Best way to Stop Losing Weight

[Apple1 2,572]

I am within 10 pounds of my goal. I adjusted my original goal up from 150 to 160 because at my current weight I am feeling really comfortable and my face is starting to get thin looking. I want to be a normal BMI and I think I will be a size 4-6 at 160.

I have been dropping weight fast the past 2 weeks. This week it I seem to be dropping .5 a day. My question is as I get closer to 160 how do I stop losing weight? I never dreamed I would be this close 3 months post op. My weekly exercise is increasing faster than my calorie intake because I am training to run longer distances. I have switched to a whole foods plant based diet and I think this will be a great sustainable and healthy diet for me. The problem is my stomach is still very restricting and I can only eat so much. I don't want to cut back on my running so my idea is to add an extra Protein Shake in before bed to give me some extra calories and Protein.

Currently I am able to eat 1000-1200 calories with drinking 1 shake and the rest from foods. I honestly don't think I could eat anymore food and I don't want to start eating high fats. I have started incorporating more nuts to add some calories.

Any advice for me?

[FluffyChix 17,415]

I know vets will have a better idea than I, so hopefully they will be by soon. In a low carb world where fat does not cause dumping, the simple answer is to add fat. It's not that much fat either...1 oz of avocado = 47cals/3g carbs/2g fiber; 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil=40cals/5g fat. The rule as you know in LC is that fat, of all the macronutrients, causes blood sugar to rise very little (about 10% of the consumed dietary fat acts on blood sugar is the number I've read--due to the glycerin backbone that metabolizes down into "sugar"). But with you eating a WFPB diet, you're now eating high-er carb. And we all know that carbs + fat = ^^insulin = fat storage. From what I've read, if you eat higher carb, 30% fat composition is not low enough to be cardio protective. The fat has to be almost around 10% diet comp which is crazy low!!!

I would probably add extra plants/protein or maybe an extra serving of low glycemic fruit, or maybe some nuts that also have Fiber or add avocado since it too has fiber, keeping fats as low as possible. And I would probably add the extra calories at 100-150cal increments until the scale stops. I'm betting with your running, it will take another 400-500 cals to stop your weight loss at this point.

Edited August 23, 2017 by FluffyChix

[James Marusek 5,244]

The three most important elements after weight loss surgery are to meet your daily Protein, Fluid and Vitamin requirements. food is secondary because your body is converting your stored fat into the energy that drives your body. Thus you lose weight.

Generally one is given detailed guidelines that describe daily requirements, this includes daily protein requirements and meal requirements. Without sufficient protein, your body will scavenge protein from other areas of your body, such as your muscles. Protein is extremely important after surgery as its job in the body is to build and maintain tissues including your body's major organs and skeletal muscles. Protein deficiency, when continued over a long period of time can cause a disease known as protein caloric malnutrition. Common symptoms are poor healing, fatigue, Hair loss and muscle wasting. Immediate post op, protein promotes healing of the staple line and incisions. So have you assessed your daily protein intake - the sum of the protein you obtain from meals combined with the protein supplements (protein shakes and protein bars)? The reason why I am saying this is because one Protein Shake may not be enough especially since you are training to run long distances. At 3 months I was consuming 3 Protein Shakes a day.

A good goal for weight loss is to be in the normal category for BMI. That is 18.5 - 24.9. This region has the lowest mortality rate. I choose to set my goal at the high side of BMI because I considered it to be important to have a little excess fat on my body because this fat will sustain me during times of major illness or injury. Generally after surgery your rate of weight loss will slow down the further out from surgery. It will eventually level off and you will slide quite naturally into the Maintenance phase.

[Berry78 4,261]

Ok, so let's talk calories.

It would be great if you could get your BMR tested to see how many calories a day you need in order to maintain your weight while sitting around. It might be 1200, or 1800.. hard to say without a test.

