Can You Ever Lose Too Much Weight?

[fesenjoon 22]

Hi everyone,

I'm quite pleasantly suprised to see the fantastic results of all the weight loss from the people on this forum. I was sleeved about 5 weeks ago and moving quite well to losing my excess weight. Some of the weight loss figures I've seen on this forum are just impressive. In some cases 100+ lbs in a year. My question is can you ever lose too much weight? (E.g. Drop below a BMI of 20 and end up being super skinny) I hear people are on 1000 - 1200 calories per day during maintenance mode and that just sounds too low.

Any insight / feedback is greatly appreciated.

[chicagochic 73]

Great question. I'm anxious to hear the responses although I think I have been dieting for so long that 1000 to 1200 calories a day sound enormous to me.

[aliandrews 98]

I would be interested in knowing the answer also.

[Seemebetter 24]

I can give a shot at answering this question. This what I was told ... The body is amazing and will find it natural normal. That's why a person can sometimes lose 100lbs then they gain 15lbs back and stay there for years. But I was also told about a case that some is in the hospital now weighing 75lbs but they did a big NO..NO..they went back to smoking.

I have learned that God made us so amazing when we get to our Natural Normal...we will Know

[italianlady13 80]

Well, my doc told me to START EATING PRONTO! LOL. he saw me and was super super pleased with my progress but told me ok Maria now it's time to stop losing and begin maintaining so start uping your calorie intake (he even told me to eat chocolate!). He told me any more weight loss and I will look sick. So I think you definately can get too low and as for the body knowing where to stop.....I'm not so sure I believe that because if that were the case then frankly people would not have anorexia or become overweight:) Your body would just "know" when to stop.....I wish we had an internal computer that just told us stop! that would make our life easier and this surgery non existant! I think that as long as your calorie intake is low enough you will continue to lose. Of course your body does get comfortable at a certain weight and once you get to that level of comfort your body will simply slow down but it will continue to lose if your calorie intake and exertion level is high enough....

[Pookeyism 1,143]

My Hubby already says I am too skinny, but I am not worried about it yet. Thing is there are individual things that will help determine that for all of us. Some (mmmmmaybe a bit rarer than you think) just keep on losing, even after going over 1000+ calories - they may have some problems, but a bit of healthy fats go a long way twords maintenance calories. You level of exercize will determine a bit also, as it will define how you look at ANY given size - a muscular size 4 is probably going to still fall into a trim and fit, if no effort was given to tone or muscle, that could look emaciated and sickly.

Some easlily will slip into the goal area they have chosen, and others will never reach it - and both are successful, I posted a topic Friday about coming to grips with my body image before I even worried about a final weight.

I dont know if that helped really - it might have been a bit of a ramble, lol.

[thinoneday 445]

I totally agree with loveisbeauty2, the body reaches a "I'm perfect now stage", I'm out 3 years now and have been maintaining between 200-215 lbs for the past 2 years. . . i zoomed down 150 lbs in 1 year and loved it. . . though I surpassed my doctors goal for me at 212 lbs, I really really wanted to get to my own personal goal of 170 lbs. . . well it never happened no matter how hard i tried. . . so i stopped trying and as i said, am maintaining beautifully. . . i'm at the point of "if i loose more, great, but if not, then oh well" as long as I never again see 350+lbs ever again! good luck!

[FishingNurse 1,210]

it is not a problem for me I at goal since 8 months out (167lbs) and I have stayed for months effortlessly

[kcage 33]

I think the longer you are sleeved the more your goals change and the more you can begin to realistically determine what is heatlhy for you. I have a co-worker who told me at only 50 lbs lost not to lose anymore! I still have like 45 lbs to go to reach my original goal, but now I am like ok the number on the scale keeps dropping, but I need to get toned so I don't think I will try and go as low as I was in the begining I really think another 20-25 lbs will really be perfect for my age and height! Just take it day by day and as you begin to learn your new body let "it" telly "you" where it needs and wants to be!

[Wheetsin 714]

Oh it's absolutely possible to lose too much weight. But by the time they're at goal, I think most people's capacity has equalized with their body's needs. I personally know two people who lost a bit too much weight, but they both gained back to a healthy weight over time. In maintenance, 1500 - 1800 is a good range that seems to manage weight while still being doable with the sleeve's capacity.

I'm 3 mos out and can barely manage 700 calories, but it seems like things tend to loosen up 6 - 8 mos out. (I"ve been told I may not loosen much due to having a ton of scar tissue, but I should loosen some.)

[Supersweetums 1,164]

Although it can happen, I don't think it happens too often. As for the number of calories, I just read on another thread the recent studies show that people that are overweight/formerly overweight, need to consume 20% less calories than an average person of the same weight to maintain. But, like someone else said, there are a lot of variables there. Men need more calories than women, and people that are very active need more calories. And when I say very active, I mean running races. I just read an article in Women's Health that unless you are doing more than 60 mins of strenuous activity everyday, you do not need to eat more and can actually end up stalling your weight loss by over estimating how many calories you need. I think another problem that comes into play is numbers. Some people set unrealistic goals and have to work extremely hard to get there. But once they get there, it is almost impossible to maintain. Then they are disappointed when they gain 5 or 10 lbs back, but that is where their body wants to be.

PS, I am 19 months post op, and it is really easy to consume a lot of calories. Before 6 months, it is easy and eating 1200 calories seems almost impossible and so many people say "Oh, I can't imagine eating that much!". Trust me, it will happen. I still have great restriction and can't eat a lot at a sitting, but some things go down easier than others and I really have to watch what I eat. Like Many have said, the sleeve is a great tool, but you still have to change the way you eat. Sure you can loose eating crappy in the beginning, but once you get a couple of years out, those bad habits are going to catch up with you!

[Foxbins 625]

I see many people on these forums who never get to goal so I think that is a more prevalent problem than becoming too thin.

If you think you are too thin, you can always start drinking calories (think milkshakes and juices) and bypass your restriction. Unless the person has some metabolic problem that should increase calories enough to reverse losses.

[betojr85 6]

I am now a little worried because, well for one i have to find a new doctor because the one that did the surgery almos killed me... my surgery was a little drastic since the doctor perforated my mesenteric artery and i had to be rushed to another hospital to find out 10 hours later after the oroginal anesthesia that a cut had to be made almost through my whole abdomen so my life can actually be saved!! Now I've lost since may 22nd up to today september 14th 2015 "98" pounds !!!!! Anyone here lost that much??? Please share im kind of worried since this doctor obviously i cant see him again for personal reasons but i was told i would loose 100 pounds within a year and it has been 3 months and a half!!! Super worried here !!