Is there *really* a honeymoon period?

[musiclover 61]

I am a slow loser. Always have been pre surgery due to hyperthyroidism, PCOS, Mirena coil etc. I lost over 100lbs 10 yrs ago by exercising like a crazy mad woman and dieting, needless to say I gained it all back hence sleeve surgery in May this year. I now have arthritic knees and one of them requires surgery so exercise now is truly difficult for me.

I am starting to panic that if there really is only this window of opportunity or honeymoon phase to lose weight then I am going to lose too slowly and will miss my chance. I'm really worrying about this. I read your amazing success stories about losing 100lbs in 6 months etc and I am in awe and know this will not be me. Since surgery 4 months ago I have lost 40lbs. I had an entire stall for 5 weeks running and stall regularly. I have good restriction and eat very little but I averaging less than 2lbs a week loss. At this rate it's going to take me a very long time to lose the 70lbs I have left to lose.

Without the honeymoon period I will be in trouble the further out this gets. I'm worried!!

[Sassygirl06 962]

It took me 1.5 years to lose all of the weight I wanted. I stalled regularly too, usually around my Tom. However after stalling I would then lose a bunch ( like10-15 pounds) in a very short period (about a week to a week and a half). Yes it is true that most of those out there will lose the most during the first year, but it is really up to you to achieve better results by eating by the plan set by your nut/surgeon, as well as exercise.

Since you can't do very much exercise involving your knees why don't you try the chair exercise program? Look it up through google. There are some tapes out there that you can get that is for low impact chair exercises. Good luck to you!

Also; you have lost 40 lbs since May! That is a wonderful achievement! Congratulations!

[ruthie74 101]

I agree with sassygirl. Try to remain positive. Have you though about swimming??? Swimming is an excellent cardio vascular exercise and it also makes you strong. Good luck hang in there and where there's a will there's a way

[gmanbat 5,889]

Good advice thus far. There are many exercises, even leg exercises, that avoid the knees.

Don't sweat the honeymoon period thing. If you work at it, it can last you a life time.

Hmmm....sounds like a regular honeymoon. :wub:

[Arts137 1,811]

The honeymoon will last as long as you want it to last. In other words, manage your food and activity and you will lose. Decide that M&Ms are good for lunch with a Coke, and maybe not.

And I lose slowly as well, but no journey is to long as long as you do not stop.

[Roo101769 742]

I have severely arthritic knees too, along with vascular damage in my right leg from repeated DVTs. Exercise is difficult for me as well, but not impossible. Do what you can that does NOT involve your knees. ( working upper body and your core) For lower body you can do things like leg lifts that will help tone w/o stressing your knee joints. For cardio my favorite is the pool. While I am not a "swimmer" I can spend hours in a pool walking around. It builds your muscles supporting your knees, ( which will help you) and gives you some cardio. Yes, the first couple times I did it I was a bit sore and achey the next day. But over time it got a lot better. Plus, as you lose weight you will take pressure off the joint which will enable you to do a bit more. I have dropped nearly 20lbs since August 1 just changing diet and doing these things. ( I am still pre op!) Good luck!!!

[Michellemo 161]

I feel like my first year was a honeymoon period not just the first 6 months like I keep hearing! Just stick with eating right and follow the rules and I'm sure you will do great!

[notmeanymore 629]

Im a little over 9 months and absolutely still on my honeymoon period. Each time I do something new that I couldnt do 93 pounds ago it renews my drive and determination. It keeps me going! Im 7 pounds from my goal and at this point Im losing even slower then months ago but its ok. I would love to lose 2 pounds a week, thats really good. I might lose 2 pounds every 3 weeks nowadays. Maybe Ill reach my goal by my 1 year anniversary. If not, Im ok with it.

Since my sleeve surgery Ive had 2 other surgies where I could not workout and I still dropped weight. One was a ventral hernia and the other was an emergency appendectomy. Completely unrelated to my sleeve surgery by the way.

But instead of occupying my mind about the pounds, I occupy it with new things to try and do. Hang in there and dont get discouraged. You are doing great!

[Chimera 644]

This is not a sprint - it is a marathon. And you know what is awesome? You have made the incredibly courageous decision to have a permanent tool installed surgically to help you with this for the rest of your life.

I am also no sprinter in the WL arena - at 48, 5'3" and feeling the change coming on with osteo arthritis that was a nightmare in my knees hips and ankles I too have issues to make losing and keeping it off an ongoing challenge. You will get there - practice mindfulness, patience, and follow your doctors orders.

I too, like most of us have lost and gained back hundreds and hundreds of lbs. over my life - this is the first time I am not gaining it back, the scale doesn't jump back up and keep climbing the way it used to - I know that I can gain it back if I revert to my old habits.

