weight loss will eventually stop.  I went all the way down to 101 lbs and then bounced back a little to 103-105 now and I like it here.  This seems to be a normal part of the process for Cirangle patients that are as diligent with their diet as you are.  I am passing on the advice I got from Amy, I bet the new NUT will tell you about the same thing, but if it is different, please share.  I now wish I didn't worry so much about the 101 lbs, it was just a temporary thing.  Good luck and feel free to PM me for my phone number and we could talk it through if you are still worried or just need to chat.

Hi Elina,
I knew you would reply and am so glad you did.  Great advice.  How hard is it to stretch your stomach back out anyway?  I worry because I used to be such a volume eater...never snacked, ever.  Just one or two obsene-sized meals a day.  It's been hard to change those habits to eating small, but constantly.  I feel like I'm grazing, and they say not to do that.  Do you think this habit is okay for me?

Yes, I think in our particular case it is OK.  However, continue to mostly eat health protein and keep an eye on the scale.  You can stretch you stomach a bit, my guess is not that much, and Dr. Cirangle told me that I can eat 5 or 6 times a day as long as I am in maintenance and I am keeping an eye on the weight.  You are going to do just fine, just increase the fat calories a bit and it will stop.

Yes, Elina's right.  Several of us have been where you are.  Don't worry, the weight loss does stop.  It just takes us a little bit to stop worrying about transitioning from the losing phase into the maintenance phase. 

I know for me, I just didn't know how to change my eating without snowballing into my old eating habits, or so I thought.  Adding an extra bite here and there won't stretch out your stomach but will add a few calories here and there. Adding  an extra snack(  I add nuts when I want to put weight on) helps too.  Then there will come a time when you think you are gaining too much, and you will have to reel it in again.  But in time you will get a grasp of your maintenance eating.  You will see that you will even be able to indulge yourself every now and then and not go back again!

Isn't it wonderful!!!  I love this tool  of ours.  It really feels like as long as we don't abuse the privilege, we can eat pretty normally now.  It really is miraculous.

Yes it is!  And I type this as I'm eating some Wendy's fries :) 

Hi, this happened to me to. by accident got 12 lbs below goal but still a normal bmi. cirangle thinks its fine. dietician told me to increase calories by using 1% milk instead of skim or adding an extra protein drink (bletch). I have increased by eating more nuts and full fat cheeses. These are more planned snacks than grazing in my mind. i think cirangle is revising his thinking on the 3 meal a day rule as to make the sleeve more effective for the long term, he has made it tighter but the trade off is its smaller and stays that way. don't think you will stretch it - its made not to.

so amy was reluctant to tell me to eat carbs and i agree and i still avoid sugar and such. sometimes have an atkins endulge bar which is 10 g protein, low carb, 200 cal and tastes great. but mainly its the nuts and cheese plus i have a big spoon of peanut butter every night as my evening treat. very filling and healthy fat without cholesterol and some good calores. so you will find your spot but thats part of the maintenance journey. i was surprised i had trouble stopping - me the world's easiest weight gainer. still maintain on only 1200 per day but its ok.

one thing you can do is get a resting metabolic rate test at a Body Pod place or health club or university that has the equipment for dunk tank weighting for body fat. it will help you determine bare minimum calories while resting all day and you can go from there to determine a calorie goal.

might get your greek yogurt with the 2 % fat instead of fat free. i add a tsp of honey to mine.

GL. you will find your balance. just may take a month or so. I am reluctant to try to regain any weight even though i might look a little better with a couple more pounds because I think in the next year or two those might sneak back on anyway. so keep that in mind - studies show regain is in years two or three.   Diane

Drink whole milk
Eat peanut butter from the jar
Eat more nuts
Add oil to your meats
Add peanut butter and/or coconut oil to your protein shakes
Eat ice cream/milkshakes (yeah, I said it)

Basically, eat a lot more fat and your problem will be solved. = )

I know how you are feeling!  It took me forever to EAT again.  I love working out, I run and lift.  I had started getting dizzy and blacking out because I wasn't getting enough calories to maintain my activity level.  I ended up taking an extra bite at meals (it didn't harm me) I also added an extra snack.  I pretty much eat every three hours.  Days where my calories are too low, I drink a glass of milk.  I get good fat and protein, plus extra vitamin D and calcium.  Milk is a win win!  It can add some extra calories.  I also try to eat higher calorie snacks such as an entire serving of nuts which is roughly 160-170 calories and 6 to 7 grams of proetin. 

I hope this helps.