Surgery didn’t work?

[Apple203 1,314]

On 10/10/2017 at 1:47 PM, Amburmist said:

U sound like me! I had bypass on 9/13 and I've only lost 13lbs. What's supposed to be inspiring seeing all these posts about people dropping vast amounts of weight in a short timeframe is actually discouraging to those of us who aren't in that lucky bunch. I've been told, tho, that those lucky 'losers' may have a lot more weight to lose than us, or are starting at a higher weight than us, or perhaps they are exaggerating a bit. Who knows? Mainly, everyone's been telling me that comparing to others is unproductive, everyone's journey is different. I know....I just can't help seeing all those types of threads on here and feel defeated!!

Amburmist, you are doing great! YOu lost 12 pounds before surgery (pre-surgery liquid diet? ) and then another 13 pounds -- that's 25 pounds in 4 weeks! You know about the 3 week stall as your body recovers from surgery, so please relax -- you've got this! :-)

[MarinaGirl 609]

Bariatric surgeon Duc Vuong, MD has a YouTube video titled, “Why You Should NOT Exercise After Weight Loss Surgery.” It is 27 mins long and very interesting. I also enjoy his other videos on YouTube.

[DropWt4Life 957]

I think that the important thing to remember is that everyone is different. Just like there are those super thin people that can eat anything and not gain weight, there are people whose bodies respond better to these surgeries than others. People of the same weight and height also have different body compositions. We simply cannot compare our amount of weight loss to anybody else's.

The attached pic is the same lady....Size 16 to a size 10....182 pounds vs. 181 pounds. The pic on the right has tons more muscle then the one on the left. My guess is that the lady on the left could lose 15 pounds faster than the one on the right, because she has way more fat to lose. If you didn't see this side-by-side, you would probably think both were the same size as they are the same height and almost the same weight. If the one on the right complained that she lost only 5 pounds in 3 weeks while the one on the left lost 15 pounds, you wouldn't have an answer as to why this was the case. By seeing the pictures, you can draw the correlation.

Please don't get discouraged by others' success in relation to your own. All you can do is your best, right? Take one step at a time and one day at a time. As long as you don't give up, you can't lose in the end.

Good luck my friends!

[esskay77 785]

Thank you @Alex Brecher!!

[Apple203 1,314]

35 minutes ago, MarinaGirl said:

Bariatric surgeon Duc Vuong, MD has a YouTube video titled, “Why You Should NOT Exercise After Weight Loss Surgery.” It is 27 mins long and very interesting. I also enjoy his other videos on YouTube.

I am so glad you posted this -- I've been meaning to watch it for weeks, and WOW!!! The surgeon is laying out some really provocative ideas that make perfect sense! My surgeon pushes us into physical therapy both before and after surgery , so I have that covered, But what really grabbed me, and may be why you posted it on this thread -- you gotta get your head straight and your eating straight, top priorities post-surgery. I'll be watching this again, and his other videos. :-)

[Dolphinlover70 16]

Everyone is different and everyone loses weight at different speeds. It sounds to me tho like you aren’t eating nearly enough, especially if you are working out. You are burning through many more calories than you are ingesting and you need to up your caloric intake before your body goes into complete starvation mode and you begin to gain weight. Also, you need to be speaking to your nutritionist and they can help you make sure you are getting the correct amount of Protein for your activities.

[Amburmist 55]

Amburmist, you are doing great! YOu lost 12 pounds before surgery (pre-surgery liquid diet? ) and then another 13 pounds -- that's 25 pounds in 4 weeks! You know about the 3 week stall as your body recovers from surgery, so please relax -- you've got this! :-)

Thanks for your encouragement Apple. It's much appreciated. Just 1 correction: I've lost 13lbs in 4 weeks, not 25. Yes, I lost about 10lbs a few weeks prior to surgery on my own (no pre-surg liquid diet) but my concern was about what I've lost POST surgery in 4 weeks, 13lbs, compared to other women I've seen post who've had my same surgery, same timeframe, same range of excess weight to lose. (Granted, some posts I've seen, I don't know if they're male or female, or how much excess they have to lose; just that the amount they've lost in the same timeframe is far greater than mine).

In response to a later post by another person, yes, I agree that the bottom line is that we shouldn't compare ourselves to anyone else and everyone is different, yadda yadda yadda. Intellectually, we all know that. But the fact is our emotions are running a bit high right now, we've just had pretty major, life changing surgery, and this is the last resort for some of us to actually lose the weight that has been on us for many many years. So, when we see others post who have lots of excess weight to lose (like us) and have gone thru the same procedure as us having way better results than we're having, its only natural for us to feel a ways about it and wonder if we're doing something wrong or if we're the ones this isn't gonna work for! It's to be expected and understood, not ridiculed and shamed. We don't necessarily know those peoples' every stat to know why they seem to be doing better, we just see their post saying theyre numbers are outstanding in a short period of time. Actually, that's the whole point of them posting posts like that. Because it IS amazing!

