Weight loss is slow...............getting discouraged!

[buddy567 5]

I know everyone's journey is their own; not everyone loses at the same pace..............BUT It is 30 days since my surgery and I have lost 4lbs.....thats it. I weigh my food, I only eat 4 oz at a time, if I have a snack its healthy Protein. I have not cheated and following my surgeons orders have just started walking My first adjustment is this Monday, but honestly I am really discouraged. I lost more than this on my 2 week preop diet. I don't understand.

[B-52 7,113]

30 days after surgery, had my first fill, which did absolutely nothing.......then I gained weight....and was heavier at my next visit, after a fill, than I was at my previous visit 30 days earlier...because the band was not doing what it was designed to do...not yet anyway...at that point it was still up to me and my own will power...just as it was before the surgery....

2nd fill, things evened out 50-50....did not gain, and lost very little....still fighting hunger and eating more than I should....3rd fill did the charm for me.....THEN the weight loss began consistently.....

All you have is a band installed...but it is not necessarily "Activated"...normally, it takes a few months and a few adjustments to get it working as it should....took me 3-4 months, and 3 fills...some are more, some much less....everyone on the point finds their different "Sweet Spot...Green Zone".

Everyone looses on the pre-op diet...that's the point of it...

Edited January 24, 2014 by B-52

[Corridor72 518]

You're not alone. I am 1 month & 3 days post-op. I've also lost only 4 lbs since the day of my surgery. I understand your frustration as I too have been measuring every morsel that goes into my mouth, choosing my foods based on my surgeon's guidlines, Protein first always. I don't understand what's going on or why I'm not losing either but you're right, it's really frustrating. If it weren't for the fact that I lost so much during the pre-op phase, I'm not sure I would be able to hang in there right now. But, I don't want to gain any of the weight back that I've already lost so I'm really watching everything I eat. I still believe I will be successful though. I just think it's going to take a lot more time than I had originally thought it would. But hey, I didn't gain all this weight overnight so I can't expect it to all melt away overnight, huh? Anyway, thanks for sharing because it helps me to know I'm not the only one experiencing this. It's tough when you read or hear about others who've lost 15-20 lbs in the first month.

[chasingadream 1,311]

I am 4 months post op and my doc (and i know everyones is different) said I shouldnt be worrying about losing ANY weight for the first 6 weeks...it was all about learning my mechanics and healing.

And yes, everyone's journey and body are so different you can't/shouldnt compare yourself to anyone else....remember its a journey not a quick road trip.

Wishing you much success....hang in there!

[gowalking 10,790]

You know who loses 20 lbs. in the first month? Not lapbanders. Gastric people do..or sleevers but not us...unless someone is super morbidly obese. One or two lbs. a week is really good and alot of us lose less than that each week. Take a look at my ticker...107 lbs. lost in total yet I never lost more than 2 1/2 lbs. a week. And that was rare. Remember..slow and steady....

[lellow 1,713]

You lose a lot of weight in your pre-op diet. You're eating next to nothing. Of course you will lose. But that sort of massive weight loss is not common or particularly healthy. I won't lie, I was you, it KILLED me those weeks when the scale didn't move. I didn't get it, how could it possible be?

It's coz we're not machines. The math of calorie counting looks great on paper, but the truth is there are a tonne of biological and environmental reasons why someone will lose weight. So it might go fast, then slow, then fast, then nothing. The trick though is to be consistent. Continue to eat well, continue to exercise, and it will happen OVER the course of several months or years. The biggest hurdle all of us, as weight loss patients, face is those plateaus, those slow losing periods, when we feel like it's ALL for nothing, and it's never going to work for us. That's why diets constantly fail.

But this is not a diet, THIS is your new lifestyle. Keep at it. There will be many times of the coming years when you will lose and gain and maintain and then put on 5 lbs (like I did recently) but knowing and embracing your new lifestyle and not giving up on it will get you the results you need. Don't panic.

[Pepper28 82]

@GoWalking,

I cldnt have said it better myself.

What they dont tell us in the LapBand Consultation is that restriction doesnt come right outta surgery the way it does w/gastric & sleeve.

First, the band is installed, like the gentleman stated up top.

Then, you move into the MONTHS of maintenance, experimenting with fills and adjustments, gaining, losing, breaking even, etc

In the meantime, any weightloss will be on your own accord until the band is filled enough to restrict your eating and minimize your meal portions.

Its taken me literally 5 months (8/1-12/26 to be exact) with no loss, just breaking even.

Ive lost 8lbs with my latest fill & then being too tight comes with problems of its own but thats for another topic!

