Overwhelmed by Worry

[Justarwaxx 60]

Hi Ladies,

I’m almost 6 weeks post-op from my gastric bypass. I started at 109.5 kg, and now I’m at 98.6 kg, so I’ve lost about 10 kg. While my nurse and doctor mentioned that I could’ve lost more by now, they said it’s still not bad. Honestly, it didn’t make me feel great, but a loss is a loss, right?

I find myself comparing my progress with others, mostly with sleeve patients, which I know isn’t fair. So, I’m here in the bypass forum to hear from others with success stories. Shouldn't the most weight loss happen in the first 2-3 months, and then it slows down? Right now, I’m losing around 1 kg per week, which I know is healthy, but I keep feeling like I should be losing more, and then I panic, wondering if I’m overeating.

I’m on a 1200-calorie plan with 8-10 small meals a day. I haven’t been able to stick to the 10 meals, but I do my best to hit 8, and they’re all balanced. My workout routine has been almost non-existent, but I joined the gym TODAY, so that will change!

I just need some reassurance that I WILL lose the weight and that I’m not going to fail like I have in the past with weight loss.

[Bypass2Freedom 519]

Hey!

I think the important thing to remember here is that everyone is different, and at 6 weeks you are still quite early on post-op and your body is likely still healing

The weight loss will happen for the first 18 months according to my surgeon, regardless of the rate of losing, so just know you are on the right track, and a loss of 10kg is absolutely amazing!

Celebrate your wins, be kind to yourself, you are doing great

[catwoman7 11,168]

you are fine. Most people seem to lose somewhere in the 7 - 11 kg (or 15-25 lb) during the first MONTH, and you've lost 10 kg in six weeks, so you're absolutely in the normal range. I lost 16 lbs (7 kg) the first month, so I was probably exactly where you are at six weeks out. I went on to lose over 90 kg (200 lbs). (you will always find people who lose less or more than the range I stated, but they're either outliers, or they started out at MUCH higher BMI's than most of us have - such as the people on shows like "My 600 lb Life"). Your nurse and doctor are fools. I had a resident tell me the same thing when I was a few weeks out, and I wish that jerk could see me now!! I'm sure I lost much more weight than most, if not all, of the people who went through the program when I did!

rule #1 with this is; don't compare yourself to others! Your rate of weight loss depends on so many things, only a couple of which you have much control over. Age, gender, metabolic rate, what percentage of your body weight is muscle, genetics, starting BMI, whether or not you lost a lot of weight before surgery, diet, and activity rate are all factors. How much you're eating and how active you are are really the only things you have control over. Do well with those, and the weight will come off, whether fast or slow. But don't forget - 10 kg is six weeks is completely normal. Just carry on and don't listen to foolish crap like this.

EDITED to add: I lost weight for 20 lbs. Yes the first month tends to produce more loss than following months, but just like with regular diets, that's because some of it is Water weight. One kg a week is pretty normal after the first month - but that'll gradually drop as you approach a normal BMI.

Edited 2 hours ago by catwoman7

[ShoppGirl 4,413]

22 pounds in 6 weeks is awesome!! How many times have you lost almost 4 pounds (1.8kg) a week on any diet in your life or been able to stick with it for six weeks? Seriously, you really have to work just as hard at the mental part as you do at the physical. The mental meaning stay away from the scale as much as possible, and don’t compare yourself to other people because their situation is entirely unique like others have mentioned even if someone had the same starting weight as you you don’t know their age their activity levels, there medical history, all of that plays a role in it. I have seen people on here who have continued to lose beyond 18 months even. Like any other obstacle in life keep your focus on the aspects that you actually have control over and try not to worry about things you don’t.. Congrats on joining the gym, big step. I really hope adding more movement makes you feel as amazing as it has for me. I am still concerned about the weight part obviously but I’m telling you that feeling as good as I do, I’m not focused on it nearly as much.

Edited 2 hours ago by ShoppGirl

[NickelChip 1,138]

Hey there! I had bypass back in February. My best advice is to ignore other people's stats and focus on you. I, too, was worried about my progress, but 7 months in, I am still losing weight and just bought jeans in a size I have not worn since I was 22 years old (I am 50 now). Here is how it went for me, just so you can see one example, but we are all different.

Starting weight: 251 lbs (BMI 40.5 as I am 5'6" tall)

Pre-surgery loss (over 6 months): -12.2lbs (this was from nutrition changes)

2 week liquid diet: -15.4lbs

Month 1: -8.2lbs

Month 2: -10.8lbs

Month 3: -3.8lbs

Month 4: -11.0lbs

Month 5: -3.4lbs

Month 6: -5.2lbs

Month 7: -3.6lbs

So far in month 8: -2.2lbs

Today's weight: 175.2lbs (BMI 28.3)

My goal is to lose another 20lbs in the next 5-6 months, which would be 3-4 lbs per month. That would get me to a "normal" BMI of under 30 and would be about the same weight I was when I was 18 years old.

[BigSue 1,336]

I know it’s easier said than done, but don’t be in a rush and don’t compare yourself to others. It’s not a race or competition. Everyone has different circumstances and factors affecting rate of weight loss. For example, the more excess weight you have, the faster it comes off, so you can’t expect to lose as quickly as some who started 50 kg higher than you.

i know most of us go down the path of WLS because we are fed up with being obese and we are desperate to lose the weight after a lot other attempts. Of course we want it to happen as fast as possible. But here’s something to consider. WLS makes it virtually impossible to fail at losing a significant amount of weight. That’s the “honeymoon period” for about the first year after surgery and almost everyone has amazing results. What really matters, though, is what comes after the honeymoon period. It is heartbreaking to see people go through all of this to lose 100+ pounds only to regain it. It doesn’t matter how fast you reach your goal weight if you don’t stay there. You have a whole lifetime ahead of you, decades, to enjoy your new chance at life. Trust me, in 20 years, you won’t care how many pounds you lost in the first month or two or six.

Don’t worry about how fast of slow you’re losing now. Keep following the program and you will lose a lot of weight. Set your sights on the rest of your life, everything you will get to experience in your new body, and how you will keep it.

[catwoman7 11,168]

2 hours ago, catwoman7 said:

EDITED to add: I lost weight for 20 lbs. Yes the first month tends to produce more loss than following months, but just like with regular diets, that's because some of it is Water weight. One kg a week is pretty normal after the first month - but that'll gradually drop as you approach a normal BMI.

P.S. I meant I lost weight for 20 MONTHS, not lbs! Can't believe I didn't catch this!