Feeling defeated 10 months post op

[ASteff 6]

I had VSG on 1/18/2022
SW 281
LW 219
CW 224
I am feeling so defeated, I feel like by now I should have lost more… I eat right, workout 3-4 days a week, I work full time as an RN in a busy emergency department 3-4 nights a week so my job is pretty active as well… I’m just pretty lost on why I’m such a slow loser. I haven’t lost anything since May, actually gained 5 lbs. I have met with my doctor and they referred me to a nutritionist which said to track everything and told me food wise I’m doing what I need to be doing and really didn’t offer much more advice. I do have PCOS and that’s always been a struggle with my weight but I have seen so many have success with PCOS post op as well. Has anyone hit a wall like this and has been able to get over it without having additional surgeries like bypass?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[Saxons 71]

This is so distressing for you. I have no good answers, but I do know of the same problem.

I had my VSG in 2018, so am over 4 years post surgery. I have lost 85 pounds, about 10 pounds from my goal. But I am happy enough with my progress.

Yet a colleague of mine had the same procedure, same surgeon, and yet has not only lost nothing, but gained 29 pounds!

We compared our pre diets. Mine was healthy, lots of fruit, vegetables, Protein, carbs etc. I didn't eat Desserts, not a fan of chocolate or sugar... my problem was portion size. It was way too big. I think I got used to serving a husband and 2 hungry sons! So the VSG was perfect for me because it limited my portion sizes of my pretty healthy diet. In addition, I did, and still do, suffer from dumping syndrome (unusual in VSG) so it discourages me from eating excess sugar or carbs.

On the other hand, my colleague was addicted to everything sweet and chocolate plus carbs. She snacked constantly, nibbled on chocolate all day long, and although her stomach size was small like mine, she was dripfeeding it all day long.

Have a really good look at your diet and what you are eating. Stick to the protein and veg. Honestly, I can't eat more than a palm size portion of beef or chicken. It can take me an hour to eat that plus a palm size portion of veggies. I can only eat half a banana or half an apple. I am just so full!

Edited October 2, 2022 by Saxons

[NovaLuna 710]

PCOS can cause issues and make you gain weight even when you're doing everything right. VSG is helpful for many women in helping basically re-set their system, but it doesn't do that for everyone, unfortunately. If I were you, I would talk to your surgeon's office and ask if there is anything that may help or maybe talk to your PCP or nutritionist to get some ideas on if there is anything you can do to re-start your weight loss. I hope things work out for you and I'm sorry you're having such a difficult time!

[summerseeker 2,142]

Just a random thought - If you are sure you are tracking your food strictly then OMG Is anyone sabotaging your food.

[ShoppGirl 4,790]

It could just be your PCOS, unfortunately. I just read another post of someone who had unexplained weight gain with it the other day. Try not to feel defeated or give up though. Even if you didn’t lose another pound which hopefully you will you are still better off than you were before surgery. Or at least that’s what I try to tell myself (I have bipolar and it’s similarly difficult for me to lose it all and keep it off because of the meds and depression).

I would keep asking the drs and nutritionist for advice and try what they are suggesting (hopefully something does work for you) but don’t be too hard on yourself if it doesn’t. I know that for me that if I hadn’t done surgery a year and a half ago I would probably be even heavier now than I was before I started all this (I was gaining about ten pounds a year) so the fact that I am somewhat smaller instead of even bigger is certainly better than nothing. I may not fit into my skinny jeans but at least my knees don’t hurt when I exercise like they were beginning to pre surgery.

Trust me, I know it doesn’t seem fair and it gets to me some days too but I just try my best to maintain what I have lost because I know that every pound I can keep off is better for my health. You are currently down 57 pounds!! That is definitely something you should be proud of and if I were you I would Celebrate that loss. Don’t just give up on losing the rest by any means, but at the same time don’t be too hard on yourself either. Our bodies and circumstances are all different. Try to focus on the non scale victories that I’m sure you have already seen with a 57 pound loss when it starts to get you down.

[armartin98 103]

I was sleeved 12/22/2021. Since starting weight I've only lost 45 lbs. I haven't lost weight in 3 months. I get about 800-1000 calories per day, go to the gym and walk every day. I will say even though I haven't lost weight in 3 months, I feel my clothes are fitting better and I'm buying smaller sizes.

I'm a little frustrated as well. I really don't know what the answer is. I just keep doing what I'm supposed to do and hope evidentially I will start loosing again. Good luck to you.

