So disappointed

[oatmealgirl 56]

Am I missing something? If you had a gastric sleeve surgery, don't you have staples?

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

Not necessarily. It depends on how the surgery is done.

[Rogofulm 2,440]

Hi, @@kndoster –
First of all, I've rarely, if ever, read about bariatric surgeons who don't emphasize low carbs. So that's kind of a surprise. I know they all have slightly different philosophies, but that seems very different than most. For example, my surgeon instructs us to keep our carbs as low as possible, and only get them from non-starchy vegetables. I lost 115 lbs and made it to my goal in 7.5 months by eliminating all starches and sugar, and not worrying about calories and fat. My cholesterol has gone way down too! So you might want to consider talking the the nutritionists associated with your hospital to see what they say.

Secondly, if you're 4.5 weeks out, it's past time for you to read the message below. And check out the article in the link, too. I hope they make you feel better! Good luck on this wonderful journey to better health!!!

Congratulations! You have reached The Dreaded Week-3 Stall. It's perfectly normal, and just about all of us have suffered through it. You're not crazy, and your doctor didn't screw up. In fact, you might not lose any weight for two weeks or even longer. But don't worry – after that, the pounds will start falling off if you stick to your program. And, the inches will continue to come off even while the scale isn't budging. Here's a good article that explains why it happens and why we all have to go through it. Hang in there. Pretty soon it'll be in the rear-view mirror and you'll be dropping weight again!

(Apologies to BP regulars who have seen this repeatedly, but it's a big deal to those who are going through it!)

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

@@Rogofulm - Mine never said a word about carbs. Just keeping calories low and watching my sugar.

[TammyDTM 391]

@@proudgrammy Love You!!!

[TammyDTM 391]

I am 4 1/2 weeks post-op gastric sleeve and I've only lost 14 pounds. I am truly so disappointed in this and cannot stop feeling like a failure already. I am following my program (my surgeon emphasized low fat over low carb). While I wasn't working out a ton prior to this week, this past week I have done intense cardio every day plus weights on 3 of those days. My mom, who is extremely supportive, is now even starting to sound disappointed in me. SW 232, DOS 222, Current 207. I really don't want a pity party, I just need some encouragement. Feeling down. I really thought I would feel amazing at over a month out.

Girlfriend, you are doing great! You are losing weight!!! And, they probably put more weight on you in the hospital! They did me! A whopping 17 pounds! So you had to lose the hospital fluids too! Did you consider that?

I, too, am on soft foods now. It is really hard to just eat Protein at every meal. I usually take a couple of bites of veggies with lunch and supper and fruit with Breakfast. I snack twice a day on babybel or cottage cheese. I drink all of my Water and I have 2 Protein Drinks a day. Bake your meat (fish or chicken only), or saute it in coconut oil or olive oil.

Now you put your chin up and hold your head high!!!

[CE24 23]

My surgeon told me no fruit for 3 months he said the main goal is to deplete your body of as much sugar as possible so it burns fat! He also said focus on weight training as much as you can handle for as long as you can handle. You can actually read a lot of articles that say cardio is NOT the way to go. If I were you I would remove anything but Protein from your diet and I bet you'll lose a lot faster. My nutritionist also said if you wanted to do all Protein Shakes that would rapidly increase your weight loss and it won't hurt to do it for a couple of weeks.

I was cleared for exercise a week out.

I know some people mentioned you had a smaller starting weight so did I at 218 and 5'4 but im a month out and I've lost 25 lbs so far. And a lot of studies actually show we lose more weight that those that weighed more than us.

I think the big thing is eliminating any type of carb and focusing just on protein and if you're going to add in veggies make it edamame because they have so much protein!!

Good luck!

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

Edamame isn't a vegetable. It's a bean, specifically soy bean. Yes it's high in Protein, but it also has carb. A ½ cup will have 10 grams of protein and about 8 carbs.

I think the big thing is eliminating any type of carb and focusing just on protein and if you're going to add in veggies make it edamame because they have so much protein!!

Edited March 28, 2015 by BLERDgirl

[mandyboo 21]

I am 4 1/2 weeks post-op gastric sleeve and I've only lost 14 pounds. I am truly so disappointed in this and cannot stop feeling like a failure already. I am following my program (my surgeon emphasized low fat over low carb). While I wasn't working out a ton prior to this week, this past week I have done intense cardio every day plus weights on 3 of those days. My mom, who is extremely supportive, is now even starting to sound disappointed in me. SW 232, DOS 222, Current 207. I really don't want a pity party, I just need some encouragement. Feeling down. I really thought I would feel amazing at over a month out.

Oh wow, you sound like me!

My HW was 229 DOS 221 CW 208.

I too have been really disappointed with that and my mother has asked me if it was really worth it!

It's been just over 4 weeks since surgery, they never mentioned low carb to me either.

I keep hoping that slower loss may mean less loose skin and hopefully less Hair loss.

Guess we have no choice but to keep at it ... :-)

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

Does it matter how fast it happens as long as it happens? Don't be so hard on yourself. This isn't a race.

[hockeydog 35]

i soooooo needed to hear/read these posts today.

Thank you for your encouragement, words of wisdom.

It sure makes things a bit easier when you feel like you are failing, and makes me want to keep on trucking, even though i feel like giving up at times.

[valkyrie88 82]

i soooooo needed to hear/read these posts today.

Thank you for your encouragement, words of wisdom.

It sure makes things a bit easier when you feel like you are failing, and makes me want to keep on trucking, even though i feel like giving up at times.

I feel the same way. So encouraging to read these comments

[New Nic 45]

I am 5 feet tall as well. A little goes a long way! 14 pounds on a small frame, when was the last time you would have lost that much in one month? For me, I lost 20 the first month then stalled for 2 weeks. We all have different points when our bodies need to take a break from the weight loss. The scale will move again, don't get discouraged!!!

[LMatt84 3]

I think you are doing great. I'm 3 weeks post op and I've slowed down my weight loss significantly since the first two weeks. I had a higher starting weight than you and so far I've lost about 18 pounds, so we are around the same area in regards to percentage lost.

I feel like I'm stuck in a rut in regards to types of foods eating. My doc also said low carb but some of the soft and pureed foods are carb heavy like grits or mashed potato. I've gotten tired of so many Protein Shakes and yogurt. I know if I were to lower my carb intake I would probably lose more weight.

Maybe if you reduced your carbs for a week you could see how that works for you. Either way, I think you are doing a great job. Every body is different and will lose at different rates. Who knows, you could lose big time in the next few weeks. Keep your chin up and good luck!

[McButterpants 2,846]

Failure? No way. Impatient? Yes.

"Only" 14 pounds is awesome. You are going to lose weight at a different pace than others and comparing yourself to others is only going to lead to disappointment. This is your journey.

Had I known then (when I was 4 weeks post-op), what I know now, here are some things I would tell myself:

Follow your doctor's orders - he/she knows best about your situation (just because other doc's prescribe a different post-op diet, doesn't mean you can follow theirs...this is not a chose your own adventure)

Be patient - your body will let go of the weight when it's ready

Scrap the scale - take pictures and measurements instead