zero weight loss

[AmberWarstler 14]

I had gastric sleeve last June at 297lbs and 5'6 and to date have lost 35-37lbs depending on the day and this weight loss has been exactly the same for the last 3 months. I am beyond frustrated and feeling like a complete failure to say the least. Literally since right out of surgery I felt like things were just too easy for me. I had zero complications ( thank god) I had no side effects or discomforts after surgery I was able to follow my doctors liquid to solid diet just fine. but since the beginning have had extremely slow weight loss. I remember at my 2 week check up I had lost 14lbs and was super happy only to go back 2 weeks later and be the exact same weight to the oz. At every follow up my doctor would only say I am a slow loser, I would bring in pages and pages of my food intake and Water intake and my blood work was done and looked normal. It went from before surgery the doctor was hopeful I'd lose 90-100lbs down to "probably more like 50-60lbs" The doctor said because I was in good health before surgery that the procedure wasn't that big of a shock to my body as if I had diabetes or high blood pressure etc. I'm feeling like I had my very first major surgery for absolutely nothing. Can anybody relate at all?

[WL WARRIOR 692]

Have you considered the DS? The gastric sleeve was originally designed to be just the first half of the complete surgery. Since so many people did well with just the first half (sleeved stomach) there was no need to do the second half. I don't know much about the DS, but it might be something worth looking into.

[southernbelle256 101]

I would request a second opinion or a barium swallow to see the real size of the stomach. Do you feel restriction? I had zero comorbidities and a healthy body before surgery and have lost a lot more than that. Have you tried took back to the liquid phase?

[Babbs 14,681]

So you talked about some follow up appointments early out. Have you been following plan since? Excercising? Tracking Protein,calories and carbs? Or did you just give up when you were losing too slowly?

Speaking from experience as a slow loser, you gotta just keep at it. When things aren't working, then you change them up until you see progress.

I dunno. Maybe you have been doing everything by the book. Can you honestly say you have? If so, I would definitely look into a revision to a bypass or DS.

Good luck!

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

I agree with @Babbs. Also, maybe your doctor is right and you just happen to be an exceptionally healthy slow loser.

Just curious, what is your Protein target? Are you reaching or exceeding your Protein and Fluid target every day?

Do you weigh, measure and track your food or do you just guestimate? That could lead to a situation where you THINK you are getting enough protein, or aren't eating too many calories but really are.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

This is a good video that explains why revisions might be necessary.

Posting what you eat in a day, if you track, the macros might help. How much Protein, carbs, fat? If you go on liquids Protein and meat for 2 weeks, do you lose weight?

I would never lose weight if I followed what my Dr office has on the list of foods I can eat. There are too many carb items included. I eat low carb/high fat. It is hard to get the fat in because my protein intake is so high, but I lean towards fats over carbs. I'm not suggesting you eat how I eat, but most plans include a lot of carb items, that you can easily avoid, especially if you want faster weight loss.

So tell us how you are eating and maybe people can make suggestions.

[AmberWarstler 14]

I have never heard of the DS I'll need to look into that. My follow up appointments were at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 3months and last month was my 6month follow up. I logged every carb, Protein, fat onto a spreadsheet and bring it in with me to my appointments. Along with that is my Water intake. My Proteins are usually in the 50-60 range. I always eat my Proteins first and Id say half the time I have room left for veggie or carb..depending on the meal. I did try once to go to back to Protein shakes 3x daily and lost weight but the second I introduced foods back in my weight slowly went back up. I don't feel like I have the restriction everyone else has...When I weigh my food on my scale and Its at 1 cup I'm still hungry..not starving, but yes hungry.

[AmberWarstler 14]

I must admit though I have slacked on my Water intake throughout the holidays, I find it easier to sit at my desk at work and sip water all day instead of being at home running around with the kids. So I need to get back into the water routine.

[WL WARRIOR 692]

It is still possible to lose lots of weight with a larger sleeve. Like you, I never had trouble getting in my Water and Protein in from Day 1. My stomach can tolerate almost every kind of food and it hold lots of it. For example, I can eat a whole head of lettuce in 25 minutes. I can also eat about 5-6 ounces of dense Protein. That's an extreme that doesn't happen very often, but you get the picture.

Oddly, my bariatrician is fine with the quantity I eat. In all honesty, I can say that I've only ate to the point of moderate discomfort a few times. My bariatrician says that my sleeve will not stretch because it is working similar to a bladder. My daily caloric intake is around 1800. I still get in around 75 grams of protein everyday even though my diet is mostly plant based.

I lost 150 pounds and got to my goal weight 8 months after surgery. Early on, I was griping a little about the large capacity of my sleeved stomach. However, I realized that it was still no where near my capacity BEFORE surgery. It feels like my stomach is about 40-50% of what it use to be. It's still a tool and I have to work with what I got.

Another obstacle in my weight loss has been hypothyroidism. Thyroid conditions don't get better when you lose lots of weight. My thyroid continues to work in under drive and I've had to increase my synthroid twice since surgery.

The key to my success has been changing the quality of what I eat. I worked extremely hard on changing my habits of eating and now in year 2 after surgery, its finally becoming second nature. I'm still working on my night time eating, so I'm far from perfect- if there is such a thing.

Have you tried eliminating carbs completely from your diet? I know it is difficult to do, but that is what helped my lose rapidly in the first 6 months. Could you share what you typically eat in one day?

"The Complete Beck Diet for Life" is a book that is a valuable resource. It helps to change the way you think about food and contains interactive exercises to help you practice, maintain, and master a new way of eating. I have a bookshelf full of self help books and this is the one book I re-read if I feel like I'm slipping up.

You can actually get this book for only $1 at Dollar Tree. Otherwise, you can find a cheap copy on Amazon. Dr. Beck also has a website and other books that are additionally useful.

Edited January 5, 2016 by WL WARRIOR

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

In my opinion 50-60 grams of Protein is really low and most probably why your weight loss is slow. Have you tried increasing your protein?

What about your fluids. Are you getting at least 64 oz a day?

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

50-60 grams of Protein might cause you to lose muscle mass, that will slow your weight loss.

If you are eating 50-60 grams of Protein? How many carbs? more than 25 grams? Protein without the carb information is not enough.

Edited January 5, 2016 by OutsideMatchInside

[Fame 53]

I know Protein is important and everyones bodies are different.. But I rarely get the required amount of protein and have been losing a lot ( not saying it's the right thing to do, just giving an example of someone that is not consuming the right amount)... So I don't know if it is protein for sure. I know you mentioned you were perfectly healthy prior to surgery... Maybe you have developed something new? Some diagnoses make you gain weight and maybe it is impeding your weight loss, like hypothyroidism? I would certainly get it checked out. Good luck to you!

[beachdreamin 5]

Are you working out? That type of boost may be what you need.

Eat meat and vegetables. Avoid carbs and see if it makes a difference.

[AmberWarstler 14]

So..after two more appointments I finally convinced my surgeon to send me out for an upper gi and take a look at the size of my stomach. Results show my stomach is average size. Not small, not tiny, not baratric size. Which confirms how I've been feeling about my portions. I see my surgeon in a couple weeks to see where I go from here. I am SO frustrated.

[cindyw41 761]

Wow Amber!! That's fraudulent. Not sure if I would go back to the same surgeon, that is unless he'll redo the surgery for free and pay the hospital fees.

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