First Pangs of Regret

[LumpySpacePrincess 594]

The last few weeks, I have absolutely regretted having this surgery. So far, it hasn't done much for me. I actually lost more on my pre-op diet than I have since surgery. All my clothes still fit exactly the same as they did before. Measurements taken and only lost a quarter inch...in one wrist. Just the one.

I am following my nutritionist's guidelines about intake and exercise to the letter. I double measure (measure then weigh) everything that goes in. I do not snack, I do not eat high fat or high carb things. I get in all my Water and then some. I move more, I force myself to do more throughout the day, not just when I'm exercising.

Before my surgery I heard all sorts of wonderful things about how the sizes just fell off in the first few months. I am two months out and I am still exactly the same size. My insulin resistance is not resolved at all like they said it would, my blood pressure is still high, I am still morbidly obese. I know its not going to go away overnight, but I put a lot of money I didn't have into this to try to lose weight and its just not happening.

I am not a whiner, not a flake. I work hard for everything I do and I am working hard for this. 65 pounds gone including pre-op and I'm still exactly the same.

I wish I had never done this.

[Shells_Almost_There 357]

Sorry to hear about your struggle. I don't have answers but wanted to send some encouragement your way. I hit a stall early on and I broke it by increasing my calories - I wasn't hungry or eating much at the time, and I think my body was hanging on to all the calories it could. Since then I tend to lose a pound (sometimes less) per week - it can be amazingly frustrating, so I can imagine your pain. I have to hold back jealousy and a little irritation towards those people who sound like they're complaining that post-op they "only lose 2-3 pounds a week!" Seriously? Wow. I would love to lose that much each week. So, I guess it's all about perspective...

Anyway, do you use MFP to record your daily intakes? A nutritionist (or some of the vets here) could probably take a look to see areas to tweak your intakes to see if you can get the scale to move. Hang in there!!!

Edited February 1, 2014 by Shells_Almost_There

[LumpySpacePrincess 594]

Sorry to hear about your struggle. I don't have answers but wanted to send some encouragement your way. I hit a stall early on and I broke it by increasing my calories - I wasn't hungry or eating much at the time, and I think my body was hanging on to all the calories it could. Since then I tend to lose a pound (sometimes less) per week - it can be amazingly frustrating, so I can imagine your pain. I have to hold back jealousy and a little irritation towards those people who sound like they're complaining that post-op they "only lose 2-3 pounds a week!" Seriously? Wow. I would love to lose that much each week. So, I guess it's all about perspective...

Anyway, do you use MFP to record your daily intakes? A nutritionist (or some of the vets here) could probably take a look to see areas to tweak your intakes to see if you can get the scale to move. Hang in there!!!

Thank you for the reply. I do track, and my nutritionist has access to what I log and she says everything looks perfect. She's very confused as to why I'm not losing. I am hesitant to increase my calories, because when I increase them I start to gain weight like crazy. They increased me to 800 calories for about a week and I gained 12 pounds so they quickly lowered me back down to 500-600.

I'm just angry because my family sacrificed so much for this. My son doesn't have a proper winter coat because I had to use all our savings for this and I can't find work again until I can stand on my feet for 8 hours, which I can't now. He doesn't have winter boots, didn't have a Christmas this last year. Everyone convinced me that he would be ok because next year mommy would be able to do so much more with him. I'm not forseeing that kind of future for either of us anymore. He already gets teased in school because he has "the fat mom".

[HHHappy 225]

I'm sorry you are feeling so down. One of my bariatric team members told me that sleeve patients often get off to a slower start with weight loss whereas bypass patients lose faster in the very beginning. So maybe you are one who is going to be super slow at the start of your journey. Try to stay positive.

[sbarbiegirl 109]

I'm not sure what your starting weight was. I've lost 94 pounds and didn't move down any sizes until 80 pounds. I hit a stall. Lost 2 pounds in 3 weeks and lost a whole size. I just tell myself when I'm not losing weight on the a scale maybe my body is adjusting to lose inches. I know it's hard sometimes when nothing is happen. Just hang in there. I started at 410 and now 316. Some people still can't tell I've lost weight where others tell me how much they can tell ( I'm not sure if they are telling the truth). I just try to take it day by day.

Edited February 1, 2014 by sbarbiegirl

[Kking1205 21]

Maybe it has something to do with your thyroid. Seems it has to be something medical....good luck. I'm going to pray for you and your family. When you start to lose weight and get nearer to your goal, you, your son and family will know the sacrifices they have made will have been worth it knowing you will live happier and longer! In Jesus name I pray you WILL reach your goal weight and emotional happiness.

[Sherry73 94]

It does sound like it could be a thyroid issue. I have had issues with that for over 14 years. Thyroids were removed about ten years ago and I continued to gain weight. I lost the majority of my weight so far on the pre-opt diet and the two weeks after surgery. At three weeks I went into a stall that lasted a month. I am loosing again but not fast. I am seeing a specialist to see if we can get the tsh counts in line and then the doctor believes that the weight will start coming off faster. Try to keep positive and you will overcome this current situation. I will keep you in my prayers.

