Not Losing and Concerned

Okay....I'm now 11 weeks post op....so just shy of 3 months.  I've lost 64-65 pounds (yes, I know this is good), but I feel it isn't enough.  I lost the first 30-40 in the first month or so, then I plateued.  Now, I'm losing maybe a pound here or a pound there, but then I turn around and I gain a pound or two.  About 3 weeks ago I finally found a protein shake I can tolerate, so I'm finally getting about 90g or protein a day.  I have really been concentrating on my liquid intake and consume about 48 oz regularly and aim for 60 oz or above. I keep track of EVERYTHING i eat and am averaging 800-1000 calories a day.  I try to excercise as much as possible, but it seems like everytime I start having the strength to excercise regularly something else happens and I get drained again and have to work my strength back up.  Is this normal?  Am I just worrying too much?  What am I doing wrong?

You're not doing anything wrong...you're not broken...the surgery will work if you work it and you are!  Just keep doing what you've been told to do - protein, water, exercise, vitamins.  Step off the scale. 

When I was early out I weighed once a month - I knew the ups and downs would drive me crazy and ultimately do me no good.  I found that my body has it's own weight loss cycle - lose quite a bit of weight for about a week or so, slow down almost to nothing, maybe even up a bit, have my period, stay steady for a few days and back to losing quite a bit of weight, repeat.  Now that I'm further out, I play around with the same 3-5 pounds over and over again.

Relax, follow the rules and just let it happen as it happens.

Take Care,
Jana

Jana,
I am 8 months out and  down 91 LBS the same thing just happened to me in March and it was really frustrating.  Then came April and things were looking good again, now I am waiting to see what May will bring.  So far it's about 6 LBS, still leaving me with 89 LBS left to go.

You are doing well. Try drinking more fluid and realize that after the first month or so your average weight loss per month is going to fall. I lost 30lbs the first month, 15 or so each month from month 2 to 6 and then it dropped to 10 or less per month. At a year out I was lucky to see 10lbs per month. Its normal.

Exercise as best you can and consider maybe doing less strenuous exercise but more frequently and for longer periods of time. You might not get as tired that way.  Its hard the first few months, you just don't have much energy at all.

Stalls happen. They end. Good luck!!

I agree you are doing GREAT!! I know its harder said than done but be patient continue to follow your docs/nut guidelines and the weight WILL come off. At around 4 months I hit a very big plateau so I know how frustrating it is. But just like everyone said I DID start losing again!

I know the protein shake is hard for months I couldnt find one I can tolerate, and now I can just about tolerate all of them so that will get easier with time too. Stay focused!

I posted this same fear yesterday and I got some amazing support...but this next piece of information really spoke to me. I get it now. It's actually ok when you halt, and even gain a little....and this is why.....

Below is a cut and paste of the post I got yesterday. It was like a gift. In a nut shell, as your fat stores convert from fat to glicogen (usable energy in place of excess food) it is stored in a soluble form of glucose...but for every pound that coverts, it needs 8 pounds of water to make it soluble. Your body needs time to convert, and store with water ready for you to burn it off with activity...... It was so great to understand...anyway, I'll share it below. I probably just made no sense but here is the actual post on the mechanics of your body losing weight...i hope it is as profound in your education of your body as it was to me. I feel totally ok about my plateau (18 days today).

When you magically drop x pounds per day or x pounds in the first week, two weeks, three weeks, etc. after surgery, it feels like a dream come true.

But: IT. WILL. STOP. Because it is NOT fat. It is WATER. This is what is happening, courtesy of Diana Cox, who is a molecular biologist Ph.D. and taught stuff like this in medical school. She makes me look smart :-).

Our bodies use glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, but it is stored in our muscles for quick energy -- one pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of water to keep it soluble, and the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, your body turns first to stored glycogen, which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, you also lose 8 lbs of water that was used to store it -- voila -- the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of a diet.

As you stay in caloric deficit, however, your body starts to realize that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue and burning fat for energy. But your body also realizes that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy -- like, to outrun a sabertooth tiger. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, and rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while as you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored.
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Also FYI this can happen if you do hi intensity workouts as well, but in the end it's a good thing to do those because over all you will build muscles whi*****reases metabolism.  In addition hi  intensity workouts rev your metabolism for the next 24 hours and even though you may not be able to work out as long as lower intensity workouts you will end up burning more calories. 

So, water fluctuations will cause weight fluctuations as well so it's best to weigh just once a week.  And, as I have had a hard time coming to grips with, stalls happen, sometimes for no explainable reason but they do pass as long as you are doing the right things (most importantly reduced calories, 2- lower carbs, 3 - exercise).  It is frustrating however.

This info IS like a little beautiful gift! And exactly what I needed to read today. I like to bogart support from other's threads!

Hi, I had RY April 20, 2009 and have lost only 33 pounds the first week and when I went to my 2 wk post op I had gain 10 lbs. I have been on my cycle since the 2nd week, still going. My body retains water during this time. I have been at the same 283 for two weeks. I am praying that I continue to loose at least 20 lbs a month to reach my goal. I know that I need to intake more protein shakes. I eat reg food good. No sweets, no sodas, some juice is what I do drink. How much did you loose the 2nd month?