So ultimately, those of you who take the time to sympathize with us and lend encouraging feedback, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! That is all we really want. A dash of a "shoulder to cry on" and a sprinkle of "keep up the good work, you'll get there, don't worry", and most of the time we feel better. [emoji2]

[VelvetSpank 36]

I initially expected to lose a lot of weight too. I'm 5'2" and was 212 the day of surgery. 4 weeks later I had only lost 6lbs and now at six weeks post op I'm around 197 for a total of 15lbs lost. I average about 2lbs a week (a few fluctuations here and there) and my doctor says I'm doing great. I had moments of discouraging thoughts but I feel amazing and hopeful that the slow weight loss will equal better weight maintenance and no loose skin. Take heart ladies, it seems like you're well on track for weekly percentage of weight loss. I wish you all the very best.

[Lucilla 11]

Don't worry this does happen you will not be losing weight everyday or weekly sometimes it does stop I had mine done in April 2016 and I was at 5 months out and I had inly lost like 40lbs I thought the same thing it didnt work but my Dr kept telling me your fine it takes up to 18mths for you to loose most of your weight so dont worry or stress about it will keep going down.

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[Abeille213 59]

“The world’s shittiest results”?? You’ve lost 30 pounds in under 2 months and you’re saying the weight loss is too slow. What exactly were you expecting??? I don’t understand posts like this at all. Did you not talk to your surgeon and nutritionist prior to surgery? Did you not do research? Are you not familiar with how this process works? Are you unfamiliar with how common stalls are? How long lasting they can be? Right after my first month post op, I had a 6 week stall.

You are going to have to get your expectations in check or you’re not going to make it through this. You’re already getting frustrated and eating potato chips (I.e. sabotaging) and you’re not even 2 months out. This is happening because your expectations are not reasonable. I would strongly recommend attending support group meetings and finding a therapist. You also need to meet with your nutritionist so he/she can set you straight on expectations.



On June 12, 2017 I had my gallbladder removed, my lapband removed and revised to an RNY.

HW: 402, SW 306, CW 257, GW 185

[Abeille213 59]

First of all don’t be rude. You can the exact same thing while being nice. I’m not comparing myself to 300 pound men or women! I’m comparing myself to people who are at around the same weight as me. Also did you not read my post? I’m saying I’m slaving away to lose those 30 pounds. I actually work out. When I know plenty of people that don’t even step foot in a gym that are losing 5 pounds a week.

I don’t understand why you keep comparing yourself to other people. Your weight loss is ahead of the game, actually. This complaining isn’t going to get you anywhere.


On June 12, 2017 I had my gallbladder removed, my lapband removed and revised to an RNY.

HW: 402, SW 306, CW 257, GW 185

[Aleathia 40]

I had gastric sleeve almost a yr ago. I didn't lose any weight for 7 months! Ppl kept telling me to hang in there and stick with my program. It's better for the weight to come off slow they said. I call BS! And I was right. My NUT had me eating Pasta and all brown of course. She had me eating 1500 cals a day which I thought was too high, but she was the Dr. I got a new NUT and she said to cut out all breads for at least the 1st year. So here I am 10 months out and starting all over. Once I cut out the breads, it was like I did a reset. I lost 16 lbs in the 6wks with my new NUT. Also you might be sabotaging yourself by not eating enough and working out too hard. I did the same thing. When the scale stopped moving I was at the gym for 3hrs straight feeling like I'm about to pass out. Did it 3xs a week and still nothing. Got depressed and started eating my feelings again. Therapy also helps. Hang in there and keep pushing.

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[Casseopia 1]

Hey. 1000s of years ago your genes were premium stock. Starvation resistant! Now they are just causing you problems. I too fall into self defeating depression when i dont see what I want on the scale. Best advice I ever got was to STOP LOOKING. I know everyone here is focused on the pounds their loosing but for some of us that becomes a major trigger. Stop weighing and focus on how you feel, how your clothes fit. Excersize because its good for you and will make you stronger. Eat nutritious foods because they will give you the energy you need. Your body will eventually let go, it has to. You focus internally and it will catch up to you soon.

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[Jessibird 32]

Eat more, you are supposed to get like 3x more Protein than you are. Esp working out so much. You have lost 30 lbs in a month and a half. Why do you say you haven't lost? Keep up the good work, don't give up. It will work, just takes a little time.

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[sy2053 4]

You're not eating enough. In order for us post surgery to get enough calories in a day, we should be eating 6 small meals a day. It sounds like you're starving your body so it's shutting down. Make sure you're getting in as close to 64 oz of fluids as well.

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