Deliberate slow weight loss?

[Kris 78]

Hi all, this is probably a weird question but I'm interested to know if anyone has deliberately slowed down their weight loss after being sleeved (about halfway to goal weight)? This probably seems loony but it seems like it would actually be better in the long run to eat more calories and lose weight slower so your skin can shrink as you go. So for example instead of eating 600 calories a day after the first 3 months you go up to 1000 a day. You would still lose weight but probably only half as fast as you otherwise would. I also think that could help with Hair loss ... The body is not as stressed. I definely want to get to my goal weight but if it took 6 months longer but fewer side effects it seems like a decent tradeoff. Just wondering if anyone else has taken this approach and if so how it worked for you.

[*Lib* 5]

My weightloss was fast, and I have been pretty lucky with excess skin. I started about the same weight as you, and I think my goal weight is about the same as yours is. I tried to stop my weighloss. It wasn't as easy as it seems.

[TijuanaPlication 87]

Hmm... I'd be careful with that, as I've been told (by my surgeon and WLS for Dummies - my WLS bible) that with WLS you have a 'window of opportunity' of 6-9 months (consider it more 6 months) after which time your stomach has stretched a little and you can eat more (it's still good for maintaining though).

[chilo1 62]

I am doing that, but it is true about that "window" that Tijuana plication is talking about. I figured that as I don't have that much more weight to lose I would slow things down a bit, and even though I've never been great at sticking to really low carbs like most people on this forum, I haven'r been so strict on myself in the last week or so and my Hair loss is slowing down as well! I still make sure that I get my Protein in first, and have been having a few carby treats over these holidays!

[Stacy160 201]

The skin's gonna do what the skin's gonna do, no matter now fast or slow you lose the fat underneath it, so you might as well take advantage while things are still in the "easy" weight loss stage, because trust me, that will NOT last forever.

[Tiffykins 673]

The skin's gonna do what the skin's gonna do, no matter now fast or slow you lose the fat underneath it, so you might as well take advantage while things are still in the "easy" weight loss stage, because trust me, that will NOT last forever.

I agree with this one spot-on ! ! ! The skin is going to do what it will. At 18 months out, my skin improves every month, and I keep moisturizing like crazy. I could easily work out more and see even more improvement in my skin, but I've slacked off. I really need to get back to working out because I know I could tone up even more. My arm skin has shrunk dramatically in the last 6 months. I've built some muscle, but I have tiny batwings, and people always comment on "how lucky" I am.

I have noticed that my fat has redistributed back to my lower torso. I really need get back into the gym, and back with my workout mojo. I know what works, but I have zero motivation. I'll get there, and get back in the swing of things.

The skin reabsorbs over time. I have friends that are 4-7 years out from RNY, and they lost the same amount of weight. They have zero bat wings, or even wrinkly, tale tell skin on their arms.

[chilo1 62]

The skin's gonna do what the skin's gonna do, no matter now fast or slow you lose the fat underneath it, so you might as well take advantage while things are still in the "easy" weight loss stage, because trust me, that will NOT last forever.

Yep I agree with this too the skin on my tummy is a mess even though I've been a slow loser from the begining. Thank God my face is OK, and that I attribute to my slow loss (or I excuse my slow lost shall I say) I moisturise body and face everyday, go to the gym, but my tummy isn't getting any better, I have loads of stretch marks, the surgeon said to wait a year befor getting surgery because some of the skin will bounce back into place, but obviously not all of it. I am so happy that my arms ansd legs aren't as bad as I predicted, but to be honest I am so happy about having lost the weight that my tummy is a small detail in the enormity of things. I have one more month til my 6 month window ends, so I am hoping to be near target by then, I have lowered my target a tiny bit again, just haven't changed it yet!

[coops 1,790]

This is a really interesting question and I have been thinking about it all day...

For me, I didn't really have a choice in whether or not I was a slow loser... I am a slow loser!! I have fully accepted that now, but in the beginning it was really frustrating! I think my body must be super efficient and not letting the fat go as quicky as I would like. I am simply happy to be losing weight regardless of the speed that it is happening... infact, I am grateful for every pound lost because at this stage it is a pound gone forever!

Whether or not it will help my skin is another matter... like everyone else I have skin issues...lol... and like everyone else time will tell on whether it bounces back or not! I think, down the road I would love to get a TT and a boob job, but money will be the deciding factor on that!!

[M2G 1,836]

I am trying to seize that window as well, and doing my best to lose as much as I can during the first 6-9 months, for sure! Sometimes I feel like a slow loser, but then when I quit comparing myself to others and think about all the diets I have been on over the years, there is NO WAY that this is slow for me personally.

With that being said, I also have not completely banished treats from my diet. I did notice myself enjoying a teeny sliver of key lime pie at thanksgiving and a smidge of pecan pie at Christmas, oh yeah, and there was those bites of fudge and Cookies throughout the month of Dec. When I do indulge it is small amounts, but I know it obviously isn't helping my weight loss, so I try to have a planned time/place for those treats and then get back on track with my next meal.

I am happy with my loss and am thinking that my body will know when it is time to slow down without me having to be very deliberate about it.

[Kris 78]

Thanks everyone. I lost a lot of weight in my 20s (about 75 lbs) and had no skin issues, but now I'm in my 40's and am sure my skin will not be as resilient this go round. I am expecting to have batwings and loose skin on my tummy but of course I'd rather deal with that than staying my current size. I was thinking about this today and decided I will go with whatever momentum my bod dictates after surgery, and not consciously try to slow down my weight loss until I get to goal. My surgery is only 10 days away and I feel like I did when I was a kid waiting for Christmas. I can't wait to be one of the sleeved ones!

[BlackBerryJuice 349]

I eat more than most people on here. It's not really a skin issue for me (I agree with everyone who said it'll tighten up either way in the end), I just didn't want to lose muscle mass and become malnourished. I also didn't want to slow my metabolism so much that I'd experience the same struggles I had pre-surgery, where I'd pack on 5 lbs each time I ate a candybar. I seem to have avoided all these pitfalls. It's hard to assess the speed of my weightloss at this point, as I'm almost at goal and once people get close, they lose a lot slower, anyway. But when I look at the overall loss or the loss I had in the first 3 months, I've lost weight at the same rate as the average person on here around my starting BMI. As I'm getting closer, my weightloss has slowed down to about 1 lbs a week. But considering how close I am to goal and the fact that I haven't been able to work out at all for 2 weeks (out of the country), I was quite pleased getting on the scale this morning and realizing I lost 2 lbs during these 2 weeks of drinking champagne and eating pate. food here is also quite different, I'm drinking 6% milk instead of the 1% I drink at home, and EVERY meal involves copious amounts of bread and baked goods, so I was surprised to see any weightloss at all. My family and friends have already all told me not to lose any more weight, and I'm pretty content with how I look now, even though losing a few more pounds off of my thighs in particular would look better, so I don't really have any pressure to lose lots more weight coming from any direction. It's more the vain desire to be able to wear booty shorts one day just to say I did and wanting to jump higher during my ballet class, haha.