Impatience

Hi All, My surgery date is in exactly one month, with Dr. John Rabkin.  I can't wait! I'm feeling really impatient, though, about the prospect of losing over 150 pounds.  I weight over 400 and I see other "Super Duper Obese" people drop 100+ in 9-12 months. I've typically been a slow weight-loser in the past.  I want to lose weight quickly, but I think that this impatience is unhealthy. What is your experience with the speed with which you lose weight?  Why do so many people seem to stop losing around 18 months?  Julie (who'd like to weigh a nice, svelte, 250 pounds!)

In GENERAL, to be on target for losing all of your weight, the percentages are 30% of ewl by 3 months, 50% by 6 months, and 75% by 1 year.  To make that a little easier, I started at 376, and my ideal goal weight is 175-185.   So my extra weight (ew) was 191-201.  My extra weight lost (ewl) at 3 months was 59 pounds, so almost exactly 30% of 200 pounds.  At 6 months, I was down 100 pounds, so that was 50% of my ewl.  At 1 year, I was down 148 pounds, so again just shy of 75% of ewl.  For the record, my weight loss slowed down a lot after one year, but I also had a drain placed then, and I've had to "take it easy" for the last six months.  That's not to say I've stopped losing, it's just coming off slowly.  This is my 18th month, and so far I've lost 3.5 pounds for the month.  I still have another 1.5 weeks of this month though.   I think you can keep losing well after the 18 month "window," but you might have to work at it a little more.  Most people who have the DS do lose quickly, but just remember that you don't want to end up thin and unhealthy so don't skimp on getting your protein in and taking your vitamins.  :)  You're off on an amazing ride!  Good luck!

Stacie--it's 30% in TWO months.

You'll probably hear this from others beside me, but after being on this site for over two years, from personal experience and my observation of others'  when you have more than 150 pounds to lose, you REALLY need to maximize your weight loss "window" by watching those carbs.  Stick to protein, fat and veggies for as long as you possibly can.   This surgery WILL work for you, but it's not magic.  It might seem that way for some of the lightweights.    I was one of them, but I never wanted to gamble with my window, so I kept my carbs below 30 the first four months or so, below 50 the first six months and when I hit a normal BMI at eight months, I upped them to 100.   As a lightweight, I lost 146 pounds in one year.   I would bet that you could lose more than that if you don't let the simple carbs sneak their way into your diet too early.  Some doctors feel there is no "window" and that if you keep working the low-carb tool, you'll get to goal.    I'd love to hear from a variety of individuals who started out SMO or SSMO to see how they feel about this.

I went into this thinking I was going to lose slower than most, since I'm a revision.  But nope!  My starting weight was 317.5.  I've lost about 65% in less than 8 months.  You need to concentrate on the percentage, not on the pounds!  There are several weight loss divas who have dropped the pounds like a leaf, and it can seem like you're going 'slow' when you're not to goal by 9 months , but being on track is what you need to watch.  I'm confident (finally!) that I'll get the 80% by a year out - leaving the last 20% for slower losing after that and plastics!

I lost 170 lbs in 13 months without ever stalling by doing strict low carb (30-50 grams a day) and exercising 5 times a week. It can be done. Of course, your milage may vary. With a lot to lose, however, it would behoove you to make the most of your window. Not everyone stops losing at 18 months, but after that most people have to work at it more. Good luck!

So it sounds like being on Atkins induction for a year and more.  Wow.  That's intense. I did Atkins induction phase (<20 grams) for about 5 months, and lost 50 pounds.  I hope it's easier to do that with DS than without.  But it sorta sucks. Julie

Not quite induction. Keep it under 50 grams and you should be good. Meanwhile, keep in mind that you need to get in your 90 grams of protein first. And you'll have a much smaller stomach. If anything, you'll have to make an effort to eat enough. At first, you won't have room for carbs, anyway. After you've broken your carb addiction, you shouldn't feel deprived at all. If you're hungry, you get to eat. And the occasional carb treat won't "ruin your diet" like it did in the past. It doesn't suck at all.

Thank you for the reassurance.  I remember the 20g limit all too well.   Romaine lettuce = 0.8 g, Mayo 1 TBSP = 0.1 g, blah blah blah.   I'm still excited about the DS.  There are so many things I want to do once it's easier to move and fit into equipment like kayaks.

I doubt that anyone here even counts carbs so closely. I know that I don't bother counting a couple of lettuce leaves or mayo. Cripes, I slather mayo on everything I can for the fat. It's really not that intense or anal.  Stay away from the white stuff: sugar, flour, white rice, potatoes and watch the sugar count in any fruit (or anything) that you eat.  BUT, it's usually still ok to allow yourself a treat now and then.  Keep reading here. The recovery period sucks. But, you won't find too many people much further out than that who are miserable. Quite the opposite.