Over It

[Olivia12215 6]

My surgery date was 1/22/15...7 months post-op gastric sleeve. My pre-surgery weight was 260...current weight is 205.4. I'm beyond frustrated with this process. I get between 60-80 grams of Protein in daily, run/walk 2 miles daily (in 30 minutes), or I am on the elliptical for 30 minutes reaching at least 2.4 miles, I'm making great food choices and measuring what I eat about 1/2 cup (depending on what I'm eating) I drink 87 ounces of Water daily. I have spoken with the nutritionist and she says "it happens slowly for some people". Slowly? I have literally lost 1lb in the last 3 weeks...5 lbs in the last 2 months. I don't know anyone this has happened to and this is not at all what I expected. No one seems to understand and I feel very alone....if there is anyone out there at all that can relate...if would love to hear your story.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

It sounds like you are doing great to me. I know that no one will lose weight rapidly all the time.

What are your choices right now? If you give up and stop eating healthy you certainly won't lose any faster.

If you really do want to try something different, why not increase your Protein a little bit by aiming higher or committing to getting your 80 grams every day instead of 60-80 grams.

I hate to hear you sound so discouraged when you have come so far.

What else can you measure your progress by besides the numbers on the scale? How do you feel? Do you take your measurements? What can you physically do now that you couldn't do before surgery?

[Olivia12215 6]

Thank you so much for your positive reply...you are right ...I can run, paint my own toenails, wear clothes that are in the "regular " section, off all prescription medications and I feel amazing...all positive things. I just feel very alone in the way I am progressing and wondering if anyone has a similar situation? But u are right....I need to stay focused.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

@@Olivia12215

I can understand your frustration. I started at a higher BMI. I thought I would be down 50lb by now. I am not losing as fast as I hoped. Still I am losing, and more than that, I am not gaining. I don't feel deprived, I am not living with constant hunger and I lost in 6 weeks what you have taken me 4-6 months in the past.

Currently I am sitting at a weight I haven't been able to get below in 10 years of trying off and on. I am just hovering in this area for 2 weeks. Right now I feel like if I don't get below this point soon, the whole thing is a failure. Even though I know mentally that isn't realistic, that is how I feel.

That doesn't really help you, but I just want to say I understand being frustrated.

[Babbs 14,681]

I think us slower losers are the cream of the crop! We have to learn more patience, be more persistent, and be more resilient than others. It helps us overcome, and builds character I don't know if you can see my stats, but it's taken me a year to lose a little over 80 pounds. I'm still not at goal yet, but close. I had a month long stall at my 6th month, and I had lost 50 pounds at that point. To put it into perspective, my sister started Weight Watchers in January. She has lost 17 more pounds than I have in the same amount of time, and now weighs less than I do. All without having to go through major surgery! Talk about frustrating!! But guess who has the better chance of keeping it off?

The thing is, we still lose. It's just not as fast as others, and that's okay. It's not a race, it's for the rest of our lives, so we may as well learn as much as we can about health and nutrition and enjoy the ride! When you finally get to your goal weight, no matter how long it took, it's not going to matter at that point, is it?

I know we get battle fatigue. I've been there several times. But you just gotta put on your game face and soldier on. We have no choice, otherwise this will all have been for not. Like Dorie says, we just gotta keep swimming!

[Rogofulm 2,440]

Hi @@Olivia12215! From your description, it sounds like you're doing the right things. You said you make make "great food choices" and mention 3 of the big 4 things to do every single day: 1) 60-80 grams of protein; 2) 64+ ounces of fluids; 3) moderate exercise... But you don't mention 4) very low carb intake. Are you logging what you eat with My Fitness Pal or another app? Could there be some extra sugar or starch sneaking into your meals? Could it be from fruits, fruit juices, sweet potatoes, brown rice, whole wheat bread, too many milk products? These are all areas to examine. If, in addition to Protein, fluids, and exercise, your carb intake is nice and low, then you may indeed be a slow loser. If that's the case, just keep hanging with @Babbs. She's the queen of slow but steady success! And you might try changing up your exercise routing by alternating between walking and some strength training to confuse your muscles and your metabolism. Good luck!!!

[wantingabetterlife 364]

I hate that you are feeling so down! Put away the scale and take time to Celebrate all of those NSVs you have achieved! Also, how many calories are you getting each day? You sound like you are exercising a lot, are you getting in enough calories to sustain the workouts? Best of luck to you!

[PokeyJo 47]

I've also been a very slow loser. I'll be 2 years on Sept. 20th and at last weight check at the Doctors, I was down 92 lbs. I go back next week and am looking forward to where I am now.

There was a period of about 6 months that I didn't lose anything at all. It was beyond frustrating. I was weighing myself at home every week and was getting depressed over it. I stopped weighing myself at home and I started to lose again. I realized when I reach 2 years, I would have lost about 1 lb a week. Looking back on it now, I'm glad it's coming off slowly. There's less of a chance I will gain it back, I didn't have to spend the money on new clothes every two weeks, I don't have massive amounts of sag and I've lost almost 100 lbs!

Keep doing what your doing, be patient and let your new sleeve lead the way.

[Olivia12215 6]

Thank you so much for your positive words and encouragement, it really helps knowing someone has a similar story...not only that, but you have been successful. I stalled at 50lb myself and that is when the slow weight loss began. Thank u so much, I will keep swimming

[Olivia12215 6]

Thank you for your understanding....nice to know I'm not alone

[Olivia12215 6]

Thank you so much for all your helpful hints, I definitely use my fitness pal...it's a lifesaver! I don't usually have many carbs...only have carbs a couple times a week - but maybe I will pay closer attention to that! Thanks for your help!

[JerzyTomato74 91]

Hey Olivia! You are definitely not alone! I have been stuck at 264 since the middle of May, so 3 months at the same weight. Yes, I am excited and can Celebrate losing 90 lbs but I believe I should be far more along by now. I am beyond discouraged at this point. I agree with others who have said to put the scale away, it will just continue to frustrate you if you're not losing as quickly as you'd like. Good luck!