My check-up is on the 17th...

and I'm so nervous!! I know a lady who had her surgery just weeks before me and when she went in for her check-up at 4.5 months post op they were not happy with her 85 pound loss. (I was shocked...sounded good to me!!) I go to the same place. Now my appointment is coming up, I'll be nearly 5 months post-op and won't have 85 gone. I know I should just feel good about my loss, and my efforts, and to h*ll with their negativity...but it's hard. I'm going to feel low and awful while they're disappointed in my progress. Makes me not want to even go. I'm either going to cry or get pissed and then cry...depends on my mood. Ugh. I'm dreading this appointment, and ALOT.

But they've got to go by more than just how much you've lost. Wouldn't they factor in how much they want you to lose all together? I mean, are you the exact same height, weight and age of this other woman? I've noticed that people who are shorter and don't have as much over all to lose seem to lose slower than the rest of us and some of the people over 300 have lost more especially if they did the pre-op. Sometimes I go to the June 2007 and July 2007 boards just to get a taste of what I can expect next month and right around now just about everyone has slowed down. What I've noticed is that people who weighed very close to what I did at the time of the surgery all seem to have lost what I have, give or take 10 pounds. I can't think of any big exceptions to that. I started at 284 and have lost 75 pounds. I've seen people who are still losing in the 60s and some losing in the 80s but it's not like everyone else around that weight has lost 100 pounds already. And I'll bet if there is someone who has they are shorter or taller or younger or older or................ We aren't all going to lose the same amount. We can't! We're all too different. There are too many factors, but amazingly we all seem to be pretty close to each other in results so we've got to be doing most of it right. Maybe not perfect but................no one maintains "perfect". I'm happy that the stuff I'm doing now seems like stuff I can maintain. Okay, so this was really long but what I'm saying is I keep seeing people say "so and so lost more than me". But how tall is so and so? How old? Did they do the pre-op diet? What did they weigh? Do they have any other health issues? Did they have issues after surgery? My NP said people lose three ways. Some are steady. Some are really fast and then slow way down. Some bounce around all over. But in the end, unless you're totally ignoring the plan, you'll lose it. Don't let the surgeon beat you up too much. You might just lose different!

I totally agree with everything you've said. I'm just so irritated to know they use negativity to try to motivate people. How stupid. Negativity never motivates me. I'm proud of how I'm progressing and they're going to act like I'm not doing something right. I'm not going to take that quietly...I may cry, but I'm going to have a fit at the same time. I'm not one who likes confrontation very much, so I'm feeling very anxious. I'll feel much better afterwards!

You know what I say, Brandi? Tell them that you're not in a competition to lose so much in such and such a time! Everybody's bodies are different! My Weight Management Clinic AND my surgeon have been VERY pleased with my weight loss and since surgery I've taken off 51 lbs! I didn't have as much to lose as some people, but still. My surgeon told me before surgery that the average weight loss for WLS recipients is between 10-15 lbs per month. At 15 (on the high end of average) lbs per month, we had surgery 5 months ago...high average weight loss would be 75 lbs. So tell them to stuff it!! You have the rest of your life to lose this weight...and your body is gonna do it at its own pace provided that you're following the plan like you should. I have LITTLE TO NO patience with these doctors that think people should ALL be dropping weight at the same rate. Weight loss surgery or not, losing weight is a very personal and important thing, and they should NEVER make you feel BAD for losing what you've lost! I, for one, commend you on your weight loss!! BRAVO!! Keep up the great work and do NOT let them get to you. Doctors or not, they don't KNOW EVERYTHING, especially when it comes to each and every person's body! Just be encouraged that you're LOSING and not gaining. ANY loss is going in the right direction. HANG IN THERE!! God bless!! Brenda

Don't try to look at it as pounds lost, but rather percentage of excess weight lost. I've only lost 51lbs, but I've lost 67% of my excess weight. Considering the docs think if you lose 70% of your excess weight then your a success...so I'm darn close! Don't listen to those docs and just keep working on yourself everyday. We'll all reach the finish line!

To get the % of body fat lost do you divide the amount lost by the amount you need to lose???

Thanks. I agree with you...thanks for encouraging me. I do feel so good...and this is the first Christmas that I've not gained weight and lost instead. How cool is that?

Thanks, Brenda! You've brightened my day.

To calculate the percentage of excess weight lost: starting weight - goal weight = excess weight take total weight lost/excess weight x 10 = % of excess weight lost I hope that made sense!