Extensive weight loss

[junegirl72 5]

Good morning,

I am a 51 yr old woman and had my RNY on 3/9/2016 I am 5 ft and was 210 but 190 at surgery. I was on the smaller end,but I had a lot of comobidities that justified having it. Everything was normal for a while. I got down to about 118 at about 9 months and slowly creeped back up to about 135 where I sat at this weight for a while. Then fast forward to the end of 2019 and I started seeing the pounds come off rapidly for no reason. Now fast forward to today and I am 97 lbs and can't keep weight on,no matter how many calories,carbs, fat I eat. I have seen multiple health care professionals that up until very recently have all told me that this is my new normal. I have had an ultrasound that reviled a fatty liver, however I had a fatty liver before surgery? Has anyone else experienced weight loss like this? I am scared that I will never stop loosing.

[LindsayT 571]

Have they done any blood work or scans to rule out anything serious? At 97lbs, your BMI is almost to the underweight category. I'd keep pushing for tests just to make sure it's nothing serious. Especially since you said you're eating more; which I'm assuming is to gain weight.

[junegirl72 5]

I have had labs done and the only things that are off is my Iron and Vitamin D. My PCP said that my Iron level although on the low side in my blood is not awful but I have no reserve.My body is just using it all up and not saving any and my Vitamin D has always been low. I also had the ultrasound that showed a fatty liver.I have an appointment with Gastroenterologist next week.

[LindsayT 571]

Hopefully they get this figured out and there is in fact nothing seriously wrong. Best of luck!

[junegirl72 5]

Thank you!!

[pintsizedmallrat 470]

I had this happen (I'm an inch shorter than you and at one point had gotten down to 91 pounds, unfortunately.). My situation was caused by an autoimmune condition; among other things it made it so that my enlarged spleen was pushing against my sleeve, reducing my capacity to nearly nothing. It was awful because I could FEEL that I was hungry and I wasn't able to eat.

I ended up resorting to, at my dietitian's advice, drinking part of a shake intended for people needing to GAIN weight (Ensure Complete, I think is what it's called, the bottles have about 300 calories). As I am someone who gets dumping syndrome, I had to break it up into very small portions (about 1/3 of the bottle) and I would drink that portion 30 minutes after my meals. It helped; I'm back up to 103 now which is where I feel most comfortable. Another really dense food that shouldn't mess with your blood sugar or macros would be Peanut Butter. It's one of the highest calorie things you can eat, but it's also full of healthy fats and Protein, especially if you choose a low sugar variety.

I know it's hard, and it's a hard thing to talk about to most people because no one really understands how distressing it is to suddenly find yourself underweight when you spent years struggling to lose (I got a lot of "Exactly why are you complaining?" even from people who meant well.). You're not alone. I know it's a real problem that is really upsetting, and it's OK to have feelings about it.

[junegirl72 5]

Thank you so very much!!

[NickelChip 937]

Did they test you for Graves' disease? I assume they ran thyroid tests, but I have a number of people in my life who have had Graves' and the inability to keep weight on despite eating constantly is a top symptom.

[Arabesque 6,747]

I thought thyroid too & also wondered, as you’re 51, if your hormones have been checked. I hope they find some answers for you soon.

All the best.

[junegirl72 5]

I have seen multiple providers this past year for this and different reasons, along with my PCP office and they all tell me this is my new normal. It was not untill I fainted a few months ago that they started to think there might be a problem. I have had lab work and an ultrasound of my thyroid and there is nothing wrong. My PCP did say that menopause could be part of my problem too but I have not had my hormones checked.I do have an appointment with Gastroenterologist next week because they found I have a fatty liver.I actually had a fatty liver before surgery and was told that it will go away after the surgery? I hope GI can give me some answers. I feel like the guy in the movie thinner.