Why am I not losing weight?

[AshBro 0]

It has been 15 days since I had my sleeve. At first I was happy with the weight loss, but it has been a week since I have lost anything and actually i have gained 2 pounds. Everyone I know that had this surgery said the weight just melts off of you but I am not seeing this... am i doing something wrong?

Also, I have found that my experience with the sleeve is vastly different than how others have experienced. For example, my surgeon told me that I would only be able to eat a bite of banana and I would be full. Well... I ate half the banana and chewed my bites up really really well but i could have kept going. I only stopped for safety concerns. I don’t seem to have the restriction that everyone else has. I’m not saying that i don’t have ANY restriction. Just saying that it is a lot less than other people’s.

I was really scared about having this surgery because of the lifelong change, but the main motivation was to feel better. However, if I am not going to lose the weight like I am supposed to it is goung to make me really discouraged. I was told I would around 30 pounds the first month by my surgeon. I am starting week 3 and have only lost 11. Someone please enlighten me... what am i doing wrong?

[Introversion 1,876]

You're not doing anything wrong, except perhaps believing in the unrealistic expectations that your surgeon has fed to you.

Here's reality: most sleevers don't lose 30 pounds per month. Once you accept reality and stop comparing your progress to others, your weight loss journey will progress more smoothly.

I lost 15 pounds the first month, 12.5 pounds the second month, and the rest of my losses were single digit (1 to 7 pounds monthly). It took me 17+ months to lose 100 pounds.

Also, weight loss with a sleeve doesn't occur in a predictable pattern. We lose weight, then stall and plateau, then may even gain before losing again. You won't lose every week.

I guarantee you will gain if you continue down the road of eating bananas and other starches so early in your journey. Carbs lead to Water weight fluctuations.

1 gram of carbs will store anywhere from 3 to 4 grams of water weight in your body. So if you eat more carbs than your body utilizes in one sitting, those carb grams are stored as glycogen in your liver and muscle, resulting in water weight that contributes to a bigger number on the scale.< br />
To reduce these weight fluctuations, curtail your carb intake. Focus on real Protein. Stay off the scale.

Good luck to you.

[AshBro 0]

3 minutes ago, Introversion said:

You're not doing anything wrong, except perhaps believing in the unrealistic expectations that your surgeon has fed to you.

Here's reality: most sleevers don't lose 30 pounds per month. Once you accept reality and stop comparing your progress to others, your weight loss journey will progress more smoothly.

I lost 15 pounds the first month, 12.5 pounds the second month, and the rest of my losses were single digit (1 to 7 pounds monthly). It took me 17+ months to lose 100 pounds.

Also, weight loss with a sleeve doesn't occur in a predictable pattern. We lose weight, then stall and plateau, then may even gain before losing again. You won't lose every week.

I guarantee you will gain if you continue down the road of eating bananas and other starches so early in your journey. Carbs lead to Water weight fluctuations.

1 gram of carbs will store anywhere from 3 to 4 grams of Water weight in your body. So if you eat more carbs than your body utilizes in one sitting, those carb grams are stored as glycogen in your liver and muscle, resulting in water weight that contributes to a bigger number on the scale.

To reduce these weight fluctuations, curtail your carb intake. Focus on real Protein. Stay off the scale.

Good luck to you.

Hello Introvert,

I am only eating Bananas because my surgeon told me to. It is part of my post-op diet progress during week two. And I’ve only had one. I am supposed to be getting 70-100 grams of Protein a day as well as about 100 carbs from fruits and vegetables and at least 64 ounces of Fluid.

I believe my surgeon has placed these expectations on me because that is what is the norm for his patients. He has been doing this for 15 years and it is his primary focus unlike other surgeons who do it as more of a side thing.

I hope I lose more than one pound a month or I will seriously regret having it done as the whole reason was to get it off quick because I have extreme back and leg issues. Otherwise, I probably could have managed it on my own without having 80% of my stomach removed 😐.

Congratulations on your 100 pound weightloss. That is a great accomplishment. I hope I can come back here and say the same one day. Thank you for replying.

[Sosewsue61 3,185]

To the OP, you ask for advice, are given sound advice and refute what is said from an experienced 'sleever'.

I understand you want to follow your surgeon's plan, then don't question your situation when you are following the plan.

