I have only lost 8lbs in the last month

I am starting to feel like I am going to stay fat. I exercise 3-4 times a week at the gym. In the afternoon I get hungry and can eat about every 2 hours. I seem to snack alot at night. Does anyone else feel like they might eat too much. I drink when eating because it goes down better, if I don't I feel like food gets stuck.

Hello, wow I feel like that too. I feel that it is moving too slow for all the pain and suffering. Sometimes I feel that I can eat stuff I am not suppose to but then I eat something I think is okay and BAm I am sick. It is moving along for me weight wise but slow. I go to the gym 4 time a week.i have been told it is building muscle so maybe that is why wieght loss is slow. i do get very hungry at night too.

According to everything I read on the boards, the average, depending on what you have to lose IS 8 to 10lbs a month, for moderate losers. The ones that seem to lose faster are the ones that have gone insane (in my opinion) with the exercise and are doing 1-2 hours daily, every day, plus they meet their water and protein intake EVERY day, come hell or high water. I lose an average of 8 to 10lbs a month, and if I stay close to that track, I'll hit goal close to 12 months. I'm fine with that. So many of us think that we're going to have surgery, and the weight is literally going to "fall off" because we've all read the stories of some that did have it happen. From what I've read, that's not the "norm". You're doing great! I can understand the frustration. The scale is sulking at 210 to 208 for me, and I'd love to hit 199 in 3 weeks for my 34th birthday. Now, to convince my body to lose the pounds, and not just the inches! And I know I've lost the inches, when the weight hasn't come off, because nothing fits anymore!

Being one of the people who were advised to "go insane" (exercise 1-2 hours every day, meet all the water and protein recommendations, etc.) by their doctor... I just have to say that I love your post!!!! I've been sick these last two weeks with a cold that has been going around, and have felt completely drained. I've lost about 12 pounds this last month, which is awesome, but have felt so guilty that it hasn't been more. Thank you for reminding us that we're human, and 8-10 pounds a month is perfectly fine! You're seriously my hero for the week. On top of that, I have to concur with what everyone has been saying about the weight-stalls, especially near their periods (sorry if this is too much info., gals!). IT IS SO TRUE. Estrogen is stored in fat cells so, while we're all losing weight like crazy... we're releasing all this estrogen into our systems and becomming even more hormonal. Top that off with being menstrual?! No wonder our weight-loss stalls for a couple of weeks! Way to go to all, and the best of luck these next few weeks/months/years...! Keep your body guessing with your workouts... it's the best advice anyone has given me thus far. - Krystal 388/288/190

I've heard it is normal to stall periodically... I was stuck last week but my scale is finally moving down again... I had my surgery Jan 9th so I'm usually on the Jan 2007 board, but I occasionally read/post here to connect with people who are further out from surgery than me cuz almost everyone in Jan had their surgery after me...

Yeah, I go see my PA tomorrow. I'm sure I'll get the evil eye when I tell her I've not been meeting 64oz of water daily, and I walk when I have time (I drive my husband back and forth to work, on a different schedule than my work schedule, since we only have one car, and he's STILL got to learn to drive.. grrr). Then again, I'm going to hit her with some questions too. What if you don't sweat? Do you have to drink 64oz of water a day? I mean, I just turn a beet red and never bust a sweat, been that way all my life.. my two aunts too. LOL Curious minds want to know. I assume some of tha****er it to help replace what we're supposed to be sweating out during exercise.

Hi Mindy, Great job on the exercise! That is invaluable at this point in the game. And 8 pounds in the month is good. Thats not a bad amount of weight to lose. Now, I am by no means an expert but I have a bit of advice for you: Stop drinking when you eat. Start eating more moist foods and stay away from the dry chicken or beef. If you MUST drink to get it down, take a sip or 2 and thats it. That may be the reason that you are hungry within 2 hours. When you drink with your food, the food is going through your system faster than it normally would. Your food is being somewhat diluted which would result in some of the nutrients not being retained--we already have a problem with retaining nutrients as it is, now you are losing more nutrients because the food is not sitting in your system and digesting as slow as it should. I have never started that habit of drinking while eating even though I see people doing it. I know its probably easier said than done but you have to get back to doing it that way so that you wont push your food through. As far as snacking at night, I am lucky, I go upstairs when my husband leaves at 9pm and the kitchen is "closed". I will bring my water upstairs but no food and I will not go back downstairs. I try to eat 3 times a day, and try my best to get all of the protein in so that I am not hungry. I also drink water in between meals. When I snack--which is very rare, its on fruit or sugar free graham crackers. Good luck to you, I think if you eat more protein, you wont feel the hunger so bad. Angela

I feel the same way I am so happy I am not the only one. I talk to my one girlfriend who had the surgery all the time about feelinh this way. I feel like I am always hungry and if I dont drink while I am eating it hurts like the food is stuck. I am so worried all this will be for nothing because I am always hungry and will gain the weight back.I try to eat healthy but I thought I was not supposed to be hungry like this after the surgery. I had my surgery 11-7-06 so its still fairly new to me.