What's up? Long time, no chat.... update of stupidity.

[mousecat88 2,281]

Sooooo it's been a while. lol.

Here is my confession of the stupid things I've been doing and their consequences or lack thereof.

I stopped losing weight in January or so. My lowest was 112, but I am a steady 116. My face looks super drawn and thin. I am a size 2. I wanted to gain about 10lbs so I started adding in more calories. And then more calories. And then that didn't do anything so I started eating junk food again (what I can stomach). And more junk food. And now I eat a lot of (good) carbs and basically full-sized meals. And I still weigh 116. And I still look anorexic (yes, I realize the "BMI" says I am normal... but I am deffo too thin for my taste). My mother also is/was very concerned about my thin appearance. Some foods still make me sick so I don't eat them and eating too much of other foods makes me sick. But, for example, for lunch I had a pumpkin muffin, peas, quinoa, and an entire salami sandwich and it sat fine. I can eat a double quarter pounder with cheese if I wanted to. I crushed an entire box of Triscuits in an hour the other week. But I don't gain weight.

I also haven't taken any Vitamins since about November 2019. I had to stop them for my last plastic surgery and just never got in the habit of taking them again. So I had labs done this week. Totally normal. All levels are perfect. AND, my cholesterol which has ALWAYS been high (even before I was ever obese) went from 291 to 174 in the last 4 months. They are perfect for the first time ever. So, do I take the vitamins and risk my levels being TOO high? Do I not take them because apparently I am getting what I need from food? If I am absorbing what I need from food, why am I not gaining any weight?

I haven't been exercising since last September I herniated my back and then had plastics and then the gyms closed... but plan on going back when they reopen next week.

Anyways, a lot of weird crap. I started my vitamins again this week just because... but now I am wondering, truly, if I need them because my labs were great despite me not taking them for 6 months. A deficiency would have been reflected by now. When do people usually start regaining post-op? I want to get back to eating healthy, but it's hard when you fall off the wagon... ESPECIALLY when you aren't gaining anything from doing so.

Nah, I don't need scolding... I know I am screwing up... but I am truly baffled as to why I can't gain and why my labs are fine. Which I guess I shouldn't complain about but.... weird.

Also I have a consult on June 19th for my final round of plastics: butt lift, thigh lift, and implants.

I did send an email to my PCP and my dietitian about the vitamins thing... I'll update here when I hear back.

[summerset 5,265]

What labs were taken? Did they include e. g. parathormone?

[2Bsmaller18 436]

I would guess that labs might look ok for now since it could take several months to years to show a deficit. That said I would talk to your MD and see if maybe you should take one every other day and retest in another 6 months. That way you are still taking them but will see more of a long term effect. I myself take them daily. It's the one thing I'm strict about but if I continue to have high Vit B I will look into another brand that has less. I am always forgetting to take my Calcium but I get around 5 servings of dairy a day so I am not too concerned but I know I should make it a habit.

I freaked out about still losing too quickly at the 8 month mark at 130 lbs and kept losing despite increasing calories. it eventually plateaued and now I am steady at 126 but with a 40% carb, 30% each Protein and fat diet of 1700 calories. I had plastics a few months ago and after the swelling went down I dropped to 123. Which is still a healthy BMI however I am muscular and still have loose skin elsewhere so I look better heavier with a more curves and less sag. I do not plan on further plastics and feel I would look better around 130.

It is such a mental game because when the scale hits 128 or 129 I feel panicky that it's going to be 150 a week later or that when I hit the natural regain at the 2-3 year mark that it will suddenly go up to the 150 or 160s. However I was also worried when I saw 123 and increased nuts and carbs to get calories in. I guess it's just the feeling that we need to have control over our weight.

I can eat anything now which is good but also a little scary. If it is high sugar I don't feel good, not ill but feel crappy. It's enough that I purposely limit high sugar foods.

I think I do see a slight weight gain if I have a few days where I hit over 1800 calories and do less activity so it seems that my metabolism makes sense. Do you find that to be true or you can't gain no matter the calories you take in?

How are your arm incisions? I am 3 months post and they are starting to fade but still very pink/red in comparison to my skin. I don't feel comfortable in short sleeves yet. I have a few places on the incisions with skin folded on itself that i hope will smooth out or will need to be touched up. I also still have loose skin right at the pit if I hold my arm half way up to horizontal. It goes away as I lift my arm up higher so I don't know if it can be fixed since the skin has to stretch to allow me to lift my arm all the way up.

[catwoman7 11,221]

it can sometimes take a couple of years for Vitamin deficiencies to show up. Some of mine took a tumble when I had my four-year check up last year - and I'd been taking Vitamins religiously.

also, most of us start regaining around year 3 - but some start earlier.

in both cases, you really do need to get back on track or you may regret it later on...