But, for this post, I'll just say it's 1300. Now, add running/walking around/daily activities to that. I forget how much you said you run, but if it's 3 miles a day, you need to add about 300 calories. A couple hundred more for daily activities, and you need 1300+300+200=1800 calories a day.

3oz of things like Beans and sweet potatoes have around 100 calories. 1oz of nuts has 200 calories (rounding up)

So, if you can eat 4oz of nuts plus 5 meals with 6oz each of starchy veggies, you can make your calories.

Protein: nuts 7×4=28g.....sweet potatoes 5 3oz servings= 10g..... beans 5 3oz servings =35g

28+10+35= 73g Protein without any shakes.

Fat= 16g×4= 64g

Carbs= about 176g/day

These #s are just rough estimates, but give an idea of what is required to get calories up to the desired level on a vegan diet, while "minimizing" fat. You don't need that much protein and so can exchange some of the beans for grains.. but ultimately it doesn't make much difference. You still need to eat 6oz of food, 5 times a day. Can you do that?

Keep in mind, these numbers are based on a lot of assumptions. With more info we can pin it down more.

[Apple1 2,572]

1 hour ago, FluffyChix said:

The rule as you know in LC is that fat, of all the macronutrients, causes blood sugar to rise very little (about 10% of the consumed dietary fat acts on blood sugar is the number I've read--due to the glycerin backbone that metabolizes down into "sugar"). But with you eating a WFPB diet, you're now eating high-er carb. And we all know that carbs + fat = ^^insulin = fat storage. From what I've read, if you eat higher carb, 30% fat composition is not low enough to be cardio protective. The fat has to be almost around 10% diet comp which is crazy low!!!

High fat consumption is the likely cause of type 2 diabetes. High blood sugar is just the symptom of the disease. The fat clogs up the insulin receptor cells in your muscles and therefore the insulin cannot get in and the blood sugar rises as a result. When I was eating low carb before my WLS surgery I was only controlling my bs because I was not giving my body any carbs to process. As soon as I ate anything that was even a little high in carbs my bs would rise higher than normal. This shows that I was not fixing the cause only treating the symptom.

My surgery has cured my type 2 diabetes. I have not had a bs over 115 since my surgery. My fasting bs is between 70-85 every morning and I only see above 100 at one hour post meals. Amen!!!

I am not sure yet where my fat levels are going to fall out. I am still transitioning and eliminating things from my diet. I have added more nuts and I do eat avocados. I will have to be more mindful as I go along to include more healthy fats and more legumes. Peanut Butter and almond butter will work also. I love this way of eating, but I think I have found the one issue for me, and that is eating enough calories to support the level of exercise I enjoy. I will figure it out.

Thank you for your advice.

[Travelher 915]

2 hours ago, Apple1 said:

I am within 10 pounds of my goal. I adjusted my original goal up from 150 to 160 because at my current weight I am feeling really comfortable and my face is starting to get thin looking. I want to be a normal BMI and I think I will be a size 4-6 at 160.

I have been dropping weight fast the past 2 weeks. This week it I seem to be dropping .5 a day. My question is as I get closer to 160 how do I stop losing weight? I never dreamed I would be this close 3 months post op. My weekly exercise is increasing faster than my calorie intake because I am training to run longer distances. I have switched to a whole foods plant based diet and I think this will be a great sustainable and healthy diet for me. The problem is my stomach is still very restricting and I can only eat so much. I don't want to cut back on my running so my idea is to add an extra Protein Shake in before bed to give me some extra calories and Protein.

Currently I am able to eat 1000-1200 calories with drinking 1 shake and the rest from foods. I honestly don't think I could eat anymore food and I don't want to start eating high fats. I have started incorporating more nuts to add some calories.

Any advice for me?

need to up your calories way higher than that. I'm between 1300 and 1400 and don't work out and I'm still losing (slowly). You need to add in more carbs and maybe add an extra shake? easy not too filling carbs you can add are freeze dried berries. fat is going to be your best bang for your buck with calories. I added a 7th meal to get mine in..so your bed time shake may be the way to go. Yes at your height 160 should be about a size 4. I'm a size 4 at 140 but 4 inches shorter than you.

