Could I ALREADY be a failure???

I weighed in at my PCP yesterday and have lost a 'whopping' 13 lbs in the five weeks since surgery. I'm so frustrated that I don't seem to be losing as fast as most people do. I'm drinking water like crazy, eat LOTS of protein, and I've been going to the gym 3-4 times a week for the last two weeks. What's wrong with me??? At my one week appt, I had actually GAINED a pound! Now, before surgery I had lost 36 lbs in the two months prior. I think I was doing better without surgery. Has anyone else experienced weight loss this slow, this early out? By the way, I had NO idea this forum existed until today...how cool!

Leslie, Did you take measurements before surgery? If so, have you taken them again lately?? You may be redistributing and building muscle if you are working out regularly. Just an idea.... Va

Leslie - Welcome to the board. I was just reading your profile and saw you got the DS. I had considered that one as well, but didn't have the choice where I went. I am wondering a couple of things....first you lost a lot of weight before surgery, so the weight you lost recently is on top of that. Your body may be having a hard time catching up with all that went on. Additionally, you may have had some gain right after surgery - many people do. I know with the DS patients there is a malabsorption, but I also do know a couple people in my local support group who have had them. One is at a standstill on his weight loss. What I know about him is that he is a chef and enjoys cooking. He chose the DS so he could enjoy full fat foods without compromise. I think though that although there is a malabsporption with this, that it can't keep up if you pu**** too much. I am not suggesting this is the case with you, but this is what I've seen with this other man. He is getting sullen because of the lack of weight loss. Just like with any wls, it's not a magic bullett. I wonder if since you say you are eating a LOT of protein if you are maybe getting too much protein w/fat? I know your stomach is also bigger than our pouches tend to be (although I have a large 4 oz pouch), so I know you can fit more in. Also, don't forget that muscle weighs more than fat, so you may be losing inches when you aren't losing pounds. What I would recommend is putting your info in on fitday.com and start looking at what you are eating and how much. It will calculate for you how many calories you are taking in and you might find you are right on track and just stalled, or you may find that you are getting more calories than you originally thought. If you are doing Atkins right now you might indeed stall because it's just a little too high in fat content. I love Atkins, but with these surgeries, I think it needs to be modified slightly. One of my tricks is to eat low-carb veggies w/no or very little fat first and then have the protein and then carbs. My tum gets filled of veggies quickly, so it helps keep my calories down. It's a departure from my days of counting carbs, but I think it helps a lot. I know I wouldn't be losing as much if I was eating full on low-carb right now. I would be just packing in too many calories. Good luck and let us know if you figure out the source of your stall. When was the last time you lost weight, btw? Was it recent or has the stall been going on for awhile? Dina

The first weight we lose is kind of like low-hanging fruit. It includes water weight loss and the last-in first-out fat. It is typical to stall after losing this. It sounds like you may have been at this point from dieting when you had surgery. Plus they fill you with IV fluids. The surgery has taken you past the stall and you may move into the next losing phase from here. Dina and Virginia gave some excellent points to consider. I really don't know anything about DS surgery, so there may be some differences there. What does your surgeon say? Joy -32 lbs (6 weeks)

First of all - welcome to our board. We are a great group of people (if I do say so myself!). We are totally here for each other through good days and bad, through cravings and plateaus. We greet you with open (yet flabby!) arms! You and I share the same struggle. I'm 4 weeks post op and have hovered around 13 - 14 pounds since the surgery. Now, I didn't even try to lose any before surgery, in fact, I was eating everything in sight! Tomorrow is my one month anniversary and I'm officially weighing and measuring. I hope to have good news! Again, welcome and try to look at the big picture (no pun intended!). We're in this for the long haul. Our bodies didn't get this way overnight, and we aren't going to lose it overnight. Hang in there, and when you need support, we're here! -Wendy

ME TOO I am losing very slowly and it is frustrating.. andie