very discouraged....

i know i already posted today about the regain.. but i'm getting down.. without losing this weight.. my surgeon won't say yes to plastics. now i'm not even sure i would go through with it.. but come on.. i really wanted to be at goal by now- 150.. really i wanted to be at 140 by now and nothing has budged since MONTH SIXTH... why am i sitting at 180... i'm crying... i'm so down... morning of surgery i was 264 or 263.. WHY ON EARTH HAVEN"T I LOST EVEN 100 POUNDS YET from THIS SURGERY.... I'm following their plan... and i'm stuck... and depressed...... jennifer

Hey Jennifer, try not to let it get to you. We can perform the correct behaviors, but we can't force our bodies to respond. How tall are you?

I'm 5-2 .... jennifer

I am also 5' 2". I have lost a little more than you, but I started out fatter (299lbs two weeks before surgery, and 282 the day of surgery). This morning I weighed 167.2, but I want you to know that on the way to losing 132 lbs I actually GAINED weight NINE times. Stupid body. Some of it had to be water retention - exercise seems to make me swell. Anyhow, I asked your height because I had the opportunity to discuss my goal with Dr. Ikramuddin. He was shocked to hear that I was aiming for 133-136, despite the fact that that is the highest weight that is within the normal BMI range for 5'2". He said, and I quote, "No, no, no! That is way too small! I would be thrilled if you got somewhere around here (he pointed to the 150s on the chart.). When I questioned him, he said the BMI is not a good guide for those of us who have been morbidly obese. So you may be more frustrated than you need to be - perhaps your goal is too low. One other thing - I have found that having a protein shake before bed (which ensures that I get at least 75 grams of protein a day, since I average around 50 from food) seems to help my weight loss. On Monday, I am having my body composition assessed by underwater weighing. Dr. Dan Carey at St. Thomas Univ. does it for 20-25 bucks. I want to be at 26% bodyfat or less, regardless of my weight - heavy bones and muscles are GOOD things. Take heart, Jennifer.

Hi Jen Try not to get so discouraged. I haven't lost in 4 months either and basically what I discovered is that your weight loss stops when you don't exercise. Makes me mad cause I would have been at goal already. Keep up trying. Get tot he gym and keep movin' on. You'll start losing again. Marie

Hi Jennifer, I kind of know how you feel. I went for my one year check up today and had lost 60 pounds......I had thought at this point I would have been at 80. I started at 234 and am 5'7". I haven't had much action since month six either other than a few pounds down when I started having Gallbladder problems and felt too sick to eat much. I lost a few extra but after having my Gallbladder removed the pounds came back. At my visit today the staff was pleased and said I was a "success" because I had lost a certain percent of excess body fat. I would feel more "successful" if I lost a higher percent of excess body fat! We can still lose, though; in my case it is a matter of better decisions on snack type food and an increase in exercise. My problem is doing it! Try to cheer up. You've lost a lot of weight! Pam W

Hi Jennifer, I can relate. I stopped loosing steadily at about 6 months also I have lost 80 pounds I fluctuate down some days. I started at 314/312 and I am teetering around 225/229 on the daily basis. I have become so depressed by this that I have stopped excersizing and feeling depressed and fat and sorry for myself. I also have a hernia which makes excersize a pain at times. I feel myself slipping down fast. I am feeling really fat again in my mind and I wish I weighed onehundred anything. I know what I need to do I just feel like a failure a year out I really thought I would be down 100 pounds by now also. I am also 5'2. Should I go back to protein shakes? Dh is preparing to have surgery so perhaps that will help me. He is much heavier at his start and ofcourse by being male, he will lose better. I am hoping to keep the green eyed monster in check. Sorry I could not be of more help Jen, goes to show there is always someone else who is worst off. I am heavier than you so I think you are doing a whole heck of a lot better than me. I hope we all reach that goal. Leem