Slow loss, anyone else?

It has been 3 weeks since my surgery and I am down a total of 15 pounds, 10 from the 1st week. Another woman who had surgery one week earlier than me is down just about 30 pounds. I am having a little trouble getting my protein drinks in, but am up to about 40 grams of protein in drinks a day now. I generally eat 1 egg (scrambled) for breakfast, 1/4 cut cottage cheese for lunch and for dinner I usually have a small carb control yogurt (about 1/4 cup), plus 2 protein drinks a day. I am 5'9 and just feel like I should be losing more, the amount I have lost in 3 weeks is what I could have done on weigh****chers in the old days! Does anyone have any ideas? I am not working out much, but do take my 18 month old for a long walk everyday (30 minutes). Any idea's, tips would be great.

everyone's body reacts differently to surgery (that's what they tell me anyway). I will be 6 weeks post op tomorrow (Friday) and I've lost 37 pounds...26 of them came off in the first 2 weeks. I have lost 11 pounds in 4 weeks. Our bodies are healing and trying to figure out what we've done to them...it will happen...you will lose the weight. Some of us are just slower losers than others but in the end it all works out. As long as you're doing everything you should be according to your surgeon and nutritionist (water, protein, exercise) you'll be fine...just be patient. Trust me I know that's not always easy. I am addicted to my scale and hate it at the same time... good luck!! Linda

What I did on one of my protein shakes. Is I got that GNC protein that has no flavor. I add a scoop of that to one of my protein shakes. and it makes it 40 grams of protein. Then I drink another protein drink. I think it would help if you up your protein to 60 then your natural proteins. Your doing great. Take Care Barb

Hi Amy, First off, you HAVE to try very hard to get your protein in. You have to get at least 60 gms a day in. It is necessary for healing of your staple lines inside your body. I know of someone that's two weeks ahead of me and she can't get in her protein so the doctor had to put in a feeding tube in her stomach so she feeds herself that way. Have you tried unflavored protein? I use unflavored Unjury. www.unjury.com It is 20 gms a scoop and I add it to bouillion or V8 in between my meals and get an extra 40 gms that way. A lot of people try the beneprotein, but that's only 6gm a scoop. Sprinkle it in your soup, your chili, etc. It is great, in my opinion. I have it on auto ship to ship me 4 tubs a month (I go through one tub a week). To me, it's worth the cost, 20.00 a tub. We had surgery the same day, and I'm 5'8"...I'm not losing these past two weeks much either. I lost 20 lbs the first week and slowed weeks two and three. I'm down only 6 lbs in addition to the first 20. My surgeon told me to step up my walking to a brisk walk to get my heart rate up and get my metabolic rate up. Our bodies' are in shock right now and it's trying to figure out what the heck we did to it! It's holding on to the fat thinking we're starving ourselves...I'm hoping it'll get out of this mode soon and another 20 lbs will float out. Are you drinking a lot of water or flavored (sugar free) water? I've had to up my fluid intake by double this week because I was so weak and tired. Now I feel like myself again. I see my surgeon again next week (we see him at 2 weeks and 4 weeks) and I'm hoping some more weight is gone by then. I have all my food and fluid intake in a booklet marked down to the tee and maybe he can shed some light to this stall. Let's try not to fret so soon. I think it'll come off. I walked briskly for almost one mile today, and hope to take another walk later on this evening if I can get a minute. Write me with any concerns, as we're "sisters" in this cause we're the same surgery date! paula

Hey Amy, I am 1 month & 2 days out. I am down 24lbs. I glad to have the pounds off. Sometimes I think it is a little slow so I hope to not have a lot of hanging skin. I only weigh myself on the 19th of every month. I don't want the scale to be an addiction. Be Patience, the weight will fall off..