I agree that 100gr of carbs, even good carbs are going to slow down the weight loss. The majority of veteran sleevers while losing aimed for 20-50 a day. But not 50 in the beginning. If you eat 3oz of Protein, you will maybe get an ounce of green Beans in which is 4 carbs and that is about it - you will feel restriction. Cottage cheese has a few carbs - 4oz has 8gr and 12gr of protein.

Your body will use the food you ate for fuel first, always and if you have been even slightly insulin resistant it won't burn the fat stores unless there is no food fuel for hours. Protein heats up the metabolism and makes the body work harder to burn fuel, carbs are easy quick fuel takes very little effort.

I am sure your surgeon is a good surgeon, but everyone is different in how their body reacts to food fuel. I cannot eat much fruit and lose weight, when Weight Watchers started allowing up to 5 fruits a day without counting points - SLAM - I lost maybe a half pound a week and gained on some weeks. Non starchy vegetables do not have the same effect - but WW swore it wasn't the fruit. As soon as I went back to an older plan and backed off on fruit - maybe one a day or none, then I could have better losses.

So the advice is to experiment and track what and how much, use a scale and a free app like Baritastic, myfitnesspal, or Lose It. Play around with the numbers, one size does not fit all. And good luck, we want everyone to win at this.

Edited November 12, 2017 by Sosewsue61

[Introversion 1,876]

2 hours ago, Sosewsue61 said:

I agree that 100gr of carbs, even good carbs are going to slow down the weight loss.

Bingo...think of it in this manner: carbs are the preferential source of fuel for the human body to burn off as energy.

So why would your body waste valuable effort burning stored body fat when it's getting all the energy it needs from a steady stream of starches and carbs?

[summerset 5,265]

14 minutes ago, Introversion said:

So why would your body waste valuable effort burning stored body fat when it's getting all the energy it needs from a steady stream of starches and carbs?

Because it might still be in a calorie deficit after all?

[AshBro 0]

2 hours ago, Sosewsue61 said:

To the OP, you ask for advice, are given sound advice and refute what is said from an experienced 'sleever'.

I understand you want to follow your surgeon's plan, then don't question your situation when you are following the plan.

I agree that 100gr of carbs, even good carbs are going to slow down the weight loss. The majority of veteran sleevers while losing aimed for 20-50 a day. But not 50 in the beginning. If you eat 3oz of Protein, you will maybe get an ounce of green Beans in which is 4 carbs and that is about it - you will feel restriction. Cottage cheese has a few carbs - 4oz has 8gr and 12gr of Protein.

Your body will use the food you ate for fuel first, always and if you have been even slightly insulin resistant it won't burn the fat stores unless there is no food fuel for hours. Protein heats up the metabolism and makes the body work harder to burn fuel, carbs are easy quick fuel takes very little effort.

I am sure your surgeon is a good surgeon, but everyone is different in how their body reacts to food fuel. I cannot eat much fruit and lose weight, when Weight Watchers started allowing up to 5 fruits a day without counting points - SLAM - I lost maybe a half pound a week and gained on some weeks. Non starchy vegetables do not have the same effect - but WW swore it wasn't the fruit. As soon as I went back to an older plan and backed off on fruit - maybe one a day or none, then I could have better losses.

So the advice is to experiment and track what and how much, use a scale and a free app like Baritastic, myfitnesspal, or Lose It. Play around with the numbers, one size does not fit all. And good luck, we want everyone to win at this.

I was not “refuting” the advice. I was just explaining what I was told by a surgeon who has told the same thing to hundreds of other people who have taken his advice and had the results he promised. Also, you all act as if I am consuming nothing but carbs. At this point, I am only two weeks postop. I am lucky to get even 600 calories in a day, and in two weeks have had one banana. A typical day for me is a Protein Shake and two eggs in a 24 hour period. Hence, why I am wondering why I am still not losing any weight. I haven’t lost on ZERO carbs, and I haven’t lost on minimal carbs. Therefore, I was reaching out for possible reasons.

I am well educated on nutrition and although my surgeon wants 100 carbs, a more realistic number for me is 50- but I haven’t even been getting that much of them. The only carbs I have consumed consist of the foods I have tested for tolerance while advancing my diet such as the banana which took two days to eat. I want some carbs because I need vegetables and fruit. Why? Because I want my Vitamins and nutrients to come from SOME natural sources rather than 100% supplements.