[Apple1 2,572]

9 minutes ago, Berry78 said:

Ok, so let's talk calories.

It would be great if you could get your BMR tested to see how many calories a day you need in order to maintain your weight while sitting around. It might be 1200, or 1800.. hard to say without a test.

But, for this post, I'll just say it's 1300. Now, add running/walking around/daily activities to that. I forget how much you said you run, but if it's 3 miles a day, you need to add about 300 calories. A couple hundred more for daily activities, and you need 1300+300+200=1800 calories a day.

3oz of things like Beans and sweet potatoes have around 100 calories. 1oz of nuts has 200 calories (rounding up)

So, if you can eat 4oz of nuts plus 5 meals with 6oz each of starchy veggies, you can make your calories.

Protein: nuts 7×4=28g.....sweet potatoes 5 3oz servings= 10g..... Beans 5 3oz servings =35g

28+10+35= 73g Protein without any shakes.

Fat= 16g×4= 64g

Carbs= about 176g/day

These #s are just rough estimates, but give an idea of what is required to get calories up to the desired level on a vegan diet, while "minimizing" fat. You don't need that much Protein and so can exchange some of the beans for grains.. but ultimately it doesn't make much difference. You still need to eat 6oz of food, 5 times a day. Can you do that?

Keep in mind, these numbers are based on a lot of assumptions. With more info we can pin it down more.

Wow. thank you so much @Berry78 for figuring all this out for me. You are the best!!

I don't know if I can eat 6oz of food 5 times a day. I am currently eating 3 x a day 4oz with 2 Snacks. My morning shake is 20g protein and 200 calories.

I think I can gradually work up to that. Beans fill me up so fast as does whole grain Pasta and brown rice. I can only eat 2-3oz of those tops. My carb levels have been right around 70-80g daily this past week. I think I am going to work on prepping my meals for the week using these figures and I will just increase my calories a little as I go along to slow down the weight loss.

The problem is right now I am running 15 miles a week, but I am working towards 25 miles a week so I will need to keep increasing my calories if I don't want to lose too much weight.

[Berry78 4,261]

Absolutely. If you decide to add dairy, a pint of whole milk has 300 calories, so you would burn that off with your running. (And it's Fluid, so doesn't replace a meal).

I think these #s are why Dr. Matthew Weiner doesn't talk about strict veganism.. it is just so hard to get our calories up!

[Apple1 2,572]

34 minutes ago, Travelher said:

need to up your calories way higher than that. I'm between 1300 and 1400 and don't work out and I'm still losing (slowly). You need to add in more carbs and maybe add an extra shake? easy not too filling carbs you can add are freeze dried berries. fat is going to be your best bang for your buck with calories. I added a 7th meal to get mine in..so your bed time shake may be the way to go. Yes at your height 160 should be about a size 4. I'm a size 4 at 140 but 4 inches shorter than you.

Thank you!

I think the extra shake will be the easiest thing to add in the extra calories. I am going to incorporate more nut butters also.

My size 8s are getting loose all ready at 170 so I think you are right. My thigh and butt area are very baggy... ugh why do I have no butt lol.

[Apple1 2,572]

1 hour ago, James Marusek said:

have you assessed your daily Protein intake - the sum of the protein you obtain from meals combined with the protein supplements (protein shakes and protein bars)? The reason why I am saying this is because one Protein Shake may not be enough especially since you are training to run long distances. At 3 months I was consuming 3 Protein Shakes a day.

