Question:
Too much weight loss?? Is that possible?? Somebody asked me...

Somebody I know noticed the amount of weight I was losing and asked me, "What will you do when you lose too much weight?" Really, all I could do is laugh because that is an utterly foreign concept to me. I can't imagine trying to gain weight or to try to stop losing. Has this actually happened to anyone? Did you lose "too much" weight? Do you actually have to work at keeping weight on? I'd love to know. THANKS!!    — Jennifer H. (posted on November 23, 2003)


November 22, 2003
Hey dont worry about it!! I admit I lost fast and got a bit concerned. Now I fight regain:( If you truly get too low you can stall the loss by adding extrav meals daily to up your calories. DONT even think of this till your well below your goal. Sadly the normal loss pecentage is about 75 to 80%. Few get underweight. Truly our bodies know when to quit loosing. Congrats on your success!
   — bob-haller

November 22, 2003
There are a lot of people on the board that have issues with losing too much weight. Even tho it is hard to believe, it happens. I was recently told to start eating snacks, drinking a little with my meals and uping the fat and carbs in my diet to keep from losing more weight. Mind you, i wouldn't care to lose 10 more pounds but my doc says NO. Fortunately most peoples bodies know when to stop and most don't have to worry. Just wanted you to know yes it does happen but no need to stress about it unless it happens to you.
   — Delores S.

November 22, 2003
Let me echo the other posters. I lost fast and have continued to drop a few pounds a month since passing my goal. My surgeon isn't concerned as the body really does have a built-in mechanism to prevent us from wasting away to nothing-- provided, of course, that we consuming a modest amount of calories and carbs. The issue for some of us, however, is more of the psychological impact of having lived most of our lives on diets of some sort and now trying to find a system by which we can sustain our weight. But, in the grand scheme of problems to have, I prefer being worried that I might lose another couple of pounds before levelling off rather than fearing that massive heart attack that was awaiting me when I weighed over 500 pounds.
   — SteveColarossi

November 23, 2003
Friends having known us our entire lives as MO get concerned as the weight falls off. But look at chart weight. At 5 foot 11 my ideal bmi weight is 165 pounds. My surgeon amd PCP were happy when I got under 200. I weigh 191 presently and look good altough I want to get back to 180 as a defense of regain. I need that cushion. Honestly I only remember a few posters here who got theuir bmi under 25 its very rare.
   — bob-haller

November 23, 2003
YES my stepson has lost so much he looks bad he started out 465pds.and now down to 180pds.he is 6'7 and keeps lossing he needs help bad he cant stop he is 21months out he really needs somthing to help him gain back some weight anyone can anyone help if so e-mail or post thanks so much
   — nancy A.

November 23, 2003
I've never known anyone to STAY too thin (chart wt) over time. Many get too thin for a moment. I think it unsafe to try to stop or reverse wt loss, because there WILL be bounceback, and then you've got your own self-sabotage PLUS bounceback. I was pretty thin at 15 months, but by 18-20 months I had bounced back + a lil, then finally settled just before I reached the 2 yr mark, where I parked at the bottom of my range, but still well within in. On some charts, I'm still chunky at 110! Everyone I've known who just held on and did nothing to stop,regain, ended up parking right spot on. The people who tampered with the natural process could not control the regain as well as they wanted. I have to remind myself that if I had any control over my weight in the first place, I'd never have been a member of OUR special club, right? It ALWAYS did whatever it wanted, regardless of my best efforts.
   — vitalady

November 23, 2003
I fight to keep weight on. I have been on an eating binge for 4+ months....and I mean binge. I have gained about 7 pounds in that time. I am 5'7" and have a good sized build. I lost down between about 125-130 at my very lowest, which is VERY sickly thin for me. I really looked terrible. I hit that a little more than a year out. I tried adn tried to gain weight for several months, everytime I would put on 5 or 10 lbs I would go a couple of days eating the way I was supposed to and lose it all again. Like I said, I've gone on an eating binge for the last 4 months to get to about 145. I weighed myself yesterday at 142....yea for me! I am somewhat concerned that some of the choices I make will get me in trouble in the long run, but I lose so fast when I don't keep up with the eating that I kinda toss the idea aside. I don't know why this happened to me, or why it happens to some and not others....it just did. Everyone is different and you never know till you get to that point.
   — RebeccaP

