Am I being UnRealistic?

Marissa's Mom · May 5, 2008

I had my surgery on 04/11 and I have lost approximately 13 pounds since that day. For some reason in my head I believe I should have lost more weight by now. I am a big girl and I have read postings regarding peoples big weight loss numbers early on I am feeling a little discouraged.

I know I need to get over it but just needed to say it to someone.... :wink2:

TulipStar · May 5, 2008

13 lbs is great!!

I only lost 14 lbs by 5 weeks post op (and started to gain some back before my first fill). You are right on track. Don't compare yourself to others!

Would you have lost the 14 lbs any other way in just 3 weeks? I don't think so! :wink2:

LisaB411 · May 5, 2008

I was banded the same day you were. I've lost 31 pounds total, included the pre-op diet, and about 20 pounds since the actual surgery. Everyone is different and a lot of the initial weight is Water. Remember your body has gone through a lot in the last month, and most doctors don't expect dramatic or even steady weight loss before the first fill. You are doing great!

wildercrews · May 5, 2008

I lost 12 pounds since my Apr 14 surgery date. Everyone is different. Be encourage and remember the Band is tool for weight lost. The weight lost will come.

Grammy in Columbus

hope2bhealthy · May 5, 2008

i was banded on 3/31. i gained about 5 lbs from swelling after the surgery. about the end of the first week, i dropped those 5 lbs plus about 10 more in 3 days. i thought, hell yeah, this is awesome. then it slowed down tremendously. since that first initial drop, i've sort of lost in slow spurts. it took me 3 more weeks to lose the next 5 lbs. and i would go up and down on the scale (i weigh daily). up 2 lbs down 2 lbs for 3 weeks. then, bam, a week ago i lost again for several days in a row, and now i'm down another 5 lbs.

on the one hand, i was really frustrated because i felt stuck. on the other, i haven't had a fill yet, so i honestly haven't been too worried about not losing too fast. besides, 20 lbs in 5 weeks is pretty damn good by any standards. of course, the most frustrating part is that just about ever time that i've mini-plateaued then wake up 2 lbs down, it comes when i've eaten pizza and laid around on the couch the day before. :confused2: if only laying around and eating pizza and cookie dough had worked for me before, i'd be a model now and several thousand dollars richer.

so, don't get too frustrated if you aren't losing as fast as you expected. 13 lbs is 13 lbs.

Marissa's Mom · May 5, 2008

Thank all of you that have responded :wink2:

Bozzj · May 5, 2008

Thank all of you that have responded :thumbup:

are you exercising? i just started to do a jenny craig 1.5 in home walking tape with weights (light) and i noticed that's when it started to come off more. this tape is 20 min. long which is perfect for me now because it's hard for me to exercise.

MrsFlipFlops · May 5, 2008

I get frustrated too when I start comparing myself to other people. I get envious and annoyed at myself. Don't do that to yourself. I'm learning to only compare me to me. This is way better than what I would have done pre surgery... and still within the 1-2 pounds a week! I struggle too with the same problem and it's a constant battle of the minds! :thumbup: Good luck.

juliegeraci · May 5, 2008

Sounds just about right. 1-2 lbs per week. Welceom to bandland.

Marissa's Mom · May 5, 2008

are you exercising? i just started to do a jenny craig 1.5 in home walking tape with weights (light) and i noticed that's when it started to come off more. this tape is 20 min. long which is perfect for me now because it's hard for me to exercise.

I actually am...this is even surprising to me. I have had an elliptical maching in my living room that has been used to drying hang up clothes for a year...now it is being used for exercise...yeah! :thumbup:

Pix · May 5, 2008

Honey you are not even a month out, 14lbs is awesome. Pat yourself on the back for the 14lbs!! Don't think of it as not enough, or some such, you are doing great!!!

Look at it this way, you are loosing 1/2lb a day. That is amazing not slow.

Skinny2Be · May 6, 2008

Hi - I had my surgery a week after you so we're pretty much in sync. I've also lost about the same as you - maybe 2lbs more (but I'm a guy so I naturally burn more calories in a day) so I think you're doing really well!

It's also worth remembering that it's impossible to lose 10lbs of fat in a week or two. The weight is mostly just Water coming off in the early stages.

So it could be that you don't have so much Water to shed and the weight you're losing is all fat! As long as the weight is coming off at a pound or two every week then all will be fine.

Keep it up! It's a long road not a five minute fix, so we'll all get there in the end!

mstrina27 · May 7, 2008

I had my surgery on 04/11 and I have lost approximately 13 pounds since that day. For some reason in my head I believe I should have lost more weight by now. I am a big girl and I have read postings regarding peoples big weight loss numbers early on I am feeling a little discouraged.
I know I need to get over it but just needed to say it to someone....

Actually I have read other post with people loosing more weight myself.. Are you following the instructions you were given by your Dr's office if not i would get back to that.... I would not eat what others are eating.. just because it can go down dosent mean u should eat it....not saying that u are doing that...

tls5799 · May 7, 2008

I had my surgery on 04/11 and I have lost approximately 13 pounds since that day. For some reason in my head I believe I should have lost more weight by now. I am a big girl and I have read postings regarding peoples big weight loss numbers early on I am feeling a little discouraged.
I know I need to get over it but just needed to say it to someone.... :cursing:

I am feeling the same way you are. Tomorrow will be the start of my 4t week out of surgery and I got on the scale this morning and I lost nothing this week. How is that? I am doing exactly what the doc says to do and nothing. I am discouraged but I am not going to let it get me down. I went to the follow up appt on Friday and I was doing fine they said, I went to my primary care doctor who also had the surgery in March and she is down 40lbs. Go figure. She found out that I was dehydrated bad and told me to drink more liquids. So it's not Fluid. Just like the other post reads, we are doing just fine. Keep up the good work.

kbinaz · May 8, 2008

You are not being unrealistic, but it might be a good idea to set your goals a little lower, because you have lost a reasonable amount of weight for where you are post-op and it might actually slow down a bit. Then again it might not! Everyone is so different. What people need to remember is that the band is really meant to allow you to lose 5-10 pounds a month. That should be everyone's goal. I am a very slow loser and am barely at 5 pounds a month. When you see people on here losing way more than that it can be discouraging, but keep in mind that for every person that is losing incredibly quickly there are those of us who aren't and those losing slower are probably more normal. I lost 12 pounds the week after surgery and then it slowed down considerably. It picked up again once I hit my sweet spot. The point is it averages out over the long run. Try not to be discouraged over what you think you should be losing. And try to keep in mind that this is a marathon, not a sprint!