I am getting ample amounts of protein. Usually 50-60g. As my distanves increase I will have to reevaluate my levels and calorie intake. That is why I am asking questions now. Thank you for your detailed and thoughtful answers.

my goal weight will put me at a healthy BMI and I will be rather skinny lol. It is funny becaus I haven't thought of myself as skinny in a long time😊

[Apple1 2,572]

34 minutes ago, Berry78 said:

Absolutely. If you decide to add dairy, a pint of whole milk has 300 calories, so you would burn that off with your running. (And it's Fluid, so doesn't replace a meal).

I think these #s are why Dr. Matthew Weiner doesn't talk about strict veganism.. it is just so hard to get our calories up!

I feel so good eating this way though. I don't feel deprived at all in fact as I am finding out, it is hard to eat enough calories. I never thought I would have this problem.

[Introversion 1,876]

3 hours ago, Apple1 said:

Any advice for me?

Firstly, congratulations on your amazing progress!

The reality is that we are not completely driving the show during the first 6 months post-op regarding the rate of weight loss with a sleeve.

Your body's set point has been driven downward by surgery. Hence, your body wants to continue to lose until it reaches its new set point.

Neurohormonal changes override the patient's ability to control the rate of loss. This is why many people still lose weight in the first 6 months after grazing on Taco Bell, pizza, donuts and other junk.

Your body will, in all likelihood, continue to gradually shed pounds until you are 6 to 8 months out. This is the reality you're facing since your sleeve is only 4 months old.

Once you are closer to 1 year out, you'll be able to increase the amount of complex carbs such as yams, sweet potatoes, steel cut oats and brown rice to stop gaining (and regain if needed).

By the way, I consume anywhere from 2000 to 2300 calories daily to maintain a body weight of 118 to 122 pounds. You'll likely need to eat a whole lot more to stop losing.

Good luck to you.

[Apple1 2,572]

16 minutes ago, Introversion said:

Your body will, in all likelihood, continue to gradually shed pounds until you are 6 to 8 months out. This is the reality you're facing since your sleeve is only 4 months old.

Once you are closer to 1 year out, you'll be able to increase the amount of complex carbs such as yams, sweet potatoes, steel cut oats and brown rice to stop gaining (and regain if needed).

By the way, I consume anywhere from 2000 to 2300 calories daily to maintain a body weight of 118 to 122 pounds. You'll likely need to eat a whole lot more to stop losing.

Good luck to you.

Thank you for the helpful information @Introversion. I hadn't considered that my body will keep trying to reach its new set point. I could hold off on some of my fitness goals, but I don't really want to, you know what I mean? I know I can drink more calories and if that is what I have to do then, I am ok with that in the short term.

I am going to look into getting my BMR tested so I will have a good baseline to work from.

[Andrew0929 1,101]

I had this same concern as I was approaching my goal weight 3 years ago. I'd lost 150 pounds in 9 months and was concerned about stopping.

So I scheduled an appointment with my nut and came up with the appropriate level of calories and carbs for me to level out, considering my height, weight, and exercise.

That has worked perfectly for me and I still reference those levels 3 years later. I find that if I exceed, I gain a few and if I go below I will lose a few.

Consult with the expert...

[jess9395 5,449]

Can you add calorie dense Snacks like Lara bars? I make a homemade version with dates dried fruit and nuts for fueling my runs. One cup each and a T vanilla in a food processor then form into balls and roll in coconut flour. Pistachio apple and almond cherry are my favorites but you can do any! Walnut ones are the least dense/easiest on the stomach.

There are a variety of causes of type 2 diabeties. Simply getting old is one because receptor sites burn out. Fat blocking receptor sites is another and it seems this was your case if you saw an increase in blood sugar on HFLC. So I it's probably gonna be harder for you to increase calories without increasing quantity of food because plant based whole food isn't very calorie dense. Protein Shakes may indeed be your best bet temporarily. But you're only less than 6 months out, right? Eventually you will be able to eat more and rely more on Whole Foods if you like!

For others it's genetic or developed insulin resistance and those people need to eat low carb. They have actually identified nine types of diabeties so far. Crazy!