Question about weight loss at around 18 months post-op.

Hi gang,

 

I hope you're all doing well?  Hard to believe it's already nearing the end of November!! Where does the time go?!?  My question is for all you RNY "vets" who are past the 1.5 year or 2 year post-op mark...I'm about 1.5 years post op and have found that I'm hitting plateau's more often.  I was told by the nurse at the clinic that you can still lose up to 1.5-2 years post op.  I'll be two years in June and I'm just wondering what your experiences have been.  I'm still trying to lose around another 20 pounds and it's stubbornly hanging on! LOL...I'm doing things physically, that I was never able to do before in my whole life (jogging on a treadmill for 25 minutes non-stop) etc...I try to change things up at the gym or add new challenges to what I'm already doing etc...I'm just wondering if others have still been able to lose at this point and even beyond the 1.5-2 year post-op mark.  I'm just wanting to hear that I can continue to lose if I'm doing things the "right way".  The stalls and plateau's freak me out.   

Thanks for any advice or personal experience stories you can give me!

Take care!

Staci Q.

You can lose way past two years post op, if you take in fewer calories than you burn.  It's just that, as you get further out, you are able to eat larger portions, you no longer malabsorb calories, and when you weigh less it takes fewer calories to maintain your weight.  that means when you weighed 200 lbs, maybe you were losing weight when you took in 1500 calories a day, but when you weigh 130 lbs, you won't lose weight on that amount anymore because it takes less just to maintain your weight.

Hi Kelly,

 

Thanks for your reply!  I'm relieved to hear that you can continue to lose even after two years out.   What you're saying about the calorie intake makes perfect sense.  Do you or anyone else know a good resource place for finding out how many calories I should be taking in depending on my current weight...it would be nice to have a place to keep checking in as I lose etc to ensure that I'm not eating too many calories...because you're right, this far out, I'm finding I can eat larger portions than before, but I'm still trying to be careful with that.

My weight loss tapered off at the 9 month mark...now 2.5 and some change out I can still lose but I have to work my ass off for it. I also regained at the 1 year mark and had to relose that. Now I have to do what normal people do to lose weight, exercise and modify my diet.

Thanks for your reply Sarah.  I'm noticing a slight regain myself...but it seems to fluctuate...up and down within the same 5 pounds..it's very frustrating.  

For my husband, who is in maintenance, he was told to eat his weight x 10% in calories. So if you are 180 lbs, you'd eat 1800 calories to maintain with a 'moderately' active lifestyle.

If he wants to lose a pound a week, he needs to reduce by 3500 the number of calories in a week, which would be 3500/=500 and then 1800-500=1300 calories a day to lose a pound a week.

Hope this helps!

That's very helpful!  Thanks so much! :-)

Please see my profile page if interested.

Thanks for your reply...your posts on your page were helpful...I will check online for some info about calorie intake as well.  I never seem to know the right daily amount.

I am two years and two months out and still losing about a pound a month. I had a long stall around month 16. I have never found anything to break a stall but time. Keep chugging-you can do it!