Extremely Discouraged.....

[mamoojack 1]

I was sleeved on Sept 30. I lost 14 pounds pre-op. I have lost only 17 pounds since surgery and am starting to regret doing this to myself. It has been 2 months. I had very little nutritional guidance and i am using MFP. I am logging most days and try to walk two miles a day. How many calories are normal? I try to eat 1000 a day and my net calories are around 600- 800. I make my Protein on most days though I struggle with Fluid intake. When people say "slow loser" how slow is slow? I am feeling so discouraged. Any advise?

[Lilrosie 34]

Wow~ NO nutritional guidance??? That's horrible!!

Looks like you are 8 weeks out and according to MY NUT info, should be SLOWLY introducing "regular" foods into your brand, new stomach. (in VERY tiny amounts)

If you are male, you should be striving for AT LEAST 80 grams of Protein per day and should be paying close attention to labels for Sugar, Fat & Sodium content.

Sugar~ NO more than 5 grams per serving (NOTE: there should also be NO ADDED SUGAR In your products)

Fat~ NO more than 3 grams per serving (if possible)

Sodium~ NO more than 140 grams per serving

There are exceptions like the Greek Yogurt I like~ it has 7 grams of Sugar BUT 12 grams of Protein.< /p>

And Unsweetened Apple Sauce that has a fairly high Sugar count but it's NATURAL sugar and NOT ADDED SUGAR.

Geez, I am so sorry that you missed all of this. I could go on forever and I will be glad to answer more questions that you might have.

You should know that I am PRE-OP but have completed all requirements for surgical approval so the info is still pretty fresh in my 53 year old mind!!

As for slow loser, you are at a rate of over 2 pds per week which is awesome and I wouldn't complain a bit about that! Your rate of loss depends on how big you are to begin with too.

Give us some more info so the "better informed" folks here can help you, OK?

[mariamitani 405]

My advice is if you can get 1000 calories a day in stay at that level. You wont lose as fast but you will lose weight without side effects. Tired fatigued,hair loss, dizziness. I lost my weight at 800 calories a day for the first 9 months. After that I added gradually to 1000-1200. Protein is very important 70 grams a day,liquid 64 ounces a day, take your Multivitamins and Calcium, exercise if you can. My doctor said I have to stay on 800 calories a day till I reach goal. In order to exercise I had to increase calories. 17 pounds is excellent. Even if it isn't as much as others lose remember its 17 pounds that will never come back(If you stick to a healthy diet).Congratulations on getting the surgery Try not to fret about not losing fast you will get there

[mariamitani 405]

I also forgot to add foods that are good to eat : Low fat cheeses and cheese sticks,cottage cheese, Greek yogurts , milk low fat , shrimp,fish,lean beef,chicken,turkey,lentils,Beans,nuts, vegetables. You are still early and may not not be able to tolerate but small amounts of these foods take it day by day and slowly. Dont use dressing that are high fat like ranch ,butter milk. Use olive oil with vinegar and garlic for salad dressing if you like. Stay away from: chips,pies,ice cream,candy,pop, basically high calorie fat foods they will sabotage your diet. You should wait 20 minutes after drinking liquids to eat anything and 45 minutes to an hour after eating to drink liquids. I have purchased a drinking bottle that holds 32 ounces of Water and it really helps to keep track of liquid intake. I also want to advise you to weight your self once a week only and measure once a month too. There were months that I remember not losing much weight but allot of inches! And last but not least measuring cups and a scale will help you stay in check with portion size. I wish you the best of luck and hope this helps

[gamergirl 4,610]

I had started a post a while back to help people see that they were actually more sucessful than we think. I hope you will take a look at it, and see how much of your excess weight you've lost.

http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/287666-you-may-be-more-successful-than-you-think/page-11?hl=%2Bmore+%2Bsuccessful#entry3250912

Btw, just for comparison, I lost less than 8 lbs on a two week post-op, so your 14 lbs sounds like a dream to me. Yet, 4 months into it, I'm at about 56% of my excess weight lost. So don't fret yet.

Also if you search the board for "stalls" you will see the first month or two are the most frustrating due to stalls.

[Beach Lover 1,084]

You are doing fantastic! Don't worry about the stalls they happen and your body is still busy restructuring to gear up for the next loss. So things are happening even if the scale isn't showing it! If you didn't take your body measurements pre op do so now. When you aren't losing on the scale you are in the inches. This is still losing weight and part of the process. I would also suggest that you keep up 35 carbs a day. Carbs will slow down weight loss. My doctor once told me "You will lose weight the body will not win over the math." He was right........I am 6 months out and have lost over 70 pounds now. Hang in there you got this!!

[susis 70]

I had started a post a while back to help people see that they were actually more sucessful than we think. I hope you will take a look at it, and see how much of your excess weight you've lost.

http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/287666-you-may-be-more-successful-than-you-think/page-11?hl=%2Bmore+%2Bsuccessful#entry3250912

Btw, just for comparison, I lost less than 8 lbs on a two week post-op, so your 14 lbs sounds like a dream to me. Yet, 4 months into it, I'm at about 56% of my excess weight lost. So don't fret yet.

Also if you search the board for "stalls" you will see the first month or two are the most frustrating due to stalls.

Thanks a lot for that formula, GamerGirl! I tried it and it really does put it into perspective! At 44 pounds lost, I find that I have lost 35% of my excess weight. That is a lot! And all in two months! Thanks again!

[penman53 493]

I started out on my day of surgery at 341 pounds. My surgery was on the 24th of July 2013. I have had at least 3 stalls during this time period. I was stalled at 261 for almost three weeks and then I have lost six pounds in 5 days. So give your system a chance and do what you need to do to lose the weight sensibly. If you are not getting support at your doctors office go to someone else. But it is important that you keep yourself informed. Keep a log of what you eat, I use my fitness pal it will tell you if you have been naughty or nice. And I cannot everemphasize drinking lots and lots of Water and get in your Protein. Your a lady so about 50 to 60 grams a day sound about right but your nutritionist should have given you a "number". If not you can calculate it yourself by looking it up on the net. Don't get discouraged. All people lose at different rates. Good luck and keep smiling. Besides, you can't undo your sleeve, get used to it and live with it. You will be glad you did.

[mamoojack 1]

Ladies your response has been overwhelming!! I did feel very alone. My husband is soooo supportive,but He cannot feel what I feel. Just a quick history. I saw my surgeon in May 2013, i then saw a zillion doctors. i had two sleep studies, cardio, pulm, endo, etc etc...I had ONE visit with psych and ONE visit with NUT( i paid 300 extra for three visits with her, have not done that yet). Had surg sept 30.Basically on my own. No complication, so trouble, no pain. easy recovery, but here I am...waiting for it to happen, and day after day, i weigh, and nothing, this morning I cried. My starting weight was 231 (I am 5'3", BM! was 41). Lost 14 lb, pre-op. today 199.6. REALLY? I totally appreciate all of you encouragement, it got me through today.I have logged on MFP, I need friends and am new to this forum. I have the same name on MFP, please friend me, I need the guidance. Drs appt this friday, lets see what they say!!!