Question:
This may seem like a weird thing to ask but...

I am 12 days post op. I am walking and keeping busy. I would like to know from others when you finally felt like you were losing. I have my 2 week appointment on tuesday and I don't feel I have lost anything. I feel fat and lousy. Help!!    — Mimi S. (posted on May 25, 2003)

May 25, 2003
Hi! I truly did not feel like I was losing any weight until I hit 70 lbs lost. However, at my 2 week appointment I did lose 27 lbs. I didn't think that I had lost anything either. Don't worry = you most definitely have lost weight. Just keep what you are doing and you will be fine. Tracy
   — tracyr

May 25, 2003
I remember getting for work one morning and my husband telling me that my outfit looked way too baggy on me. I went shopping for some new pants and took several sizes into the dressingroom. Imagine my surprise when the smallest pair fit me. After I wore them to work I started hearing lots of comments about how good I was looking. I only weigh myself once a month. Doing it everyday will drive you nuts. I like seeing the big drops and I can slip throught the plateaus unscathed. I just gave the biggest bag of clothes away and it didn't bother me in the least. Be ready for the best ride of your life. When you start feeling thinner, you will know it.
   — Sue A.

May 25, 2003
Hi, boy does this sound familiar. I am 5 months post-op and had my first follow-up appt. at 12 days. I had done everything they told me to do, followed the plan to a "T". When we got to the doctors office I was afraid to step on the scales, I was sure I hadn't lost anything. I was almost in tears, from the fear of not losing any weight. I had lost 25 lbs. in those 12 days and had not even realized it. Don't worry yourself, the weight will come off faster than you think. Good luck with your adventures in future weight loss.
   — Ralph P.

May 25, 2003
Mimi: You feel lousy because of your surgery and your blood might not be "just right" yet. Remember, you aren't getting the vitamin intake through food or the protein in like you used to. That is why I feel like crap. I find it hard to get all that it. It will be hard until I can start eating more than 2-3 ounces. Take care.
   — Marcy G.

May 26, 2003
Hi there. I would like to make a suggestion to you. Make a promise to your self that you will weigh yourself on a schedule. For example I weigh myself once a week on the same day. I have found that even if I come to the point where I am staying at the same weight from week to week that at least I can say ok more exercise or increase the protein intake etc. I too felt this way in the beginning. I just didn't let it consume me. I thought I know what I have to do to get things working and going in the right direction so I will do those things and not worry so much. I am 4 months post op and down 77 pounds. It will happen but give it time and prayer really works.
   — Kitty Kat

May 26, 2003
Most likely your abdomen is still somewhat bloated which makes you feel the same size. I lost the 17 lbs of fluid I gained in the hospital and an additional 7 lbs the first week. Then I lost 11 lbs in 4 days, but I can't say I felt smaller or lighter, most likely because you are hurting and trying to get moving etc. Then all of a sudden at about 4 weeks I was down 2-3 pants sizes. My weight loss was slower - I lost 22 lbs the first month. However, my body burned fat around my gut big time. I could not believe how my pants just got huge really fast. It's been slower progress on the sizes now but the weight made a bigger jump in the 2-1/2-3-1/2 month range then I lost only 2 lbs in 11 days. So it goes back and forth, but all that matters is it doesn't go UP anymore. I am 16 weeks today and down at least 95 lbs total. I started wearing 36W chino's and now wear 28W. Jeans I wore a 34W and now I'm in a 26WT, so that's an average of 1 size a month. I'll take it. I've lost on top also, but that wasn't an area that needed as much. I've gone from 4X (tight) to 2X-3X, depending on the item and how it is cut. A number of T-shirts I bought on trips now fit me like they should and not be stretched within an inch of their life. So trust me, you are making progress. No matter what the numbers or inches it will come off. It can't help but come off. Just make sure you work your surgeon's program to the max. I can't begin to tell you how much easier it is to move 95 lbs less of me. The thought of doing something doesn't make me cringe anymore. I may be tired afterwards but I did it and that's all that matters. <p>Give your body time to recover from the shock of surgery and each week will get better and in a few more weeks you will look back and see how much better you are doing. <p>One last tip. Just because your old clothes with "fit" you for quite a while, after a month or so go out and buy one thing new and you will see a big difference. I just gave away my second group of clothes and while I could "fit" into them they made me look bigger and dumpier than the new 26W Talls I fit into. I look way skinnier! So treat yourself to a new image. It does wonders!
   — zoedogcbr

May 26, 2003
I felt the same way!!! I'm only 18 days post, but my first check up was at 8 days. I knew I hadn't lost anything at all, my clothes didn't feel different, nothing. I lost 15 lbs and when measured 9.5 inches! I think it takes a while for those of us who have been heavy for so long to notice and feel any difference. Everyone else sees far more than I do. The suggestion to try on some smaller clothes is a good one. I've seen it more since I did that.
   — Stacey R.

May 26, 2003
Sometimes even I feel like I dont look any different and I have lost 128lbs!!! Trust me you are feeling really normal especially for a new postie. The first place I lost weight was in my face, hands, and feet. Dont ask me why there but that is the first place I could tell the difference. I had probably lost about 75lbs before it became obvious to others that I had lost weight. Dont get discouraged trust me you are changing. Before you know it the size labels on your clothes will tell the truth even if your eyes cant see the change!!!! Good luck to you. Wendi Open RNY 9/19/02 down 127lbs
   — lovemonterey