What is wrong with me???

I am 6 mo post op. I have only lost 65 lbs. When I started, I weighed 353 lbs. When I was at the doctor in December, he said I should have lost a little more than I did. He wanted me to loose 30 lbs by the time I came back in March. I have not lost a pound. actually I gained 2. I read that you should have lost 50% by 6 mo. I am no where near 50%. Has my body shut down??? When I was doing weigh****chers, I lost 67 lbs in 2 years. I couldn't loose anymore. I have so much more to loose but cannot seem to do it. What can I do? Has anyone else been in this situation? I am so depressed about this.

Hi DS, I think it is wrong of your surgeon to EXPECT a certain loss by a certain time. We are all individuals and lose at different paces. With that said, let me say that 65 lbs is nothing to sneeze at! Your body hasn't shut down, hon. You will lose again! Everyone hits the dreaded plateaus or stalls, and it seems you have hit one. Let's take a look at your daily menu. What does a typical day look like for you? Are you eating a lot of carbs? Are you eating enough? Getting your protein in? How many calories are you getting in? I am so sorry that your surgeon has such high expectations. I think that is unfair and unrealistic! Don't let him make you feel like a failure if you don't meet his goal for you. You will meet it eventually, but it will be done at a pace your body is comfortable with. Hugs, Denise

hello, I was currious. Here is what I have eaten today About 4 corn chips from la siesta with beans and cheese and about 1/2 oz of chicken. 2 small bites of guacamole, a bite of onion with green salsa. 2 BITES of cantalope 2 grapes 2 bites of honey dew and 1 b9ite of fresh pinapple. 3 raisins 2 peanuts and 3 or 4 sunflower seeds. I havent ate anything for dinner yet, but was thinking about eating the rest of the beans I brought home, with more onion and green sauce... Now on that note, do you think that was an awful day? I had my surgery on august 31 and have lost 91 lbs so far, but the ladt few weeks I have only lost 2 lbs per week. I started weighing 378 aand am so glad to loose 91 lbs, I just feel like it should be more... what do you think?

Hi Shelia! WOW! 91 lbs! That is awesome. You must feel like a million bucks! I have to say that you are obviously doing something right to have lost as much as you have. Sometimes it is nice to change things up a bit and trick your body into losing. Maybe this will help! In my opinion, what you ate today was really good. However, I did notice that you are low on the protein. The beans, cheese and chicken are awesome protein choices, but you only had 1/2 ounce of chicken. Therefore, you only got in, at most, 4 grams of protein for that amount of chicken. Based on what you wrote in regards of your food today, it seems like you would be lucky if you had a total of 20 grams of protein. This is very low for an entire day. You didn't say what kind of beans you ate or how many ounces. Also, how much cheese? Did you do any protein drinks today? Even though you did have carbs today, they were not excessive, and I for one, don't think we should totally deprive ourselves from carbs. I also think you did awesome with the fruit. This is something I really need to focus on. I would like to eat a little fruit each day, but haven't gotten there yet! Do you think that you may be grazing a bit? It seems like the bites of cantalope, raisins, peanuts, etc, could be grazing. I think if you bulk up your meals a bit and make sure they are packed with protein, you will graze less. Make the fruit part of your meals, but eat it only after your protein. There of course is nothing wrong with having fruit as a snack, if snacking is allowed on your plan, but for me, snacking ALWAYS leads to grazing...it makes me want to eat and eat. What does your surgeon/dietician suggest you get in each day in terms of protein? Mine suggests 60 grams, but you should follow whatever guidelines your program has established. If I were you, I would work really hard on getting in the bulk of your protein with breakfast and lunch. Definitely still have your fruits and veggies, but always, always do protein first. Eat your veggies and fruit after you consumed all of your protein at each meal. If you are hungry between meals, what does your program say to do? This is where I will do a protein drink. I mix it with half water and half milk. For dinner, I usually do protein and a veggie. If it isn't too high in protein, I don't stress because I got this in at breakfast and lunch. I find that by having a good breakfast and lunch, I have more energy, I am less hungry and I have been losing more weight! I used to sometimes skip breakfast, have a good lunch and dinner and I ofund myself stalling here and there. Since I changed my menu around, my loss has been steady. I also drink a lot of water from dinner time until I go to bed. I also try my hardest not to eat after 7:00, but I don't always succeed in this area! LOL! Try increasing your protein to 20-25 grams per meal (breakfast and lunch)and see if your weight loss doesn't increase. I would be willing to bet it will. Hope this helped! Hugs, Denise

Good advice, Denise! I had gastric bypass on 8.24.04, so coming up on 6 months and have alost 96 lbs. Most of it was during the first 4 months, then I hit a big slow-down during December. I increased exercise and am slowly losing weight again. Plateaus are normal they say, but emotionally, it was very hard for me not to see weight loss. I began at 315 lbs. You're right about the protein. I get it with a whey protein drink through the morning (40 grams) and then go with protein and veg in the afternoon and at night. I try to have some hot tea at night for my fluids-helps me sleep well (no caffeine). The good news is that my blood pressure is normal as is my blood sugar. I will find out more in a couple weeks about my vitamin levels, etc. My arthritic knees and hips are SO MUCH better, it is amazing.

Hi Sheila I too am August 31, 2004 I have lost almost 100 pounds I will say tho, I lost really fast, then nothing for a month, then 10 pounds and then 10 pounds etc. I am at a stand still right now, but I think that has something to do with my ulcer. I can digest meat right now so I am eating more carbs in the form of fruit and cereal. Keep in touch. we will count down the extra pounds together. Love Viki

65 pounds is great and I do not agree with your surgeon. I also saw my surgeon in December and I had lost 35% of my excess body weight which he said was perfect. He also said that most people double what they have lost at their 4 month mark by the end of one year. So in Aug 2005 I should have lost 70% of my excess body weight. So I guess what I'm trying to say is 50% seems a little high for 6 months. However, I would be worried too if I had not lost since December. I know the RNY patients have a lot of instructions on how much protein to have, etc..., but I did not. I don't eat a lot of carbs, but honestly, I just try to use moderation in everything and I walk about 2 miles on average 5 days per week. So I would make sure you're not snacking a lot or drinking high caloried fluids and that you are doing some sort of exercise. My surgeon did recommend walking 1-2 miles by the time you are 6 weeks post-op. I would talk to your surgeon about how you're feeling and maybe keep a diary of what you're eating and how much you're exercising. He may be able to identify some problem areas or it's always possible you're not eating enough. You could also have a thyroid problem that is slowing down your metabolism excessively. Just take a step back and look at the big picture of what you are doing. You may need to act as if you are newly post-op and be real strict with yourself then see what happens. Hang in there...I'll be thinking about you and praying for your returned weight loss. natalie

D S - What kind of surgery did you have? Are you M or F? Are you excersising daily? Only drinking water (no carbonation)? I think all these things can be factors ... ? Keep workin Phil