I dont know what to do anymore

I am at a loss for words at this point. Some say I am being ridiculous and some say that I shouldnt worry. I am me and I am wondering at this point if the doctor even did anything to me. I know I know. 

My story:

I had my surgury on June 19th. I had an RNY. I went to my post op on the 2nd of July. I was down only 17 pounds. I know its alot and it is great. However I have not lost 1 pound since then. So in almost a month I am not even down 20 pounds. Does this sound right? Please dont sugar coat it guys, if it does not sound right tell me. What could I be doing wrong?

 I eat at irregular times, I am not often hungary so I eat as needed. I have not been getting in all my protien could that affect me? My water is very hard for me to get in as well because it hurts to drink. I mean you know, you cant gulp and all. With this Arizona heat I seem always dehydrated. 

I am starting to have doubts, and really regreting this surgury. I know everyone else has had so much sucess so any help would be appretiated.

Thank you,Very depressed Stephanie

i can totally see if you arent getting in your protein how you arent down more pounds!! Protein, protein, protein is what my Nut tells me!! The 1st few months of so, protein & fluid is really all you are eating/drinking, so thats why you loose so much wgt at 1st! I say up you protein and you shouls start loosing again!! I hope it works out for you! Call your Nut!!

Oh hunny! I know how you feel. I felt the same way. I'd lost 19 lbs in the 1st 2 weeks after my surgery and then nothing....@ my 6 week appt, I was down another 10 lbs (29 total in weeks.) 17 lbs is a lot and it is great, but remember you just had major surgery and your body is trying to figure out what just happened. Plus you lost a good amount of weight quickly and your body has to readjust itself for that too. As far as the eating/drinking/protein issue. Do the best you can with it. It's still hard for me to get all my water in, but once you get a little further out, you'll be able to gulp a little. Now just sip, sip, sip. Set a timer to go off every 5 minutes if you have to, to help you with it. During my 1st 6 weeks (while i was off work) I was eating at irregular times too. Once you get yourself into a routine you'll feel much better about that. I don't know what your protein per day goal is, but as long as you are shooting for it everyday, you should be ok. Especially in the beginning, though you are not feeling hungry, you should try to stick to your nutrition plan and eat as often as it says you should. You need to be consuming a certain amount of calories per day for your body to not feel like it is starving. If you are really concerned then talk to your doc/nutritionist. I think we all begin to have doubts when we start to realize that even though it's the best decision we've ever made for ourselves, it's also a final and life altering one. Everyone's body is different. I know I felt discouraged (sometimes still do) when I see people who have had surgery either right before me or after and have lost more than I have.  But I know my body is different and I have to focus on me & my # not anyone else's! Just keep your chin up and keep doing the best you can. Your body is playing catch up and once you get in to the groove of it all your body will definitely start letting go of the weight. Wishing you the best, Rebecca

I understand your frustration - so here are a few thoughts... You just had major surgery and you are already down 17 pounds.  Your body might just need some time to heal and adjust.   You may not be losing pounds, but you might be losing inches.  Have you measured yourself?  Early out when I got down about a slow scale I re-measured myself and normally I could see the loss in inches if not in pounds.  If you haven't measured yourself - start today and I think you'll be encouraged to see those inches going down too. You REALLY REALLY need to get your water in.  Fat leaves your body through urine so if you are not flushing your system with water you are not going to be losing as quickly.  You said water hurts - how are you drinking it?  I had a really hard time with cold water (still do) but I found that room temp water or slightly warm water goes down just fine.  Experiment with water temps to see if one is better than another.  You can also use things like Crystal light or even a fresh lemon to squeeze a few drops in to make water more "exciting".  Try to concentrate on not swallowing air when you drink - that might be what is causing your pain.  With your new little pouch there isn't a whole lot of room for trapped air to escape so gas can be really painful.  Fill your mouth part way with water and when you are sure no air is in there swallow.  Force yourself to do this 2-3 times a minute for 5 minutes every 1/2 hour and you should be much closer to hitting your liquid goals for the day. As for eating at irregular times - you might never really feel "hungry" again.  I am almost 2 years out and have yet to have a hunger pang.  Your surgeon cut the nerve that sends your brain the message that it is time to eat.  Try getting on a schedule (getting on a schedule will also help you keep from snacking or grazing throughout the day).  For example I eat every 3 hours.  Get a watch with a timer and set it to go off every 3 hours - when it goes off get something to eat (make sure that whatever it is follows your surgeon's guidelines) and eat until you are satisfied.  Reset your watch and 3 hours later, repeat.  Your body will hang on to as many calories as possible if it thinks you are starving it to death so it is important to get enough calories to keep from going into "starvation mode".   Are you exercising at all?  If not, start.  At this stage in the game it should be okay for you to walk so get out there and walk for 20, 30, 40 minutes or whatever you can do.  If you are already exercising see if you can up your time.  Exercise is really important for getting the weight off and for keeping it off long term. And please keep in mind even if you do all these things there will still be times the scale is slow or even times when the scale stops.  It is natural for your body to take a break now and then to adjust to what is going on.  Be patient an remember weightloss surgery is for the long haul.  I know that is much easier said than done, but it is true.  I hope this encourages you Stephanie - your tool will work for you if you do your part darlin' - just give it a little time.

20lbs in a month is still a great accomplishment.. many people experience stalls around 3-5 weeks out so it is normal. Did your surgeon tell you what to expect? Mine said 20lbs the first month 10-15lbs after that so youd be on track. You really need to work on getting on a food schedule and sticking to it... its important to meet nutritional goals and keep your metabolism going by eating at regular times. You are forming the eating habits you will use for the rest of your life right now so its important to stay focused. Not getting in protein could very much effect you.... its important to get the water and the nutrition in so your body can function properly. Its hard to eat when you arnt hungry but keep in mind the hunger could return at any time... you need to prepare by working on good eating habits :-)

Wow, great job board! I got in on this one late and you guys have already given so much GREAT advice! Right on! This board is more then just friends and joking around! All I can add, and it has been mentioned already - is that the first evil plateau is very common at 3-5 weeks out. It happened to me exactly at 3 weeks and lasted almost 4 weeks. I had the exact same emotions. But plateaus do come and then they break and the world is good again. I know it is sooo frustrating, but they are a fact of WLS life for all the reasons mentioned above.  Keep in mind that the swelling in your pouch may take a while to subside and until then you will not experience what drinking and eating actually is going to feel like long term - for me it was at the seven week mark that I noticed big improvements in how things went down and how they sat in there. I definetly agree on the advice about drinking water - sip frequently, avoid temperature extremes because of the potential for uncomfortable to downright painful esophagel reflux and a tip from my nutritionist was to never drink from a straw or a narrow mouth bottle - like a water bottle - just wide mouth glasses or cups - it will signigicantly reduce the amount of air you force down with it. Also, take a look at the "best plateau buster post" I posted a few days ago on this forum originally authored by "The Professor" Dx - full of great information. Hang in there and keep us posted!

Thank you thank you thank you, each and every one of you *****plied. I am so thankfull for this board. I mixed it up and tried a bit of each of your suggestions and i am almost down 10 pounds in this week. I could not be happier. thanks again.