Help! I'm so scared I've spent all this money for nothing

[kmorri 1,689]

On the day of surgery I weighed 226, Six weeks out I was down about 24 pounds. I did have to play with my diet in order to figure out what worked best for me. My plan that was given to me by my team added back in "all" foods. However, for weight loss, what I found worked best for me was to stay very very low carb. So I stick to a low carb diet and this increased my weight loss quite a bit. I am now less that 5 months post op and have lost almost 83 pounds.

At 6 weeks though your body is still adjusting. Just try to sit back and relax. Make sure you're not eating any empty calories and the weight will come off. Once you've completely healed you may need to play around with your diet and see what works best for you. Good luck!!!

BTW, I weigh everyday too....it helps to keep me on track. So just know there are plenty of us daily weighers out there! But you do need to try not to stress over it.

[gustavio 439]

On the day of surgery I weighed 226, Six weeks out I was down about 24 pounds. I did have to play with my diet in order to figure out what worked best for me. My plan that was given to me by my team added back in "all" foods. However, for weight loss, what I found worked best for me was to stay very very low carb. So I stick to a low carb diet and this increased my weight loss quite a bit. I am now less that 5 months post op and have lost almost 83 pounds.

At 6 weeks though your body is still adjusting. Just try to sit back and relax. Make sure you're not eating any empty calories and the weight will come off. Once you've completely healed you may need to play around with your diet and see what works best for you. Good luck!!!

BTW, I weigh everyday too....it helps to keep me on track. So just know there are plenty of us daily weighers out there! But you do need to try not to stress over it.

Thank you and congrats! Great job!

I have been staying low carb also. I am allowed "all foods" now also and I LOVE LOVE LOVE salads. Always have. But there isn't enough Protein in a salad. But I'll admit, I find myself ordering them often since I don't really like meat. I've never been a meat eater. I always try n pick out my chicken and eat it first.

One restaurant salad will be 3-4 meals for me. But again, not the Protein I'm needing. Wish I was more keen of meats.

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Edited October 5, 2016 by gustavio

[Shell Renewed 176]

It's a marathon not a sprint. My weight-loss is similar to yours and I'm super happy. Think long term.

[IveGotThePower 395]

Patience Grasshopper. For what it's worth, my NUT told me that getting my Protein from eating foods is preferable to getting it from Protein drinks because synthetic Protein is not recognized, absorbed and metabolized as well as it is from natural sources. That being said, and since I too am not a big fan of meat, there are other alternatives. Do you like dairy? I do a lot of Fairlife milk, yogurt, cheese and cottage cheese. What about seafood? I make some salmon/shrimp/crabcakes and munch on them for two or three days. And those tuna pouches are so easy and convenient. You can just rip the top off, grab a fork and eat it out of the pouch. I also make crustless quiche and freeze portions in zip top bags. And I make ground turkey w/garlic and chopped steamed veggies (mixed in a lg bowl). Then freeze portions so I can grab and go for lunch at work.

You really are doing great! Look up what one pound of fat looks like. Your body is going through a lot of changes, so it takes time. I also keep track of measurements, and I do find that when I'm not loosing lbs, I am loosing inches. Another way I look at it is that instead of looking at whether I've lost more, I give myself a pat on the back because I haven't gained it back. That in itself is an achievement. In the past, it came back very quickly, and now it hovers for a bit then drops. Everyone is different. You'll hear that a million times because it is true. Don't be hard on yourself for weight that hasn't come off yet, instead be glad for the weight that has come off. And work to find your healthy happy sustainable place and the rest will take care of itself. The very best to you.

[GACaldwell 112]

Didn't read everyones responses but heres my experince:

I was sleeved on July 25th of this year..so far I'm down about 29lbs (It's fluctuating right now due to travel/eating choices) I'm ok with that! I've set my one time goal of 135 by next year..but I'm not stressing getting there all at once. Yes, I weigh in every day, but i don't let it affect me mood...i just see it as a tool..like "Huh, I ate xyz yesterday off plan and this is what happened..ok. I know I can't afford that every day" Kind of thing.

Also, I work at a desk and I have a crazy busy lifestyle (3 jobs, 2 kids, 2 partners, yadda yadda) so I have found ways to include exercise into my day. I belly dance on the weekends...so I do tummy rolls all day sitting at my desk and that helps tone! You can also look up desk exercises you can do at work. I sit on a stability ball so Im always moving even when Im sitting and typing. The bosses thought it was weird at first but now its just my normal. Take the stairs, park further away, do squats while you pull laundry from the dryer...there are a thousand ways to get some type of exercise in every day even when you dont have time to work out.

Also, if no one has mentioned it before..check your measurements...While I haven't lost a ton of weight, Im loosing inches like CRAZY! I've been recording my non scale victories and celebrating them even more than the scale victories.

And remember..you can do this!!

[Pinkberry2 128]

@@gustavio Your expectations were far too high! You're only 6 weeks out or so and have lost 27 lbs - that's not a slow loss. I'm not sure why you would have expected to lose 45 lbs already - that's not realistic at all. You need to concentrate on getting enough Protein and fluids and stay off the scale. Your surgery is not broken. I'm sure you've seen the posts about stalling - and that's what you've been doing the last 2 weeks. Lower your expectations or you will only be disappointed.

Thank you for your honesty. the 27 lbs I've lost include the 7 lbs I lost on pre op diet. I guess I was watching other people's weight loss on here and thought I'd be similar. I thought my stall was over yesterday when i stepped on the scale and I had finally FINALLY lost a pound and was 218.6 but then today, I'm at 220! I knew I would be heavier today because I felt bloated. I shouldn't even have stepped on the scale because it triggered an "episode".

