Slowing Down 😶‍🌫️

[Bypass2Freedom 821]

On 12/14/2024 at 3:46 AM, Arabesque said:

I remember my weight loss slowed so much around months 5 & 6 I was losing grams/ounces a week @Bypass2Freedom. I never thought I would hit my goal - it was hellish frustrating to be so close yet so far in my mind. Yet I did and then continued to lose 11kgs more for another 11 months at various rates. So don’t give up. Do remember though that if you reduce your calorie intake to reduce your weight more you will have to continue to eat less than you are now to maintain the lower weight. You never know the weight you will stabilise at and you can maintain. You can stay your oath or make some adjustments and see what happens. Oh, and don’t forget you can still experience stalks along the way nit just at the beginning.

PS Check out a basal metabolic rate calculator. They’re not perfect much like a BMI calculator but might give you an idea of whether you are eating less than you need to maintain your current weight & the activity you are doing. If you are consuming less than they say you need you should keep losing.

It is definitely that feeling! It really has slowed down, and don't get me wrong, fully expected & accepted! I am still going to the gym and still eating well etc (though definitely need to drink more water) - It just feels like I am so close to my 1st goal yet so far away 😂 Thank you for your advice though, and sharing your experience - it is really insightful ❤️

I will definitely have a look at that!

[Bypass2Freedom 821]

15 hours ago, ShoppGirl said:

Ooh and just be sure not to do what I did after my sleeve. I got all the way down to 18 pounds from my goal and I felt like such a failure that I let it derail me. Hopefully you will keep losing and don’t stop trying BUT, also have in the back of your mind that you have already done incredible and are far more healthy than you were even if you don’t reach this arbitrary number. I have a girl in my in person bariatric support group who did the same thing over TWO POUNDS. Our brains are very powerful and it’s great to strive for a goal but also be flexible and not crazy like I was and think it was a total waste and throw it all away. After I gained it all back plus some I would have done anything to be 168 or 178 again. Granted the sleeve was not appropriate for me and I probably wouldn’t have maintained at the 178 I bounced back to for long anyways, but I’m just saying that I gave up far too easily. Just a word of caution from someone who made that mistake.

Thank you for reminding me of how far I have come so far I definitely will keep on track - one good thing about being Autistic is that I find it almost impossible to deviate from the "rules", so I still haven't had sugar or fizzy or anything I was told I initially couldn't have 😂 I am too scared I think 🤔

You've come so far though, and you haven't given up which is honestly inspiring!

[Bypass2Freedom 821]

12 hours ago, Spinoza said:

Things absolutely do slow down, for the reasons the others have said. I lost almost 10 stones with my sleeve, half my starting weight. 9 stones of that was in the first year post op (with many stalls towards the end that made me think I was done) and 1 stone was in the subsequent 9 or 10 months. In the last few months I was honestly losing half a pound a month or less. It's fascinating looking back.

The concept I am most happy to have learned on this board is that of a new set point. Once I knew that our bodies can decide early after surgery what weight it now wants to maintain, I felt less like the driver and more like a passenger who could sit back and just enjoy the ride. No actually - not quite sit back - follow the rules strictly to enable the smooth journey to my new set point.

Mine ended up a bit lower than my 'goal' (plucked out of thin air) weight. Lots of people's seem to end up much higher. All of this is fine if we can make our peace with it.

I get the feeling you have much more to squeeze out of your procedure @Bypass2Freedom. I do understand the frustration when you're following the rules to the letter but not losing. It's steps and stairs always - never a linear loss (well not for me). You're doing this.

I am hoping I still have a while left of losing! My initial goal is to get to 12 stone, which is just about 17 lbs to go I think...12 stone was the lowest I had ever weighed in my adult life when I was at university, though I didn't stay that weight for long before I ballooned to 20st+!

Then I have a new goal set for after that, maybe 10 stone IF I can get there, but we will see. I'd like to see how I feel back at that 1st goal!

I like the way you are looking at it though - the fact that really our bodies have a lot of control over this, and the rate of losing and where it is comfy. It is probably time I start respecting my body rather than forcing it (and sometimes failing) to do what I want 😅

Thank you for the reassurance ❤️

[Bypass2Freedom 821]

7 hours ago, lily06 said:

I just had a check up with my surgeon and he told me the weight loss slows down at the 6 month mark, then at 12 months and then usually stalls around 18 months post op.

I’m 8 months post up and I have definitely noticed the weight loss has slowed to 3kg (6lbs) a month. But i also noticed it’s motivated me in my choices: I’m so much more mindful in the sense that i catch myself choosing entirely willingly to eat more Protein for example or to just say no to that Christmas chocolate someone’s offering - and knowing my weight loss is slower means I am even more conscious of the impact of « bad decisions » so it’s actually kind of a good thing.
Almost like preparing for the future I guess

But anyways yes it’s normal to see the loss slow down but put a positive spin on it

My surgeon actually told me there’s and « anorexiogenic » side to WLS that can be dangerous - kinda like being addicted to seeing that number go down. So he prônes putting the scale away and weighing in once a month from 6 months post op onwards to make sure we don’t mess with our mental health

Yeah it is definitely normal for it to slow - and a good thing to remind us of the priorities when it comes to eating etc! Definitely good prep for the future

I can see how that is a thing - I definitely weigh myself far far less than I used to in the earlier day of surgery, but I still find myself on that scale maybe 3-4 times per week! I need to perhaps take a step back and get the tape measure out instead and just weigh in once a month as you say!

