Question:
Could I have messed up my metabolism with past diets?

I am a little over 6.5 months out of RNY lap surgery. I have lost about 106 LBS. I know this sounds like a lot of weight; however, I had two months during this time frame where I have either gained a small amount or stayed the same. I have been exercising since May. In the last 1.5 months, I have started weight training and I perform cardio also. I probably burn around 500 calories when I do both at the same workout. Last week I could only do the cardio, and I burn 350 during this time. For the several weeks, I have only lost about 2LBS a week. I could probably lose this amount on a conventional diet. Here is the question; I look at the before and after people on this website, and I really feel like I should have lost more weight by now. I started at 362. I am fearing that I will not even get close to my goal weight. My time is ticking away, and I am not sure what to do about it. I see people at my support group who have lost tons more than me, in the same amount of time, or they had less weight to lose. I have wore out nearly every diet known to man before WLS. Could I have simply ruined my metabolism before I ever got started. I am considering keeping a food journal. Thanks to you all for reading this and hopefully, responding.    — [Anonymous] (posted on October 7, 2001)

October 7, 2001
I cant say if you ruined your metabolism before the surgery but your focus should be on how things are now. One thing I have noticed is that many members are WAY TOO FIXED (and I dont mean to bash anyone) on the numbers of pounds other people have lost. YOUR ability to lose and gain is as indivdiualized as your DNA. You should not focus on Mary, Susan and Jane's rate of weight loss only on your weight lost. The amount you have lost is nothing to sneeze at and I don't know (its not impossible, but would take a tremdeous amount of effort on your part) to have lost that amount of weight you have in 6.5 months on a conventional diet. So please commend yourself on YOUR achievement. You're feeling great? You're looking great?...Yes so you have stated. If you are very concerned, maybe you should contact your surgeon's office and have him set you up to speak with a nutrientist who can work with and assist you with your individual weight lost sticking points. I have heard and I might be incorrect and someone please let me know, that one rarely reaches "goal weight" as we traditional know it but maybe in the 10-15 range of. Some do, dont get me wrong but I've read many dont get exactly to that "ideal number. I for one am proud and hope when I have mines on Nov 1st, I will see such great success in such a short time also. But I know going in, my weight lost rate is just that "Mines". Hope that helped. I want you to focus on the feeling better and looking better and not the scale. Hasn't that obsession with the numbers on the scale caused US to stress and over eating in the first place? ;0)
   — Gwen M.

October 7, 2001
Okay, think this way...what "diet" could you have possibly been on that would have allowed you to loose over 100 pounds in just 6 months? If there were diets out there that actually worked and kept the weight off, then none of us would have needed this surgery! And did you really believe for a moment that your body would constantly loose weight, 24hours a day?! Try not to focus so much on the calories that you think you are burning (those exercise machines are not entirely accurate, they can be off by as much as 20%)or the fact that maybe one day or week you didn't loose the weight. Your body is not a machine, it's doing the very best it can given what it has went through, and what you are doing right now with your change in eating and all that exercise it never used to get! Would you be happier if you hadn't had the surgery and still weighed 362 pounds? I hope you don't think I'm being mean, but I really think you should try to put things in perspective.
   — [Anonymous]

October 7, 2001
You can hurt your metabolism going on diets. The good news is that you can fix it and you seem to be doing that! More muscle will boost your metabolism. So will a high protein/lo carb diet. If you are doing that and following your dr's guidelines--- relax! I personally think you are doing GREAT! You still have some time and i noticed that once most people get below 200 pounds there is a great sigh of relief. Even if you don't totally reach your goal, chances are that when you lose 50 more pounds or so (only a couple of months according to your great past record) people will start telling you to slow down and you will look really great. You have built a lot of muscle carrying around extra weight and now you are working out too. Just be proud of yourself: you are doing the right things!
   — ctyst

October 7, 2001
To answer your question - Yes! The diet yo yo will really mess up your metabolism. It can cause it to slow down to a crawl. However you seem to have lost alot of weight in 6.5 months. Could it be that a proportion of that loss was muscle mass which only now you are beginning to build again? This would explain why you haven't seemed to loose any weight when doing your workouts. I too have a very sluggish metabolism, about as much weight to loose as you. Same background - yo you diets. My weight on the scales is not moving at all as rapidly as I have seen on the various web sites. I have been told though that is because I am working out and doing weights (since week 2). Inches wise, I am down considerably. I started my workout/weight program because of side effect I was having from rapid muscle loss. In a nutshell, give yourself more time to "even out". Two months is not enough. You will start to drop again, this time possibly just fat, and you probably won't sag as much in the end! Keep up the good work.
   — Reta D.