[kimk1999 450]

I feel your pain. I've done a *bit* more but not much. I lost 8 lbs in the 2 weeks post op and was super excited and then nothing for the next month!! I started eating more as I was hungry all the time. Originally I was sticking super close to around 800 lbs and my body wasn't sparing any weight. I went up to about 1200 and now I've lost about another lb this past week and a half. It is frustrating as anything knowing that you went through WLS and it's not dropping like you had hoped or expected. I was banded around the same time as some others (I thought was band as well) and they said that they had lost 20-30lbs in their two week post op.

What is your starting weight? Have you been tested for thyroid issues or something else that could cause biologically the stalling of weight? If so and the answer was no, then be patient and give it more time. We definitely lose slower than sleevers. I've also read (and some people here might disagree with me) is that its' good to vary up your calorie consumption. I still think of old school starvation issues. If you don't eat enough your body will become a hoarder. If the body is getting adequate (not excessive) it might be willing to give up a few lbs here and there. Then again, that's just my crazy mind

Hope that helps.

[MsTrista 6]

I can understand that but for me I don't want to lose a ton of weight too fast that's how patients end up with loose skin. Plus technically it's not health to lose more than 3lbs a week. Just remember this is a tool.

[cheryl2586 3,053]

This is the time you have to be strong. It will work I can assure you it does. 4lbs in a month is great. You do not want to lose weight at a high rate of speed because when you get to goal weight guess what will happen? You will start gaining it back. The slower the loss the longer you will keep it off. My first 70lbs came off in six months and then I was at no weight loss for a year. I never gave up. I would have then been happy with 4lbs at all. You all knew this coming in and you are comparing your weight loss to what others have. Its not reality to lose weight fast with the band. You main focus should be Protein you said your eating four ounces but of what. Your meals at this point should be just Protein and maybe a few carbs but veggies not anything else. If you think that anything is okay to eat because you are watching portions I can assure you that during weight loss your main meals should be protein. When your breath smells you are in ketosis and burning fat. What are you all eating anyway. You say your eating four ounces but it is what that could be making you not lose weight.

[MandaMom23 684]

You lost 4lbs in 30 days...that's a pound a week! I think that's pretty great!! You're doing everything right, the weight WILL come off. If you're feeling discouraged by the scale, put it away, and go simply by how you FEEL! Focus on all the great non scale things that are happening...those are just as, if not more, important than the number on the scale!!

Keep up the great work!

[2muchfun 8,927]

I have to agree with B-52. Until your band is activated or properly adjusted, this is just another diet. I lost 12 lbs the first two weeks after surgery(no pre op diet so no pre-op weight loss) and then nothing for the next 3.5 months.

No one tells us about this before surgery and your post is repeated every day by many others who did not know how long it takes for the band to begin to work it's magic. Hang in there.

[Debbie3sons 1,936]

Don't be discouraged it happens as I lost a good amount in the beginning but now it seems I lose or gain the same 2-3 lbs but I a staying at a good weight I am not at goal and hope to be by at least Sep. of this yr cause it will be 2 yrs. by then my surgeon agrees with me that even if it progresses slowly that it will be better for me and I won't gain it all back and it is up to me to jump, walk or run over my hurdles so just try and be patient wich is really hard for us , but we can do it , and let your sall nsv's sink in also don't worry about the numbers as before you know it your clothes will start feeling looser, so hang in there on your journey and I a in mine.

[Bandista 7,466]

I am three months out and have had four fills. Now I'm feeling the band doing its job dimming my appetite and speaking up if I'm eating too fast or too much. It takes a whole to get into the swing of things. Don't worry, you will get there! You are in the healing stage and just beginning with the process of fills to find the green zone and what works well for your body. Keep all your appointments and don't stress about the scale right now. This would be a good time to have some one take your measurements. Down the line it's nice to have that comparison of lost inches for when the scale isn't moving or to notice how your pants are looser, etc. Good luck to you and enjoy that walking!

[buddy567 5]

@ cheryl2586 Please reread my original post - I am NOT comparing myself to anyone else - just frustrated and venting. Also, your comment "You all knew this coming in and you are comparing your weight loss to what others have." is not accurate. Again NOT comparing myself to others and stated that in my original post. I agree with slow weight loss but 4lbs in 30 days is not 1-2 per week. I am eating almost only protein-mostly grilled or baked chicken breast, Protein drink or scrambled egg with turkey bacon for Breakfast. I will add a few green Beans or veggies but not a lot - Protein is 3.5oz and only .5oz of veggies.