That is wonderful. I am on a platue now. I took pictures of myself before surgery. I was nude. I then took pictures last night. I could not beleive the difference. I think we are losing alot of inches. I am putting my scales up today. Take Care Barb

Ok, I am going to put away my home scale and only get weighed when I go to the Dr or Nutrician office. I am weighing myself every morning and it is so discouraging! Thanks everyone!

Hi, Amy. If it's any consolation, I actually GAINED a pound at my 1-week post-op! BIG bummer, eh! Then loss speeded up during weeks 2 and 3, but slowed down again weeks 4 and 5. I'm now approaching week 6 and weight loss has speeded up again. A guy in my support group here said that he only lost 10 pounds his first month, and he was pretty mad (but he lost 50 lbs his second month). He's 18 months out now, has reached his goal weight and looks and feels great. If there's one thing (of course there's lots more than that, but just sayin'...) I've learned from all of you is that our experiences vary a lot, and I'm getting better at being patient. Like you, I had trouble getting in enough protein especially since the protein drinks began to taste gaggy sweet to me. To add to the difficulty, I also developed an aversion to the nonfat dry milk that I'd been adding to soups and just couldn't get it down. I was getting extremely weak and tired, and was so frustrated. I got some predigested liquid protein supplement which has 15g of protein per 2Tbsp, and I take that a couple of times a day. It tastes pretty nasty, but I look at it like another vitamin I have to take, at least until I'm able to get in sufficient protein from what I eat. It's much easier for me to take 2-4Tbsps of something nasty than to try to gag down a 12oz protein drink. I know that solution may not work for some folks, but it's been a godsend to me. My strength is returning, and I'm consistently able to get in 60+ grams of protein a day. Good luck to you, and thanks for sharing. Debra

The vast majority of the people I've been talking to have had stalls at around 3 weeks to 6 weeks. Then they lose good again. The explination I've heard is that we are acting like our ancient ancestors, and our bodies are going from an agrarian mode to a hunter-gatherer mode. And as a result, our bodies have to shift. The shift is from food-a-plenty to starvation to "I better get off my big butt and go find some food." Till you get to that last point, your body holds on tightly to your fat stores. Now, to get there, you must convince your body of two things. That it isn't dying and that it will if it doesn't get moving. Now to do that, we've got to become lean mean protien machines, so getting in that protien is vital. Otherwise your body stores the fat and eats the muscle! The next part is to get moving! Exercise is so important because otherwise you body stores the fat and eats the muscle! REMEMBER, the body would rather eat Muscle than Fat. Fat is stored energy, and the body likes to have energy on hand! Muscle is red meat! Who doesn't trim the fat from their steaks? You body would rather eat red meat than fat. So, convince your body that it is getting enough food (protien) and needs muscle (exercise) and your body will turn to the last food source... FAT! Additionally, the more lean muscle mass you have, the more calories you need just to exist. You want to need more and more calories to just be alive! There are two ways (really just one) to raise your resting metabolic rate. You can be fat, which raises your metobolic rate because of the muscles you build up hefting all that fat around, or you can be muscular... which builds up your... muscles. So while you need to be using your aerobic exercise as much as you can, convincing your body you need your muscles, you need to IMPROVE your muscles as much as possible by BUILDING muscle through strength training. Now knowing this, and using it isn't the same thing. It wasn't till my fourth week out from surgery that I could really motivate myself to start walking (but now I'm walking 2-3 miles 4-5 times a week) and we can't start any kind of resistance training (weights) till we're healed enough (6 weeks.) So I'm hoping to start the lean muscle retintion and addition ASAP. BTW, I've only lost 45lbs in 5 weeks. But 30 of that was in week 1, then 2, then 5, then 5, then 3. So I'm getting sick of the stall as well!

hey amy, don't worry you're doing fine. i am almost 6 weeks out and have lost 22lbs. try not to compare yourself too much to others, that's what i learned. everybody is so different. you will soon be saying this is so different from Weigh****chers results. Just give it a little more time. best of luck amy #2!