What gives!

5 lbs - seriously. That's all I have lost in a month's time. I work out 5 times a week now and eat everything I'm supposed, stay away from the things I'm not supposed to have and all I have lost since June 2nd is 5 lbs - UGH. The scale hasn't budged in 2 weeks. It's weird how I lose weight for 2 - 3 weeks and then BAM, nothing - zip - zilch for like 2 weeks or more. I should be used to it by now cause this seems to be my pattern but I guess it gets a bit frustrating. Maybe I'm just cranky too cause I slept like crap since my a/c went out last night while we were out at a friend house and I live in the desert (yay). My 6 month post op check is soon and I just wanted to be down a bit more. I guess I need to look on the positive side and be grateful for what the surgery has done for me so far. And on an even more positive note, I noticed my hair is not falling out as much. The clumps in the shower are starting to dwindle :)

We all want instant weight loss.  After all we did have WLS to FIX this.  Stay on plan.  You will lose.  If you remember pre op you was not losing anything while the post op you is losing.  Maybe not as fast as you like but still the trend is in decline overall.  Be patient. It will come off if you eat on plan.  Many people lose in steps.  This is a marathon not a sprint.  Hope this helps.

As you know, this is not an indication of failure, we all lose differently, and you will succeed if you keep with the plan...

Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, I completely understand your frustrations! While I've been lucky so far, I'm only 7 weeks out from surgery... I know that in due time I will be in your shoes, and when I am, I'll be frustrated too! 

I can tell you all the things you already know... 'keep on keeping on', 'this too shall pass', 'as long as you follow your plan, the weight will come off'...

But the truth of the matter is, as obese people trying to do the right thing, we put so much emphasis on the scale! It's our 'report card' every time we step on it.

Have you tried measuring yourself to see how the inches are working for you? That is supposed to be a good tracker to show changes when the scale doesn't cooperate.

In the mean time, try to not let this derail you! Because somewhere inside you, you have to know that this will work, and all of this is part of the grand scheme of things.

Hang in there, I can only imagine your frustrations!

You know, I could kick myself for not taking measurements on myself before I started the weight loss. I can see the difference in my clothing so I know I'm losing. I guess the scale is just my only "report card" as you put it at this point. Maybe I should measure myself now anyway to keep track the rest of the way. 

At about the 6 month period, for me, it was essential for me to change my goal from a weight, to "Having a healthy and happy relationship with food and my body."  Of course, the weight is a part of that, but having a wider goal helped me see and track lots of other progress - Blood pressure, cholesterol, percent fat, etc, and also how long it took for my heart to return to resting after hard aerobics, how much weight I could lift.   This made those periods of less weight loss not assume a larger than appropriate position.

As everyone says, focus on compliance with your post WLS instructions and it will come off, but at its own speed.  I encourage people not to have time-dependent weight loss goals, only process goals that you can directly control.

I would also take your food and exercise journal to your 6-month check-up and discuss your progress with your doctor there may be something going on.

Also, you say you work out - are you doing weight training to replace your lost muscle mass (not just aerobcs or light weights, but working with a trainer.)  It is your muscle mass that burns calories and you prob lost 20-30% of that 56 pounds as muscle and will likely need to replace.

You seem to have a balanced view and know that even 5 pounds a month, it is stays off, is wonderful progress.  Buy a new shade of lipstick - you earned with with your first 50 pound loss.

Oh I am for sure much healthier than day one of this process. No more BP meds, no more pre-diabetic, hiatal hernia repair fixed my horrible constant burning feeling in my chest, my knee feels better (had knee surgery 2 1/2 years ago and always hurt), I don't get winded walking up the stairs, etc. 

I planned on talking to my doctor and nutritionist at my 6 month appt about this and show them what I have been eating to make sure I'm doing all the right things - which I think I am cause I follow their plan to a T. If my body just loses it slow then so be it. As long as I know I'm doing all the right things and it will continue I will be ok with the slower weight loss. 

As far as the working out, I do 30 mins of cardio and 30 mins of weights. But honestly, the weights thing is a blur to me. I have no idea what I'm doing and what's good or not good for me. Funny that you asked that cause on Sunday I asked the lady at the front desk of the gym I go to who can help me the weights because I'm lost. She wrote my number down and said a trainer would be calling me about it this week to make an appointment for a free personal training session I should have been offered when I signed up. I signed up online so that might be the reason I wasn't told about it. 

Tell the trainer that you want to weight train and increase your muscle mass - otherwise they will keep you on 3-5 pound weights that are not doing what you want at this stage. You want to rebuild lost muscle not just do some minor definition. Check withyour doc.

I use a Program called SuperSlow.  I can lower leg lift 220+ pounds and over 100 on the overhead pulls (lower than than now because still recovering from surgeries and I only went once in last 6 months).  One more surgery and then when I am recovered I will be back.

I am so with you on the KNEES.  If I regain, I hope they SCREAM at me to knock it the H#!! off.

I get it!  I'm that way too.  For me, it's been a combination of things that keep causing this.   First, I'll be 56 in a few weeks, so age is a factor, and I think older folks lose more slowly in general and may even have more stalls than younger folks.  I work out 5 days a week too, but all the exercise in the world won't make a difference if I'm hiding a messy, inconsistent food plan.  So, most importantly, for me, it's all about honesty.  I struggle with being 100% honest and accurate with every bite that goes in my mouth every single frickin' day.   Over the years of struggling with my weight, I've gotten so used to hiding what I eat, believing that it didn't matter if I eat whatever I want, and I just plain gave up on caring about my health and I lived that way for more years than I've tried to be healthy.  Plus, I have the "Because I Deserve It" mindset.  I reward myself with food and can justify a reward for myself for almost ANY reason any time.  It's been a struggle for me almost every day.  I also love pushing limits - always have and I have to be careful that I don't see my WLS as a challenge to see how much I can eat and still lose weight (what a mess).  Can't afford to do that anymore!  

But, I'm getting better at being honest and accurate. I'm learning to track every bite in MFP, I'm forcing myself to admit on MFP when I mess up, I say exactly what is was and why (most of the time - I'm still struggling with this).  My goal is to be sure that happens 100% of the time.  It's hard work, it feels embarassing sometimes.  I'm seeing a counselor to learn how to deal with this and I see a psychiatrist for anti-depressant meds, too.  It's working, I'm learning how to be accountable despite stress, despite the rewards I think I deserve, despite my old patterns.  

If any of this rings true for you, too (or anybody here).  I'd recommend finding a good counselor who specializes in eating disorders, and feel free to join me on my journey at MFP too.  (I'm BethyAnny over there.)  Good luck!

Fortunately I am not struggling with the food part of it...in fact, I rarely even want to eat and pretty much have to force myself to do it. That was one of my problems in the beginning with food and water but I have gotten so much better and make my protein goal almost daily lol. I use MFP too to help me keep track. I still tend to be under what is recommended. I think age may play a factor sometimes but then I see older people than me dropping the weight quickly (I'm 40). It just be my path on this journey, losing it slowly. And if it is, I need to just accept and keep pushing forward :) 

By the way....how in the world do you add your monthly weights and age and stuff under your weight loss tracker? I haven't been able to figure that one out lol.