If my metabolism has slowed then how come I have so much energy?

[Katrinakit 139]

Hi everyone! I had gastric bypass 6 weeks ago and am losing verry slowly for my size. My surgeon just lectured me that my weight loss was well below expectations and since my intake and exercise are meeting expectations that it must be that I am not eating frequently enough leading to a slow metabolism. I just find it hard to believe that I could have so much more energy, am jogging every night after long days at work, am needing less sleep if my metabolism has slowed. Any thoughts? What is going on??

[Katrinakit 139]

If metabolism is the sum total of all the activities your body does to expend energy and mine has slowed down then I should feel sluggish. Instead, I am almost manic (needing less sleep, exercising every free moment, picking up extra hours at work etc) I am way more active and energetic than ever and am surviving off of 900 cals per day at 276 pounds and not losing weight. I just don't understand how it is possible.

[James Marusek 5,244]

Your body creates energy from the food you eat but also from the fat that you have stored. So even though you are not eating a lot, you can still be active because the energy stored in your fat cells are being consumed. At 6 weeks post-op, 900 calories per day seems a little on the high side. If you are performing a lot of exercise, it could be that you are producing muscle which is offsetting the weight loss from fat. Muscle is denser (heavier) than fat.

How much weight have you lost post-op? Your tickler says 0 pounds weight loss, but that could be because you have not been updating it recently. Assuming you had RNY gastric bypass surgery in 6 weeks you might experience a 15-20 pounds of weight loss. Some people experience more, some less. Generally when you are in the hospital, you gain weight because of all the fluids they pump into your body. You have to lose this additional Fluid weight before your numbers start to go down. That can take a week or two.

[Katrinakit 139]

I lost 21 pounds but he says I should have lost 30 by now. I thought I was doing fine until he said that

Edited June 28, 2016 by Katrinakit

[Katrinakit 139]

I haven't started weight or resistance training but have been doing a lot of cardio

[KristenLe 5,979]

Hi everyone! I had gastric bypass 6 weeks ago and am losing verry slowly for my size. My surgeon just lectured me that my weight loss was well below expectations and since my intake and exercise are meeting expectations that it must be that I am not eating frequently enough leading to a slow metabolism. I just find it hard to believe that I could have so much more energy, am jogging every night after long days at work, am needing less sleep if my metabolism has slowed. Any thoughts? What is going on??

You may not be eating enough with that level of exercise. Add more Protein and fluids. I think 21 lbs is good though so congrats!

[Katrinakit 139]

Thanks! I was happy too until he said that! Maybe I won't listen to him because I feel great

[NewAngela 60]

The feeling of having energy is more than your basal metabolic rate. I would venture to say as long as thyroid hormone is in normal range, low energy would not be a definite symptom your diet. This is assuming your BMR has slowed.

After wls a lot of metabolic imbalances are corrected. Obesity goes hand and hand with inflammation, depression and insulin resistance. Wls and/or weight loss has been shown to improve these issues, so an increase in energy level and overall quality of life is expected.

Remember also that if you stress your body too much you may get a burst of energy. In the short term stress can increase energy as a survival mechanism, but chronically this takes a toll. If you are eating very little, weight loss can slow down a lot. If you are exercising too much, weight loss can slow down. Sometimes you need to let your body recover to see the weight loss. If you are almost manic in energy you may having an acute physical stress response and that can stop weight loss. Think cortisol weight gain along with adrenaline energy. At 6 weeks after RNY I was at 252. I was 282 before pre op diet, and around 276 at the time of surgery. My doctors were fine with my loss, but it definitely has slowed down. The expectation was I loose about 15-20 in the first month and 10 pounds every month after.

Also, watch portions and track your foods. I have to weight things to get accurate measurements. Alternate hard exercise days with easier days or rest days. Exercise works best when you allow recovery. Getting your diet right is the most important, but if you get too much physical activity on too little calories, it can really slow you down. You are still pretty early on, so your body might still be struggling to find a balance.

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[Katrinakit 139]

Ok thanks. I hate it when doctors say things like that because I want to be a model patient but my body just doesn't want to cooperate. I set up an appointment with the nut to make sure there is nothing else I need to change

[barbiejourney 0]

Katrinakit I am pretty much same way. Lost 25 after 6 weeks and they said the same. I should have lost 30. Left there discouraged since I had only been able to stay on the liquid diet up till 3 days ago. Every time I tried the food either very soft like baby food or now that they have told me to start regular food, I was throwing up nothing would stay down and the discomfort was very bad. Since I heard from them that if I didn't eat my metabolism was my going to get slower and store what ever I ate, I started trying different foods. But am still struggling with it. Also don't see much improvement on the weight loss. I hear people saying the lost 30-40-60 pounds in 2 or 3 months and I get so frustrated. But I guess we just have to realize each persons body is unique and will react differently. But the worst is when you hear people saying that it's always worked for everyone else they know so much faster. But oh well. Thanks for sharing. I feel less "alone" knowing someone else also is going through it like I am

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