OK NOT FUNNY NOW

Hi everyone. Please dont roll your eyes cos Im moaning again but I need your help. I dont get to spend as much time on this board as I would like cos I try to answer as many posts on the main board as I can. Anyway, I have come here and read your posts tonight and I cannot believe how many of you have lost 100 lbs or there about in the same time it has taken me to lose 48. I have not had a drop in over 6 weeks. Please please dont tell me to be patient, I was 296, so I wasnt a light weight. Those of you who have had these huge weight losses , I am so thrilled for you all, believe me, but can you put yourself in my shoes and try to imagine if you had only lost half of what you have? I dont know what to do. I have never had any week since this started that I had a big loss. Some people say they dont lose any for weeks then they lost 5 or so pounds, not me. Before I hit this plateau I was going slow, but still going, maybe a pound a week. Im glad Ive lost 48lbs but only just managing to not break down and cry here. Please all help me, because I want to hit a hundred by Xmas. I cant see any way that can possibly happen because the first 6 months should be the fastest and that has not been what I had hoped. Any words of advice would be appreciated. hugs from down under Helen

Helen.first of all... don't get discouraged! You can do this! First of all, what are you eating each day? Are you eating your protein first, VERY little carbs, and no sugar? I read your profile, and I see that you've been trying to eat properly, but are you eating the same thing every day?? Maybe switch it up a little bit. Your system could be in a rut. Another thing that helps me a lot is exercising! Even if you can only get in a 30 minute walk... it's better than nothing. If you can handle more hardcore gym time or exercise, that would be a good idea too! Have you "tested" how much you eat? Are you eating too much in one meal? Have you asked your doctor? The best advice I can give you is to keep your chin up! ::HUGS:: Good luck! Michelle

I don't exercise. I haven't since surgery. I've lost 94lbs, I'm 6lbs away from goal. That said, I also am not able to eat much. There are very few things I can eat that don't make me sick so there's the rub. Sugar I can't touch, Nutrasweet will make me sick. Cream and fat makes me barf. So I'm limited to proteins only and veggies. I do eat sugar-free bread. This isn't the kind of thing to be jealous about or cry over. It's a real drag serving others the kinds of things I know will make me sick or watching them eat it. I did know this was a tool, I did know I would be giving certain foods up. I just didn't know how many. Some people don't have these problems or don't have them to a big extent. I know a lot of people who eat fried foods, sugars, fats, and they do fine. So, Helen, the simple rule of this is caloric intake vs. burn. How many calories do you take in, how many do you burn off. Even not exercising I seem to be burning more than I take in. That's how your body determines how it metabolizes it's sugar and fat. Either you're eating more than you need or you're eating just what you need. To burn off the extra, you need to eat less than you need or exercise to burn it.

Helen, You are not alone. I was also discouraged, but did notice that there are several other people who had their surgery in april that have only lost 45-55 lbs. I have been a very slow looser. It seems as though I only loose 1-2 lbs a week, and have had a couple of stalls. My surgery date was April 18,2005 and I am just down 54 lbs. I lost 25 the first month, 10 the second month, and a slow go since then. I excersice daily and try to be very good about what I eat. I get in all my protien, water, vitamins and calcium daily and still a very slow loss. I spent a lot of time dieting and exercising in the past couple of years, trying to loose weight on my own. I wonder if my body is more resistant because of it. Take it one day at a time, and remember, you may just loose slow and steady for the next year or so.

Hi Helen, I am another person who loses VERY SLO-O-O-WLY. My surgery was April 1 and to date I have lost 51 pounds. I eat 800-1200 calories on any given day(per Fitday at least 75 % of it is protein), I walk 2-3 miles per day 5 days a wk, I drink a minimum of 64 oz water and or Crystal Light, and I get all my vitamins in. I did a plateau buster that I got off the main message board. I ate 3 oz of protein every 3 hours and 2 protein drinks for a total of 80 oz of protein and 100 oz of water each day for 10 days and the scale did not budge. It is very frustrating but what other choice do we have. I keep reminding myself that this is a journey and even though I am not sprinting to the finish line I am making lifestyle changes and that is the key. Yes I want to lose weight and be thinner but more importantly I want to be healthier and that is definitely happening. My blood pressure is lower and my glucose levels are much better. I'm able to walk without getting out of breath and I can make it through a day with out feeling exhausted. I have a long way to go but the changes I've seen in myself keep me plugging away. Good Luck to you and know that you are not alone in the struggle. We will make it, it just will take us a little longer. God Bless. Jackie

Wow!1 you make me feel good! peggy and Julie who had surgery the same day as me have lost 90 and 100+ pounds and me only 75. but I was 296 too.. They were over 400. it take more energy and calories to carry around the weight they did so i think it helped burn calories quicker plus their Dr gave them a 1 ounce pouch rather than a 2 ounce one. I do know I need to drink more and move more.. i do exercise 3x a week at Curves.. I am going down in dress clothes but not the scales. linda

