Feeling like a Failure

It has been about a month since I had my surgery and I have lost only 8 pounds...Hooow can this happen??? Most people lose 20 pounds or so their first month. I feel like such a failure and I am super depressed today about it. I don't want this to all have been for nothing.

what are you eating and drinking?

Don't forget, you come out of the hospital heavier than when you went in due to all of the fluids during the surgery process,etc. As long as you are losing, that is a positive. Try not to compare your loss to anyone else, everyone is different. I am able to tell you this as I am 16 months post op - keep the faith you are off to agreat start. Keep it up.

Mike

Thanks for the kind words Duffman... Holly I have been taking in at least 60grams of protein...still struggling with getting all my water in and I eat 2-3 oz of mushy food 3x a day lil to no carbs.

is it your dr's plan to still be only shy at a month out?

Comparisons are the killers of joy. Don't compare yourself to others - sooo many different factors - starting weight, metabolic differences, calorie consumption, calorie expenditure, etc. 

We have zero control over what our bodies do and zero control over the scale. What we can control is what we eat, when we eat, how much we eat, why we eat, etc. 

i highly encourage tracking, measuring and weighing every little bite on my fitness pal - keep your diaries open and make some friends you can ask to look at your intake and give you suggestions. It might be you are eating more than you think or it could just be your body is reluctant to drop the weight as quickly. Either way, focus on what you can control and don't let yourself stress about things outside if your control (stress can affect your WL). 

You're only a little over three weeks out from surgery, so 8 pounds is great.  I lost 14 pounds my first month and was so, so happy.  Please don't compare yourself to others, we all lose at a different rate, and everything we lose is a win! Good luck, you will be fine and will see so many changes over the months.  

No failure, your body just hasn't caught up yet and there is nothing you can do on that.  Stay clear of carbs, and follow the plan.  When released from mushy to more more food you'll have even more control over what you can eat.  Get an app like My Fitness Pal and track everything that goes in, you may find some foods higher in carbs that you think such as refried beans.  So you could trade that for something like an unflavored greek yogurt and mix your protein powder in it.  My current favorite think is unsweetened applesauce (still pretty sweet) with Fage greek unsweetened and some unflavored portent.  It's simple to mix up, you pick the amount of sweet vs yogurt and how much protein to add.  

Anyway don't compare yourself because you do not know what your comparing yourself to always.  For instance my number is both pre and post op weight lost.  Sure it says I lost 36lbs but that's not all after I was cut.  I worked hard the few weeks before to get rid of sugar and started loosing, and have been lucky to have lost well after.  But I feel my 3 week stall kicking in.  Sad because my husband who's always weighted about 10-20lbs than me ... I almost caught him this week.  But he's been doing the diet with me preop and cut his calories in half post op so he's loosing too.  I will catch him as soon as I get out of this stall!!!!! 

I know we love to compare, and you feel a bit of despair but don't worry your body is just giving you a heck of a time right now but it'll get it in gear soon enough, science says it had to ya know. 

Think of it this way, losing it slowly will help with sagging skin.  Plus, 2 lbs a week is nothing to sneeze at.  That's what I'm doing right now.  I did three pounds the first two weeks, and now am down to 2 lbs a week.  (just finished my first month)  I can't really exercise because of physical limitations right now, but I'm satisfied.  I couldn't do 2 lbs a week before the sleeve.  I see a two pound loss and I jump for joy.  I'm two pounds closer to losing that 172 excess pounds.

Another brain teaser I use with myself is I count the 12 pounds I lost on the pre op clear liquids.

I also only lost 10lbs my first three weeks .. I was also a little taken aback . I found as soon as I started exercising again the weight started coming off .. 

my preop diet started feb 14 and surgery was feb 24 

As of now I am down 30 lbs total  and feel like a new person!! 

Keep it up !!