PLATEAU!?!

4 months post-op and i've only lost 30 lbs...not even 10 a month at the least I had expected to lose...for the first 3 months i had only lost 20lbs total...has anyone else experienced this sort of plateau and if so what have you done to get out of it??? I literally have cut basically all sweets, starches and anything that isn't protein from my diet...and i'm still not getting the results that both I and the doctor wants...HELP!!!!

Which surgery did you have?

Are you sticking to your surgeon's plan?  What does he advise?

I had the Gastric Sleeve done...when i saw him 1 month post surgery he was baffled by the lack of weight loss and still is from what i was told Wed...Ummm i just have to stick to a modified diet, make sure i have a lot of proteins in my diet as well as take the vitamins...post surgery i've kept to a diet where i'm basically eating out of a small saucer rather than an actual plate...and when i do eat it's mostly just a protein and no starches as I said...it's just rather weird...I think i'm one of those people who just can't lose weight no matter what :-( I see him on the 4th and then i'll know if he wants to add or change anything in terms of my diet and exercise

My questions would be are you getting your recommended amount of protein? And are you getting your recommended amount of water? Those two things are frequently the issue. The other question is: How much do you have to lose? We usually lose percentages so your loss may be really good, if perchance you only had 70 or 80 lbs to lose in total. It's hard to judge.

There might be some great advice on these forums to help you out.

I essentially just eat protein based foods and plenty of water...my personal goal was at least 20lbs a month which may sound like a whole lot...but given that i was at 332 on surgery date...i needed to lose like a whole 150lbs to be close my max weight...so that's a lot i had to go...120lbs more to go I guess...so that's another 9 months if i start to lose weight regularly...I know the doctor isn't happy with my weight loss thus far so i'm guessing that i'm not losing nearly as much as he expected/wanted...I see him on the 4th so i'm going to see what's going on...one of my pain management doctors told me that since i'm losing a lot of inches...it may be that my weight from fat is turning into weight from muscle mass which is heavier and that's probably why it appears as if i'm not losing a lot of weight...it's just rather disheartening knowing that i'm doing all that i can do realistically and the weight isn't just falling off as it has been for other people (even realizing that everyone is different), like i read on the forums yesterday that a lady had lost 86 lbs at month 4 and i'm exactly there and have only lost 30 total :-(

I think you just found your strength in your last post - you are losing inches!  That's amazing!  Take pictures of yourself to track your progress and don't put so much into the scale.  With that being said, I'm scheduled for my sleeve surgery tomorrow!  Yikes I'm nervous.  My dr. put me on a 2 week pre-op liquid diet and I only lost 10 lbs on the scale most of which came off in week one.  I was bummed but at least I could see i difference in my weekly photo check ins (with myself).  I have been told to expect to lose 20-30 lbs in the first 4 weeks and I am scared of not reaching that goal but in writing to you now, I realize that patience is key.  Hang in there! 

Thanks Jocelyn for the words of encouragement and I wish you luck tomorrow...If your doctor is anything like mine...you won't have nothing to be nervous about...Dr. Sadek presence alone makes one feel calm...so I wish that is the same with your doctor and I know you'll come out of it like a champ!!! Yea, i'm going to keep on fighting to lose more, it was just surprising cause i've seen people posting results that were like 4 times mines and it has me a bit worried and bummed...again good luck tomorrow and keep us posted!!!

I'm sorry that you're struggling.

How many grams of protein are you eating per day?  Can you be more specific and define "plenty" of water?  64 ounces?  100 ounces?

Are you tracking everything you put into your mouth using an app like My Fitness Pal or something similar?

You mentioned that you're seeing a pain management specialist.  Are you able to exercise?

Not exercising much other than walking around the block for like 1/2 hour during the day.  I'm not tracking what i put into my mouth with any apps or anything like that i just make sure that i'm not taking in too much throughout the day.  I'm drinking about 5-6 16 ounces of water per day.  In terms of proteins, not sure how much i'm getting either in total, but i know it's a lot since that is all i eat.

Sometimes it's not you.  Sometimes it's the sleeve.  I had the same issues and I blamed myself.  2years later I finally went to a different surgeon and ran some tests and found out that I had issues with my sleeve.  Maybe they should run a scope or do a barium swallow both of which identified my problems.  This is not the norm though.  Just my story.  Good luck