Tough last few weeks

Hi Everyone.. I Been kinda lurking around and noticing alot of people r slowing down .. or stuck .. or even worse gaining when I have been a charter member of this club for sometime ... I have no idea why I cannot lose weight I barely eat enough as is but seems I am getting enough protien as I am not losing hair .. water I must admit I am not getting in as I should. but that I am making a point this week to up the water and take my vitamins . I do exercise 2 hours a day but seems I am having a hard time keeping my heart rate up I find my legs and knees are killing me way before I can keep heart rate up over a hour 140 .. for the cardio portion.. I know this a sign I am getting physcially fit as it is so hard to keep cardio up way before my old aged knees/legs start screaming .. stop .. I miss the good old days when I was out of shape did not take me long to get my heart rate up ,,,now my legs knees want to give up way before my heart does LOL So my frustration Hit when I went to my last support group.. a few fellow lap banders had hit the year mark and both people have lost over 100 lbs and Part of me I was so happy they hit goal in a year but both r eating alot more than me and they do not exercise ..but and said this was easy for them and I about thought no exercise reached over 100 lbs mark 1 year post lap band.. I wanted to scream .. NOT FAIR but then one small voice from the crowd and this lady who was 60 said to me I feel like u do .. I exercise and eat very little but she said I am losing very VERY slow .. as well and she said I think it is our age not the fact we r doing anything wrong .. she said I bet most people r in late 30's or early 40's when they had this surgery.. DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT THE AVERAGE AGE FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY for both RNY and Lap. I think this will help anyone in same boat I am trying to get a new perspective on age and is it a huge factor to how fast we lose So I wanted to figure what the average age of my fellow A team is ? I really wanted to know if age is a bigger factor on how fast one loses... we know the guys lose faster. so can everyone please state age and current weight loss .. Your REAL AGE LOL I mean I know people at the gym tell me I am looking awesome and say wow u must ve losing tons and I have to say I lost 12lbs in 2 weeks and nothing last 3 weeks .. I got to get out of this depression mode .. and dispair.. I am gonna hit gym twice a day and see if that helps the scale move in my favor .. Thanks everyone.. Lisa

I'm 57, had an RNY, lost like gangbusters up until November, then slowed down to a crawl. However, I started out as a "light weight", so I was closer to goal (hah, if you can call 90 - 100 pounds "close"). According to my ticker, I've lost 2 pounds since November. I have heard it is more difficult for older folks to lose weight, so your 60-year-old friend is probably right. But I've also heard the thinner you get the harder it is to lose, because your body doesn't have to work as hard as it did before. Hey, *****ally knows? Marcia

Hi Lisa, I'm 39 (almost 40) and have lost 109 lbs. It fell off of me really fast and then completely stopped. Then, I even gained 3 lbs! I have 49 lbs to get to goal weight. I starting tracking my intake again and realized I needed to reduce my calories to 1300/day and increase my protein, and I am starting to lose again. It's not fair to compare yourself to the RNY losers, though, but you already know that, LOL.

Lisa, I had my RNY when I was 59. I know it is frustrating when the weight doesn't come off. Remember that muscle weighs more than fat. If you are going to the gym you are building muscle and burning fat. Also it is better to lose the weight slower. It gives your skin time to catch up. I have lost weight fairly fast and now see wrinkled legs and arms. I also go to the gym but at 60 things just aren't gonna go back . Don't get discouraged. I find that if I hit a slump, I increase my fluid intake and that seems to help. On my weight loss program we are to eat only 4oz at a time 3 times a day. And let me tell you that somedays doesn't seem like much. I try not to stray from this. I have a food scale and weigh out every meal. I don't want to go back to where I came from. This is a tool the doctors have given us. Now we have to use that tool to get and keep the weight off. Remember everyone system is different. Some lose faster than others because of their metabolism. Jan

The nurse at my program went over all the factors that influence how well and quickly you lose. Here is what we were told: Men lose faster than women. Age is a MAJOR factor, the younger you are-the quicker you lose. Also, your height determined how quickly you lose (those 5'5" and shorter lose slower. Also, how much you have to lose will detemine how quickly you drop big numbers at first. So, for women who are older and shorter-you tend to be the slowest losers. There are of course exceptions to each of these but this is what they have found out during many years of administering the WLS program. No where did it say that you would not lose-just the rate would be slower. Most women in the early 20's had lost 100 lbs by six months-some had already got to goal. Hope this helps!

Lisa, I think it gets tougher for all of us as time goes out. I know for many months, I could hardly get down 2 ounces at a meal. Now I am amazed at how much I can eat. granted, I still probably can never get more than 6 ounces in there and much less if it's dense foods. And the crbs can crunch up to nothing and go down really easy. However, we have to understand that our bodies have gone through so much in such a short time. Weight can not drop off consistently the way it has. I had my 53rd birthday a day before surgery. The first 6 months I lost 100 pounds and have lost 23 pounds in the last 3 months. yes, it has slowed, but what's our choice? Acceptance. And adherence to our programs. Admittedly, I don't exercise enough. I just seem to be too busy and too lazy to do it at all. We have a great group here. It makes me sad when people drop off. We will always need the support from each other. We will always have our ups and downs....we are human. For an "old lady," I have lost very well. I know the momentum has stopped, but I accept that and will continue to to do my best in order to reach my goal. I may stumble along the way, but I will just get up and try again. I think that is the best we can ask of ourselves.

Forgot to say that I'm 5' 5". What I figure is that I am healthier and more energetic than I've ever been, I can breathe easier (I'm RUNNING on the treadmill, for Gosh sakes - I've never run before...), climb stairs, am off all but one of my meds, so if I never lose another pound, then I've decided not to sweat it but to accept it. I had a friend tell me I've gotten positively hyper. Marcia

Well I must be one of the odd ones, I am just under 5'5" and started at 270, so a bit of a light weight, and reached my goal weight of 140 in 8 months, I had the RNY. Don't know why I lost so quickly, working out like a maniac, both aerobics and weight/strength training. I am also 49 years old, so on the older side of the scale. I know for the first 8 months, I never cheated, drank a ton of water and really kept my protein up. Not as faithful now, but I am at goal so not in the losing mode anymore Jody

Sharra made some great points as far as physical characteristics go. I'm 6'0", so I had almost reached goal @ 6 months. Funny though, my nurse said "oh, at this rate you are going to go much lower than your goal weight, you need to reconsider how slim you want to be". Since then, I've lost 7 pounds....lol. All I can say is that I really don't care about the goal weight anymore. I am 10 sizes less than before, and actually have the energy to run around with my boys! As long as I remember to stay away from really bad habits (fast food, midnight munchies) and keep an acceptable level of activity during the day, I am fine at this point. Look at the bright side, you are NEVER going to see those pounds again! Get a pair of your old pants and put them on every morning if you have to. This will show you how far you have really come. Take care, Dawn