Discouraged.... losing heart

OKAY..... . I have tried to remain positive and upbeat, but it's not working. I had surgery on the 28th of March.....gained 15 pds. Lost that 15 plus 5 more in a week. Since then my scales have fluctuated to indicate everything from a 10 pd loss to a 5 pd gain.... I am 3 weeks out. And for all intents and purpose... This isn't working for me. I am walking almost everyday 1 mile or 1 mile and a half. I am eating about 400 - 700 cal a day... and my protein varies from about 35 to usually 50 or 60. I am drinking 30 -40 oz of fluids.... WHAT AM I DOING WRONG> I have read where people who did not even exercise at first lost so much. And my peers from the same surgery date have lost 25 - 30 pds. Am I cursed??? Deep- down I am afraid this will fail or more accurately I WILL FAIL.... I lost 30 pds in the 2 months before the surgery- eating more and exercising less.... Has anyone else had this experience during the first month?

I lost almost 50 lbs the first month and have lost 3 since...and nothing in the past week. Remember that your body is still in shock. You are eating differently now and your body's natural reaction can be to hold the fat until it establishes you aren't trying to starve it. Try to keep your protein near 60 and at least six cups of water, and keep walking. You will have a breakthrough. Also, how often are you weighing yourself. If it is every day (or every other), cut it back to once a week. Patience is the key. If, in another two-three weeks, you aren't suddenly dropping, call your surgeon.

I know how hard it is to walk past a scale without getting on it, but go ahead and liberate yourself from the tyrrany of the scale. Take those measurements and enjoy your successes. I had a little one the other day that pleased me. I was having my car serviced and went to the waiting room where I've always been incredibly uncomfortable in their chairs. (They pinched my thighs) Well, I was comfy. Little victories.

Throw away that SCALE!!! Bury it in the backyard!! Do something so that you are not tied to it. Don't worry about the weight. Weigh your self at the doctor's office only. That will help. It takes a while to lose the water/bloating weight from surgery. Your body is still in shock and is probably trying to hold onto all its fat. Sometimes the body does what it wants whether you want to or not. If your are exercising and getting in the protein like you should, then you are doing OK. Walking means you are adding muscle, which weighs more. Are your clothes getting smaller? Have you tried measuring yourself and seeing if you are losing inches? Don't lose heart. You will lose the weight, just give your body a chance to adjust.

Yes, my clothes are smaller. I have dropped 2 sizes ! I think it is hard to not "think " about the scale and the numbers.... but I will try

I'm sorry you are feeling so discouraged! I also had surgery on 3-28-05, and I am losing weight, but (and this is very important) I also have lost two sizes. I think the biggest difference is probably the fact that I have not been exercising the way I should. Muscle does weigh more than fat, so take heart in those inches!!!!!!!! You are doing great!!!!! Best of luck, Billie

I agree here. Muscle is less dense than fat and therefore takes up less space. The fact that you are exercising consistently probably means that you are gaining muscle at the same rate you are losing fat. Look at it this way one pound of muscle weighs the same as one pound of fat but one pound of fat takes up way more space than one pound of muscle. So although the scale is not moving you are definitely losing inches!! I would definitely recommend to weigh yourself once a week but also take your measurements once a week. Measure your arms, thighs, calves, hips, waist, and bust. That way if you don't see much change in the scale, you may see a good change in the measurements. I know it's not the same as seeing the scale move but if you keep on losing those inches, the scale is going to start moving! Even people who completely fail at bariatric surgery still lose 40-50 percent of their excess weight. And you are doing everything right, there's no way you could fail!! Kerri

Hi.... I just posted a similar problem on the main message board. I lost 24 lbs in the first 3 weeks and have not lost anything in 9 days.... in fact I have gained 2 lbs. I am really freaked out about it and depressed. So its not just you. Alot of people told me its normal, but its still discouraging. Keep your chin up! Scarlette

It's really hard, when we've been slaves to the scale all our lives, to say, put it away, but I think that's the best advice anyone can give you. Our bodies respond to surgery in different ways, sometimes by holding on to fluid, sometimes by losing a lot very quickly, sometimes replacing fat with muscle, which weighs more. The fact that you are following your doctor's food, protein, and fluid requirements shows you will NOT fail!!! And the fact you are wearing 2 sizes smaller (lucky you!) shows something good is happening to your body, so hang in there! You are a success, just by having the surgery, and your scale just has to catch up to the rest of you. Do you think it's a coincidence all of the wight loss programs, from Weigh****chers to Jenny Craig only weigh you once a week? I had surgery the same day as you did. I lost 18 pounds in the first 2 weeks, and I was stepping on the scale every day, and getting pretty disappointed. Up a couple of pounds, down a pounds, up another, down a couple. I finally decided I am going to go to my surgeon's office once weekly to get weighed. (I work across the street from his office) That way, I'll have a consistent scale to weigh on.

Have you considered that there is something wrong with your scale? I've had a number of scales. One of them would weight me differently every time I got on it. I could lean one way and it would add 5 lbs. I could get off and back on and bee 10 lbs less. Find a reliable scales at docs office or health club and weigh there once a week. If you're only eating 500-700 cals/ week you cannot fail and you will shrink away to nothing evenually. You'll have to increase those cals eventually. How about that! Hugggs, Heidi