[Katie74 32]

I'm so sorry to hear about your situation, but happy to learn I'm not alone. I had surgery 11/26/13, I too heard things like the weight falls off, you will have so much energy, and you will drop sizes like crazy. Well, I have not been able to eat or drink much without throwing up or getting nauseous. I havent been able to exercise much because I either don't have any energy, am sick or if I start I get lightheaded. I've lost 52 lbs but can't tell a difference in any of my clothes. My depression and anxiety have gotten worse. I've talk to the Dr, nurse and nutritionist, they all say everything is fine and to keep doing what I'm doing.

I will pray that things get better for you and your family.

[deedadumble 1,033]

You've lost 65 pounds!! You should be celebrating that! Stress and negativity will get you absolutely nowhere. You need to find things to Celebrate. Did you take your measurements? If not, start now. Even when I wasn't losing, I saw a decrease in inches. As to why you haven't moved to a smaller size, the larger sizes take a lot more pounds to lose out of. For example, when I started I was in a size 20/22 pant (and squeezing into them because I didn't want to buy anything larger!). Because I was squeezing into them, I didn't change to a smaller size until I had lost 40 pounds. Now, the sizes are much closer together. I can lose 10-15 pounds and move to a smaller size. I think if you accept from the start that you are going to have stalls and whooshes (times when the pounds fall off), you'll be a lot happier that you had the surgery.

Are you seeing a therapist? I used food as a coping mechanism, as a pick-me-up when I was stressed. When I no longer had that as an option I started to feel anxious and a bit depressed. That coupled with the release of hormones that were stored in the fat that I was losing resulted in depression and anxiety. My therapist was able to help me find more healthy coping mechanisms.

I was a slow loser and felt lucky if I lost 2 pounds in a week. I figured that I didn't gain it all at once, so I wasn't going to lose it quickly. I also have Hashimotos (thyroid autoimmune disorder), which affects my metabolic rate by about 10%.

It also helps to look at the actual numbers for how you lose weight. I would guess at your weight that your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is about 1,800cal/day. If you are eating 600 calories, your deficit is 1,200 cal/day. Calculating that out for week would result in 8,400 cal deficit for the week. One pound equals 3,500 calories, so you would probably have around a 2.4 pound loss for the week. If the number is higher, that means you are losing Water weight. The first few weeks of the pre-op diet the majority of what you are losing is Water. You can go for about 3 months eating 600 calories without it affecting your metabolic rate. After that you need to start increasing your calories. That happens pretty naturally with the surgery as after 3 months you can eat a bit more.

I wouldn't factor in exercise unless you are really exceeding an hour threshold. For example, I ran 10K today, which burned around 1,200 calories. I may eat an extra 500 calories to compensate, but I probably won't see a huge loss from that.

You also need to make sure you are getting enough Protein. My minimum requirement is 60g, but I try to hit 70-80. What happens if you don't eat enough Protein is that your body will start using your lean muscle mass for fuel. That will result in fewer muscles. Muscles increase your metabolic rate, which is why you should make sure you get your protein for the day and why you should start some type of weight resistant training. That can be done at home using your body weight for resistance.

For my program I have never counted calories. The only 3 things I ever concerned myself with were protein (60g+), water (60ou+), and exercise (60min). As long as I did those three things every day I had steady losses. Stalls are frustrating, but really nothing to stress about because we all have them and there's very little you can do to stop them.

Lastly, here's a really good article on why we stall: http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.html#.Uu0i3X-9KSN It should be mandatory reading for all WLS patients!

[BerryChic 26]

I think all of us would love to see a bigger loss at whatever point we are at. But, let's ask ourselves- how did we do on our own before surgery? I know that I have never been this successful in my weight loss. Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint. I had a serious stall at 3 weeks and again at 8 weeks. Now at 12 weeks, I am starting to lose again. I decided early on to just relax and let it happen. I don't obsess about every calorie or fat gram. One thing that helped tremendously was increasing my physical activity. That broke the stall and almost doubled my weekly weight loss.

I think the most important thing is to relax and give yourself some more time. You have made great progress! I think you will be surprised at how much better things will be in another few weeks. I know you may be getting sick of hearing this, but- hang in there, it will get better!

[Jencovi 261]

Hi there,

I am sorry to hear how much you are struggling and could only imagine how discouraging it is when you have sacrificed so much. I don't want to throw more at you, but on top of thyroid have you ever been tested for food intolerances? If you are intolerant of any gluten, dairy or soy that can also cause your body to fight against itself and hold on to unnecessary body fat. If you don't have money for testing you can try the elimination diet. You simply cut one of those things out for three weeks and see how you feel. At the end of three weeks if you feel the same or don't notice a difference, you cut out another one of the foods and go back on the one you had cut out before (so if you cut gluten and didn't feel any different then the next three weeks cut dairy and go back to eating gluten). I couldn't believe how much better I felt going gluten free. I am still pre-op but I'm sure this is something you can do post-op. It's just something else to maybe think about and try. You can google elimination diet and get a lot of different explanations and diet plans. Good luck hun!

