Share your "slow loss" success!

[courtoomp 107]

I went to the nutritionist today. Like so many here i have considered myself a slow loser...well relative to all the super speedy ones!...and I have been down for not seeing results as quickly as I wanted.

Well, the nut told me to increase my food. She said at this stage I am healed and should be focusing on eating normally. Wow what a concept! Not 100grams of Protein and 25 carbs?? Nope. She told me to up my cals to 800 and if I don't lose in 2 weeks then up it to 1000. I was shocked! She also said to get 80ish or more carbs a day from fruits and veg and whole grains. I have never been more thrilled at the idea of a quinua salad and some apple!

Anyway I shared this to confirm that eating real food may make the journey a bit slower but all the tastier and hopefully lasting.

Courtney

[doxieville 799]

Courtney, thanks for posting this!! It is so true, we can't sustain on so few calories. It's just not healthy.

Congrats! Enjoy your salad!

Judy

[simplejaxgirl 135]

I went to the nutritionist today. Like so many here i have considered myself a slow loser...well relative to all the super speedy ones!...and I have been down for not seeing results as quickly as I wanted.

Well' date=' the nut told me to increase my food. She said at this stage I am healed and should be focusing on eating normally. Wow what a concept! Not 100grams of Protein and 25 carbs?? Nope. She told me to up my cals to 800 and if I don't lose in 2 weeks then up it to 1000. I was shocked! She also said to get 80ish or more carbs a day from fruits and veg and whole grains. I have never been more thrilled at the idea of a quinua salad and some apple!

Anyway I shared this to confirm that eating real food may make the journey a bit slower but all the tastier and hopefully lasting.

Courtney[/quote']

My NUT said the same thing, add variety and up my cals, healthy grains, fruits and veggies. No focus on calories just eat till satisfaction not full (always her motto), I set my calorie limit at about 900, and usually am under that or close to it. Her and my surgeon both said at 2 month post op appt that Protein shakes weren't necessary for me any longer and to resume a healthy balanced diet...o.O

Sent from my iPhone using VST

[courtoomp 107]

Exactly simplyjax! She said only do a Protein drink if I 'feel' I need it...so after workouts or if just not into eating that day. Variety variety variety! I equate it with working out...your body gets used to the same old things every day, so spice it up and keep it guessing with a varied diet!

How liberating to not have to be a slave to Protein and carb counting.

[aroundhky 1,174]

I am almost 2.5 yrs post op and can eat about that amount, a small chicken breast and some veggies. I am not sure how tall you are, but you look great in your profile picture. I am beginning to learn that numbers are relative. Someone can wear the exact same size and there can be a 15-20 lb weight difference. I still also follow the same post op rules....no drinking with meals, Protein first. It might seem like you are eating a lot, but I doubt you are actually are, and I personally thinking 20-25% of what sleevers used to eat seems low. You have done amazing, congratualtions!

Thanks "Super"! I'm 6'-3", and to not be overweight by "BMI Standards".....I would have to weigh 199 pounds or less, which would mean losing about 27-28 more pounds and would be really hard to do as I would look weak and skinny. So I don't put a lot stock into the BMI charts.....maybe that's just to help me feel better about myself. Thanks for your input on portion sizes. I guess when I read that someone can only eat 3-4 oz of chicken, I'm thinking that something went wrong with my sleeve, because I can barely taste that much chicken.

[Supersweetums 1,164]

Thanks "Super"! I'm 6'-3", and to not be overweight by "BMI Standards".....I would have to weigh 199 pounds or less, which would mean losing about 27-28 more pounds and would be really hard to do as I would look weak and skinny. So I don't put a lot stock into the BMI charts.....maybe that's just to help me feel better about myself. Thanks for your input on portion sizes. I guess when I read that someone can only eat 3-4 oz of chicken, I'm thinking that something went wrong with my sleeve, because I can barely taste that much chicken.< /p>

Ok, well those BMI charts are whack then! If you are 6'3", I cannot possibly fathom how being 227lbs is overweight. I hate that chart, should be burned!

