Question about weight loss
Hi everyone...I read the message boards here from time to time but I have never posted. I had RNY on January 26, 2009. I had a complication...but all is fine now. That would be another whole post. My question is, I have lost about 60 lbs. since surgery. Well actually 40 lbs or so. I lost 20 lbs. on my own before I had the surgery. I have not been released by the surgeon yet to start exercising because of my complication. I feel now though that I am not going to lose any more weight. I just feel that I am at a stand still. I know when I am able to exercise that will help. I don't have my energy back yet. I feel like I felt better before I had the surgery done. Is this normal to be at a stand still so early in the process? I just can't shake the feeling that I am not going to lose any more weight. Thanks in advance for your replies.
CJAS103098:
Hello! Welcome and thank you for the topic! It sounds as if you are wondering if WLS will work for you and what is typical or xepected on the journey!
individual results vary and of complications can cause challenges or setbacks individually....For me I know many times along the way I felt like I was the only one WLS wouldn't work for and I have heard if from others thousands of times over the past 6 1/2 years!
Can you walk or do chair exercises or a pool or physical therapy? I do not know the particulars of your coplication or restrictions but many times there are things one can do, even if it is walking 10 min a day!
I have been asked and answered this question hundreds of times (see you are not alone!)...here is my usual reply!
The focus tht sometimes is missed with bariatric surgery is it is about LIFE CHANGING not *just* WEIGHT CHANGING. This refocus or shift in thinking I beleive is imperative for many reasons.
First there are many things we can do to influence our wt, but the body is in ultimate control. Sometimes we do everything we can and our body does as it wishes, dropping at its desired pace, not what we expect, wish or want...
Secondly, this can be maddening if we do not refocus on the true goal which is taking this opportunity to change our habits, both what we choose to eat and how we exercise daily *as able* and how we work on handling our emotional selves!!!! BIG PART and get support!
Once we are able to grasp this difference the plateaus that happen randomly, *some folks get them every other week starting yes at 2 weeks out or sooner and may last through 1-2 yrs, others do not ever get them, some get them monthly etc* Tney are a NORMAL, EXPECTED and part of the journey/experience how we respond and react is all that is in outr control (obsess, worry and have VS embrace, accept and surrender to!)...
There is no normal on this road, only YOUR experience and as they say there is typical but YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY! (YMMV)....We can either struggle with them or embrace them as learning opportunities for distress tolerance, patience and allowing our body its natural course in adjustments...
We will not wake up everyday or week to a loss and if we set this unrealistic expectation expect it is surely a setup for ourselves involing chronic disappointment...
wt loss slows significantly by 6 mo for many, when we get used to it flying off and it is scary but it need not be if we realize the normalcy of it all and refocus on what we are doing with our life to maintain the losses.
If we do not regain is more likely to be a reality as we failed to ESCAPE THE PRISON OF BEHAVIORS THAT CAUSED MORBID OBESITY during the opportunity rich honeymoon period. THE BURDEN TO SUCCEED IS ON OURSELVES.....
The fear so many of us have that this won't work for us, that we are doing something wrong or we will be the ONLY one WLS does not work for is common. It is not helpful, but common.
"The single most important factor is to realize the surgery IS NOT A CURE for obesity. It's a very POWERFUL TOOL used in the fight against obesity. It needs to be considered as part of A PROCESS & A LIFELONG COMMITMENT to follow up with your bariatric team, engage in a regular exercise program, manage emotions and healthy eating. It is not a quick FIX."
Now many of us have set RIGID, UNREALISTIC WEIGHT LOSS GOALS for ourselves that are BOTH UNATTAINABLE and CHRONICALLY DISAPPOINTING and lead to DEVASTATION & the slippery slope of self-sabotage all of our lives. The reframing here after WLS that this is not another diet we will fail, this is not even about the scale and perhaps getting it our of our homes, or weighing MONTHLY no more to avoid the scale mentality and instead focus on what you are doing to take care of your needs in a healthy manner over time. The scale will do as it wishes we can learn to listen to our bodies physically and emotionally (the goal) to live a present focused life...
So these 4 things are my recommended focus for all postop WLSers:BE WILLING TO MAKE LIFESTYLE CHANGES NECESSARY FOR LONG-TERM WEIGHT LOSS SUCCESS/HEALTH:
1 REGULAR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
2 GOOD NUTRITION AND APPROPRIATE VITAMIN/MINERAL SUPPLEMENTATION
3 ASSISTANCE IN IMPROVING EMOTIONAL STATUS
4 CONTINUED INVOLVEMENT IN A BARIATRIC SUPPORT GROUP AND IN YOUR CLINICAL PROGRAM
Make a list of all the non-scale victories, they can be so subtle or huge..they are the things when the rotten hunkametal called the tortureous scale is not reading our desired numbers!
BE WELL keep posting!
Hello! Welcome and thank you for the topic! It sounds as if you are wondering if WLS will work for you and what is typical or xepected on the journey!
individual results vary and of complications can cause challenges or setbacks individually....For me I know many times along the way I felt like I was the only one WLS wouldn't work for and I have heard if from others thousands of times over the past 6 1/2 years!