[SleeveToBypass2023 2,605]

13 hours ago, ASteff said:

I had VSG on 1/18/2022
SW 281
LW 219
CW 224
I am feeling so defeated, I feel like by now I should have lost more… I eat right, workout 3-4 days a week, I work full time as an RN in a busy emergency department 3-4 nights a week so my job is pretty active as well… I’m just pretty lost on why I’m such a slow loser. I haven’t lost anything since May, actually gained 5 lbs. I have met with my doctor and they referred me to a nutritionist which said to track everything and told me food wise I’m doing what I need to be doing and really didn’t offer much more advice. I do have PCOS and that’s always been a struggle with my weight but I have seen so many have success with PCOS post op as well. Has anyone hit a wall like this and has been able to get over it without having additional surgeries like bypass?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Literally me right now. I also have PCOS, and it is definitely sabotaging me. It makes you gain weight and then hangs on to it for dear life. As if the hormone, menstrual cycle, and fertility issues aren't enough, right?

[SleeveToBypass2023 2,605]

13 hours ago, ASteff said:

I had VSG on 1/18/2022
SW 281
LW 219
CW 224
I am feeling so defeated, I feel like by now I should have lost more… I eat right, workout 3-4 days a week, I work full time as an RN in a busy emergency department 3-4 nights a week so my job is pretty active as well… I’m just pretty lost on why I’m such a slow loser. I haven’t lost anything since May, actually gained 5 lbs. I have met with my doctor and they referred me to a nutritionist which said to track everything and told me food wise I’m doing what I need to be doing and really didn’t offer much more advice. I do have PCOS and that’s always been a struggle with my weight but I have seen so many have success with PCOS post op as well. Has anyone hit a wall like this and has been able to get over it without having additional surgeries like bypass?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Literally me right now. I also have PCOS, and it is definitely sabotaging me. It makes you gain weight and then hangs on to it for dear life. As if the hormone, menstrual cycle, and fertility issues aren't enough, right?

[Sunnyway 344]

Consider the possibility that you are a sugar/food addict and need to cut out things like sugar, flour, white potatoes, rice, and processed foods. I've been pretty successful at losing (despite frequent stalls) by following this. Due to complications my RNY>RNY revision was not successful so I have no volume restriction. I HAVE to record everything I eat. My clinic wants me to restrict myself to 800 kcal a day, but I struggle with cravings even though my body is getting sufficient sustenance. Cutting out the trigger foods (above), helps with the craving but I'm usually consuming around 1000-1200 kcal a day--and still slowly losing.

Here are some books I recommend.

[Arabesque 7,245]

So sorry you are experiencing this. Your PCOS is the likely suspect or at least a contributing factor to your struggles. Also check your medications. Many common meds are renown for resulting in weight gain.

There is not one diet/way of eating that works for everyone. So your nutritionist saying you eat healthily & gave you no other help is pretty poor. Like @Sunnyway, I made changes to what I eat. I did lots of reading. And as I was slowly introducing foods back into my diet, there were some I didn’t start eating again, some I started & dropped again. I really listened to my body & what it needed. There are foods/food types I avoid, others I restrict or reduce my intake.

Much like @Sunnyway, I cut out a lot of added sugar, artificial sweeteners & sugar alternatives (so no desserts, cakes, biscuits, sweets, etc.), little starch (no potatoes, bread, rice or pasta). General keep to fairly low processed foods prepping most of what I eat myself which allows me to control the ingredients & how it’s cooked. I eat some carbs - about 2 serves a day but whole or multi grains. But I found this is what works for me. I feel better: no bloating, less gas, more even energy levels, etc. Don’t really miss anything.

Eating this way works for me. It may not work for you. Question the nutritionist further - they are there to help you. You may benefit from a eating plan that incorporates aspects of anti inflammation diet, or to reduce foods naturally high in hormones (soy products, lot fed beef & chicken, etc.) There may be additives in more processed foods that are fighting your ability to lose weight too.* Again the nutritionalist should be able to advise you.

*- Watched a great documentary earlier this year which showed that a high processed food diet actually increases the hunger hormone in your body & decreases the hormone that tells you you’ve had enough. Gracious knows what they do to your other hormones.

[Cpach81 18]

I've read before you can restart your sleeve by going back on a liquid diet for 5 days. I had a sleeve 7 years ago and just updated to a bypass 4 weeks ago an I can tell you when I had to do my liquid diet again, I dropped weight FAST. Like 12lbs in a week! Almost to the point where I questioned if I even wanted to have another surgery. In the end it was better for me to have it, but maybe that might help you.

[ASteff 6]

Thank you all so much for advice and your input, I do follow a low carb diet due to insulin resistance with PCOS. I think that unfortunately I may be kinda stuck here, I’ll keep following the plan and hope and pray for some movement in the right direction but I think for my mental health it’s not helping to beat myself up every week that the scale has stopped moving.. cause it hasn’t moved in 5 months…. I’m happier now at my 220lbs than I was at the 289 lbs before surgery so I think to give myself a little mental break I need to figure out how to be more positive about the small success I have had over the last 10 months. Focusing on the “not good enough” mindset has really triggered my depression and sense of self hate again and I definitely don’t want to get back to that where I need medications to get out of bed daily because those depression meds made me gain a ton. Gotta try and find some positivity somewhere right?
Thanks!