Feeling Frustrated.... Any words of wisdom for me?

[Chrissy1028 2]

Hey there! I am 5 weeks out from a gastric bypass revision and am feeling incredibly frustrated. I am following my surgeon's directions to the letter (60 grams of Protein per day); drinking at least 80 ounces of Water every day; and walking 5-6 miles every day. For the past 2.5 weeks, I have not lost so much as an ounce. I met with the dietician from the surgery group who only confused me and contradicted all the written information is been given pre- and post-surgery. I left his office in tears of frustration last week because I don't understand how I could be doing everything right (by the guidelines given to me), having a caloric intake of less than 600 calories per day, exercising and drinking lots of water and seeing no progress. I'm going to call the doctor's office tomorrow to see if I can meet with someone else to discuss my concerns. At this point I regret having the surgery and am feeling very lost, sad, and frustrated. Any words of wisdom for me?

[Sajijoma 1,324]

I wonder if you are doing too much and not getting enough Protein. 60 grams seems kinda low to me for walking that much. Post op I've heard we need anywhere from 70-90 depending on sources-I am pre op so I can't say for sure what it takes to be successful in any way shape or form, so keep that in mind. Maybe try adding in more protein? Like maybe a shake or smoothie? If you don't take in enough, your body will perceive it is starving and refuse to lose more weight than it has to, to survive. I would definitely talk to your NUT about this and if they aren't taking your needs seriously, maybe find someone else independent of the office to seek a second opinion on what to do. My insurance doesn't cover my NUT of choice so I have to pay for her out of pocket each visit, but I consider her advice to be extremely reliable so it's worth the $150/hr to have her.

[Chrissy1028 2]

Sajijoma- Thank you so much for replying. I'm going to check with the doctor today. I hadn't thought about starvation mode. My surgeon suggests 60 grams Protein until week 6 but you have a good point about the exercise thing. I truly appreciate your support. It's comforting to know I'm not out here in my own.

[Daisee68 2,493]

You are in the dreaded 3 week stall. It's totally normal. Your body is catching up. There are a ton of posts about this stall so if you search for "stall" under the forums you will see you aren't alone. Hang in there and be patient. Take your measurements. Sometimes you are losing inches when scale is not moving.

[James Marusek 5,244]

Walking 5-6 miles every day seems a little on the high side. Is that really the doctors orders? Like Sajijoma said, with this level of physical activity, 60 grams of Protein a day is on the low side of what your body needs. It is common to hit stalls during the "weight loss" phase.

Sometimes medicine can interfere with weight loss. Sometimes stress can also affect weight loss. So relax a little and let the magic happen.

[dancingqueene 182]

My surgeon suggests at least 90g of protien a day. If you get unfalvored Protein powder you can add it to smoothies and other foods to bulk it up. Maybe 600 cal is too low? I've been doing a lot of research as I have the fear of not losing as well after my surgery. Let us know how you do!!

[Chrissy1028 2]

Thank you everyone for the support and information. I am in what my surgeon calls Stage 3 eating which is 60 - 62 grams of Protein per day. I told my NUT how much walking I was doing and he said that was ok. Admittedly, about half the walking is walking my two big dogs which actually translates to "walk sniff walk pee walk walk stop sniff walk" rather than full on walking. I spoke with one of the nurses available to us today and she told me to keep doing what my paperwork says and to let them know in a week or two if things don't change and they'll have me come in for some tests. Not exactly the help I was hoping for. I'm thinking I'll go back to just the Protein Shakes for a few days and see what happens. Also thinking about calling my primary care physician and going in to see one of her nutritionists. I'm trying not to beat myself up and resist the scale/number game. I really appreciate your replies and advice. Thanks again!