How do I compare?

Hello my fellow May rebirthers lol. I hope you are all doing well and losing big time. I visit the main message board often and feel very inadequate when I do. So many posts appear of people that had surgery around my date and have lost so much more. I know you're going to tell me i'm a "lightweight" and we lose slower, but tell it to my knees lol. I sure dont feel light. Also, i'm stressing over the calorie thing. It sure is hard to eat low cal, low carb, low fat, and some how still get 60 grams of protein in. I have been drinking Slim Fast Low Carb shakes for breakfast but the dietician fussed at me because they have 180 calories. Man I was only having ONE a day. Please, my friends, give me words of wisdom as to what you're eating, and if i'm on track or not. My surgeon says i'm ahead of the game but it doesnt feel that way. I'm 7 wks post op and have lost 35 lbs. Thanks for listening! You guys are the best! God bless! Melanie

Melanie, I think you are right on track and doing great with your weight loss... I was anything but a "lightweight" when I started... weighing in at almost 400 lbs... and I had my surgery on 5/27 and have only lost 43 lbs. (plateau'd there for a week now)... so, I think you are doing great!!! I too, am having a hard time with all the "low fat/carb/calorie" stuff... and at this point, feel that whatever goes in and more importantly stays in, is what I'm giving myself right now... All I did was throw up everything I tried...until I got ahold of Ritz Crisp crackers... that's what I lived on this past wee****il I discovered now that if I make chicken and carrots in the crockpot...they will stay down... This is a hard time for all of us... I hate this plateau... I feel like a fat cow... I feel all constipated... I feel like it's not working as this is my SECOND plateau since surgery... So, I guess we just have to keep the faith and stop having expectations of what we should have lost and we do have to stop comparing ourselves to each other... cuz it's just going to make us crazy and doubt ourselves... (at least that's the way I feel about it!!) I know that the expectations make me crazy... and I get all disappointed when I don't reach a certain goal or whatever... and that's wrong... cuz when have we ever lost that much weight in this short of a time???? We really need to be proud of ourselves and applaud ourselves for what we have done!!! Keep up the good work... and remember... We are all unique!! Hugs, Loree

Hiya Loree and thanks so much for your encouragement and words of wisdom. I'm very sorry to hear you've had a difficult time keeping food down. Chicken kills me if it isnt very juicy/moist. Its like trying to swallow a dishrag. I do well with tuna and thin sliced deli ham. You are so right about comparing ourselves to one another and expectations. It doesnt do much for the morale. I'll continue to pray for you and your continued success. God bless! Melanie

Melanie, pat yourself on the back your doing great. When have you ever lost 35 lbs. in seven weeks? The weight will come off it has know where else to go. I'll be looking for your total weight lost at the end of the month. Dianna McGill

You're absolutely right, Dianna. With every diet i've ever done its a great first week or two then it putters down to a pound here and there. I guess its just after reading so many posts where these people are dropping 50 lbs in the first month its discouraging. Thanks for your kind words! God bless! Melanie

Melanie, this is a hard time. I have the same trouble with getting in enough protein without the fat and carbs. Everytime I plugged in my food on fitday.com, I had more fat and carbs than anything else. All I can say is I'm holding out hope that it does indeed get better and easier. I've only lost 38 pounds and I started out at 316. Hang in there! I think you're probably doing fine.