I lost 30 lbs. in almost a year of nutritional counseling, 14 lbs. in the 2 weeks prior to surgery (hello Atkins),and the other 103 lbs. have come off in the now 15.5 months since my surgery. I have 31 lbs. to go for the upper range of my goal - which is a "normal" BMI. Did I lose it in 6 months - gee that sure would have been cool but that is not my path. My path will simply take a bit longer and hopefully be scenic Since I have stalls often these days - I think I can wrap my mind around what maintenance at a healthy weight is - and it is great! I honestly don't feel deprived at all and that means I can practice it indefinitely. That is how I look at this now - much like I counsel my students about their artistic practice, this has become my own and my family's health and wellness practice - and it does take practice.

Yes there is a honeymoon window - yes the best chances of getting the EWL off is during the first 24 month post surgery. If I am not there on May 21, 2014 will it stop me from losing every ounce of my excess weight - heck no it wont. I plan to keep on going, I don't care if it take me the rest of my freakin life to lose these last 31 lbs. I will get there

[Chimera 644]

Focus on change and not the scale. This really seems to help me when I doubt my abilities to succeed.

[scootergirl 118]

I am only 6 weeks out but my understanding of the "honeymoon period" is that it is the initial period of time, post surgery, when one has little (to no) tummy hunger. With no tummy hunger driving us to eat we are (easily?) able to keep our intake less than our output, resulting in good weight loss. The end of the honeymoon was explained to me as the return of tummy hunger. Post-honeymoon requires maintaining good habits of plenty of Protein and liquids, modest amounts of carbohydrate and not slipping into dangerous "freedom of choice". It is not that one can no longer lose weight nor that the process is different than before, just that true hunger is now our companion on the journey to smaller selves. Don't be scared or discouraged. I am a slow loser as well. Everytime I dispair, the scale drops again, each time to my amazement. This NEVER happened to me pre-surgery!

[sassi sabi 9]

Ok.... Sweetie, you need to stop and look at how far you have come. Take a deep breath and remember that this is a life long journey. Slow losers are even better because it gives your body the opportunity to adjust! I too am a slow loser and it was hard for me not to be obsessed with "losing weight". As long as you are sticking to a good diet plan the weight will come off! And you will be HEALTHY. So put the scale away and enjoy your life...and dont compare yourself to everyone else, i only lost 20lbs post op! And stalled but eventually started losing again! With the new healthy way we are eating...the fat has no choice but to melt off! good luck and congrats on all your accomplishments!

[NtvTxn 1,262]

I am a slow loser. Always have been pre surgery due to hyperthyroidism, PCOS, Mirena coil etc. I lost over 100lbs 10 yrs ago by exercising like a crazy mad woman and dieting, needless to say I gained it all back hence sleeve surgery in May this year. I now have arthritic knees and one of them requires surgery so exercise now is truly difficult for me.

I am starting to panic that if there really is only this window of opportunity or honeymoon phase to lose weight then I am going to lose too slowly and will miss my chance. I'm really worrying about this. I read your amazing success stories about losing 100lbs in 6 months etc and I am in awe and know this will not be me. Since surgery 4 months ago I have lost 40lbs. I had an entire stall for 5 weeks running and stall regularly. I have good restriction and eat very little but I averaging less than 2lbs a week loss. At this rate it's going to take me a very long time to lose the 70lbs I have left to lose.

Without the honeymoon period I will be in trouble the further out this gets. I'm worried!!

Yes, there really is a 'honeymoon' period which is why I was soooooo rigid with myself. NOT one thing I should not have, no fried, no sweets, bread, Pasta or rice. Now I eat like a naturally thin person, and nothing but carbonation is off limits, but when I was losing, I treated it like the most important diet of my life, and it was!!!

[Pookeyism 1,143]

It definately slows down, but do not let it concern you too much. You are in a position to do what you were never able to do before: Keep what you have lost off. Truly, you have already succeded, since you know that no matter how long it takes, every pound you have lost, you can make an aware choice to keep that off. If you lose 2 lbs a month, that is 24 lbs you would not have lost before - 24 lbs gone forever. See how that goes? That's quite awesome, if you think about it!

Stick with it, don't over do it! Be good to your body!

[Ms skinniness 3,003]

So what is the honeymoon period? Good question. I believe it is up to us to make the best of the first 7 months and to keep being vigilant about what we eat for the rest of our lives....Yep....this is work but well worth it. you will lose this weight even if you are a slow loser. In fact, you might have less excess skin due to losing at a slower pace which is a hughe benefit....... Follow your surgeons and NUT plan and you will lose the weight........