[Arabesque 7,442]

So many similarities @mousecat88. Same height, same weight, same dress size & also stopped Vitamins & exercise.

However, I’m happy with my weight. Some others think I’m too thin (their issue not mine) & my surgeon did think I should put on a couple of kgs but at the next appointment he said I was ok.

I stopped the vitamins because they were making me sick & I often would vomit. I stopped exercising because I struggled to up my calorie intake to maintain without burning calories through exercise. My surgeon & dietician have been ok with this.

I wonder if your metabolism is allowing you to eat more at the moment and you’re in a false reality? I also worry that you’ve reverted to your old, bad habits. Try to go back to your diet & increase your calories in a healthy way. After working so hard to lose your weight, it would be awful if you end up regaining.

Honestly I now eat things I would never eat before. (If I ate as much cheese or hummus dip before wls as I do now I’d be putting on kgs every day 😂.) While I am eating more now in maintenance, I still keep to a pretty balanced diet. I know this may change in the future & I may have to start back exercising if my metabolism slows again & I begin gaining weight.

BTW - When I was allowed to add some good grains (multigrain crackers rule) to my diet, I found a lot of that hollow, drawn look disappeared. Those good carbs do help.

[summerset 5,265]

10 hours ago, 2Bsmaller18 said:

I am always forgetting to take my Calcium

Same here and I paid for it with elevated parathormone. A Calcium deficiency doesn't show in regular blood work.

[mousecat88 2,281]

On 5/23/2020 at 3:43 AM, summerset said:

Same here and I paid for it with elevated parathormone. A Calcium deficiency doesn't show in regular blood work.

All my labs have returned EXCEPT the PTH and Iron. But all the rest were perfect. I'm really trying to get back on the Vitamin bandwagon. The bariatric office was just like "we can't recommend not taking vitamins". And then they wanted to schedule an appointment with the dietitian but I don't need to pay someone 50$ to tell me what I already know. They still have my chart showing me eating 600 calories a day because the last time I saw her in person was like 8 months ago. I eat 600 calories a meal now, usually. It's just weird that I don't gain. I ate crap on Sunday and got sick 4 separate times so I am really going to work on eating better.

[mousecat88 2,281]

On 5/22/2020 at 3:17 PM, summerset said:

What labs were taken? Did they include e. g. parathormone?

Yeah, I am still waiting on that. CBC, metabolic panel, B12, folate, Vitamin D, lipid, Iron, PTH w calcium... possibly something else I can't remember offhand.

[mousecat88 2,281]

On 5/22/2020 at 5:08 PM, 2Bsmaller18 said:

How are your arm incisions? I am 3 months post and they are starting to fade but still very pink/red in comparison to my skin. I don't feel comfortable in short sleeves yet. I have a few places on the incisions with skin folded on itself that i hope will smooth out or will need to be touched up. I also still have loose skin right at the pit if I hold my arm half way up to horizontal. It goes away as I lift my arm up higher so I don't know if it can be fixed since the skin has to stretch to allow me to lift my arm all the way up.

They've faded but they are like a medium purple. I don't mind it... you can't really see them since it's inner arm. I have a puff of fat at my elbow, but he said I would because he doesn't go down that far because he said scarring there could restrict arm movement. It is kinda weird looking, and worse on my left arm. BUT, better than before so I try not to worry. I may mention it next consult. I definitely still have some loose skin... like if I hold my arm up totally straight some skin slinks downwards and wrinkles, but I've also lost 15lbs since I had my surgery. It may tighten up once I get back to the gym, though. I think the inner thigh incisions I will have will be much worse and much more noticeable.

[mousecat88 2,281]

Iron profile and Parathyroid came back. Totally normal. Iron is actually at 150 and the upper range of normal is 160. Again... no Vitamins since November.... =/ I am SHOCKED my Vitamin D is normal. I have always had critically low Vitamin D. And now that I don't take anything... they are fine. What the heck.

Edited May 26, 2020 by mousecat88

[summerset 5,265]

4 hours ago, mousecat88 said:

They still have my chart showing me eating 600 calories a day because the last time I saw her in person was like 8 months ago. I eat 600 calories a meal now, usually. It's just weird that I don't gain.

1800 kcal is actually not that much when it comes to maintaining, depending on how active one is or what kind of job one holds down.

It just seems so outrageously high because the perception of what's a lot to eat or what's a lot of calories is pretty much warped on WLS boards.

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I ate crap on Sunday and got sick 4 separate times so I am really going to work on eating better.

Haha, ask me how many times I got sick recently because I still seem to confuse an almost 4 year old MGB with a barely 3 months old long limb RNY, lol.

Ah, gotta keep the humor...