Losing weight with braces

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#1 Post by **shaolin** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 4:42 pm

I weighed myself today - 8 pounds less than my long term weight of about 2 years, been creeping down over the last 3 months since I've had my braces.

It doesn't seem a lot, but it's significant, and in particular since I've made no effort. I put it down to an avoidance of snacks since it's such a PITA to clean my teeth after everything I eat.

#2 Post by **BallPointPen** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 5:56 pm

I didn't lose much weight due to braces, in fact I put it on after I stopped playing rugby, but after my surgery I dropped from 203lbs to 168lbs in about a month.

#3 Post by **DireWire** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 6:04 pm

Well, I lost 5 kg from 78 (which is high for me) to 73 (Which is very low), then stabilized at 74-75.

It really was because of less snacks, a different type of lunch (a lot of chili) and my reduced ability to eat anything non-mushy.

I learned to eat again, but my next appointment is around the corner and chewing is still slightly painful, so I think I'll go mushier again soon...

DireWire

#4 Post by **Nancy51** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 6:47 pm

I've dropped almost 25 lbs in 10 months. I call it the "braces diet", and my dieting colleagues have laughingly considered getting braces. Some loose skirts have actually slipped off, which I alone do not find amusing.

Hate to invest in too many new things, though, in anticipation of naked teeth days.

#5 Post by **BoSox2008** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 7:21 pm

I have lost 12 pounds since I got braces one year ago. It was a bit more at first, but I have leveled off at this weight for the last 8 months or so.

I definitely think it has a lot to do with the type of food I prefer to eat as well as the fact that I cannot just snack through the day - each snack requires me to remove my elastics, eat, then brush my teeth and put the elastics back in... I find this routine to be a bit too much effort for a few chips or a cookie.

I hope it stays off once the braces come off!

#6 Post by **kittymeow84** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 7:56 pm

I've never been a snacker but I've made an effort to eat smaller portions and take smaller bites since I've had my braces on.

Much more careful about how I eat and chew now. Not sure if I've lost any kilos cos I don't tend to weigh myself. Always hovered around the 48 - 52 mark though.

#7 Post by **LanShark** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 8:24 am

I've lost a bit of weight too, not a lot, but enough that one of my rings has to be resized. I think the main thing is that it is, as others have pointed out, a PITA to clean the teeth after eating, and secondly, that hard snacks such as chips are off the list.

- Bill

#8 Post by **SnowSara** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 8:50 am

I think I lost around 10lbs when I first got braces and it's still off... I'm not entirely sure it's all due to having braces, but it did affect my eating habits and I still avoid extra snacks because of my retainer. Same deal, I can swish water and put it back in, but I prefer to just stay clean in the first place. And I still snack (I think it's important to eat throughout the day to keep your metabolism up), but it's on healthier choices. I think braces helped train me into avoid unnecessary sweets and salty snacks and I don't think about it much anymore.

#9 Post by **SnowSara** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 8:58 am

Oh, and I also picked up the habit of eating much slower, and therefore getting full on less at meals. I still do this and I think if anything that might have had a bigger impact for me than skipping snacks.

#10 Post by **ema27** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 10:41 am

when i started braces in jan 2007 i was a size 10-by the time summer arrived i was a size 8 and felt great.Well im still braced this summer and i cant fit in any of my size 8 clothes from last summer...i think i have got use to eating again now-snacks,chocolate and all....

#11 Post by **gigiso** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 11:29 am

I've gone from 138 lbs to 125. The braces certainly have been a part of it. Not that I can't eat but rather there isn't a lot of pleasure to be derived from it. So eating has become more a necessity. I also got back on track with my exercise routine around the same time I got braced.

My one guilty pleasure these days is a whopping big 28 oz. cola Slurpee. Sweet and cold -- tastes and feels good on those days when that thermal wire seems to be working over time!

#12 Post by **Faerydust** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 3:09 pm

I haven't been braced that long and I don't have a scale, but I notice that I do eat a lot less now that it takes more effort to eat. I also have to kind of plan out what I would get before going out to eat. I still have trouble with foods that you have to use front teeth to bite into so I tried to avoid places that have only sandwiches or burgers. I prefer to eat foods that can be cut up with a knife and fork or are already pretty small and soft. For me having fewer eating options = snacking less and smaller meals.

I think I'm starting to lose some weight, but I haven't got to the point where my clothes are too big yet.

#13 Post by **tazzle** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 3:30 pm

Although I think that perhaps I would lose a little weight just because of the "bother" some foods cause ....... having the braces on has certainly made it easier for me to start losing the weight I need to before surgery.

As long as I avoid certain alcohols I like ( irish cream and tia maria

) the rest of the higher calorie foods I like are not so easy to eat with braces.

However if I were not actually aiming to lose weight I dont know how I would do .......... I have only had wires in for almost four weeks and not had that much discomfort YET

#14 Post by **tazzle** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 5:33 pm

oh I for one intend it to stay off meryaten

.......... had lost about 16 lbs before being braced as part of finally doing something about long term problem

The only thing that really annoys me about sandwiches is the way the bread REALLY gets stuck around the braces ..... somehow not so bad if toasted

I agree that it it is still easy to have a high calorie intake even with braces .... just depends I suppose on the kinds of food one usually eats and the preferred consistancy of food !

#15 Post by **monarch64** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 2:32 am

I had SARPE last May, braces on since last April...I really didn't lose any weight in the beginning, probably due to smoothies (icecream, potatoes,etc.) I only lost weight when I was employed a few months after surgery in retail and was on my feet all day, then 10-15 lbs. just dropped off like nobody's business. I lost my job in December (still braced, but no RPE), and since then all the weight has crept back on, sadly. Now that it's spring, I can get out (we live in chicago) and do all the outdoorsy physical things again, and I'm sure to lose the extra weight I've put on.

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Losing weight with braces

Losing weight with braces

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