Jen

Edited February 1, 2014 by Jencovi

[Amanda Nicole Hosaflook 65]

I've regretted it since the beginning. Can't get any fluids or Protein in. Probably going to lose my job with missing so much work. In and out of the hospital. Don't know what to do.

[soocalchic 1,087]

The last few weeks, I have absolutely regretted having this surgery. So far, it hasn't done much for me. I actually lost more on my pre-op diet than I have since surgery. All my clothes still fit exactly the same as they did before. Measurements taken and only lost a quarter inch...in one wrist. Just the one. I am following my nutritionist's guidelines about intake and exercise to the letter. I double measure (measure then weigh) everything that goes in. I do not snack, I do not eat high fat or high carb things. I get in all my Water and then some. I move more, I force myself to do more throughout the day, not just when I'm exercising. Before my surgery I heard all sorts of wonderful things about how the sizes just fell off in the first few months. I am two months out and I am still exactly the same size. My insulin resistance is not resolved at all like they said it would, my blood pressure is still high, I am still morbidly obese. I know its not going to go away overnight, but I put a lot of money I didn't have into this to try to lose weight and its just not happening. I am not a whiner, not a flake. I work hard for everything I do and I am working hard for this. 65 pounds gone including pre-op and I'm still exactly the same. I wish I had never done this.

you just had major surgery, allow your body time to heal and adjust. Keep doing what you are doing you will see results. Look back at your old pictures 65 lbs is a lot of weight already. Follow your doctors orders trust it get easier as time goes by..

[FitnFabfor2014 358]

You've lost 65 pounds!! You should be celebrating that! Stress and negativity will get you absolutely nowhere. You need to find things to Celebrate. Did you take your measurements? If not, start now. Even when I wasn't losing, I saw a decrease in inches. As to why you haven't moved to a smaller size, the larger sizes take a lot more pounds to lose out of. For example, when I started I was in a size 20/22 pant (and squeezing into them because I didn't want to buy anything larger!). Because I was squeezing into them, I didn't change to a smaller size until I had lost 40 pounds. Now, the sizes are much closer together. I can lose 10-15 pounds and move to a smaller size. I think if you accept from the start that you are going to have stalls and whooshes (times when the pounds fall off), you'll be a lot happier that you had the surgery.

Are you seeing a therapist? I used food as a coping mechanism, as a pick-me-up when I was stressed. When I no longer had that as an option I started to feel anxious and a bit depressed. That coupled with the release of hormones that were stored in the fat that I was losing resulted in depression and anxiety. My therapist was able to help me find more healthy coping mechanisms.

I was a slow loser and felt lucky if I lost 2 pounds in a week. I figured that I didn't gain it all at once, so I wasn't going to lose it quickly. I also have Hashimotos (thyroid autoimmune disorder), which affects my metabolic rate by about 10%.

It also helps to look at the actual numbers for how you lose weight. I would guess at your weight that your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is about 1,800cal/day. If you are eating 600 calories, your deficit is 1,200 cal/day. Calculating that out for week would result in 8,400 cal deficit for the week. One pound equals 3,500 calories, so you would probably have around a 2.4 pound loss for the week. If the number is higher, that means you are losing Water weight. The first few weeks of the pre-op diet the majority of what you are losing is Water. You can go for about 3 months eating 600 calories without it affecting your metabolic rate. After that you need to start increasing your calories. That happens pretty naturally with the surgery as after 3 months you can eat a bit more.

I wouldn't factor in exercise unless you are really exceeding an hour threshold. For example, I ran 10K today, which burned around 1,200 calories. I may eat an extra 500 calories to compensate, but I probably won't see a huge loss from that.

You also need to make sure you are getting enough Protein. My minimum requirement is 60g, but I try to hit 70-80. What happens if you don't eat enough Protein is that your body will start using your lean muscle mass for fuel. That will result in fewer muscles. Muscles increase your metabolic rate, which is why you should make sure you get your protein for the day and why you should start some type of weight resistant training. That can be done at home using your body weight for resistance.

For my program I have never counted calories. The only 3 things I ever concerned myself with were protein (60g+), water (60ou+), and exercise (60min). As long as I did those three things every day I had steady losses. Stalls are frustrating, but really nothing to stress about because we all have them and there's very little you can do to stop them.

Lastly, here's a really good article on why we stall: http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.html#.Uu0i3X-9KSN It should be mandatory reading for all WLS patients!

I love how you broke this down. It was eye opening!! Thanks for sharing this. It really helps to put things in perspective.

[BabySheldon 158]

I've regretted it since the beginning. Can't get any fluids or Protein in. Probably going to lose my job with missing so much work. In and out of the hospital. Don't know what to do.

FMLA....please get this processed...this is Federal protection so you don't lose your job...its a Federal law.

PM for further details.....ok, lawyer hat off!

Shel