Regardless of the very few carbs I consume, it would seem to me that cutting my diet down from around 3200 calories a day to about 600-700 would produce some weight loss. I guess time will tell. If nothing else, I am scheduled for another checkup on the 28th and will consult them about what is going on.

[Sosewsue61 3,185]

I didn't need to sound harsh. I am not losing either, not consuming much either. I think it all takes time for the body to recover from surgery and during that healing process the body is holding onto everything it can for some of us. Some didn't lose much during preop and lost a lot the first two weeks, then nothing for two weeks. And others lose all of those weeks and at three months gain 2 pounds for the month. The veterans just keep saying - follow the plan and it will work, learn how your body reacts to macro and micro nutrients.

I need vegetables for fiber...we all know why that is!!

Good luck and let us know how you are doing.

[Geri Marie 235]

My surgeon has been doing this for 20+ years and the one thing he has said is only 48 grams of carbs, and 70 grams of Protein. No drinking while eating, and fruit.....later down the line...

[GlowingGal 61]

I was not “refuting” the advice. I was just explaining what I was told by a surgeon who has told the same thing to hundreds of other people who have taken his advice and had the results he promised. Also, you all act as if I am consuming nothing but carbs. At this point, I am only two weeks postop. I am lucky to get even 600 calories in a day, and in two weeks have had one banana. A typical day for me is a Protein Shake and two eggs in a 24 hour period. Hence, why I am wondering why I am still not losing any weight. I haven’t lost on ZERO carbs, and I haven’t lost on minimal carbs. Therefore, I was reaching out for possible reasons.


I think your effort to find some advice was reasonable. I'm following the plan as closely as possible without sabotaging it; although, it's difficult for me to get all my Protein in. I also need some Fiber so I eat a cup of fruit in its own juices which is in my plan. I lost about 22 pounds during my 2 week liquid diet and then an additional 14-ish in the last 3 weeks. Of course I wish I was at my goal today, but I am looking at the slower weight loss as a positive so it stays off. I also don't want my skin to freak out with huge drops weekly (not sure if it matters). Hang in there and be sure to talk to your team about your concerns. Best wishes.

[Danny Paul 761]

The 1st two weeks I was on a liquid diet. Next two was pureed foods. Next two weeks were semi soft foods. I couldnt eat a banana until I got to the semi soft stage. (I could of pureed it but I didnt like its texture) As for weight loss, unfortunately its not one size fits all. Some lose weight quickly. Others like me lose it slow. Everyday is a healthier day as far as Im concerned.

[Geri Marie 235]

My surgeon has been doing this for 20+ years and the one thing he has said is only 48 grams of carbs, and 70 grams of Protein. No drinking while eating, and fruit.....later down the line...

[Sullie06 1,013]

Every surgeon/plan will be different. My advice is to follow your surgeons plan because you are under their medical supervision. My NUT has me on 1200-1500 calories and 90-100 grams of carbs with 70-100 grams of Protein right now but I'm almost 11 months out. I increased to those amounts over time.

As for the weight loss it will happen. Early out I was a very slow loser, I plateaued at 3 weeks for a couple weeks (typical 3 week stall) and I had lots of stalls in between surgery and 4 months. Then I had a period of very good weight loss for about 4 months and now I've been stalled for almost 2 months. It's frustrating and I hate seeing the scale go up (I'm bouncing between 185 and 190) but I am just sticking with it and trying to find the money spot to break the stall (increasing exercise, increasing calories, decreasing calories, decreasing carbs, etc).

I just remind myself that a year ago I was 275 pounds and miserable and that wasn't even my highest weight. Now I'm 185-190, 5'10" and wear a size 12! I might be frustrated as hell right now but I'm already healthier than I have been my entire adult life.

[acolebr1 18]

I’m 7weeks out today my sw 240, cw 224, I feel like I should have lost more

[Introversion 1,876]

On 11/14/2017 at 9:39 AM, acolebr1 said:

I’m 7weeks out today my sw 240, cw 224, I feel like I should have lost more

Which surgery did you have? Your profile indicates you have a lap band.