Why am I not losing????????

Hi everyone, I will be 2 months out next Friday and I started out just great with my weightloss. I lost about 25 lbs in the first 3 weeks or so, then I lost an additional 10 lbs for a total of about 33-35lbs. Now I have just stalled for 3 weeks. The scale hasn't moved. I wasn't surprised for the first week it stalled because my womanly flow was going to arrive so I never lose weight during that. But the next two weeks were the same I didn't lose anything. I don't understand. I even started my protein shakes 2 weeks ago and just this week I started drinking my 60 oz of water plus some everyday. And I also burn 100 calories by walking on my lunch break 3 times a week. What am I doing wrong??? I made a food journal and as of yesterday I am eating about 300 calories of food and an additional 200 calories is coming from my protein shakes. I am just at a lost. I haven't eaten any bread yet, I haven't touched any chocolate and I only eat 1 surgar free popsicle a day (15 calories a piece). What the hell am I doing wrong??? When I was on the weightloss plan before I lost 55 lbs in like 3 months. I am not even close to that now. And I never stalled before and I weighed less than I do now. I can't imagine eating anymore because I feel like I am already eating a lot. Please tell me the scale will move. I am only 2 months out I should be losing more faster.... Why Me???? Ronda

IT WILL INDEED MOVE RONDA!!! Take a huge deep breath and try to de-stress over this. I lost for 2 weeks and then stalled for the next 3 weeks myself. I later found out it is extremely common. Your body is simply protesting right now but it can't hold out forever. It is conserving it's resources because it feels starvation coming on. I'm not a huge believer in starvation mode as it is touted around all the diet boards, but I definitely believe it with wls. It can handle a little bit of it, but eventually something in your body says "Hey - this ain't right! It's still going on..." and then it shuts down the metabolism as protection. I don't know how you feel but I know I would go through energy slumps and want to nap around that time which in retrospect appeared to me that it was my body forcing me down to conserve resources. Either way, the stall will end and you will indeed start losing again. Just take heart...it will happen!!! Dina

Oh my goodness!! I'm not alone!! I am not quite one month out of surgery and I too have not seen the expected weightloss. I live with my twin sister who had surgery 9 months ago and I don't recall her ever wondering why she wasn't losing. Then I went and had surgery 2/06. When I got home from MX. the scale showed I was down 26lbs. I was thrilled. However, over the next few days my weight actually went up!! I was shocked! How could I actually gain when I am practically starving. So, here I sit at only a 23lb loss and the scale has not moved for several weeks. I was sitting here crying about it thinking I was alone and how can this be happening!?! And, what you say about napping has been true for me as well. I have been kinda in a sleep mode. I remember thinking to myself just yesterday...why do I want to sleep all the time. So, I went ahead and took a nap and figured if I fall asleep then my body must have needed to sleep. So, is there a way to break this cycle or does it just break itself? Luna

Luna - The cycle will break itself. Just listen to your body when you feel like sleeping. It's part of the repair process....just go with it and eventually it will start coming off again. Stressing just makes it worse for you, so you too take a deep breath and just play the waiting game. It will happen! Dina

Luna, Your sister was my "next door" Ensenada neighbor for the duration. I wish you all the best wishes on your journey. I know your sister didn't stall until quite a bit after surgery... Me? I came home 10 days after surgery to find I lot a grand total of 3 pounds... I nearly cried... I got so angry I hopped on a treadmill and "ran" till I couldn't go anymore. My stall was three weeks after I arrived home... then the weight tended to move a little more quickly... I have to really really really stick by a food regimin and watch my quantity. Quantity of food kills me every time. The reason you sleep is basically you are fasting... fasting will cause you to become weak and lethargic... a little self-cir****pect and irritable or energized depending upon your personality and response to cir****tances surrounding you. Flow,, rather than fight it, and Lord knows there is no need to flee...!!! during months 2-4 I was determined to not eat more than 1/4 cup of anything... except lettuce. Therefore during the day, my consumption of food was basically one whole cup during the WHOLE day. probably less for many of those days. At 9 months out... about 3 days of out of the week I eat successfully. Sometimes 4 days...

Hi Ronda-Girl! You know, your letter could have been written by me when I was just a few weeks out from surgery! I honestly though, "What if I paid all this money for surgery and I only loose 20 pounds?", "What if I'm an exception and this is all I loose???" As a matter of fact, I even sent an e-mail to Dina and asked her the same thing! That Dina, she's a wise one! You're doing everything you're supposed to be doing, Ronda. Just keep persisting! Kathleen

Your body is holding onto everything because you are not getting enough calories! I have been told 1000 is the bare minimum and you can lose just fine at 1200-1500. Try increasing your protein/calories and hang in there. Toots

I seriously disagree about this....pushing the calories up. The whole point of the surgery was to strictly limit our caloric intake. Trying to get that much in this soon out is counterproductive. People do not need to eat more in order to lose - they just need to wait for the plateau to break. This is the part of the "starvation mode" that I completely disagree with. Eventually your body will adjust and will have to start losing. If that were not the case, then people wouldn't starve to death in 3rd world countries and we would never need to eat. Dina

I agree with you toots. Yes, the point of the surgery is to reduce the calorie intake and reducing it to 1000 is STRICT. Plus with RNY, you have the malabsorption issue. Try to remember before surgery you were probably consuming 3-4000 calories a day (or more) so 1000 is still a big reduction. At 300-500 a day your body doesn't have enough to keep you awake! You are tired because you aren't getting in enough. Seriously, what can it hurt if you raise the calorie level up a couple days? If you don't lose, you are no worse off. Give it a try. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Tracy http://www.tracyslapband.com

YOU ARE NOT GOING TO FAIL AT THIS! This is so common! First thing you need to do is only weigh yourself once per week! You will see a more measurable result that way. I lost 35 pounds in the first 35 days then nothing for several weeks. Do not worry about adjusting your diet right now, just make sure you are hydrated and get in as much protein as you can. Your body cannot hold on to this weight forever! I look back now and laugh, I used to get so stressed over the same thing! Here I am 9 months out tomorrow, 100 pounds lighter, less than my personal goal and wearing size 8 levis as I type this! It comes off! Hugs and God bless! Bonnie lap rny 6/3/05 264/164/165