Question:
Has anybody not ever stopped losing

I am about 5 monts postop and about 52 pounds from my goal of 130, but i wonder if alot of people are able to stop at their goals, I have weight less than 130 as little as 90 pounds in high school. I dont ever want to be there again. i look back and realize how sick i looked. Any comments will be wonderful.    — Barbara R. (posted on January 25, 2001)

January 25, 2001
I am curious about this myself ... I had my surgery 4/25/00 and have lost 112 pounds and am currently at least 22 pounds past my doctor's expectations and my "goal weight" ... not that I am underweight, but in 12 more pounds I will weigh less than I did in high school and I was quite thin then. He told me to try and stop losing weight and eat more, but I really don't know that I CAN eat anymore ...
   — Beth B.

January 25, 2001
I have a friend in Alabama that weighed 230 before her RNY. She was about 5 foot. She didn't stop losing. She got down to about 95 pounds this summer and looked like death. She now has managed to get up to 105. The people she works with brought food and made her eat. She looks better but really needs a few more pounds on her. She was so afraid to eat more. That mental picture -eat more gain it all back.She was so very afraid to eat more. She still sees herself as a fat person. Eating more made us get fat to start with. I'm sure it will be hard to eat more to stop losing out of the fear of gaining more. She had me worried but I hope she tries to put on some more weight. I have been at 142 for a while now. I wear a size 9 and I feel Great. If I lose any more fine, if not fine. But I really think I am almost to the weight my body will stay and stop on its own. I'm sure the plastic surgeon wil take a good 10 pounds off of me when I have my tummy tuck. LOL Then I will be right where I want to be. 132 - 142 was my normal weight in my 20's & early 30's. So to be back there - I am happy. 9 months post-op Open RNY 4/18/00 232/142 -- 90 pounds & 75.5 inches GONE!
   — Betty H.

January 25, 2001
Many of us lost past goal, for awhile. But with good postop nutrition and supplemenation, that gaunt look is eventually replaced by a well muscle slimness. I have never seen anyone in good health remain too thin for long. Now, of course, there are those who have some OTHER problem that may be too thin, but we must assume you are referring to the majority. My low was 104, when I hit protein deficiency. While my brain was happy at 104, and I thought 98 would be better, my family was quite alarmed. The protein deficiency was reversed in short order and once I stablized, I've held a very healthy 112-117 for many years now.
   — vitalady

January 25, 2001
Barbara, I too wondered about this but I now know that my body knows better than I do. I definately got to goal and below it. I went down to 110 pounds and actually, in my mind, I wanted to lose more. People started telling me how sickly I looked but I was also in the mindset that more loss is better and couldn't even concieve of wanting to gain. Michelle Curan answered this same question for me almost a year ago. She told me that I would probably gain some of this back as my body adjusted and just like she said, I did. I have back 10 pounds of weight, weigh 120 pounds, and am still in a size 5 which is fine with me. (okay I like the sound of size 2 and 3 better but at least I can say that I got there at one time :-) ) Please don't worry about your body not stopping. Just when I was getting scared, the loss stopped and here I am a year later (after gaining the 10 pounds) and doing fine. I do have to say though, that mentally, it was very hard to let myself gain that 10 pounds. It will all be okay in the end and good luck to you.
   — Barbara H.

January 25, 2001
Barbara, I'm 18mths Post-Op and have been holding at 150lbs for about 2 mths I've lost to date 152lbs. My goal was 140lbs, I'm hoping to lose the last 10lbs w/my tummy tuck, the gov't guidelines say I should weigh 133lbs which I believe will be to thin for me. I was told and have read that my body will find the weight it's happy at and stop there, I'm pretty happy at 150lbs, once I get rid of the extra skin on my tummy I'll be happier but I consider myself a success. Don't worry!!!
   — Carrie G.

January 26, 2001
I have been stable at 128 for about 4 - 5 months now. My doctor and I worked to get me to stop losing. I eat 6 times a day and don't go below 1500 calories (including protein supplements). The way we got my loss to stop was to add 100 calories a day to my intake. (A glass of milk, half a protein bar, whatever.) I did that for a week and still lost. So the next week I added another 100 a day. I kept that up until I stopped losing, which turned out to be at 1500 a day. I track my calories at Dietwatch.com every evening. If I am under 1500, I go eat something. If I am over, I eat that much less the next day. The only exception to this is that on the days I do weight training, I have an additional protein drink. I know this all sounds pretty obsessive but it works for me. I was afraid to stop losing, because I had never maintained my weight before. I was always gaining or losing, one or the other! But now I am stable.
   — [Deactivated Member]