When do you see weight loss?

[jamelyn1979 1]

I will be one month post op on Sept. 3rd. My 1st fill is scheduled for that day. I have been on mushy foods for about 3 days now and I seem to be doing fine. I feel a little bit more hungry at this stage, but with getting in 1 or 2 Protein Shakes a day with my other foods, I seem to be doing well. I have been tracking my calorie intake on myfitnesspal.com mainly to keep my Protein on track and I have been around 700-900 calories and have been exercise 3x a week with running. I see no weight loss. I lost 20 lbs initially and have stalled. My clothes are definitely looser, even to the point where I need to go down a size in a lot of them, but the scale hasn't moved. Is it because I'm not getting enough calories? My protein intake is anywhere from 70-100 grams a day. Will things be different after my fill? I feel like I'm working very hard and do feel good w/ my loose clothes, but wishing the scale would move. Thanks for your input!

[vlp1968 83]

If your clothes are getting looser you are shrinking! Don't worry so much about the scale. You may be building some muscle from your cardio. Sounds like you are doing very well- keep it up.

[reverie 49]

The scale really isn't the sole measurement of success, especially when it comes to weight-loss. You said yourself that you're having to buy smaller clothes: that's a great hint of success. Look at how you feel. Take pictures to compare. Measure yourself. Make note of any comments you get. I've been called 'hot' two times today; very new to me!

If you're running, you may want to up your calories. It's common to lose quickly in the beginning, but it does slow down; remember 1-2lbs a week; you can't expect the same rapid weightloss because well..it won't happen. On the days you aren't running, keep your calories sort of low; when you're running, up them. For me I eat 950 calories on the days I do heavy exercise; on days with weights/stretching/sculpting I eat around 850.

Try messing around with your calories, maybe add in a little bit of weightlifting or just stretching when you aren't running.

Hope this helps.

PS. I doubt you aren't losing weight due to cardio/weight gain in muscle. Women don't gain muscle easily and in the end while it does weigh more, there's no way you're gaining more muscle than you are losing fat.

[MrsCabes 2]

Honestly, month #4 seems to be when my weight loss kicked in. I was at a good fill level, I was mentally past all of the post op "hell", I was a pro at the food "rules" and it just started flowing. (the weight loss)

Hang in there!

[healthyhappyme2010 0]

First, congrats! I've lost 55 to date and I don't "see" a change. I went from a 26 to a 20 (100% cotton), shoe size went from an 11 to 10, my collar bones are starting to appear and I can feel my ribs and hip bones. But again, I don't "see" it yet myself. Others have notice.

[LapBandBobbi 8]

For me, I am just starting to see the progress. I have recently been told by others that they can see the difference.

Today, I was able to go way back in my closet and pull out a smaller pair of jeans!!!!! That was nice!

[Angera 2]

I'm down 50 pounds and people at work are just now noticing that i've lost weight............................good grief!

[MissLilac 0]

Congrats to you, but I am also glad to see your post. I was banded 8/4/10 and I was getting a wee bit discouraged this week about the "loss" part. I am looking forward to a fill and perhaps see additional progress as well. I also appreciate the comment about understanding the food rules and working that all out. I feel like its a full time job right now, but I see most of my family reaping the benefits of better, healthier eating- habits included. Thanks everyone.

[Klisa 0]

I was told by my doc to not think of the first month as being part of the 'weight loss' journey...She said that you need to think of it was your healing stage...not worry about loss. She told me that 2 wks after I had the lapband 'installed', I'd pretty much be able to eat anything like I had in the past...I was supposed to do mushies the 3rd week, but started experimenting and found that I had no problem with any foods...even bread...so for the past 13 days I've been pretty much eating like normal (or old 'normal').

I have my first fill tomorrow. I suspect I'm going to get a rude awakening...I've already been warned by the doc that the first few times I eat something solid, I'll make the mistake of not chewing enough and it'll get stuck and then come back up.

During the 1st two weeks I lost 11 lbs, but within 2 days of eating real food, about 5 came back. I guess it's the sodium for the most part. I don't eat junk food (fast food, chips, Cookies, etc), and I try to stay away from processed food (frozen meals), but still, you just end up with more sodium in stuff when you eat vs drink.

I've been terrible with exercise. My hubs and I did great till 4th of July, but since then I haven't done hardly anything. We've been busier with work and stuff and I've used that as an excuse. Need to do something about that!

[Jachut 487]

Truly, I dont know if you ever get over being fat in terms of how you see yourself. I dont mean you wont be ecstatically happy with your body and your results, but I dont know if you can ever REALLY see the new you without a shadow of the old you.

I am so pleased with how it worked for me, so happy to live in the body I have now, yet I would still say that I need to lose weight, its stupid. I mean, my chest bones stick out, I can see that but I dont look at that bit, I see my fat bum!

Yet the other day when a doctor was trying to read a CT scan of my abdomen, he complained that CT scans are no good on skinny people, he couldnt distinguish between my bowel and my uterus becuase there's absolutely no fat in there separating them, making them easy to see.

Those changes will be going on in YOUR body too, right now, but its not necessarily going to show on the scale, fat doesnt weight very much overall and small amounts that can make big differences to your health will not necessarily hit you in the face when you jump on the scales.

Just keep plugging away, it will work.

but unfortunately you have to have patience too, you will see the weight loss eventually but it takes a long time, and for me, the last 20 or 30lb were what REALLY made the difference. Even though you may have lost 50lb, at any given point in time, you may still be significantly overweight at that point and you get frustrated because you still see a fat, out of shape body. But you have to lose that first 50 to get to the second kind of thing. Try to appreciate every little victory on the way, those non scale victories are sometimes even more elating and more inspiring than the scale ones.

Edited August 25, 2010 by Jachut

[losethemess 14]

I'm down 50 pounds and people at work are just now noticing that i've lost weight............................good grief!

Wow, you've lost 50 lbs in 12 days? Is that right? That's amazing. Congrats

[losethemess 14]

First, congrats! I've lost 55 to date and I don't "see" a change. I went from a 26 to a 20 (100% cotton), shoe size went from an 11 to 10, my collar bones are starting to appear and I can feel my ribs and hip bones. But again, I don't "see" it yet myself. Others have notice.

Wow, you've lost 55 lbs in 9 days? Is that right? That's amazing. Congrats

[Angera 2]

no, incorrect. i lost 46 before surgery in my 6 month preop and liquids. And an additional 5 during the 10 days post op.

My goal was to lose 40 before surgery just to be that much closer to my goal once i got banded.

[lizb97 0]

I'm so glad I saw your post! I had my surgery 2 weeks ago and in the past month I have lost 20 lbs. I'm having a hard time with wanting to get on the scale every other day and I know if I do that I'm not going to see results. I keep hoping I've lost more in the past few days and I haven't and I've been hungry. When I'm hungry I drink a glass of Water and that helps for a while. I don't get my first fill for almost a mnoth! I'm hoping after that I see even better results!