Can you walk or do chair exercises or a pool or physical therapy? I do not know the particulars of your coplication or restrictions but many times there are things one can do, even if it is walking 10 min a day!
I have been asked and answered this question hundreds of times (see you are not alone!)...here is my usual reply!
The focus tht sometimes is missed with bariatric surgery is it is about LIFE CHANGING not *just* WEIGHT CHANGING. This refocus or shift in thinking I beleive is imperative for many reasons.
First there are many things we can do to influence our wt, but the body is in ultimate control. Sometimes we do everything we can and our body does as it wishes, dropping at its desired pace, not what we expect, wish or want...
Secondly, this can be maddening if we do not refocus on the true goal which is taking this opportunity to change our habits, both what we choose to eat and how we exercise daily *as able* and how we work on handling our emotional selves!!!! BIG PART and get support!
Once we are able to grasp this difference the plateaus that happen randomly, *some folks get them every other week starting yes at 2 weeks out or sooner and may last through 1-2 yrs, others do not ever get them, some get them monthly etc* Tney are a NORMAL, EXPECTED and part of the journey/experience how we respond and react is all that is in outr control (obsess, worry and have VS embrace, accept and surrender to!)...
There is no normal on this road, only YOUR experience and as they say there is typical but YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY! (YMMV)....We can either struggle with them or embrace them as learning opportunities for distress tolerance, patience and allowing our body its natural course in adjustments...
We will not wake up everyday or week to a loss and if we set this unrealistic expectation expect it is surely a setup for ourselves involing chronic disappointment...
wt loss slows significantly by 6 mo for many, when we get used to it flying off and it is scary but it need not be if we realize the normalcy of it all and refocus on what we are doing with our life to maintain the losses.
If we do not regain is more likely to be a reality as we failed to ESCAPE THE PRISON OF BEHAVIORS THAT CAUSED MORBID OBESITY during the opportunity rich honeymoon period. THE BURDEN TO SUCCEED IS ON OURSELVES.....
The fear so many of us have that this won't work for us, that we are doing something wrong or we will be the ONLY one WLS does not work for is common. It is not helpful, but common.
"The single most important factor is to realize the surgery IS NOT A CURE for obesity. It's a very POWERFUL TOOL used in the fight against obesity. It needs to be considered as part of A PROCESS & A LIFELONG COMMITMENT to follow up with your bariatric team, engage in a regular exercise program, manage emotions and healthy eating. It is not a quick FIX."
Now many of us have set RIGID, UNREALISTIC WEIGHT LOSS GOALS for ourselves that are BOTH UNATTAINABLE and CHRONICALLY DISAPPOINTING and lead to DEVASTATION & the slippery slope of self-sabotage all of our lives. The reframing here after WLS that this is not another diet we will fail, this is not even about the scale and perhaps getting it our of our homes, or weighing MONTHLY no more to avoid the scale mentality and instead focus on what you are doing to take care of your needs in a healthy manner over time. The scale will do as it wishes we can learn to listen to our bodies physically and emotionally (the goal) to live a present focused life...
So these 4 things are my recommended focus for all postop WLSers:BE WILLING TO MAKE LIFESTYLE CHANGES NECESSARY FOR LONG-TERM WEIGHT LOSS SUCCESS/HEALTH:
1 REGULAR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
2 GOOD NUTRITION AND APPROPRIATE VITAMIN/MINERAL SUPPLEMENTATION
3 ASSISTANCE IN IMPROVING EMOTIONAL STATUS
4 CONTINUED INVOLVEMENT IN A BARIATRIC SUPPORT GROUP AND IN YOUR CLINICAL PROGRAM
Make a list of all the non-scale victories, they can be so subtle or huge..they are the things when the rotten hunkametal called the tortureous scale is not reading our desired numbers!
BE WELL keep posting!
Take Care, 
Jamie Ellis RN MS NPP
100cm proximal Lap RNY 10/9/02 Dr. Singh Albany, NY
320(preop)/163(lowest)/185(current) 5'9'' (lost 45# before surgery)
Plastics 6/9/04 & 11/11/2005 Dr. King www.albanyplasticsurgeons.com
http://www.obesityhelp.com/member/jamiecatlady5/
"Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect, it just means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections!"
Jamie Ellis RN MS NPP
100cm proximal Lap RNY 10/9/02 Dr. Singh Albany, NY
320(preop)/163(lowest)/185(current) 5'9'' (lost 45# before surgery)
Plastics 6/9/04 & 11/11/2005 Dr. King www.albanyplasticsurgeons.com
http://www.obesityhelp.com/member/jamiecatlady5/
"Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect, it just means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections!"
Thank you for asking the very question I have been wondering. My mind knew the answer, but not my heart. Thank you also to all of you who answered. It is so nice to have somewhere to turn to where others have paved the journey ahead of you and can help you navigate through the bumps and pot holes. I had my RNY on 2/16 and am down 34 since surgery. But got used to seeing weight loss EVERYTIME I stepped on the scale. THEN nothing for 2 weeks. I did dip again and hope this 1st stall is over and my adding exercise will give me another boost. Just got my o.k. to add more than walking. Good luck to you with your progress and Congrats on your overall loss of 60 lbs!!
Kathy 
(Your Guardian Angel is always watching over you)
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