Surgery may 16th....begining 303lbs

[amy613 2]

Is this normal weight loss? Tomorrow will be 3 weeks post surgery....I am down to 283...... Is that normal weight loss? I see many people lose a lot more in their first 3 weeks?

[moonchild1968 102]

I don't know what's normal, but 20lbs is a lot of weight to lose in 3 wks. I find it funny that I worry about the scale and weight loss just as much as I ever did, even though I know that I can't eat as much as before and I'm clearly eating less than my 10 year old. I find myself wondering if I'm doing okay, too, and how my weight loss compares to others "this" far out. I remind myself that the scale is not some mystical-magical thing with a mind of its own. It only responsds to my routine and habits. If I follow the guideliness (pretty good...nobody's perfect"), the scale will keep moving in the right direction.

Congrats on losing 20lbs!.

[Macy6 356]

It very well could be "normal" for you. It also can depend on how much you lost pre op etc.... I wouldn't fret, if you are doing what you are supposed to be doing and you are consistently loosing than you are doing something right! If you loose 1....2....3.... lbs a week and it happens consistently than in a year you are looking at 52....104....156.....lbs in a year. All that matters is you, and your loss! Keep up the good work! If you come to a stand still, and you try changing things up and you still aren't loosing, then you might want to talk to your surgeon or nutritionist (if you were done local) otherwise just keep doing what you are doing.

[LipstickLady 25,682]

I am May 16th, too! How are you feeling? What are you eating? I have no idea what "normal" is, so I can't answer your question. Twenty sounds great to me, though! I've "only" lost 18, but I lost a lot on the pre-diet, so I'm happy.

[Itsme! 98]

I supposedly lost 25 pounds in May (sleeved May 1) and my doctor said that was great. I was bummed that it wasnt more, but so far i am down 65 total since starting the whole insurance shuffle (11/28/12) so really I can't complain. They expect 1-2 pounds/week. There are just some lucky folks out there that lose more, more quickly.

[Webchickadee 716]

I know it's uninspiring to hear for the nth time....."don't compare yourself to others" and "you are unique". But it really is true. There are COUNTLESS factors that will affect how you lose, how fast you lose it, where you lose it from, if you will stall, etc. Some are genetic, some are environmental, some are based on what you eat, what you do (exercise, etc.), your stress levels, pre-op activity levels, etc. (and on and on).

The next thing to keep in mind is: IT IS NOT A RACE.

Yes, you're excited. You have FINALLY taken this giant step towards good health, and you want results NOW!

But you didn't gain the weight overnight, you need time for your body to let go of it. You have had major surgery and are in active healing right now. Your stomach was cut open, 85% taken out, the rest stapled up. It is VERY inflamed and the rest of your body and metabolism is in shock. Not only did you have a general anesthetic (which is wholly unnatural and throws the body "out of whack" for some time), but you are now suddenly eating a small % of what you ate pre-op (and probably what you ate for most of your life).

You body is saying "WTF is going on here?" and trying to adapt. All the while, it is still keeping you alive, in motion and able to deal with daily life.

That's alot of work for one poor body to be handling right now!

So give it time. I KNOW it's hard when you're excited, motivated and so full of hope for a slim healthy future. It will come, I promise! Just stay on track, do as your doctor directs, start exercising when you can (even just walking is FANTASTIC). Track what you eat/drink. Make sure you're hitting your Fluid and Protein requirements.

If you want to track changes, keep measurements of main body parts (neck, arms, bust, chest, waist, hips, thighs). You will see changes in size in your clothes as well, even when the scale says there is no weight loss. The scale can be evil and plays mind games with you. Don't let it.

It may not sound logical now, but the extra time it takes for you to lose the weight could actually be a good thing...

Firstly, fast weight loss is hard to maintain for multiple reasons. But the biggest obstacle by far is not having time to get your brain retrained. It takes time to learn a new lifestyle and attitude towards eating, exercise and health. After surgery, you will experience "head hunger" for months. You will really believe you are hungry and/or craving things that your body physiologically doesn't want or need. But your brain sure makes you feel like it does!

You will learn to modify you thinking so those cravings don't rule your life (sometimes a support group or counseling is helpful to achieve this). The VSG is only a tool to limit the amount of food you can eat at one time, but it is up to YOU to make good healthy good choices to nourish and fuel your body. It is up to YOU to eat when you need food, not when you want it (snacking is SO hard to change!). It is up to YOU to avoid high carb, low-nutrition addictive foods (rampant in our culture in North America and throughout the world).