[Luckystar12 51]

I like this thread! I feel like j m slow compared to the super fast losers. I am 2 mos out, down 30 pounds. I think its good but others are losing like 40 pounds by now. I also have PCOS so i was expected a slow loss. But i have lost 1 lb in 2 weeks. Is this a stall?? Maybe. My nut doesnt believe in stalls. I get 800-1100 cal a day. I dont think i drink enough. The only thing i feel u do wrong is have a couple bites if a cookie here and there and maybe a weight watchers ice cream pop. Kill me! Lol. I eat my meals over time, not at one sitting. For ex, Wendys large chili.. Ate it from 1:30pm-4 pm taking breaks. Is this bad?? Ugh. Just want to make sure im in track.

[Chimera 644]

I am starting to move away from the word "stall" and have adopted 'pattern' instead. When I had my first 'stall' last year I did not lose any weight for weeks, but the clothing sizes changed in a big way - it's like my body was reconfiguring itself even though the scale did not budge.

My pattern now seems to be losing small amounts every week - with a larger drop post menses - much like stair steps. When I look at the trend overall (I track each Saturdays weight weekly) it has been down every week except 3 times since surgery.

I think this was one reason I would gt depressed at weekly Weight Watchers weigh-ins before ever considering surgery - if I did not have a good week a few weeks in a row, then I would beat myself and start the same binge/gain cycle all over again. I am working very hard to be my own best cheerleader nowadays - not perfect, but mindful. Working on taking good care of myself and my health

[coops 1,790]

I am happy to see people realizing that everyone is different. When I went for my surgery, I was pretty sure I would be a slow loser. In the past I was a slow loser, no matter how hard I worked at losing weight, it always took me 2+ years of grueling workouts and strict diets. When I got the sleeve, I decided to make it a lifelong, manageable change. Did that affect how fast I lost...perhaps. But I knew that I could not endure crazy work outs and super strict diets anymore.

And I did compare in the beginning. And where did it get me? No where. I still didn't lose any faster and I only made myself miserable. I love that Cheri started this thread to encourage everyone. Of course the people that get to goal super fast are the ones that are going to post and those that are slower are going to shy away. We should all be here to encourage one another, not to judge. I have seen people that do not change anything in their diet get to goal in 6 months...problem is, when the honeymoon phase is over, they start gaining because they never had to make changes.

You have your whole life ahead of you, so don't worry if you don't reach goal in 6 months. And I would also like to give a big shout out to Coops. She is a great example of positivity! I also personally know others that never reached their "goal", but they are living happy, healthy lives. And really, is that not what this is all about. It is those that persevere that will have the long term success.

Supersweet is the right name for you my lovely! Thanks for the shout out.. I try my hardest to stay positive and have learnt to focus on what I have achieved and not what I haven't achieved. And yea, not being at goal isn't too bad because as you said I am happy and healthy... I certainly wasn't in that place 3 years ago!

That doesn't mean I won't stop trying to get to goal...ok, it might be sporadic and I will get frustrated... but hey ho!

I am reassured that I haven't gained though... that is a bigger fear than not getting to goal, for me anyway.

I also agree with the BMI thingy... apparently I am still obese, hmmm! I don't look obese; I don't feel obese and I don't move as if I were obese... in saying that, I also hate the label of obese. I will get to being 'just over weight' one day! And that day will taste sweeter than any food!!

[clk 3,519]

Bumping this up. Why? Because I wrote it and I'm awesome. Nah, because I see the post op board is spammed up with stall posts again and I want to remind everyone that slow loss is STILL LOSS and that there isn't a time limit for success.

So many great stories are in here already. I encourage new folks and those that haven't posted or shared here to share their stories as well to encourage people that are feeling down about their slower pace.

My best to everyone!

~Cheri

[Wags 549]

Lately I've seen a TON of posts about lucky sleevers that drop 100 pounds in six months.