Hey Melanie - Averaging 5 lbs a week is nothing to worry about. Here are a couple of tips that are working for me - maybe they can help you. 1) I don't eat first thing in the morning. I drink a protein shake first - partly because I like to wake up my pouch slowly. I have Chocolate Unjury most days (the have vanilla as well). With 8 oz of milk - you're looking at 25-30 grams of protein for about 130 or so calories. http://www.unjury.com 2) Since it's a protein drink, I can start with my water when I get to work. I drink a liter before eating anything. I know it's hard but sip sip sip and it's gone. Sometimes I'll flavor it or have something else - but mostly it's plain water. 3) When I am at work - I bring a Ditty More stew or chicken and dumplings. 1 can is two meals for me. I also add a can of diced peaches or pears from Dole - in it's own juice. So both meals add up to 350 cals or so. 4) I hit the water again. Sometimes I get another liter in - sometimes I don't but I always have it there for me. 5) Dinner varies - I try to eat more veggies than anything else. 6) Another protein drink at night. It varies as well. I have tried Isopure, Whey Fruity, EAS TRD, and Unjury. 7) Lastly, sometimes I just want to snack. Hell, we're all human. I found what works best for me is Soy Crisps. They are about 90 cals for 18-25 chips. I usually have about 10 and I am happy. I guess they swell a bit, because I feel FULL. They nice thing is they also have protein and taste good! So most days I get about 750-900 calories in, my 64 oz of water, plus the protein drinks. Not bad. And I get a minimum of a 1 mile walk in everyday - thanks to my dog! And, I hit the gym 3-5 times a week since 8 weeks out. BTW, my official tally is 60 pounds in 9 weeks. I am nearly 11 weeks out now, but don't own a scale so I don't know where I am at currently. If I was given one GREAT piece of advice it was this: "Don't focus on the numbers. Focus on what you should be doing. If you focus on the latter, the numbers will take care of themselves." So do what you are supposed to do - and you'll be fine. Good luck!

i am jealous of your weightloss, melanie, as am 9 weeks "out" and down only 31 1/2. they way i figure it, that's 31 1/2 pounds more than i would have lost had i not had the wls so i'm greatful. i eat just about everything i care to and feel pretty good. getting on the scale too often is my main problem but its such a tempatation especially when i wake up feeling "skinny."....................................... i think we're all doing just great! gail

You said it well. I'm so glad I'm not working (other than my usual SAHM job) because I devote so much of my time and energy to coming up with low-cal, low-fat, low-carb, high protein digestible meals. It gets exhausting. And boring, truth be told. Half the time I don't even WANT to eat, so why on earth would I want that boring dry piece of meat? I know, I know, I work hard to make my meals more interesting, but there's only so many ways to eat a chicken breast. I've lost about 31 lbs-I go to the doctor on Wed so I'll have a more accurate idea then-and it's been 7 weeks today. I've lost a lot of weight in the past, so my body catches on pretty quickly and conserves quickly. I have lost more weight in this period of time in the past, but that was before my body had learned to jump into starvation mode so quickly. The last time I weighed 214, which is what my mother-in-law's scale tells me today, I felt so much thinner. It took a little longer to get down to that number before because I started heavier, and I think the longer I had to adjust, the better it was for my mind to adjust. In any event, it's coming off, and I'll just have to be patient. In the past months of reading the main message board, I took a particular interest in the "slow losers" who were complaining about their poky weight loss. I have been following the cases of a few of them, and let me assure you, they ARE losing and have lost LARGE amounts of weight in 6 or 7 months, even if they had hoped the loss would go faster. I had hoped to have 50 lbs off in the first two months. How laughable is THAT? I will be glad if it's 40. Heck, I'm glad if it's 35. For low-cal protein drinks, check out bariatriceating.com. The Nectar drinks are okay, and they only have calories from protein. BTW, you are doing GREAT, in my humble opinion. Hugs, Susan

I have a hard time to. I am lucky when I get 45 grams of protein in a day. But I will not drink Slim Fast. They have too much sugar in them (that will slow the weight loss down. I drink the adkins shakes, and they aren't too bad. I drink at least 1 every other day, I have to buy more this week. my doctor told me to have 3 meals, and 2 small snacks a day. I should always do protein first. This will definately help. As for calories, I still do not get enough. I think I am at 600-850 per day, which is ok, but I should probably have more like 800-1000 per day. Anyway, try the 3 meals and two snacks and adkins products have a good amount of protein in them. I also like the Advantage bars, the best one is Mocha Crunch and it has 20 g protein per bar. Good luck Tricia -46.5 lbs