Question:
I lost 20lbs in my first week, and Now nothing?

I lost 20lbs in my first 3weeks after my surgery, I am eating the right way, although more than 2 ounces, I had my operation done on the 17th of May, and it seems I am not Losing anymore... I drink plenty of water also, I work on the highway in construction so I have no choice. Does anyone have any ideas what this could be? I thought it was kinda early to come to a Plateau    — J L. (posted on June 14, 2001)

June 14, 2001
I hit a plateau early too. It will break! Keep up the good work and it will pick up again.
   — Lisa B.

June 14, 2001
Try not to worry. We have been failures for sooooo long that we think we are going to fail with the surgery also. Look at any post-ops profile and you'll see that you WILL lose weight. Enjoy the weight loss, and stop watching the scale. It's easy for me to say that, I'm over a year post and weigh between 120-130!!!! Good Luck, and God Bless --
   — CohenHeart

June 14, 2001
I'm not one to give advice on this subject, but since I've lost so slowly, I thought I'd tell you what folks say to me. I did the same thing as you, lost fifteen pounds in the first two weeks, then nothing. It's been consistently one pound here or there ever since. Apparently, those of us with lower starting bmi tend to lose slower. Also, it's been one step forward, two back, throughout my whole post op period. I hope the loss sticks, because it sure does get frustrating to lose this slowly.
   — Amy K.

June 15, 2001
I know from personal experience the panic/disapointment/fear this small loss generates. I really had to focus on the fact that our bodies are going thru so much in such a short time that it's a shock to our systems. I lost 17lbs in the first 2 weeks and then nothing for 4 weeks!! I was scared to death I'd be a failure! I had to learn to relax (trust me, easier said than done!) and trust this surgery and just wait it out... but it is very unnerving to have a plateau so early in the post-op. But I've come to realize it happens to alot of us and is actually quite common. Just try to roll with it, again so much easier to say than to do. Good Luck to you, once your body realizes you aren't trying to starve it to death you'll be ok. Big Hugs and Smiles to you.
   — Wendy R.

June 15, 2001
I know from personal experience the panic/disapointment/fear this small loss generates. I really had to focus on the fact that our bodies are going thru so much in such a short time that it's a shock to our systems. I lost 17lbs in the first 2 weeks and then nothing for 4 weeks!! I was scared to death I'd be a failure! I had to learn to relax (trust me, easier said than done!) and trust this surgery and just wait it out... but it is very unnerving to have a plateau so early in the post-op. But I've come to realize it happens to alot of us and is actually quite common. Just try to roll with it, again so much easier to say than to do. Good Luck to you, once your body realizes you aren't trying to starve it to death you'll be ok. Big Hugs and Smiles to you.
   — Wendy R.

June 15, 2001
I am 11 months post op, and also a slow loser. Evidently my poor body has just been on tooo many diets and is trying hard to resist losing the weight another time. It will come off, however. I have found it helps to put the scale away and just stop weighing yourself. I lost about ten pounds a month for the first six months, and about four months after that. The good news is, after 211 months, I am still losing. The scale has been stuck in the same spot for the past two months, but I can see a big difference. I give up on the scale. It can stay stuck there forever...as long as I can see the difference and keep wearing smaller sizes, I don't care what the scale says.
   — Anne G.

June 15, 2001
boy, I should proof read my answers better before I send them...even I am not sure what I was trying to say in the previous post. I lost about 10 pounds a month the first 6 months and about 4 pounds a month after that. I am 11 months post op...not 211 months. Sorry. <sheepish grin>
   — Anne G.

May 28, 2003
You could be plateauing for any number of reasons-- however, I would tend to think that you are probably not getting enough protein. A recent study indicates that getting at least 60 grams a day of protein is critical. Also, examine if you are consuming more than 20-40 grams of carbs a day (there are lots of hidden carbs, so read the labels and watch artificial sweeteners which have some carbs in them). You might want to try an induction type of diet for a few days to try to kick-start your system (basically starve it of carbs by limiting your intake to 10-15 grams of carb a day). I've been following that regimine and have had just some minor plateaus of a few days each time; it's definitely helped me maintain a loss of 18-25 pounds a month since my third month. As of today, I'm down 215 pounds in 235 days.
   — SteveColarossi