You will learn the value of an increased activity level in your life. Be it structured (visiting the gym for classes or weight training); team sports; walking more/driving less; finding new challenges (hiking, biking, obstacle course races, watersports, winter sports); running.......whatever you are interested in! The more you do, the better you body will feel, the healthier you will be, the more "leeway" you will have to eat more (still making good choices most of the time).

I'm not saying don't weigh yourself. Definitely, you should keep track of your progress. Set goals. But stalls happen (to EVERYONE) and the body will go by its own timeline. Just stay "on track" and you will drop the weight, feel great and get to goal.

Then comes the hard part.........staying at goal.

[Linkin 8]

I am a May 16th-er too. I've lost 14 since surgery. 10 the first week then 2 each week after that. 20 sounds great!

[amy613 2]

Thank you all for your great words of encouragement! I'm not perfect, I have slipped up, and believe me, I have paid for it......starting week four, any suggestions on exciting drinks or soft food? Getting bored with Tomato Soup, and strawberry Protein drinks......

[amy613 2]

Lipstick lady.....I am feeling pretty good......my doctor don't want me exercising yet....I can't seem o drink my 64 oz of liquids yet.....I am working on that....I have been back to work for the lat 2 weeks, and it is hard focusing on eating, when I work....are you having any issues?

[LipstickLady 25,682]

Lipstick lady.....I am feeling pretty good......my doctor don't want me exercising yet....I can't seem o drink my 64 oz of liquids yet.....I am working on that....I have been back to work for the lat 2 weeks, and it is hard focusing on eating, when I work....are you having any issues?

I am having a hard time with the transition to mushy foods. Some things will go down fine one day and not at all the next. I can either get in my liquids or my Protein, but not both in the same day.

I've figured out that my best bet is to get in 40oz of liquid one day and then 40g Protein the next. I fall between 100 and 300 calories a day although I made it to 400 today. Wooot!

I have not been cleared for exercise because of my low caloric intake, but I did start back to my martial arts Monday. I am going to start gentle swimming tomorrow, too. Going slow on both. No falls or sparring for me, but I am not the walking type. I would rather do something fun for exercise so...

Today I decided to go back to full sugar Gatorade while I am so low in calories. Without it, I would have been at 250 today. It's easier for me to drink, it gives me the electrolytes I need and a little more energy. As soon as I can muster some real food, I will go back to crystal light and g2. I felt much better today after getting a who,e bottle down.

[prettychica13 39]

I also had my surgery May 16th! I have also "only" lost 21 lbs. I feel a lot better I.E. my feet don't hurt as much, i fit into my clothes a lot better, my back doesn't hurt as much either. I have stalled for the past 5 days. I have not lost or gained any weight. I was also hoping to lose more before I go see my doctor next week for my 1 month follow up. I keep reminding myself that on my own i was only able to lose 10 lbs in 3 weeks. I am just waiting for the ok to exercise so that i can go swimming and lose some more weight. Good luck on your journey and don't lose hope! We'll get there!

[amy613 2]

I also had my surgery May 16th! I have also "only" lost 21 lbs. I feel a lot better I.E. my feet don't hurt as much' date=' i fit into my clothes a lot better, my back doesn't hurt as much either. I have stalled for the past 5 days. I have not lost or gained any weight. I was also hoping to lose more before I go see my doctor next week for my 1 month follow up. I keep reminding myself that on my own i was only able to lose 10 lbs in 3 weeks. I am just waiting for the ok to exercise so that i can go swimming and lose some more weight. Good luck on your journey and don't lose hope! We'll get there![/quote']

How are things going?

[prettychica13 39]

So far so good. I stalled for almost two weeks and then bam! Another 12lbs gone. This week has been full of ups and downs but I'm keeping my hopes up that I will break into the 240s in the next week or so! How are things with you?

[amy613 2]

Hope to land in the 260's by Thursday hitch will be 8 weeks past. 34 total if I do! Average over 4 lbs a week! Still having issues with eating. I can't seem to eat enough. Can't drink enough, been dizzy if I even try to work out.....how is your work out doing? Any tips?

[prettychica13 39]

I'm not going to lie but I don't work out as I should. I do walk a lot at the hospital where I work and switched the elevator for the stairs. I think it helps a bit. I've stalled a bit but jut lost another pound. Not quite sure how I'm doing that. The one thing I'm having trouble with is getting all my Protein in. Any tips with that?

P.s. welcome to the thirties club!!!