Disappointed with weight loss progress

[scootergirl 118]

I agree with Cowgirl Jane. Every time my weight loss slows down, it turns around if I increase my activity and really adhere to my food/liquid goals. Easier for me to say than to execute but, oh how it helps to be consistent.

[mooncat 106]

I was sometimes disappointed with my progress when I read of the faster weight loss of some who post here, but others brought me to understand that this is not a race and we are each on our own journey toward better HEALTH, which is not necessarily tied to a specific number.

Can I breathe easier (asthma)? Yes!

Can I now walk a mile without having to sit down? Yes!

Am I eating healthier now? Yes!

Do I feel better? Hell yes!

[hopeful2 be slim 121]

I too am a slow looser and weight has stalled since 1 month....i am having a lot of stress too have put on a few pounds due to careless eating...

we must find time for ourselves,plan our meals properly...I do hope I loose a few pounds before my next appointment!!!

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

You bring a good point. Slow losses are sometimes easily explained by that little bit extra bite or taste that sneaks in. If i were in fear of not making my goal I would record everything and take that info to my NUT and ask for advice. I did that when my losses slowed way down..her answer was to eliminate Protein Bars and it worked!

[kathy078 17]

I have a chart from the surgeon with projected weight loss at certain intervals. 2 month weight loss is 60 pounds and 6 months is 100 pounds. This is specific to me. Well it's been 11 weeks and I am down 37 pounds, nowhere near the 60 pounds. The worst part was I lost 18 pounds in 12 days and from there I either stalled or lost a pound her and there. I was becoming obsessive with the scale. I am down to 2 days a week and really trying for at least once a week. At first I just felt I was one of those failures. Now I just realize I am going to lose weight slowly. When I track my weight from my heaviest two years ago I am down almost 80 pounds. I have to get into the mindset that I weigh 37 pounds less than I did on September 24th and 80 pounds less than a year ago.

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

When I began this journey I was over 300#, had a history of being even heavier and have been morbidly obese, obese or overweight MOST of my life (pre sleeve maybe had spent total of 2 years not overweight or obese) in my whole life.

You can imagine how much I wanted to grab onto data that predicted how much i would lose, how fast I would lose, sort of like the infomercials "lose 30 pounds of ugly fat in 30 days". I wanted to know how I was gonna lose 150 pounds of ugly fat in how many days?!?!?!?

I was blessed to work with a NUT and a surgical practice who just didn't play that game. They refused to set a "surgeon's goal" because their point was... "lets say you lose 100# are healthy, your life is so much better but it is short of the goal we set... so you feel like a failure, you don't honor your success and you regain".

Instead, i was guided to focus alot on the process... the WAY of getting healthy less than the measuring sticks (the scale, clothing sizes etc)

Don't get me wrong, I weighed myself during the losing phase and celebrated every new clothing size (getting into single digits was like nirvana... a place i never dreamed I would be). However, the larger point really stuck.

If you follow the methods, you will get slimmer, you will get healthier. Our bodies are all so different, I don't know why Joe lost 150 in 8 months, I lost 150 in 14 months and someone else never gets to their goal. I don't know - but here is what I do know:

1. focusing on the "how" - lets call it following the rules best you can will get you best results you can

2. focusing on the "why" - to regain health, to regain a normal feeling and looking body, to regain mobility, to improve appearance, to be able to MOVE and fully enjoy life. Those things keep you motivated to maintain.

3. less focus on the "what" which is exactly how many pounds and how fast you lose them. I don't mean to say to ignore it, but i guarantee you that over the long haul MAINTAINING can be a real challenge and keeping your methods and motiviation in place are key. Getting down to some arbitrary number you cannot maintain in an acceptable lifestyle and then regaining it is discouraging...

So, don't give up. Just "working the sleeve", maximize the tool best you can and to some extent try to accept and be grateful for your results. If they aren't what you want, there are things you can do to kick em up (already mentioned in this thread) but i think most important is a bit of inner peace on the topic.

okay, climbing down from soapbox. I geniunely wish all the very best success happiness and great health.