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Almost surgery twins! (8/24)Girl you gotta stay off that scale! It will be the death of you. Shoot for weekly weigh ins. Our weight fluctuates waay too much for daily weigh ins.i have had similar weight loss currently on a stall too. ???? Get in more liquids. Follow the program be patient you wont fail ☺

[VSGButterfly404 29]

At almost 6 months out, one of my struggles is NOT to compare my journey with that of others. I've come to term that I am a slow loser. The first month I lost 20 pounds and then 11 and since I lose about 3-5 per month. I lose crazy inches and my measurements are equal to a lower size as compared to when I was a similar weight. I stall all the time. It really is a head game. I have used and still occasionally use genpro too, but maybe look at meeting your Protein goals with other sources and see if that helps. I try to switch up my sources. Some weeks are from shakes and genpro and other weeks from only food.

This is a journey and I would be lying if I didn't say, I question if I spent all this money for nothing probably weekly... Then my body shows me either on the scale or clothes that this is working.

Some of us have to work harder than others but it will happen if we do what we are suppose to do!

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[chycky 671]

I agree with all that has been shared. Each journey is unique but it can be so challenging to be patient and not see the slow pace as failure -- at least for me.

My "supplement" Protein goal is 60 and then my meals are supposed to be Protein first.

You might want to look for salami or other cuts of meat that are similar to Jerky but have less or no sugar. Sugar is the main reason I have avoided Jerky.

As for desk job I sympathize as I am in that situation. I make it a point to walk around at least a few minutes every hour or so. Even if just out to parking lot and around building or around our interior space. I get a surprising amount of steps in this way. If you can swing something like that it could help you focus on moving other days.

[AvaFern 3,516]

I started my 1-week pre-op diet at 237 and I went into surgery at 228 on Sep 9, 2013. By Christmas of that year I was 195- 200 pounds...so I lost 28-33ish pounds between surgery and Christmas (4 months). I then dropped again from January to May, at which point I was stuck at 177 for WEEKS. I added more exercise, improved my diet, and by September 2014, I was at 158 pounds. I averaged about 6.5 pounds a month for the first year, of which some of that time I barely lost anything. I then had my first plastics procedure, after which I couldn't workout, so I lost some muscle and I went into my second plastics procedure in November at 143ish. By the second Christmas post-sleeve I was 134, where I then stayed until April of the next year, which means it took me exactly 18 months to get to goal of 129, which was 108 pounds and works out to 6 pounds a month. It was NOT a speedy process.

I am now at 37 months post-op and I have been at goal (I fluctuate up and down about 3 pounds, so I hit 132.8 and I drop to 126 throughout the month) this entire time. Last Halloween I ate to much crap and I woke up November first at 137. It took almost 6 weeks to get back into my goal range again, so had I not been very cognizant of even a little weight gain, it would have taken forever to lose more than that. Since that time, November 2015, I have stayed within my 126-133 range, and I'm usually between 129-132. Once I get even a little over 132, that day I start making changes. I've been drinking a lot of coffee the last few weeks which involved milk and caramel and I noticed that my weight was getting very close to that 132.8. I cut out the coffee (and sugar and milk) and this morning I'm back at 130.

Although this is a long post, from the perspective of being over 3 months out, losing weight was not easy and it was not fast. It required waking up every single day and focusing on an end goal that didn't seem like it would happen. That doesn't change when you hit goal. I still weigh myself every morning and when my weight starts to creep up a pound or three, I login to MyFitnessPal and I am very careful for a few days until I get back into my goal range. If you want to be thin the rest of your life will be about being aware of what you eat and what you weigh, because if it's hard to lose now, it is an absolute B to lose weight a year or two out from surgery. Once you lose it, keep it off!

Slow and steady may not legitimately win the race, but it has worked well for me. Good luck!

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

@@gustavio

Give up the bananas so you go into ketosis like most people are post-op at your stage and you weight loss will speed up.

[shelbys mom 70]

No one has mentioned hormones. I hear you can have a big release of hormones after surgery that can cause emotions to run high. Maybe that's effecting you as well.

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Possibly! I'm NOT usually an emotional person. AT ALL! As I mentioned, I'm high strung and a bit crazy but not a crier. It doesn't help that it's the anniversary month on my dads passing and a friend was in a terrible car wreck and my son(my BABY) just joined the Marines. So this has been one hell of a month for me emotionally.

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I have,a son in the Marines also. He,went in at 17 right out of HS. Hes been in a little over,a year now. This in itself is a hell of a rollercoaster ride. It will all be ok, one day at a time.

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[Havasumoma 250]

My son did the same. It's enough to make a mom lose her balance for sure.

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[gustavio 439]

@@gustavio

Give up the bananas so you go into ketosis like most people are post-op at your stage and you weight loss will speed up.

lol I've not eaten a banana since the one I had post surgery. Although my NUT isn't a fan of ketosis. Thanks for the half sarcastic/half helpful advice.

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[gustavio 439]

My baby is 17 also. It's awful! I hate myself for not wanting him to succeed in boot camp. But I do not want to worry for the next 4 years!

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[gustavio 439]

Thanks everyone for the feedback! I really do love this app. I appreciate everyone's advice and reassurance so much!! Today is a better day, anxiety wise. My scale still hasn't moved but I am now in a large shirt (down from a 2X) and I can SEE MY COLLARBONES! ugh, my long lost collarbones. I haven't seen those fellas in years. I took a selfie today and Usually have to take 20 before I get one I like. Today, I was happy with the first shot. My confidence is slowly coming back. I've posted a pre surgery selfie and today's (sorry bout the lighting. My husband was asleep so I didn't want to turn on the light)

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Edited October 7, 2016 by gustavio