maintenanceman

I was low BMI (35.9), lost 80 lbs. I have a bit of loose skin around my tummy (which is where I carried most of my fat). It’s mostly invisible when I’m dressed but very apparent when I’m naked. As a fellow WLS patient said about herself… I look like a potato. Annoying, but I’d much rather deal with some loose skin than be obese!

Circling back to this question I asked in September. I did, in fact, lose that additional 20 lbs. I wanted to, and I got to a "healthy" BMI. 96% EWL. I'm putting this here so that others who wonder "is my body done" might see that a stall doesn't mean an end to weight loss!

@ms.sss, This is really lovely. Thank you for taking the time to write such a caring and thoughtful response. It is very helpful, and I will return to it often. My favorite Christmas gift. ❤️

Yes. Now, the weight I put on dating apps is true. 😂

I am just starting maintenance. I'm being pretty rigorous about tracking calories, and I weigh every day. I think, for me, it's the only way to stay within maintenance guardrails. I know that otherwise, I'm prone to calorie drift and weight creep. My concern is that even though I'm no longer trying to lose weight, planning and accounting for food still takes up massive amounts of brain space and attention. I feel like I'm thinking about food all the time. Does it get better? I really don't want to go through the rest of my life obsessed with food intake. I also don't want to regain the weight.

Seeing myself in pictures and not being horrified... feeling kinda cute.

My initial goal was 159, which brought me to a normal BMI. Once I achieved that, I revised my goal to 150, just because. Now that I achieved 150, I have sent a tentative new goal of 145, which is my Ideal Body Weight. I'm in no rush to to get there, though, and I feel like I might be starting to look too thin. Overall, I am beyond thrilled with how much I have lost... so much more than I thought was possible!

Sweetgreen is amazing. Their salads are addictive. Yum.

Is anyone using intermittent fasting as a maintenance strategy? If so, what model are you using? Thoughts/insights?

I didn't have any hair loss.

@Arabesque It’s more a question of grazing. I’m drifting toward eating throughout the day. I’m wondering if I restrict my eating to 8 hours it will limit grazing. I’m just thinking about different approaches before I slide back into bad habits.

@SpartanMaker This is incredibly helpful. THANK YOU for taking the time to share such a thorough and thoughtful answer. I'm mostly considering IF because I'm concerned about weight regain. Now that I've moved into maintenance, my calorie count is creeping up. I find it pretty easy not to eat before lunch, so IF might help limit my snacking/potential overeating. Again, THANK YOU. You've given me lots to think about.

Do you ever regret getting the kind of surgery you did? I'm a sleever, and my weight loss pace is great. But I can't help having a little FOMO, wondering if I would be doing even better with a bypass.

You're doing great! You're a month ahead of me and have lost 20 lbs more than I have. I wonder if a goal weight of 130 is too low? At your height, 140-150 seems like the sweet spot, especially as a weight loss surgery patient.

Update: I started losing again. Down 3 pounds since this message. I should know by now, but stalls happen and do end.

Anyone have experience with Orangetheory Fitness? I just joined. It seems like a structured way to mix cardio and strength training.

This is all super helpful. Thank you all! I was just having a moment needed support from my fellow travelers on the journey. I appreciate the thoughtful feedback. ❤️

OK, I’m going to kick it up a notch. Just joined!

This is the "gold standard" calculator, based on almost 800,000 surgical outcomes. https://riskcalculator.facs.org/bariatric/

March 2022 vs August 2022

This is a GREAT idea. Thank you!

This might be a silly question, but how can I tell if my saggy tummy is loose skin or fat? I'm 20 lbs away from my Ideal Body Weight (lost 73% of EBW), and I'm trying to figure out how much of that is loose skin vs. fat. When I pinch my saggy tummy, I don't feel a lot of subcutaneous fat. I'm a 50 year old man.

There are multiple ideal body weight formulas, but the results are within +-5 pounds of each other.

I don’t disagree. It’s just helpful to have some reference point for goal setting. And for better or worse, most data on weight loss surgery outcomes is based on ideal body weight and BMI.

How did you feel you looked at ideal body weight? Much of what I read indicates that ideal body weight for a formerly obese person is too small… results in you looking sick. True or false for you?