I am so frustrated . . .

According to the equation that I have seen posted on OH you should lose 20% of your excess body weight each month - I did a spread sheet of what this would look like for me and I am behind. By now, at 6 months out I should be weighing around 158 - that would be around 89 pounds lost. So far I am only down 75 pounds. I guess overall that is not so bad but here is the kicker. On May 29 I was 178.5 I have been stuck in the 170's for so long now; I'm disgusted. Today I was still 171.6 - that is only 6.9 pounds in 39 days. I think I will try the plateau buster and drink mostly protein shakes for awhile. I have been exercising regularly - 3 miles every other day. Maybe I need to do more cardio? I lift weights on my off days. I eat about 800 - 1000 calories per day. But, I know that part of my calories choice involve too many carbs. Anyway, I wanted to get in the 160's by my birthday July 12th. I've got 5 days to loose 3.5 pounds. I hope I can do it.

Marilyn: How do I figure out my excess weight? Is there somewhere on here we can put in figures. I've always been curious how much I should be losing. I don't get my head around figures or comparing to others. I just like to make my own personal mini goals, like getting under 200's, then a smaller clothes size, becoming more active etc and it's worked for me. Now I think I'd like to find out how much I should lose or be losing. I don't even know what my goal weight should be, my surgeon and I have never discussed it. BTW I want to congratulate you on your 75 pounds loss. That is a loss you should be proud of. I hope you reach your goal before your birthday if not, it will come eventually I'm sure. Debbie G 303/195/150?

Debbie, Thanks for the congrats. I am thankful how far I've come to date. I just did a spreadsheet in Excel and calculated my excess using my weight at time of surgery less my goal weight of 130. Since I was wanting to lose 104 pounds I took 20% of that - 20.8 pounds for the first month and so on. See below. End of Excess 20% Total Loss Projected Weight Actual Weight Month 1 104 20.8 20.8 213.2 215.4 2/6/2007 Month 2 83.2 16.64 37.4 196.6 203.5 3/6/2007 Month 3 66.56 13.312 50.8 183.2 192 4/10/2007 Month 4 53.248 10.6496 61.4 172.6 185 5/8/2007 Month 5 42.5984 8.51968 69.9 164.1 175.8 6/12/2007 Month 6 34.07872 6.815744 76.7 157.3 7/10/2007 Month 7 27.262976 5.4525952 82.2 151.8 8/7/2007 I think my doctor's goal weight for me is around 150. When I used the estimator on OH that is mentioned below. That is what they used also. So according to that calculation I guess I am ahead of the curve. It really all boils down to my own expectations. Of course, like everyone I am move motivated the more I lose and a slow down tends to be discouraging. But, I'm better off than when I started and I know it will continue.

wow that's hard to read - if you want me to e-mail it to you I can.

Just curious since I haven't ever heard about the 20 percent thing. My surgeon has a different philosophy. How much weight does your doctor want you to lose in all? Katy B

Have you looked at the weight loss estimator on this site? I think it takes into the factor that as you get further out you will have less than 20% of weight loss than the beginning. Using your formula, I should loose 69 lbs by 5 months, but according to the OH Weight loss estimator, I should have only lost 61 lbs by 5 months. I have lost just over 73 lbs. Using the weight loss estimator, I am ahead of the normal weight loss progress. If I use the 20% then I would be behind. I hope this helps ease the frustration. Go to My OH, then on the left hand corner at the bottom, look for the weight loss estimator. I have used this since the beginning and it's been very close to accurate for me. This past month I got ahead of schedule because I was trying hard to get to a certain goal for my 40th birthday. Best wishes! Lindy

I'm not sure about the 20% figure, but OH has a calculator that will give you an idea of where you should be at each month interval to reach your goal. To see their calculation click on MY OH and then in the first box on the left of your screen in the "about obesity" section click on weight loss estimator. Enter your starting weight and your height and use 100% as your percentage of weight loss. This will show you where you should be each month along your journey in order to lose 100% of your excess weight to meet your ideal body weight/BMI. I personally only lose about 6-8 lbs per month and am in the same weight class as you, and am right on target. Maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised.

OMG...I just read this and I went to the OH estimator evrybody was talking about and Im way behind!! I thought I was doing good going from 367 to 260, but according to the estimator I should be at 216!!!! I wish!! Now Im really worried that im doing something wrong. This sucks! Mary

Mary, Remember everyone's weight loss is different. This is just an estimator. Therefore, maybe there are other tools that are better at indicating to you where you should be. You have lost well over a 100 lbs and that is incredibly awesome. Keep your chin up darling and use your tool to continue to guide you down the path of weight loss. Hugs, Lindy

Mary - I'm sorry to open this can of worms for you. Losing 100 pounds is an awesome accomplishment. I love the warning on the estimator - Warning: The figures below represent just one possible typical outcome. Your loss could vary greatly. - Everyone does lose differently, hang in there!