Make it stop!

 I think that even though it is nerve wracking, it is part of the process for some of us and I think with time passing on, like others said, it stops on its own, and we may find it hard to not gain weight back...You are only one month ahead of me, so we are pretty close in post op...I'm guessing that in a few more months, it will stabilize.

You may be still too low calorie for your activity levels....I don't track regularly, but when I have,  I eat anywhere from 1500-1800 calories daily and I am still slowly losing. I have not tried to lose in quite some time since I'm 9 lbs below goal. I'm also in a dream size of 4.....and XS......For months, I have regular junk food indulgences and I eat well over 100 carbs daily....nothing that I do seems to make a lick of difference....that's why I think it is still just a result of the hormonal effect from surgery. 

I do weight train 2x weekly and I am gaining muscle which is a good sign that I am actually not too thin yet. I am also losing body fat in the places that I need to lose it, so I just hope eventually the fat redistribution thing happens and I don't look completely like skeletor.

I am already so bony in some places, so I know what you mean...my hip bones actually keep me from sleeping comfortably on my side now! LOL. 

My capacity is a little larger than yours...I eat about 3 oz meat & a bite of veggies or 5 oz yogurt.

Good luck & try not to worry....I read that it is very common to feel "too skinny" at one year post op, but not so true at 2 years post op due to regain and/or redistribution.

Yeah, I don't want to get too carried away upping my calories, but I do have to go higher than 1200.

Unfortunately, I'm not willing to continue to lose so quickly until it does stop on its own. I want to stop it fairly soon. It would be nice if some redistributed from my bottom half to the top, but even if it doesn't I'm quite content with how I look - actually for the first time in my life pleased.

I'm active, bike, hike/walk long distances, do aerobic DVDs but have never been and probably won't ever be much for "working out". So my calories will need to be fairly conservative...and that's OK with me too. It's amazing how much the way everything is now is OK with me as I've never felt that way before.

Just gotta stabilize things.

Only 1% milk? Why not 2% or, heck, even whole?

Don't be afraid of fat! I know it's been demonized in our society as the cause of all evils but we need it in our diet and it's a fast way to add in calories without drastically increasing volume.

What about cheese and avocados and maybe some whole wheat pasta or a potato once in a while? I think you can add in healthy starches without triggering cravings. It's really junk food that does that for me -- process carbs -- not healthy carbs.

Maybe I will reintroduce full fat cheese! Great idea. I may inch the milk up to 2% (and as someone suggested above, 2% yogurt).

I just wish there were some magic thing that would tell me what my personal maintenance calories should be. I know the research says it's probably less than something like myfitnesspal would calculate, but how much less? It's a mystery.

Do you have a dietitian that you can talk to? You're probably going to end around 1800 or so cal/day, but you really need to talk with a nutritionist who can figure it out for you. Your activity level will be a major factor in where you end up. As time goes on, your capacity will increase a bit, so that will make it easier to get more calories in.

Strange having this problem, isn't it?


gail

Yeah, I do but she continues to base her info on the standard calculations for normies when research has shown that the formerly obese have to eat less calories and be more active than those at the same weight who were never obese.

And all her ideas seem to involve eating more. I can't eat much more, I already feel like I'm eating all the time.

Eventually, you will be able to eat more, but for now, that is why full fat foods (yogurt, cheese, milk), nuts, seeds, avocado, and nut butters are a good idea. Can you modify her recommendations? Take some, leave others? I did that, but the dietitians in my program have been very reasonable and most of their recommendations did work for me.

gail

Just up your calories 100-200, wait two weeks to see if you stop losing, repeat until you stop losing. 

If that's not good enough, you should be able to guess your BMR based on how much you lose compared to what you eat and what your activity level is.

Or you can get it tested. If you get a dunk tank test, they will estimate your BMR based on your muscle mass vs. body fat. Some places can also test your RMR (slight higher than your BMR) directly by having you breath into a machine while you sit perfectly still for 10 minutes. Or you can get a Bodymedia FIT.

I've read on here that a rule of thumb is 10 calories for every pound you wish to maintain.  So 165 lbs would be 1650 calories.  As with all rules of thumb, YMMV depending on activity level, metabolism, etc., but possibly a place to start....?

I know how you feel.  Just take a look at my ticker.  I still struggle to keep weight on even after all this time.  It's like my metabolism changed or something.  I eat over 1500 calories a day and I just don't want more.  I don't seem to care about food much anymore.  At least I've stopped the loss for now, but I'm scared for if I get really sick or something.  Hang in there, you are not alone.

Laura