November 24, 2003
Well, I'm not quite there yet...although, nine months ago I would have given anything to get there! I don't want to discount that it can be a serious problem, but I guess I'd rather fight to keep it on, than torture myself to keep it off! Anyway, people are starting to say that not only am I skinny, but that I'm getting too thin. Personally, I don't see it and would still like to lose another 7-12 pounds. I think the previous posters are right - that most of us tend to hit 'rock bottom' then bounce back some. So, until I get to be in the low end of my weight range, I'm not going to worry too much. I guess, I would imagine that the previous posters' binge eating and breaking the pouch rules would be a good way to start back tracking if need be though. Good luck with your weight loss!
   — eaamc

November 24, 2003
Hi! I had to laugh when I read your question as I felt the exact same way - what a foreign concept that was to me! I had my Open RNY 6/21/01 and reached my goal weight within 1 year. I went from 300 to 150. I found that I had to work to keep my weight at 150 from June 2002 to March 2003. It was so strange to have people tell me I was too thin and actually looking kind of "sucked up." Anyway, I had emergency surgery for a bowel obstruction 2/13/03 and ever since recovering from it I have been able to eat anything and everything. I am now up to 175 which is about 15 pounds more than where I would like to be. I have no idea why the bowel obstruction surgery would change things for me, maybe I'd been sick with it longer than I thought, but I did gain weight following it. As you are finding out, this experience is unique to each of us, and if you do find yourself losing too much, my recommendation is this: 1. pay attention to how you feel physically, are you healthy? 2. What does your Dr. say? Both my PCP and surgeon told me I should not lose anymore once I was at 150 - they were concerned for me physically. 3. Consider your friends comments only to the extent of are they coming from love and concern? I had a couple of "friends" that came from a place of jealously and that for once I was smaller than them. I wish you the very best and hope you find the joy I have had since having this surgery. Blessings! Anita
   — ALF

November 24, 2003
You can look at my profile to see my struggles with this problem. I decided that I wanted to become pregnant and gained ten pounds in preparation and just to prove to myself that I could eat enough calories to support a pregnancy. I gained another 10 pounds while I was pregnant. That put me at 150. I ended up having a miscarriage (unrelated to Gastric Bypass) and quickly (within 10 days) dropped ten pounds. Whether it was hormone changes, recovery from surgery, or stress, the weight fell off like autumn leaves. I no longer live in fear of becoming underweight, and I have come to a place of acceptance of my body regardless, but my eating has to be more conscious than when I was trying to lose weight. If I don't keep healthy eating habits in mind, I can lose several pounds over the course of a few days. I was freaking out back in June, so I understand your fears. Just try to take good care of yourself and speak with you physician if you become really concerned.
   — Faith Pureson

November 24, 2003
I am so glad to get so many well intentioned answers to this question, especially Michelle's post. I am almost 17 months post op and am below my doctors original goal for me, which was to weigh 145. I am now at 128, and some friends at work tell me that I don't need to lose anymore, that I am starting to look too thin. I am not actively trying to lose, just to get in my proetin and water. I am now between a size 6 and a size 8, and I have never been this small in my life. I don't think I look too thin, but then I had a distorted view of myself when I was MO. Also, some of the people who are telling me I am too thin may just be jealous. I could always depend on my mother to tell me the truth, but sadly she has lost most of her vision. I am scared to death of regaining all the weight I lost, so I am glad to get Michelle's advice. I will continue doing what I have been doing and just hope my body knows when to stop. It is still hard to accept that I am no longer MO. Does the mind and heart ever catch up?
   — juvpd

December 6, 2003
YES! It is possible. I distinctly remember my mother (the retired nurse) asking a surgeon this during the informational meeting. His response was yes. That it was more common in the past. And that some patients needed to have this procedure reversed. However he says this is a rarity nowadays.
   — SlimTrina




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