Congrats to them and to their loss. And I would never' date=' ever begrudge anyone the right to crow about a fantastic success. It's part of why we're all here, to share the ups and downs of this surgery!

But frequently, these posts are followed by folks that feel frustrated because they aren't losing at the same pace. All too often, we forget that everyone loses at a different pace. It's easy to lose sight of the real goal (long term maintenance) in the face of the scale goals we set for ourselves. And it's also easy to forget that this isn't a race and that there's no special prize waiting at the end for reaching goal more quickly.

I would like to contribute my loss pattern so that people can see that there is more than one way to achieve a goal. Being successful is about reaching your personal goals, overcoming your personal food demons and maintaining your weight loss for life. It's not about hitting goal in nine months.

I encourage everyone else with a slow loss story to contribute their successes here as well. It's hard to research this surgery and find only the stories about extremes - people completely thrilled with surgery or people that regret every minute of life post op. The same goes for loss. When people search out stories on this, it's too easy to only find rapid loss or stall posts but nothing showing the more realistic and moderate journey many of us take. The sleeve is a permanent tool that does not have a special window of easy weight loss. There is no reason to feel discouraged when you haven't reached goal at one year out, or even two. There is nothing preventing you (short of your own body's natural stopping point) from achieving or re-achieving goal at any point post op.

I lost 60 pounds in the first five months after my surgery.

And I slowly lost 32 pounds over the next seven months.

It took me another five months to shed the final 15 pounds to my goal.

I lost 107 pounds over the course of 17 months. I stalled twice for nine weeks each time. I had months where I only lost one pound. I regularly experienced a gain of three pounds around my cycle, and often only lost weight in the last week to ten days of the month, after sitting at the same weight for nearly three weeks.

I am a success, and at 2.5 years out (and currently pregnant) I still have good, healthy eating habits and maintained my weight loss quite easily. Even 30 weeks pregnant, I am still wearing a size 6/small (in maternity clothes, of course) regardless of how I feel about my expanding body!

I learned what was important on this journey and am in better health today (not just physically, but mentally and emotionally), than I have ever experienced as an adult.

Good luck to those currently on their journey, and I encourage everyone to share their stories here so that newly sleeved folks can see that slow vs. fast loss doesn't really matter in the end.

~Cheri

[/quote']

Cheri, you are an inspiration! I appreciate that you are here encouraging all of us in the beginning stages of our journey. I love reading all your posts. (Btw I hope the vets don't make your 5:2 thread invisible to the rest of us. I read it to keep me motivated and learn about what you all are doing in the later stages).

[maharet111 544]

I agree with you Cheri..I do sometimes get depressed when I read posts where people have lost 90 pounds in 2 months..but I am learning it is all perspective. I refuse to characterize myself as a slow loser..I am A LOSER..PERIOD. I am 5 months out and 52 pounds down..whether that makes me a slow loser at an average of 10 pounds a month, I don't really know.

After years of Yo Yo Dieting and the euphoria/depression that comes from losing/gaining weight..I prefer to surround myself with positive reinforcements instead. My weight is just a number, like my driver's license, my social security, my employee ID..it doesn't define me. I use Sticky Notes to give myself an affirmation each day..yes I know it sounds corny but it keeps those mind demons at bay..ya'll should know about those mind demons!

I look to things outside of the scale to keep me moving..like when my trainer ups my workout, or when my niece tells me my belly doesn't jiggle (got to love 4 year olds)..or when a guy on a motorcycle tries to pick me up at a red light! I guess my point is..a number is just a number..if you let it define you, you will be a slave to it. So pick other ways to define you and your new body!

[Irish_lass 4]

I really needed this pist tonight thank you. I'm 2 yrs out and I've stalled for quite some time now.

[clk 3,519]

I really needed this pist tonight thank you. I'm 2 yrs out and I've stalled for quite some time now.

Pick it up and keep moving! I'm three years out and have ten pounds to shed - there's nothing to stop us from reaching our goals but us.

~Cheri

[Fixerupper 335]

Thank you do much for sharing this. You look great!