New here....have questions...help please!

Hello,

I'm new here and this is my first time on the forums. I had the sleeve surgery on March 7th, so three weeks ago. I've lost 27 pounds so far, to include the 2 week pre-op surgery diet. I started at 242

I thought I would lose it faster. I heard that weight loss from the sleeve surgery is VERY slow. Is that true?  I keep checking my calendar, trying to predict what weight I will be by certain dates at a 3 pound per week loss. Is 3 pounds a week reasonable?

I'm kind of ocd about things which is why I do that.

I am wondering if I am eating too much. Am I supposed to eat three "meals" a day, or more little meals throughout the day?

can anyone tell me kind of a meal plan or something similar to what they did at this stage and were successful? 

I got this info from the dr. but I'd like to hear it from people who have or are going through it, and any other info anyone would like to share with me about what helped them to be successful or what to watch out for

thanks very much

I thought I would lose it faster. I heard that weight loss from the sleeve surgery is VERY slow. Is that true? 

Weight loss varies a lot depending on your age, gender, body composition, metabolism, what kind of food you eat, your exercise and activity levels . . . it's really not possible to say something really generic like "weight loss from the sleeve surgery is very slow" or "weight loss from sleeve surgery is very fast." It's completely dependent on the individual who had the surgery.

I keep checking my calendar, trying to predict what weight I will be by certain dates at a 3 pound per week loss. Is 3 pounds a week reasonable?

 What is not reasonable is expecting that you will lose a set amount of weight each week, or that weight loss will be steady, or that you will lose a certain amount of weight in a certain amount of time. I understand the urge to make those sorts of predictions for yourself, but I strongly encourage you to do your best to stop. They will only make you miserable. Focus instead on how strictly you will comply with your team's nutrition and activity plans for you. Then when you get to the end of the week, if you've been compliant, you can feel great about yourself no matter what the scale says.

I am wondering if I am eating too much. Am I supposed to eat three "meals" a day, or more little meals throughout the day?

This is something that will vary considerably depending on the instructions you get from your team. When I was moved from liquids, then to purees, then to soft foods, my instructions were consistent: three small meals per day, no snacks other than protein shakes. But your instructions may be completely different. It shouldn't matter to you what my doctor and dietitian told me to do. It should only matter to you what yours tell you to do. Don't stress about what other people are doing. It's hard enough to comply with your own team's plan. If you decide you are going to put aside your team's advice and choose some other random unknown internet person's plan to follow and then stress about that, you are only making life that much harder for yourself.

I feel like I'm not answering your questions in the way you probably want them answered, but please believe me when I say as an almost 3 year veteran, I am giving you the best advice I possibly can.

Thank you for giving me sound advice. I guess I'm a little freaking out right now...it's just really important to me that I'm successful through all of this.

Tomorrow I will see my nutritionist for my first post-op appointment. I will ask anything that comes up and make sure I leave there with a clear plan. Right now I feel like I might be eating too much. I mean, too many small meals.

This is like, the biggest thing I've ever done just for myself and all I can think about is how exciting it will be to reach my goal weight.

After your 3 years.....any regrets? happy you did it?

thanks ;-)

Holy hell, how fast did you expect? 

I don't know, just nervous I guess, want to do the right things and not mess up!

Shelly, 

First let me second all the other replies to your questions.  

Now let me remind you that you didn't gain all that weight in month or day or year or at 3 pounds per week.  One of the truths of your journey is that the weight will come off in a different timetable that it went on. 

Relax.  Follow your plan.  Your journey will be yours alone. 

3lb per week is an unreasonable expectation, especially after the first month or two. Most folks will lose a lot in the first few weeks, and after that it slows to a pound or two each week after that-- maybe even slower once you're past the 6 month mark.

We didn't gain all the weight in a day, we don't magically lose it in a day either.

The only way to know if you're eating too much is to weigh and measure and log EVERYTHING. You won't feel a "full sensation" for a while yet, after the nerves in your stomach have healed. Once you're on to full foods, most people shoot for 600 - 800 calories, 60+ g protein, and < 40g carbs. However, you should follow what YOUR doctor told you, as most bodies/situations/doctors are different.

It doesn't matter if you have three meals or six smaller snacks as long as you eat the correct amount.

First, you're doing great!  Congrats on the 27lb!  That's amazing.  Keep doing what you're doing.

I have similar "OCD" about things...maybe more of a perfectionist tendency and a need to know that I'm doing well by "measuring" my progress against normal.  The problem is, there is no normal.  There is only YOUR normal.  You can make yourself crazy and send yourself into a tailspin if focus too much on what other people have achieved or their progress.  

It was hard to learn the lesson to compare myself only to myself.  But that's a big part of the journey.  You will get there.  I started at 262 and am down to 147...12lb from goal.  I never thought that would be possible.  I didn't follow a straight downward trajectory, tho.  It was more fits and starts.  One week I would be up 2lb, the next week down 4lb.  I had to stop weighing myself and just focus on following my program...and the weight came off.  The same will be true for you.  

I hope your nutritionist appt was good and you're feeling more confident in what you're doing.  I think you're doing great and I'm so happy for you!