Question:
Discouraged and depressed!

I will be 4 wks post op on Monday.... I have only lost 17 lbs so far. I was sure I'd lose at least 25 or so. I am eating 2-3 oz 3 times a day, I am trying to get in my water and I am doing pretty good on protein. Not exercising yet... Should I worry or will it soon enough come off???? My starting bmi was 43... I lost the first 15 lbs the first 2 wks and haven't lost much since. what could I be doing wrong... please help!!!! I didn't think I should be hitting a plateau this early on? Did anyone else start like this?    — ymparfait (posted on March 23, 2006)

March 23, 2006
Yvette, I has the rny surgery 4 mos . ago and I am now down 62lbs. That came with being vigilant in drinking my water (64oz a day or more) getting in my protein and doing the mini meals as instucted. If you surgeon gives you the ok, you need to start implementing your cardio exercises and make sure you're supplements as well. Don't fret, if you incorporate all of these components the weight will come off darlin! But make sure that you are doing all of these things as part of your regimen. Good Luck sweetie! Robin. S
   — robin.s2000

March 23, 2006
You are doing fine. Your body needs to ajust. Some times you will lose a lot some times you won't. I had mine 10/25/05 and I remember when I hit amy first Plateau I freeked out. But I did start loseing two weeks after that. You will to. Congeats:}
   — bntfive

March 23, 2006
Hi..I am 3 years post op. How I lost my weight was only once a month on the scale. My body was adjusting and getting smaller but the scale only seemed to move once a month. Big leaps at a time too! Keep the faith..you will do just fine.
   — KellyL

March 23, 2006
YVETTE DONT FEEL DEDPRESSED I ONLY LOST 58LB AND I AM 4MONTHS POST-UP EVEN ROBIN IS DOING BETTER THEN ME. YOU ARE DOING FINE GOOD LUCK TO YOU. BEFORE YOU KNOW IT YOU WILL LOOK SO GOOD YOUR GOING TO BE SUPRISED.
   — evienicole

March 23, 2006
Don't think about it. Just keep busy, and keep plugging along. Maybe you've hit a plateau. For that you know you just keep drinking water, and then don't forget to walk. Don't worry things will get better. The more you think about it, the more you're going to get upset.
   — kublai92

March 23, 2006
If you were mine, I'd tell you that you're in the 4 wk blues period. I say roughly 4 days, 4 weeks or 4 months. The "why did I do this?" stage. I've only known a few ppl who did not experience the first pause in loss at about 3 wks or so. It's probably NOT you, but just the road your body is taking. Keep drinking plenty of water (as in water), as that encourages your body to shed fatty tissue. I got stingy with water and gained 5# at 2 wks! DUH. My body thought we were in panic mode so shut off the wt loss instantly and started hoarding for the "drought" I had created. My progress seems to have been like many others: step-rest-step-rest. The steps can be UP toward success or DOWN toward wt loss, whichever fits your brain better. So, like any steps, there are landings where you pause to breathe, orient yourself. So, consider this one of your rests. Add 8 oz of water and start your steps again. BTW, the closer to the end I got, the longer the rests and the shorter the steps, but I still got here.
   — vitalady

March 23, 2006
Yvette, don't worry about how much weight you've lost as of now. Bodies can react all funny to surgery and the weight may just be coming off slower on you than on others. The first week I lost a ton of weight (19 pounds) but for the entire month I only lost 25 pounds. So in those three weeks I'd only lost 6 pounds, which isn't a whole lot. I'm just five months post op now and I'm down 78 pounds. Just drink LOTS of water, take your vitamins, eat your protein and start on a cadio/weight lifting workout 5 days a week. Don't slack, work out and get your new life working for you and you'll find few plateaus, if any. I definitely have started to plateau for a few weeks at a time, but then a week later I'm down another 4 pounds or so. It all catches up and you will definitely lose more weight. Fret not! Congrats on your recent surgery!
   — SJSlesnick

March 23, 2006
Yvette- hang in there things need to adjust- are you at least taking walks- try for 3-4 10-15 min walks per day- the surgery is a shock to your system and your body just hasn't adjusted yet.
   — dabby

March 23, 2006
Do yourself a favor and hide the scale in a closet for at least a few months. Your body is still adjusting and you can drive yourself crazy by obsessing on the numbers. As long as you follow you doctor's instructions, you will lose. You will notice that clothes are getting looser, everyday tasks start to become easier (putting on socks, tying shoes, etc). At this point, just get weighed when you go for your follow up appointments. Hopefully you will be shocked by what you see at that time. If not, then your doctor will be right there to help you figure out what, if anything you need to change to speed up the process. Give it time, don't drive yourself crazy,You will succeed!
   — cindizzy

March 24, 2006
Yvette hang in there I'm 4 weeks Post-op myself. But my BMI was over 70. I've lost 52lbs so for, but I know depending on body size it depends how fast you loose. Drink the 64oz of water a day, take your proteins as recommends, also vitamins. Try increasing activity levels like walking say for 30 minutes brisky daily or what pace you can tolerate. You need to get your heart rate up this will allow your weight to start dropping again. Since I've been sick the last few days I've noticed that my weight has slowed down to a crawl now. Don't give up yet. You've come a long way to get here.
   — Deborah Joyner

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