Not losing weight

Hi, I had VSG on 3/18/19 my starting weight the day of surgery was 272 and I'm 242 now. But I've been this weight for weeks. I'm feeling so over whelmed about this like I should be losing more. I started working out, I'm way more active than i used to be, i get my protein in and eat low carb. I just dont get it. My 3 month follow up is at the end of the month and I'm scared they will say it's not enough weight, I'm even thinking I should've went with the RNY because I'm not losing anymore. Any recommendations would be appreciated, I just want a successful surgery.

You lost 30 lbs in a short time, so I'm not that surprised you're experiencing a stall. It's all part of the body's adjustment to the lower weight. You say you've "been this weight for weeks" - how many weeks? From other posts on this forum, I think the majority of stalls last about 3 weeks, but some last a bit longer. I suspect your medical team will reassure you rather than criticise you.

What do you eat in a typical day? Maybe we can offer suggestions. Do you track everything you eat, including any drinks that have calories? And are you drinking 2 liters of water per day? Water is necessary for weight loss!

If you do decide to make adjustments to your diet, I suggest you change one thing at a time. Look at the things you eat most frequently, and see if there's a way to make one of them lower in calories or carbs, whichever you're tracking.

I've been stalled for about 2.5 weeks, my meals on normal days with working 12 hour shifts are those p3 meals, cheese sticks, meatballs, ham and cheese roll ups, eggs with onions and green pepper. I probably dont drink enough water, I usually get about 50 oz of water and my protein shake. My protein intake is usually 60 to 70. A friend of my suggested upping my protein to 90 a day and I feel like I eat anymore I'll stretch my pouch out.

Stalls happen. Sometimes we just need to ride it out, and sometimes we have to change up what we are doing - even if we were not doing anything technically wrong.

It is hard to stretch your pouch, it is more about how much you eat at one time. I would up your protein if you can, and get the water in!

You can always add another shake. just some thoughts.

I had VSG around the same time as you and experienced a 4 week stall. It is real and it happens even when you're eating and drinking properly. I'm no expert but the only explanation I can come up with is that your body is in shock and holding on tight to any and all calories consumed.

Make sure you're not eating too frequently. Once your meal is done and you're full discard any leftovers. I don't care about wasting food at this point as overeating is one of the reasons I'm overweight. Some days I can eat 2oz of protein and other days I can eat more. 3 meals and 2 small snacks per day is my plan. I'm not losing a lot like I did during the SlimTime phase or the post op phase but happy losing 1.5 to 2.0 pounds per week now.

If/when the next stall happens try not to be discouraged and just make sure you're following your diet.

Good luck!

My plan has me eating 5 to 6 small meals a day, so I feel like I'm constantly eating, maybe I'm eating to much. I know my calorie intake is about 600 to 850 so might need to stay at the 600 range a few weeks. I also didn't think about my body being in shock and holding on to calories.

Fill in your numbers for an estimate of how much to expect to lose every month.

Post Op Planner

Ty, this is cool. It says I should lose about 65 lbs over a course of 14 months

"High protein and low carb" isn't enough; you need to be eating low CALORIE in order to lose weight. At the 3-month mark, most people are eating between 400 - 600 calories in order to lose weight.

That said, stalls are absolutely normal. Sometimes you will not lose weight, but you will lose inches. It's important to track both and be patient with yourself.

Are you weighing, measuring, and logging everything you eat? Can you share an average day's menu so we can troubleshoot?

Stalls are indeed normal and you will have them here and there and they are exasperating. Having said that, be really careful about what you're eating. Try eating "normal" foods as much as possible. I know it's hard when you work long hours to plan ahead for healthy meals, but bringing pre-packaged protein snack packs is not going to be the best long-term option for weight loss and health.

I also would suggest reviewing the dietary guidelines you were given before. I suspect you might be doing some things that you don't know are tripping you up. For instance, drinking a protein shake every day can add a significant amount of liquid calories without filling you up; therefore, you might end up consuming more calories than you should each day. There are a lot of people who drink these long-term after weight loss surgery and do ok, but for some of us, it makes it that much harder to meet our goals.

If you find that you can't pull out of your stall, I would suggest finding a bariatric medicine specialist. My surgeon's office has one and he has been really helpful to me when I was at my wit's end and found nothing to be working.

Also, please do take a moment to pat yourself on the back for a 30lb wt loss. It's really important to celebrate our successes along the way.