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

I see many post similar to this and it makes me sad. Please keep in mind that for every person posting their dramatic & rapid weight loss, there are just as many doing the slow & steady weight loss. Just remember prior to the surgery most of us would have lost this much weight in 3 months at all. As long as that scale is moving in the right direction, you are fine.

[funsize 49]

I am almost 3 weeks postop and have lost about 12 lbs but I can tell a lot of inches. I am short and have about 40-50 lbs to loose. My doctor says I can expect 1-2 lbs a week so don't get discouraged. I am staying positive because those are 12 lbs I would not have lost before

[hopeful2 be slim 121]

we have to go on eating high protein....other wise weight goes up....protein and Water and exercise....unless we do these three things...weight will surely increase...its a serious matter...this weight loss..

[lapier 5]

New here and only one month after surgery. I have only lost 15 pounds - was 18 and weight went up when I started the week 3 diet. I am not exercising yet, and definitely not getting the fluids. I track my food and wonder if others have any idea how many calories they are consuming, in addition to Protein, carbs and fat. My calories intake varies from 600-1200. I wonder if not drinking enough Water makes a differences in how fast you lose. Any input? When did you start exercising? I thought we had to wait 6 weeks, but now I am not sure.

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

@@lapier Talk to your doctor. You should be at least walking for a minimum of 30 minutes a day from day 1. More strenuous exercise is at your doctor's discretion. I resumed Water aerobics at week 3 once my incisions scabbed. I currently work out 4 -5 days a week. Most of that is Water aerobics, but I also walk, use the treadmill, and use light hand weights.

At 2 months my calorie goal was 600 - 800. Anything over 1,000 calories is maintenance level and far too many calories for those of us still losing. Not meeting your Protein and Fluid goals will impede your weight loss as well. Some people are told to keep their carbs at around 40/50 if they are eating 800 calories. I track my food at myfitnesspal. I also watch to make sure my sodium is not too high and that most of my sugar is from natural sources.

Edited January 17, 2015 by BLERDgirl

[Debbieduck4 399]

I don't know... 25 pounds in 3 months sounds pretty great to me... I for one had never been able to have that kind of success before surgery. Maybe reframe your thinking a little and see those 25 pounds gone as the blessing that it is. I think half of our journey is between our ears

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

I think at 25 pound loss in 3 months has to be judged in terms of: your starting weight, your comorbidities, what you're eating, how much you're exercising, any metabolic diseases you have, and probably some other things.

Because everyone wants to compare themselves to others, here's my "first three months post-op record":

I was 68 y.o. when I had VSG surgery. I weighed 235 pounds a few months before surgery and lost 20 pounds before surgery. My first three months post-op I lost another 31 pounds. Post-op (after the first week or so) I was eating 700-800 calories most days, eating 60-80 grams of Protein daily, drinking 64 ounces of liquids (or close), taking my multivitamin/minerals, and walking about 5,000 - 7,000 steps a day. In other words, I was compliant with my doc's instrucs, but was not a gym rat during that time.

[kimmeesue 41]

Tomorrow will be 3 weeks post surgery. As of this morning I have lost 22 pounds. I know that is a lot. My problem is that with such rapid initial weight loss, including a week of no loss, I am setting myself up for future disappointment when the weight loss tapers off. Everyone I see says I already look amazing ( okay, they are family members, what else are they going to say?) and my clothes are fitting differently so I know this is working. But I am the type to become easily frustrated as I did with the three week slump. Is there any way to really prepare yourself for when that happens?

[lapier 5]

@@kimmeesue One of the poster above said something that helped me start losing again. Aim for 600-800 calories, in addition to 65 grams of Protein, <50 carbs and fats. Weighing and measuring drives me nuts, but I use sparkpeople.com to keep up with what I eat, and weight daily to find what works and what doesn't. After two days of losing a pound and a half at 600 calories, I had a lot of sodium and a bit over 800 calories with no weight loss today. I suspect I would have gained due to Fluid retention had I eaten more calories.

I gained weight week 3 when we started adding more food - it is hard to keep up the loss of a liquid diet. I have not started exercising yet, but will do so today - I am sure that will help, too. I am not getting enough fluids - that I hope to remedy today, also. Keep trying things until you find what works, I suppose. I have 125 pounds to lose, so it is going to take a while;-)