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Starting to Panic
SusanCotter21
Posts: 26 Member
First, a little background. I am a weight loss surgery patient. I had the gastric sleeve four years ago. For the first two years I lived on about 800 calories a day, but my weight loss stalled at 113 pounds down. I met my wonderful fiance, who is also a nutritionist and personal trainer. He has been preaching to me since the day we met that I am starving my body and I would lose more weight if I would eat more. Then I stumbled upon this group and finally gave in and decided to give it a try. I started about four weeks ago. I know the group and my fiance said to expect some weight gain until things even out, but I am completely freaking out right now. When I started, I was eating about 1200 calories a day. Right now I am eating 1645, which is 15% under my tdee. (46 years old, sedentary in a desk job all day, 5' 4" tall and now 207 pounds.). Thus far, I have gained 5 pounds since starting and that scares the you know what out of me. My biggest fear in life is weighing over 300 pounds again, and I refuse to go there. Is this a normal amount of weight gain for just starting out?
Also, as of yesterday, I am now going to the gym with my fiance and he has started me on a weight training routine. I plan to do cardio three days a week and weight training four days a week.
Any advice or encouragement would be appreciated.
Also, as of yesterday, I am now going to the gym with my fiance and he has started me on a weight training routine. I plan to do cardio three days a week and weight training four days a week.
Any advice or encouragement would be appreciated.
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Replies
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I understand your fiance is a nutritionist and trainer but does he have a background in gastric bypass patients? From what I understand through a friend of mine that did the surgery, you are never going to be able to have the type of food life you did in the past. Is 1600 even realistic for a patient that has a stomach the size of a golf ball? Are you able to get the 1600 without getting sick? What are the consequences of eating 1600? Are you sabataging your surgery...stretching out your stomach so you can eat more? Those are some of the questions I would first ask myself before upping my calories after surgery. Now to address you gain, I would have to say ya, if you're used to an extremely low amount of calories and then start eating more your body will gain weight. That's why people gain back the weight they lose when they go on starvation diets where they are only eating 1000 calories. When they go back to eating more normally, their bodies respond with weight gain because it had been so deprived for so long.0
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Have you consulted with your doctor about the increase in calories? The PP brought up some good questions so I would just want to make sure it's the right thing to do first.0
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Having the gastric sleeve does complicate matters so let me put that aside for a moment.
Yes, weight gain is completely normal when upping calories. Most people gain a chunk of weight and then stop gaining as the metabolism increases to meet the new calorie amount. As long as you are at or below you activity based TDEE you will not continue gaining indefiniately.
Personally I've gained about 20 pounds during reset which is at the higher end of what I've heard. I think the max I've seen is in the 30s. That in mind, I don't think you'll go up to 300 again. I've gained little size in relation to that gain, about 1 pant size. Most initial gain is from holding more water as your body gets use to the increase. It will go away again pretty easily.
Now for your gastric sleeve, have you spoken to you doctor about what you are doing? I personally agree with your motivation to get more nutrition and break up your stall without dropping calories further but you do have a lot less stomach to complicate matters. How are you feeling eating more? You can restretch the stomach out to a degree (often happens when people consistantly overeat after surgery) but I don't know if you want to do that. It is something to think about considering that you went to the extreme of surgery in the first place.
Jamie0 -
Ditto's to Dr advice. My understanding those solutions was never intended for someone to increase their activity that they would need to eat more in the first place.
You may be forced to have many small meals a day if you want to do much more.
That said, the calorie burn from lifting is minimal, so would require the least increase in calories. It'll burn more fat during repair, and it'll make you feel hungry as body is desiring to make improvements, but if you can hold out, it'll work best.
Just do 30 min of decent walking 3 x weekly for the cardio aspect, that won't increase your TDEE much at all, and it will support the lifting focus better.
And then do the lifting 3 x weekly full body for better improvement. 4 x weekly is usually split routine, which means the different muscles are only getting really 2 x weekly. 3 x with compound heavy lifting, bigger lower body muscles first.
So with walking 3-4 mph 3 x 30 min weekly, and lifting 3 x 45 min weekly, and sedentary desk job other than that, I'd put your activity level to BMR x 1.36. If you make those lifting session 60 min each, 1.39 then.
And that Katch BMR should be based on decent bodyfat % estimate. You've likely lost some muscle mass, no need eating for level you don't have anyway. When you are at goal weight you can worry about trying to increase muscle mass, though you will get some newbie gains as you start, and have fat to spare for energy.
http://www.gymgoal.com/dtools.html0 -
Thanks for the advice, everyone. I am four years out from my sleeve surgery, and also a consultant for others who have weight loss surgery. I am not going to stretch my stomach, that is virtually impossible, as they remove the stretchy part. Since increasing the amount of food I am eating, I am actually feeling better, have more energy, etc. than I have in several years. I eat approximately six times a day. This includes protein shakes, protein bars, and meals that have a lot of protein in them. My fiance cooks all of my meals for me, and yes, he is also a consultant for bariatric patients, so he is definitely on top of what I should be eating.0
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I think you are on the right way. Stalling on 800 kcal a day is proof enough that your body needs fuel.
Just take it slowly. Step by setp. Panicking is normal and I guess almost everyone who went through the reset and gained would agree. But you will see soon, that it is for the better.
You will not be able to lift well on such little calories.0 -
I think you are on the right way. Stalling on 800 kcal a day is proof enough that your body needs fuel.
Just take it slowly. Step by setp. Panicking is normal and I guess almost everyone who went through the reset and gained would agree. But you will see soon, that it is for the better.
You will not be able to lift well on such little calories.
Thank you. I definitely am feeling better. Before, I had no energy. I would come home, flop on the couch in exhaustion and sleep. Now, I am full of energy and always ready to go and do and enjoy life. It sure feels better fueling my body.0 -
Then I would say the gain is just normal because you've been at such a low calorie rate and your body is adjusting to getting good nutrition. I'd say keep on keeping on and things will eventually balance out.0
This discussion has been closed.