I must be the odd woman out on this board because I absolutely love that I am dropping a nice healthy amt every week. Not more than a couple lbs. these days. Yes.. some weeks are slower than others but I don't focus on it. I know I am doing everything in my control that I can do. I'm also building great muscle weight from working out. Started 4/19/05 281lbs 48% Body Fat Today 221lbs 35% Body Fat Total loss 60lbs I went from a size 22-24 down to a size 14-16. I'm 5'4. This is the rate I lost the weight: 4/19/05***281***0 lbs lost***48%**48.1***148/100**SURGERY DAY 5/03/05***266***15 lbs lost*UNK***45.7***UNK****2 WEEKS POST OP 5/17/05***255***26 lbs lost*UNK***43.8***UNK****1 MONTH POST OP 5/31/05***253***29 lbs lost*UNK***43.4***UNK****6 WEEKS POST OP 6/14/05***248***33 lbs lost**46%**42.6***UNK****8 WEEKS POST OP 6/28/05***244***37 lbs lost**44%**41.9***UNK***10 WEEKS POST OP 7/12/05***240***41 lbs lost*UNK***41.2***UNK***12 WEEKS POST OP 7/26/05***237***44 lbs lost*UNK***40.7***UNK***14 WEEKS POST OP/3month post op visit today! 8/09/05***232***49 lbs lost*UNK***39.8***UNK***16 WEEKS POST OP 8/23/05***230***51 lbs lost*UNK***39.5***UNK***18 WEEKS POST OP 9/6/05***226***55 lbs lost*38%***38.8***UNK***20 WEEKS POST OP 9/20/05***222***59 lbs lost*35%***38.1***UNK***22 WEEKS POST OP I really think you should just focus on eating healthy, getting in all your protein, following the rules, and exercising. Put the scale away if it is freaking you out that much. You may want to also take some food and exercise logs to your nutritionist so they can identify any areas that you shoud change or decide if maybe you need to go up or down 250 calories a day to shake things up. Good Luck!!

hi helen, i'm sorry that you're feeling down due to a slower loss than most of us. you're always such a blessing on the main boards for all of us. to be completely honest i don't have any real words of wisdom i think it just depends on the person. i'm 19 weeks out i'm down 104lbs, and i'm the bad girl of the group. i don't count calories,i don't count carbs, fat grams nothing. i am mindful of what i eat, and try to lean more towards healthier foods, but i still eat chips, and chessy things but in moderation. i eat pretty much what i want. i don't drink protein shakes, take vitamins,etc. now yes of course i know that this isn't healthy for me and i'm working on forcing myself to take my vitamins. i don't exercise due to back problems that still exist, and i have had very minimal hair loss. i do have an ulcer that still bothers me which i take previcid for, but that may be due to the fact that i smoke. most of my weightloss occured in the first month and a half after surgery it fell off of me, but now the loss has slowed to about 8-10lbs monthly usually after my period. just keep the faith keep eating healthy,drinking your water, and moving it will come off it has too. look in the mirror and see the weightloss you've had be proud of it, and know in your heart you're going to get there, and probably have fewer body issues to deal with than us faster losers. keep your head up, and smile you're beautiful!!!!!!! huggs from usa kriss

Hi Helen! For the record, you are still losing faster than me. There are a lot of things in life that cause us to hold onto weight. Stress is one of them and I know that you have definitely had your share these last few months. Lately I've been trying to up my fluids. It seems that whenever I get in enough fluids in a day, I hardly eat and get little protein. On the days that I eat and get enough protein, I hardly take in any fluids. Because of this, I've changed my focus. I hate protein supplements and have, generally, avoided them because I could get enough protein through real food. However, I've decided to start my day by drinking at least 64 ounces of fluid. Often this takes me until 4-5 p.m. so I supplement during that time with protein shakes. Then, when I've gotten in enough fluid for the day, I switch and eat whatever I want for supper. I've been doing this for a week today and... I'm not going to post any numbers for fear of jinxing something.... but it *seems* to be working. The scale has been going down. I have no idea if that helps at all. Just remember that you are not alone. ~Marra

Hello Helen, I know this must be so frustrating for you. I think we all expect instant weightloss and for it not to happen must be pretty disappointing. I have lost 70 pounds since my surgery 4/19/05 but have been at a plateau for almost 4 weeks now, not ONE pound up or down. I have to admit I am eating more carbs now and I can eat more at one sitting than earlier months. So right now I make a vow to cut out the carbs and up the protein and water, AND exercise. The old habits are creeping back in. I can't eat sugar though, I dump. So what are your eating habits like? We must remember (I am talking to myself too) to get the protien in FIRST then the other stuff. So lets keep in touch and see if we can't break this plateau. Don't get so down on yourself, we all are going to lose at different rates, I was a light weight at 233 pre-op and am down 70 so I don't think that has anything to do with it. My neighbor had her surgery in Feb. and is only down about 58 pounds. She exercises and eats well so don't beat yourself up too bad. Now sit down and look at how much water, protein, and exercise your getting in daily. If you are doing everything you are supposed to then I wouldn't worry about it. Your main goal is to be healthy, please remember that. Best wishes on your journey, keep in touch.(sorry this was so darn long, I tend to babble when I am tierd) Kristy