Please, can anyone answer a few questions for me?

I had my Open RNY Gastric Bypass Surgery on October 12th, 2005, weighed 338 pounds, and since then, I have lost only 75 pounds. I am 5' 3" and now I weigh 263 pounds, is that normal or not? What was your highest weight before surgery and how much weight have each of you lost in 9 months? How tall are each of you? What type of procedure did each of you have? I need to know if the weight that I have lost is good enough or if not, what else can I do to lose even more weight? I have been taking my vitamins every day, eating right, drinking plenty of water, exercising also, and I make sure I get plenty of rest when needed. I would appreciate any feedback that any of you can provide to help me understand this WLS.

Sweetie, everyone looses at different rates. I'm 5'10" weighed 422 lbs at my highest ever (8 years ago) -- was 338 on the day of surgery (10/20/05) and now am down to 222. I threw up a lot for the first 3 months and still have lost my taste for a lot of foods which probably helps me keep losing, but for the past month, I haven't lost anything. I hope to lose at least 30 more, but honestly, if I don't lose another ounce, I'm still grateful! Try picking up the pace on how much protein and water you get. Sometimes that makes a difference. Have you talked to your doctor? If you are concerned, you should definitely tell him, but he might tell you that you're doing fine! There are people who have lost a lot more than me and those who have lost less. I think age, activity, prior weight loss, etc. all make a big difference. I had lost 80 lbs prior to surgery over a 5 year period and kept off about 70 of it. I had the LAP RNY Gastric Bypass. Here's the pouch rules that I swear by! http://www.nikkiinmd.com/pouch_rules.htm HUGS, Vi

Vi, I tried to check out your link but it said server was not found, grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Melissa

Try again, it's working now! If not, I can email the file to you. I share it with my group all the time! Vi

Do you keep track of what you eat (protein intake, carb intake, fat intake, total calorie intake, etc.), how much and what your drink, plus how much you exercise? I've found that by keeping track of those things on a daily basis, I have a much better idea of how my food intake, liquid intake and exercise affect my weight loss. Then I can adjust or fine tune what I'm doing to maximize my weight loss. It's worked pretty well so far, so it may be worth a try. A lot of OH folks use fitday.com for this kind of tracking, so that may be an option for you. Is your surgeon happy with your progress? My surgeon's guidelines indicate that he expects us to lose our excess weight over a 12 to 24 month period, so I would think you would be on track as far as my surgeon is concerned. You should, of course, follow what your surgeon says since he/she knows your personal situation. All that being said, you just may be a slow loser. Some folks just are. Each of our bodies are different, so they react differently to changes in diet and exercise. Keep up with your new healthy habits - in the long run, it will all serve you well! Kellie

Hello Marie! Please don't worry about your weight. We all lose differently. I had RNY on October 25th, 2005. I started at 310 lbs. and I am 5'8". I have lost 152 lbs. in 9 months. I am 158 lbs. I have not lost much in the last 3 months. The majority of my loss was in the beginning. I have been on this slow stall for 3 months. It drives me nuts, but I know I will get to goal eventually. They say it takes 2 years to lose all your weight. It's only been 9 months. So let nature takes it's course and let it come off at it's own pace. You will get there! It sounds like your doing everything right! Erin 310/158/151

Marie, we probably don't compare very well with each other, because while I originally started out at 300 lbs, I am taller than you, 5' 10", so our BMIs are very different and weight loss different as a result of that. Also, I'm 42; age certainly can affect metabolism. People in their 20s will usually lose faster than people in their 40s or 60s. I lost about 40 lbs prior to WLS, and have lost 80 lbs since WLS last October. My weight loss has really slowed down, but I still seem to be losing at a moderate pace, 8 pounds in the last two months. Ideally I would like to lose 15 more pounds, but if I don't, I will be thrilled to stay at this weight for the rest of my life. I'm healthy again, and that's what is important to me. I am "bad" in that I almost never exercise. With a full time job and twins to raise, I just don't manage to fit it in. Everyone says the key to long term success is exercise, and that may end up being my downfall. I try to be very good about my food choices, but honestly, I do have treats from time to time. My big thing is not to beat myself up about treats; instead I give myself permission that it is OK as long as I limit the quantity. So if I make brownies with the kids, I eat 1/2 brownie. And with my new little stomach, 1/2 brownie is very satisfying! Then I make sure I eat healthy meals the rest of the day. I think the other advice you received on writing down your food & exercise is good advice; it can be easy to kid yourself into thinking you are consuming less than you really are. Why don't you try keeping a food diary, and see what it reveals in terms of total calories? Then take it in to see your nutritionist, if you have one at your surgeon's office. Good luck to you. Sheryl