[NeonRaven8919 478]

I set a my goal for what the BMI chart considers "normal", but really, I just want to get down to a UK 12 dress size. That was a size I just skipped over. I went straight from teenage sizes to size 16. I've been overweight all my life.

When I feel like I'm stalling, I tend to panic and think I've failed and I'm trying to stop that so I take my measurements and remind myself how far I've come even if the numbers don't match what I wish they did.

[Lilia_90 515]

I don't know if I'm a good example, but I'll share my experience anyway.

I reached goal at 3 months, but continued to lose until about 9.5 months, stabilized for nearly 3 months before losing a bit of weight again now (12 months postop exactly). I lost most of my weight in the first 4 months, then a total of 10 kgs in the next 5.

If we look strictly at my journey then my weight loss and stabilization happened early on, however, if we look at how much (context) then it makes sense. I lost around 38 kilos starting at a BMI of 33. Will I lose more weight? Maybe, Maybe not.

Now, everything about my journey has been fast, the weight loss has been intense and rapid, my restriction was(is) the bane of my existence, and during the first 4 months I barely ate to survive.

I learned that that is not the case with everyone, I have seen people who were able to eat much more than I did and lose a ton of weight, some people ate little and lost weight very slowly, I heard stories where people continued losing for 24 months post op.

Your diet is the most important factor and exactly how much you eat, your activity and your new metabolism will determine when you stop losing and what weight you stabilize at. As long as you are conscious about what your intake is and maintaining some level of activity (that is sustainable for you in the long run), I don't see why you won't reach your goal, but when depends of the former factors.

Another thing is, what gets measured gets managed. While I'm not a fan of obsessive tracking, keeping an eye on your weight and caloric intake can really help you stay accountable and understand what needs to be tweaked, added or omitted.

I say, don't sweat it and don't compare yourself or your progress to anyone. Also, life is too short to live in anxiety and fear, if you lost weight then that is already a win, I feel we get so hung up on a certain number or BMI or percentage or size forgetting that living in fear and anxiety is the worst way to exist, no matter what our body fat percentage is.

And, Well done on your success so far!

Edited December 19, 2024 by Lilia_90

[Mspretty86 337]

I'm 8 months almost 9 months post opp and have stalled for a month. I'm like maybe 20 pounds from goal weight. I'm not going to stress about it! I hear it happens often and I dropped hella weight extremely fast with all my exercise I do daily. I also started strength training and I know muscle weighs more than fat. I'm gonna give a update in a few months to see where I'm at. I am in a freaking size 12 jeans BTW never f%]%>] Thought I'd ever see that number again! Obesity is a lifelong DISEASE! We got a lifetime! We GOT THIS!

Edited December 26, 2024 by Mspretty86

[learn2cook 587]

On 12/16/2024 at 02:55, Bypass2Freedom said:

Yeah it is definitely normal for it to slow - and a good thing to remind us of the priorities when it comes to eating etc! Definitely good prep for the future

I can see how that is a thing - I definitely weigh myself far far less than I used to in the earlier day of surgery, but I still find myself on that scale maybe 3-4 times per week! I need to perhaps take a step back and get the tape measure out instead and just weigh in once a month as you say!

I kept loosing until the 2yr 4 months mark. Stuff will get very stressful at work and extra pounds just peel off. Extra holiday foods come in and pounds go on (a bit). You will loose weight as long as you’re in a deficit. You are doing great. Also, there’s a reason doctors no longer tell terminal patients that they have x amount to live, because it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Your new intestinal system will work for you even in maintenance. It honestly keeps working. You got this!

[BlondePatriotInCDA 511]

On 12/26/2024 at 4:48 PM, learn2cook said:

I kept loosing until the 2yr 4 months mark. Stuff will get very stressful at work and extra pounds just peel off. Extra holiday foods come in and pounds go on (a bit). You will loose weight as long as you’re in a deficit. You are doing great. Also, there’s a reason doctors no longer tell terminal patients that they have x amount to live, because it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Your new intestinal system will work for you even in maintenance. It honestly keeps working. You got this!

Great way to look at it, thank you - I'll keep telling myself this, especially since I only have two months until my 18 month check in and don't think I'll "make goal" before my clinic visit.

[Mspretty86 337]

@NeonRaven8919before and after photos also help. I take a lot of those. Obesity plays a number on our psyche. We feel we haven't lost a lot or done well when we have. I look at my before and afters often like damn girl you did the work. Continue forward lol